Crayon Shin-chan: As someone who's traveled through time, all I want is a huge reward!

Hiroshi put down the bread plate, his previous ease gone. "So what do we do now? Should we send troops to Black Wind Valley to reclaim the grain?"

King El walked to the window and looked at the fountain in the courtyard. He was silent for a moment. "Now most of the Imperial Guards have been transferred by Sencano. The remaining soldiers have to guard the castle and cannot be easily moved unless we can find evidence that Sencano colluded with Locke, such as letters or secret orders. Only with evidence can we deal with him legitimately."

Suddenly, Shin-chan raised his hand. "I want to go to the tower too! I can help Brother Yu find things. My eyes are very bright and I can see little bugs!" Misae quickly pulled him back. "Shin-chan, it's dangerous in the tower. You can't go! Why don't you wait in the castle with Mommy?" Shin-chan pouted and reluctantly sat down, still clutching a half-eaten wild fruit pie in his hand.

After breakfast, Lin Yu and Lulu walked towards the west tower.

The tower on the northwest corner of the castle was covered with green vines, and the stone steps at the entrance were covered with moss, indicating that it had not been tended to for a long time. When the guard pushed open the wooden door of the tower, it made a "creaking" sound, and a smell mixed with mildew and rust rushed out.

The tower was dark, with only a little light coming through the small window on the top floor. Lulu took out a torch from her bosom, lit it, and handed it to Lin Yu. "The tower has three floors. The first floor is for old weapons, the second floor is for documents, and the third floor is a watchtower. There are traces of someone having been there before on the second floor. Let's go to the second floor first."

The two walked up the steep stone steps, which were covered with a thick layer of dust, and occasionally a few blurry footprints could be seen.

When Lin Yu reached the second floor, he raised a torch to illuminate the surroundings. He saw rows of parchment scrolls hanging on the walls, and documents piled on wooden shelves bound with hemp rope, some of which were yellowed and damaged.

There were several fresh footprints on the ground, larger than those of ordinary people, which looked like men's footprints and were pointing towards a wooden cabinet in the corner.

The group climbed the steep stone steps, which were covered in a thick layer of dust, with only a few blurry footprints visible occasionally. When they reached the second floor, Lin Yu raised a torch to illuminate the surroundings. He saw rows of parchment scrolls hanging on the walls, and documents piled on wooden shelves bound with hemp rope, some of them yellowed and damaged.

There were several fresh footprints on the ground, larger than those of ordinary people, and they looked like men's. The footprints were pointing towards a wooden cabinet in the corner.

“That wooden cabinet contains military maps from the kingdom’s early years,” Lulu said as she walked over and carefully opened the cabinet. The maps were neatly folded and wrapped in kraft paper. “When I came here before, the maps were arranged by year, but it seems like they’ve been moved around!”

Lin Yu squatted down and carefully examined the lock on the wooden cabinet. The lock cylinder showed signs of being pried open and was very new, so it must have been touched just last night. "It seems someone came here looking for a map."

Lin Yu picked up a map and unfolded it. The secret passage of the castle was marked on it with red ink. "Look, this map marks the secret passage from the castle to Blackwind Valley. Senkaino may have used this passage to transport the grain to Locke."

Lulu leaned closer and looked, her brows furrowing even more. "Only the King, my father, and Sencano knew about this secret passage. My father passed away last year, so now only Sencano and the King know about it. He must have told Locke about the passage!"

At this moment, the torch in Lin Yu's hand burned even brighter. When he looked up, he was blinded by the dazzling light. He turned his head to the side and suddenly saw a corner with a note there!

Lin Yu walked over and picked up the note. The torchlight shone on the paper, on which were written several lines of black ink: "Three days later, use grain as bait to lure the villagers out of the castle. I will lead the Imperial Guard to attack the main gate. You will lead your men in through the secret passage to control the King and Queen. After the deed is done, Black Wind Valley will be yours—Sen."

"This is from Senkaino to Locke!" Lulu excitedly grabbed the note. "With this, we can prove he colluded with Locke!" Lin Yu folded the note and put it in his pocket. "Let's go to the third floor and see if there are any other clues!"

Lin Yu nodded, and the two of them headed toward the third floor. The third-floor observation deck had a round window that offered views of the fields outside the castle and the distant Black Wind Valley. There were several cigarette butts on the ground of the observation deck, indicating that someone had been there and had smoked.

“Senkaino likes to smoke, and he smokes tobacco from a neighboring country,” Lulu picked up a cigarette butt, smelled it, and said, “This cigarette butt tastes the same as the ones Senkaino usually smokes!”

Lin Yu walked to the window and looked towards Black Wind Valley. He could vaguely see black tents in the valley. "It seems that Locke has already made preparations in the valley. Three days later is the day they will attack the city."

Lin Yu turned to Lulu and said, "Let's go back and give the evidence to the King first. We don't have much time to discuss countermeasures."

As soon as they stepped off the tower, Zhu Zhixin ran over from a distance, carrying a small cloth bag. "Brother Lin Yu, Sister Lulu, my dad asked me to bring this to you. He said it might be useful during the reconnaissance!"

Zhu Zhixin opened the cloth bag and found two antidotes inside. "My dad said there are old poisoned arrows in the tower. If you come across them, the antidote can save your life."

Lulu patted Zhu Zhixin's head. "Thank you, Zhu Zhixin. You're such a good boy. Go back now and don't worry His Majesty the King." Zhu Zhixin nodded and whispered, "Brother Lin Yu, I know where Uncle Sen Kaino's study is. He always keeps important things in a hidden compartment in his study. Do you want to go and take a look?"

Lin Yu's eyes lit up. "Where is Senkaino's study?" Zhu Zhixin pointed to a small building on the east side of the castle. "It's over there, near the Imperial Guard camp. The study's windows are blue, so it's easy to spot!"

Lin Yu and Lulu exchanged a glance, both agreeing that this was an important clue. "Okay, let's give the evidence to the King first, and then go check Senkaino's study!"

When they returned to the main hall, King and Queen El were discussing troop deployment with the chief guard. Upon seeing Lin Yu and his group, they immediately went to greet them. "How did it go? Did you find any evidence?"

Lin Yu took out a slip of paper and handed it to King El. "This is a secret letter from Senkaino to Locke. They agreed to attack the city in three days, lure the villagers out of the castle with food, and then enter through a secret passage to control you and the Queen."

King El was so angry after reading the note that his hands were trembling. "That Senkaino! I have treated him well, and he dares to betray me!" The Queen quickly supported him. "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. Your health is the most important thing. The most important thing now is to figure out how to deal with the siege in three days."

The head guard then said, "Your Majesty, although most of the Imperial Guards have been transferred away, there are still fifty members of the Royal Guard. Adding the guards in the castle, we can muster a total of eighty men. As long as we hold the main gate and the secret passage of the castle, we should be able to hold out until the Imperial Guards are recalled!"

Lulu then said, "Suke no Shinsuke said there are hidden compartments in Mori Keno's study, which may contain more evidence of collusion with Locke, and even his orders to transfer the Imperial Guards. We can go to the study and look for them. Maybe we can find his orders to transfer troops, so that the transferred Imperial Guards can be brought back."

King El nodded. "Alright, go ahead. I'll have the head guard send two men to protect you. Senkaino's study is heavily guarded, so be careful!"

At this moment, Lin Yu spoke up, "I'll go alone. The guards of Senkaino may not be from the kingdom. Going there rashly will only alert them."

After listening to Lin Yu's words, King El nodded and agreed, "That's true. Then I'll have to trouble you, Lin Yu. Please be careful in everything you do!"

Lin Yu walked towards the place Zhu Zhixin had mentioned, and stopped a dozen meters away from the guard.

It was probably because news of recent events in the kingdom had reached them that the two guards looked very unnatural. Lin Yu's guess was indeed correct; the two guards had clearly been bribed by Senkaino.

Luckily, I came alone now, otherwise I might have alerted the enemy.

Lin Yu manipulated the Invisible Hand to form a small platform outside the city wall. Lin Yu climbed out of the window in the corridor and stood on the small platform. The Invisible Hand led Lin Yu to the window of Senkaino's room. Lin Yu was overjoyed and quickly climbed over.

Lin Yu climbed through the window and entered Senkaino's study. The study was spacious, with a decorative longsword hanging on the wall. There were several books and an ink bottle on the desk, and many military books on the bookshelf.

Lin Yu walked to the desk and carefully examined the surface. Suddenly, he noticed a small bulge on the side of the desk. He pressed it, and a drawer popped out with a "click".

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow as expected; this must be the hidden compartment that Zhu Zhixin had mentioned.

Chapter 259 Killing Senkaino

In the drawer of the book where Senkaino was killed, there was a stack of letters and a black seal. Lin Yu picked up the letters and found that they were all correspondence between Senkaino and Locke, detailing how they stole grain, how they transferred the Imperial Guards, and how they planned to attack the city. There was also a letter from Senkaino to the king of a neighboring country, requesting that the neighboring country support him after he seized power, on the condition that three villages of the Kingdom of Bribri be ceded.

"I never imagined he'd colluded with a neighboring country!" Lin Yu gasped in surprise, looking at the many envelopes in front of him. He murmured, "With all this, even if he had a hundred mouths, he couldn't explain himself!"

Lin Yu picked up the black seal, which had Senkaino's name engraved on it. "This is his personal seal. The warrant to transfer the Imperial Guard must have been made with this seal. I need to look for the warrant."

Lin Yu rummaged through the bookshelf and finally found a yellowed piece of paper in a book of military strategy. It contained a troop deployment order, stamped with Senkaino's seal, ordering the Imperial Guards to be stationed on the eastern side of the border away from Black Wind Valley three days later in the morning. This was clearly to allow Locke's men to attack the city smoothly.

Lin Yu folded the troop mobilization order and put it in his pocket. Just then, he heard footsteps and soldiers talking outside. "Commander Senkaino is back! Open the door quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu climbed out of the window, but he didn't rush to leave. Instead, he squatted by the window and carefully observed the movements inside.

"Squeak-"

The moment the study door was pushed open, Lin Yu held his breath and gripped the wood grain of the windowsill with his fingertips.

He peeked through the window and saw Sencano's tall figure blocking the doorway. The silver armor of the Imperial Guard commander was covered in morning dew, and the sword at his waist slammed against the door frame with a clang.

Senkaino raised his hand and pulled off his helmet, revealing black hair damp with sweat on his forehead. He habitually took out a rolled-up cigarette from his pocket, the kind of tobacco from the neighboring country that Lulu had mentioned. The pungent smell of the tobacco drifted in through the crack in the door, mingling with the scent of ink in the study, creating an unsettling atmosphere.

"Commander, Locke sent someone to ask if the grain should be transported to the western slope of Blackwind Valley ahead of schedule?" A short, stout soldier with a scar on his face entered. As he spoke, his eyes glanced at the desk. "Also, the secret letter in the hidden compartment... would you like to check it again?"

Senkaino paused for a moment. He didn't answer immediately but walked to the desk and tapped the surface lightly with his knuckles. Lin Yu's heart jumped into his throat. Although the raised part of the hidden compartment he had just pressed had been restored, it might still leave a mark.

Senkaino bent over, his nose almost touching the side of the desk. Sunlight shone from behind his shoulder, casting a long shadow on the desk. The shadow resembled a ferocious beast, enveloping the windowsill where Lin Yu was hiding.

“No need!” Senkaino straightened up, lit a cigarette, and smoke billowed from the corner of his mouth, blurring his expression. “Proceed as planned. Three days from now, at dawn, I will lead my men into the main tower through the secret passage. Locke will be in charge of drawing away the guards at the city gate. As for the secret message…”

He glanced at the book "The Art of War" on the bookshelf; the pages still bore the creases from when he last opened it. "The guards outside are all my men; no one can enter my room!"

The scarred soldier nodded and bowed, then leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Well... it seems the King has been investigating the movement of the Imperial Guard lately. Yesterday, the head of the guard even asked me about the patrol routes on the eastern border, whether we should..."

"Useless!" Senkaino suddenly kicked the soldier, who cried out and fell to the ground, scrambling to his feet. "You can't even handle this little thing? What did I tell you when I transferred the Imperial Guards? I told you there were bandits on the border and patrols needed to be increased! If anyone asks again, just say I went to the east to supervise, understand?"

The soldier, pale-faced, nodded repeatedly. As he retreated to the doorway, he nearly bumped into the door frame. Senkaino watched his retreating figure, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and stubbed it out into the ink bottle on his desk. With a "sizzle," ink splattered out, leaving a black stain on the table.

He walked to the bookshelf, pulled out the book "The Art of War," and ran his fingers between the pages. Lin Yu, who was watching from outside the window, almost jumped out of his skin when he saw this. The troop deployment order was tucked between pages 78 and 79. He had deliberately chosen those pages because there was a small tear in the edge of the pages, making it easier to remember the location.

But Sencano just flipped through a few pages, put the book back on the shelf, and turned to walk towards the door. His boots made a dull thud on the floor, and just as his hand gripped the doorknob, a bird suddenly called from outside the window.

The gray sparrow that had been startled earlier had landed back on the eaves. Senkaino paused, glanced back at the window, frowned as if he felt something was wrong, but in the end he opened the door and went out.

After confirming there were no footsteps in the corridor, he carefully climbed into the study. Lin Yu walked over quickly and was about to restore the contents of the hidden compartment when he noticed a corner of parchment sticking out of the drawer. It was parchment that he hadn't noticed before. It was covered with dense lines and the location of Black Wind Valley was circled in red. Next to it was a note that read, "Secret passage to the granary, which will be accessible later."

After picking up the parchment, Lin Yu immediately went to the main hall and handed over the items he had collected in Senkaino's room to King El.

As King El's fingertips touched the edge of the secret letter, he was slightly startled by the rough texture of the paper. It was the coarse hemp paper that Senkaino was used to, with a little brown tobacco dust stuck to the corners, just like the cigarette butts Lulu had picked up in the west tower.

“Ceding three villages… He actually dared to collude with Karen!” The king’s knuckles gripped the letter so tightly that his fingerprints dug deep into the paper fibers. His once gentle eyes were now like ice. “When I promoted him, he was just a lowly soldier guarding the city gate. I gave him military power and a title, and yet he wants to destroy my kingdom!”

Queen Yusha stood beside the king, the hem of her pale purple dress draped across the carpet. She gently pressed her hand on the king's trembling shoulder, her voice tinged with weariness. "Your Majesty, now is not the time to lose your temper!" Her gaze swept over the troop mobilization order on the table, and the valley flower on her silver hairpin shimmered in the light.

At this moment, Lin Yu spoke up, "King El, if you trust me, in three days I will lead my soldiers to fight against Senkaino and his men. When the border guards return, we will catch them off guard!"

King El was initially hesitant after hearing Lin Yu's words, but after Nohara Shinnosuke recounted Lin Yu's heroic deeds, the king's last lingering concerns vanished without a trace. "Then I'll trouble you, Lin Yu!"

......

Before the morning mist had completely dissipated, Lin Yu was already standing on the training ground of the west tower, holding a Nichirin Blade in his hand, the hilt of which felt slightly cool against his palm.

Lin Yu and Lulu walked to the city wall. Lin Yu unfolded the topographical map he had found in Senkaino's study. The terrain of the granary passage in Black Wind Valley and the main gate of the castle were clearly marked on the paper.

"No need to worry too much, I'll just take care of them all!"

Lulu nodded and handed over a list. "The guards have already sharpened three hundred arrows. The arrowheads are coated with anesthetic to temporarily subdue the enemy. Three days from now, at dawn, the Imperial Guards will circle around from the west side of Black Wind Valley. At that time, we will sound three horns and attack from both inside and outside!"

He looked at the shooting range at the end of the training ground, where a dozen or so scarecrows dressed in Imperial Guard armor stood. Lin Yu, holding his Nichirin Blade, said to Lulu, "I'm going to test the blade. Just come along, it might boost everyone's morale. Want to come along?"

Seeing this, Lulu quickly nodded, "Of course! I was really curious when Susumu told me that you used your Nichirin Blade to cut the crocodile in half with your airflow!"

Upon reaching the shooting range, Lin Yu drew his Nichirin Blade and lightly swung it at the scarecrow.

The airflow from the Nichirin Blade was like a silver lightning bolt, slicing from the scarecrow's left shoulder to its right abdomen, sending armor fragments flying and straw scattering across the ground. The cut was so clean it looked as if it had been measured with a ruler.

"What a great knife!" Lulu couldn't help but exclaim. "This knife is much more powerful than our longswords. It cuts through armor like slicing pancakes!"

Lin Yu smiled but didn't speak. He took a deep breath, stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, gripped the knife in both hands, locked his gaze on the dozens of scarecrows at the front, and with a burst of power from his waist and abdomen, he slashed down with the knife. "Whoosh!"

The Nichirin Blade unleashed its energy in response, and the next second a pale blue stream of energy sliced ​​down dozens of scarecrows. The soldiers training nearby all gasped in shock.

The person in front of them, even from dozens of meters away, easily cut down the armored scarecrow with just a breath of air. Just how powerful was this person?

On the third day, just as dawn was breaking, the castle bells rang urgently. Lin Yu suddenly sat up in bed, grabbed his Nichirin Blade, and ran towards the city gate. Lulu sent someone to report that the enemy had reached the mouth of the valley and was advancing towards the castle.

On the city gate tower, Lulu had already taken her position with her personal guards. Twenty guards held bows and arrows, the arrows in their quivers coated with anesthetic; one guard stood guard over a barrel of hot oil, the lid of which was open, the steam carrying the aroma of oil wafting out; and three guards held torches, ready to light the oil-soaked hemp ropes at any moment.

"They're here!" a guard shouted.

Lin Yu looked in the direction he pointed and saw a dark mass of figures on the distant horizon. Ten siege ladders dragged across the ground like giant black pythons, making a creaking sound. Lin Yu's gaze locked onto the foremost siege ladder, whose axle was directly facing the ditch.

As the enemy drew closer, their weapons became clearly visible: longswords, axes, and several men carrying shields. When they were fifty meters from the city gate, Senkaino rode out on his black horse and shouted, "El! Open the gates and surrender! Or I'll burn your castle down!"