CHAPTER 116: SECRET PASSAGE

Without saying a word, Dr. Marshal remained silent and continued walking toward Sir Walter’s table. He then took the Eclipse serum from his pocket and placed it right in front of Sir Walter.

"Good." Sir Walter smiled contentedly. "I knew I had chosen the right person to make this potion. Then I will—"

"But wait a minute." Dr. Marshal instantly pulled the serum away from Sir Walter. "First, there is something I want to ask you."

"What do you want to ask?"

"What exactly is your purpose with this serum?" said Dr. Marshal with a tense expression. "The effects of this Eclipse serum are very powerful and will be dangerous if misused."

"I also strongly agree with what Dr. Marshal said."

"Calm down, Dr. Marshal. I will not use anything bad that could endanger the security of the Twilight Sanctum," said Sir Walter. "That is my personal business and has nothing to do with you. You can take my word for it."

"...." Dr. Marshal sighed, then slowly handed the bottle of serum to Sir Walter. "All right, then. I’ll take your word for it."

"So, where is the other entrance you mentioned earlier?" Shaan’s face was filled with anxiety. "We need that information right now."

"Be patient, young man. Let me put this serum away first." Sir Walter put the serum in his desk drawer. "Okay, it looks like this serum is safe now," he said with a satisfied smile. "This should be enough."

’Strange, I’m just curious as to why Sir Walter wants that potion so badly? ’ Shaan furrowed his brow. ’Could it be that he wants to give it to someone or—ah, never mind. I guess I shouldn’t worry too much about things that are none of my business.’

"All right, as agreed at the beginning, I will tell you another way to enter the underground cave," he said, leaning slightly closer to Dr. Marshal and Shaan. "But before I tell you this information, make sure no one else finds out that I leaked this secret to you. Understood?"

"Understood. You can take my word for it."

"Good, I really like young people like you," said Sir Walter. "Actually, there is one secret access route, and only a few people know about it. I can guarantee that even the current leader of the Twilight Wardens may not know about this."

"Interesting. I had no idea about that." Dr. Marshal slowly stroked his chin. "So where is this secret passageway?"

"The secret passage is located in an old water tunnel that was once used as the main water tunnel of Twilight Sanctum City, before the new water tunnel was finally built."

Sir Walter’s words immediately shocked Dr. Marshal. "Huh? But didn’t the Twilight Sanctum government itself close that place down earlier?"

"That’s right, but not the secret passage."

"Wait, hold on." Shaan immediately turned his gaze to the side. "Dr. Marshal, do you know about that place?"

"Yes, of course. Everyone in Twilight Sanctum City knows about it."

"But what is the reason for closing the water tunnel?"

"The leader of Twilight Sanctum closed the water tunnel for two main reasons. The first is that the old tunnel could only hold a limited amount of water, while the number of daemonists living in Twilight Sanctum began to increase, so the water demand also increased. The other reason is because... "Dr. Marshal scratched his head. "Wait, let me remember why..."

"The second reason is that the old tunnel has a weak structure, so the government proposed to build a new water tunnel."

"Ah, yes, that’s right." Dr. Marshal snapped his fingers. "That’s the second reason why the new water tunnel was built."

"Oh, I see."

"If you are inside that old water tunnel, just keep walking until you reach the very end of the tunnel," explained Sir Walter. "There you will find a secret door that will take you into an underground cave without anyone knowing."

"Hmmm... Interesting." Dr. Marshal slowly stroked his chin. "I had no idea about that."

"Alright, I’ve given you the information you need according to our agreement," said Sir Walter, leaning back in his chair. "Now, please leave this room and don’t disturb my rest."

"We understand," said Shaan and Dr. Marshal in unison, then walked out of Sir Walter’s room.

***

As he walked away from the bar toward Dr. Marshal’s house, Shaan’s face looked so happy. How could it not? He had finally found the answer to the problem that had been weighing on his mind while he was in the twilight sanctum.

’Great, at least this increases my chances of getting proof that I’m entirely innocent.’

However, when Shaan looked ahead, for some reason... Dr. Marshal was acting differently than he had expected. During the walk, he didn’t say a word and kept his head slightly bowed. Shaan wondered if Dr. Marshal was thinking about something. It was strange, but what was Dr. Marshal actually thinking about?

’I should ask him; maybe I can help him.’

"Dr. Marshal."

Shaan’s words immediately made Dr. Marshal pause for a moment, then slowly turn to look at Shaan. "Oh, yes, what is it, Shaan? Why are you calling me?"

"Dr. Marshal, there is something I want to ask you." Shaan furrowed his brow. "While walking, you didn’t say a single word, which is unusual for you. Is something bothering you?"

"Oh, yes, it seems you noticed," said Dr. Marshal. "I’m sorry. Actually, something has been bothering me after hearing Sir Walter’s words earlier, and it concerns the location of that place."

"What’s wrong with the location?"

"The location of the old water tunnel is outside the city of Twilight Sanctum, which means you won’t be able to get there, considering that you have a tether attached to your foot and your movements will be immediately detected if you leave Twilight Sanctum."

’Ah, right. That makes sense. What Dr. Marshal said is logical,’ Shaan gently tapped his forehead. ’Damn. So, how do we get that evidence now?’

"At first, I thought about trying to outsmart the tether by removing it, but it seems too risky to do so," Dr. Marshal shook his head. "That’s why I’ve been trying to find another way to get out of Twilight Sanctum without being detected."

"Hmmm... what you say is true," Shaan nodded."Damn. If only I could switch bodies or something, that might work," he added with a chuckle. "But come on, like that’s even—"

"Oh my god, that’s it." Dr. Marshal snapped his fingers. "Genius! You’re a genius, Shaan. We can use that method."

"Wait, what?"