Cha Cha the rabbit’s plan was simple: since the path on the ground was difficult, they wouldn’t take it.
Cha Cha the rabbit pointed to the gaps in the wall bricks, "Just like we did when we climbed the chimney before, we’ll move across by the brick gaps bit by bit."
After listening, Angel shook his head: "Climbing using the brick gaps has some merit, but there are many variables midway."
The two most important variables are the limits of physical strength and time.
With Angel’s current endurance, it may not be enough to reach the right side of the main hall. Moreover, the main hall is actually quite large, even not considering stamina, just with their current size, it would take a very long time to reach the right side.
Once time drags on, the risk increases. The maid who poked her head into the small window might pull back, the maid eating cockroaches might give up searching, and the patrolling maid who went out might return.
So, Angel personally didn’t think climbing walls was a good choice.
Cha Cha the rabbit thought about it carefully and agreed. These maids weren’t statues; they couldn’t maintain their current actions indefinitely. If time drags on, it could easily draw their attention.
"Then what do you suggest?" Cha Cha the rabbit asked.
Angel didn’t answer immediately but fell into deep thought.
There were actually many methods. Even if they landed quietly on the ground, there was a chance the two maids wouldn’t discover them, but the success rate was about fifty-fifty.
Besides that, they could try a diversionary tactic... but that could easily alarm the maids, turning what was originally an average difficulty into nightmare level, which would be bad. Moreover, it could easily lead to unforeseen dangers for Cha Cha the rabbit.
So, what he needed now was a relatively safer method.
As Angel was pondering, suddenly, the lights in the main hall flickered.
Previously, the lights had flickered too, but Angel didn’t pay attention because at that time the main hall doors were open, wind was blowing in, causing the decorations near the chandelier to sway, resulting in the flickering — a normal occurrence.
But this time, Angel’s gaze fell on the chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
"I might have thought of a way," Angel whispered.
Cha Cha the rabbit: "What way?"
Angel pointed to the ceiling, and Cha Cha the rabbit followed Angel’s line of sight.
Angel was pointing at a golden glossy tassel.
On the ceiling of the main hall, there were occasionally golden glossy tassels hanging down, varying in length, serving as a decoration in tandem with the ceiling light. They make the light source brighter and create a luxurious atmosphere.
These golden glossy tassels create a beautiful ambiance, but they have some drawbacks. For instance, when the wind blows, they swayed, causing the light source to be unstable, which is why the main hall lights flickered occasionally.
This might be a drawback usually, but in this situation, it could bee an advantage.
"You mean, you want to swing across using these?" Cha Cha the rabbit wasn’t dull; Angel’s hint was enough for understanding.
Angel nodded, that indeed was his plan.
They could entirely use the swinging tassels to relay themselves to the right position.
As Angel described it himself, it was similar to the movements of Tarzan in the jungle, using inertia to achieve their goal.
Cha Cha the rabbit’s eyes lit up, seemingly agreeing with this method, but it didn’t immediately agree, instead looking at Angel: "There’s feasibility, but it’s very dangerous."
Swaying at a height, any slip could mean missing the next tassel and falling straight down.
Angel: "There is danger, but it’s a controllable danger. At least, pared to being discovered by the puppet maids, the danger is much less."
Cha Cha the rabbit: "That’s true, but if we choose this method, the route must be carefully planned."
These glossy tassels are meant to reflect the light; those too close to the chandeliers could cause a significant change in the light, catching the maids’ attention if swayed too much.
But if the route is planned well, avoiding critical tassels and sticking to the edges, even if the main hall lights flicker, they won’t flicker too noticeably.
Moreover, their swinging should align with windy moments, where the wind bees an ally, so even if the main hall lights flicker, the maids wouldn’t take notice!
For Angel now, the wind is dangerous, but if used wisely, it can serve their journey.
Angel: "Indeed."
After confirming the method, Angel and Cha Cha the rabbit immediately began planning the starting point and swinging route.
They had already found a starting point, on one side of a curtain there’s a rubber-like support. At the end of the rubber, there’s a place like a bungee platform, with a tassel very close to them, and it’s on the edge, unlikely to draw much attention.
With the starting point found, the route planning was simple. Just avoid swinging towards the center; there are plenty of peripheral tassels to choose from. They also found the landing spot, within the curtains in front of the door on the right.
With everything ready, Angel and Cha Cha the rabbit arrived at the starting point.
Now, they were left with just one last task —
waiting for the wind.
...
Another gust of night wind blew in through the always-open door, with a whistling howl.
As the night wind swept in, the main hall’s light source flickered once again, but the two maids had gotten used to it, not even looking up, at most silently plaining in their hearts: patrolling maids not closing doors isn’t a good habit.
Continue conversing with the chef as necessary. Continue catching cockroaches to fill the stomach as needed.
Everything was the same as before.
Even if the light flickers more than before, it doesn’t matter, it’ll stabilize once the wind stops.
The two maids hadn’t noticed the tassels above them swaying more than usual, nor did they notice two tiny figures using the swinging inertia of the tassels, quickly swaying from left to right.
Angel’s plan succeeded, at least it was fifty percent successful now.
Cha Cha the rabbit had successfully reached the curtains. After squeezing in, it slid down to the table beside, waving energetically to Angel from behind a vase.
Angel was on the last stretch now, but he found it difficult to continue.
He still had stamina, but he had underestimated the slipperiness of the tassel.
It seemed to be nothing more than hanging strips of cloth, but they had a special gloss and were extremely smooth. Even when gripping the strips, Angel had the illusion of holding a glass rod.
At first, Angel managed to hold on, but as he quickly switched from one strip to another, each transfer caused him to slide down further.
And now, he was already near the end of the strip he was holding.
It was being harder and harder to gain leverage.
Yet, he was still about three meters away from the curtain. An adult might be able to jump that distance, but he was just a thumb-sized person. Even if he took off his hat and became a half-sized person, it was unlikely he could leap three meters.
Moreover, if he fell, even if he didn’t die, he’d be injured. The blood he shed would surely attract the maid’s attention.
However, if he didn’t fall, the wind had almost stopped. If the wind stopped but the lights continued flickering, it would also draw the maid’s attention.
One could say that Angel was already in a dilemma with no easy way out.
The rabbit Cha Cha also sensed Angel’s struggle, its expression full of anxiety and hesitation. It had a way to save Angel, but using it would release energy and attract the maid’s attention. Then, they would find it hard to sneak in and might have to escape.
Also, escaping might affect Julie.
So Cha Cha was also conflicted at the moment.
Just as Cha Cha was unsure of what decision to make, it noticed that Angel had already released the strip.
Was he going to grab another strip? No, the height wasn’t enough!
As Cha Cha was bewildered, Angel suddenly untied the saddlebag wrapped around him, letting it loose in the air. It was immediately filled with wind, puffing up like a balloon.
Angel clung tightly to both sides of the saddlebag, using it as "wings" to glide toward Cha Cha.
In just a few short seconds, it was truly a matter of life and death for Angel.
He feared his strength would fail and he’d let go, he feared the wind would blow him off course, he feared the two maids would notice something amiss.
Fortunately, none of Angel’s fears came true.
He successfully glided into the curtain. The soft fabric cushioned him, preventing injury upon landing.
After a dozen seconds, Angel slid out of the curtain and landed beside the rabbit Cha Cha.
Cha Cha patted its chest with relief, took a deep breath, and said, "You really scared me just now. I almost thought you were going to fall. Was that your backup plan? It was quite impressive."
Of course, this wasn’t Angel’s backup plan, just his spontaneous survival instinct during a crisis. However, there was no need to explain his mental journey, so in response to Cha Cha’s inquiry, he simply smiled without saying anything.
Cha Cha assumed Angel tacitly agreed, patting his shoulder: "Not bad, your method inspired me quite a bit. Perhaps next time I infiltrate the castle, I could try this method. Imagine flying over the moat—how thrilling!"
Seeing Cha Cha’s earnest expression, Angel quickly advised, "Landing in small areas is fine, but if you fly over the moat, you’ll definitely be spotted. Moreover, it requires perfect timing and conditions. For flying over the moat, you’d at least need a storm. Would you dare to venture out in a storm? Who knows where you’d be blown to."
Cha Cha: "I understand, but I don’t necessarily need timing on my side. I can find a way to persuade some birds to assist my plan. Of course, this is just an idea, if I really need to enter the castle, I’ll still need Julie’s help."
Once Angel was sure Cha Cha wouldn’t act recklessly, he nodded. Still, depending on birds is also quite risky... One must say, even if Cha Cha forgot about Angel, its nature is still very similar to Cha Cha the Great Demon King.
As Angel reflected, Cha Cha pulled his hand: "Let’s go quickly, I estimated the time, if we don’t act now, when the patrolling maid arrives, it’ll be hard to investigate the storage room."
Angel: "What do you mean?"
Cha Cha leaned closer to Angel’s ear and whispered: "The patrolling maid had checked the side wing and left the main hall to go outside; it’s almost certain that when it returns, its next stop will be the storage room."
"I suspect it will bring some supplies to the storage room. It will likely organize the storage room, staying for a long while, so if we don’t go to the storage room before it arrives, we’ll have to wait for it to leave on its own. Who knows how long that will take."
"Moreover, if we manage to leave the storage room before it arrives, we won’t have to worry about running into the patrolling maid on the first floor."
Angel nodded thoughtfully, understanding that they needed to outpace the patrolling maid.
Indeed, they needed to hurry.
They reached the table edge and slid down to the ground along the curtain.
Then, they quietly approached the doorway to the room on the right.
Cha Cha motioned for silence and peeked sneakily behind the door with its monocle.
"There’s no one behind the door; we can go inside and hide under the table," Cha Cha whispered.
Angel nodded in agreement.
Cha Cha led the way, with Angel cautiously following behind into the kitchen.
Once inside the kitchen, it was like stepping into another world. Moments ago, the hall was filled with the scent of aromatherapy candles, but in the kitchen, there was an indescribable rotten smell pervading the air.
Amidst this stench, a faint aroma of tea lingered.
In such stark contrast, Angel felt a strange sensation.
"Be cautious, try not to breathe in the food’s scent; only the Black Tea Earl can digest it, and it contains many toxic substances. Breathing it in for too long might result in poisoning."
Seeing Angel sniffing at the air, Cha Cha hurried over, whispering a warning.
Angel was feeling dizzy, attributing it to the weird smell, but he hadn’t realized the threat it posed!
"The best solution is to use the saddle cloth I got from Julie to cover your nose. It carries the Black Tea Earl’s scent, shielding against the food’s smell. Plus, it prevents the chef from discovering you... the chef’s sense of smell is very keen."
Taking Cha Cha’s advice seriously, Angel was resistant at first, but since he’d already worn the saddlebag, using it as a mask didn’t seem too bad.
After all, he didn’t smell anything unusual... As long as he didn’t think about its original use, it was just an ordinary cloth!
Once Angel covered his nose with the saddlebag, the surrounding odors diminished significantly. Although faint scents remained, their impact was minimal.
With the smell issue resolved, Cha Cha and Angel moved to the space beneath a cupboard filled with spare materials.
Both hid in the shadows, shielded further by a table leg, ensuring they wouldn’t be seen.
From this vantage point, peering out was safe, concealed by the shadows, making it an excellent spot for observation.
Cha Cha and Angel each conducted an observation, which gave them a prehensive understanding of the kitchen’s layout.
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