The fairy maid cheers for her deceased master today.

As soon as they entered the Crystal Palace, X grabbed Angel and they disappeared into the crowd.

The Crystal Palace was crowded. During the fair, most of the pavilions were open day and night. Therefore, there were many visitors who came from afar at any time.

Based on the origin of the exhibits, the Crystal Palace has long been divided into several smaller pavilions. And Aix is ​​now in the area leading to the British Pavilion.

Compared to X's memories before his transmigration, this world's Crystal Palace even features an elevated track suspended in mid-air, traversing the entire palace, with technology demonstration vehicles placed along it. It's clearly the work of a large corporation.

I took a closer look at the text on the elevated track: British East India Company.

It truly is a large, international company.

Angel's focus is different.

They hadn't walked far when the fairy girl in the blue dress suddenly stopped, her voice trembling with excitement: "Master! That tin monster is swinging a sword!"

Following her fingertip, the steam-powered mechanical figures at the entrance of the British Pavilion were performing swordplay.

Brass gears clicked together, a steel sword cleaved through the air, and the crowd erupted in gasps.

Isn't this the prototype of steam-powered soldiers? According to the memory fragments, X knew that the Queen had ordered the Empire to research this technology a long time ago.

Ax's gaze, however, bypassed the crowd and fixed on a corner of the mechanical exhibition area—two Templar Knights stood guard in front of a silver barrier, their cross badges gleaming coldly in the sunlight, each patrol step producing a dull thud on the oak floor.

Wait, there are Knights Templar here at the UK Pavilion too? What happened to the promise of no knights?

The Times is so unprofessional...unprofessionalism can be deadly.

"Don't look around." X gently lowered his head and pressed Angel's head down with his hand: "If your identity is exposed, you'll be bound to Newgate Prison by the Fairy Chains of the Holy Order."

Angel's blue eyes instantly filled with tears: "But, but that mechanical doll is so cool! It's much more agile than the machines in the workshop!"

Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her skirt, making her look extremely aggrieved.

"So eager to see?" Alex couldn't help but laugh, revealing a hint of white teeth. "I'll show you after we're done stealing. Now—"

He pulled her around and pretended to stroll into the textile machinery exhibition area, where the roar of cotton spinning machines shook the ground.

"Let's figure out the route first."

As he spoke, Ax pulled out a pocket watch—a miniature version of the exposition map was pasted on the inside of the dial, with two crosses drawn in red ink.

The "Eternal Flame" silver lamp in the Persian Pavilion is located in the south wing of the Crystal Palace. It is easily identifiable by the blue flame floating under the glass cover.

The fragments of the True Cross from the British Pavilion are in the north wing of the Crystal Palace, inside a replica of the Ark of the Covenant belonging to the Ethiopian delegation.

His gaze cautiously swept over the Templars from afar. Ax silently discerned the direction of his target, simultaneously noting the Templars' patrol patterns—

They patrol every fifteen minutes and then return to their original positions.

There's also the issue of barriers—

"Can your object swapping ability pass through barriers?" X asked in a low voice.

Angel nodded hastily: "My magic is exchange! Not time travel, so it won't trigger the barrier."

really!

From the moment X first saw Angel's "Position Swap" skill, he had this feeling—

It would be a shame not to use this ability to steal things!

The pocket watch cover snapped shut.

"The Persian pavilion first." He suddenly turned to the south wing. "Silver Lantern is, after all, a foreign import, so the guards probably aren't that strict. Maybe there really aren't any knights protecting it."

Start with the simpler ones, accumulate experience, and then challenge yourself with the more difficult ones.

■

The atmosphere in the Persian Pavilion was completely different from that in the British Pavilion.

If the British Pavilion is filled with the smell of metal and steam, then the Persian Pavilion is wrapped in the sweet scent of oriental spices.

The source is also clear – there are legitimate spice stalls right next to Silver Lamp's booth.

Angel sniffed the air like a dog: "I smell cinnamon and cardamom."

"Want to buy it? Then go take a look."

Speaking loudly on purpose, X approached the target booth.

Pretending to admire the various precious spices, X glanced at the "Eternal Flame" silver lamp not far away out of the corner of his eye.

Beneath the glass dome, a small silver lamp emitted an eerily blue flame, its base engraved with ancient Persian script. The glass display case was secured with a standard brass lock, the keyhole located about three fingers' width on the right side.

The flames were eerie, but they were said to be illusory flames, having no physical form or temperature, and only lighting up when illuminated by light.

This is inherently unscientific.

But since there are fairies involved... let's not worry about the details.

Angel had already pretended to select a jar of spices, paid for it, and was happily holding the jar in her arms.

It seems she wasn't faking it; she really wanted it.

What about security here?

Ex pretended to fix Angel's hair and whispered in Angel's ear.

"At three o'clock, behind the low partition wall, there's a patrol officer arguing with an ice cream vendor." Angel whispered in his ear, her breath carrying the sweet scent of mints. "The target item is currently five meters away, within my range."

Thankfully, there were no Templars.

X reached into his coat pocket and pinched a silver coin—the same one he'd used to distract the assassin. X had definitely picked it up; he wasn't one to waste coins.

But we need an opportune moment, one that is as inconspicuous as possible, one where no one will notice our unusual behavior.

Ax looked toward the German exhibition area, where a mechanic was demonstrating the mechanical performance to visiting judges and experts. The sound of steam venting grew closer, and white mist surged toward them like cotton candy.

The opportunity came unexpectedly.

"Get ready," he whispered.

A blue light emanated from Angel's fingertips.

"Three." The steam engine began to hiss.

"Two." The spice vendor was bending over to weigh other customers when he accidentally spilled cinnamon powder all over the floor.

"One." Ex deliberately tossed the silver coin to the ground, then pretended to pick it up—

[Position Swap Initiated: Silver Lamp (0.5kg) and Silver Coin (0.028kg)]

Distracted by other noises, no one saw the blue flame inside the glass case suddenly go out.

The silver coin quietly fell into the display case, while the real, small silver lamp was picked up by X and put back into his coat.

"Let's go!" Ex grabbed Angel and turned to run.

In my haste, I bumped into a hard chest as soon as I rushed out of the Persian Pavilion.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry—" The moment X looked up, his breath stopped.

A Templar Knight in black robes was looking down at him, his eyes beneath the hood...like they were frozen in ice.

The knight was very polite. His gaze swept over Ex's pale face, then landed on Angel's slightly swaying ribbon, and finally he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine." The stolen goods were hidden in the inside pocket of his coat. But now, X was more experienced and calmer, and didn't give himself away.

"Where are you from?" the other person suddenly asked again.

"From Yorkshire," Ax replied in a Yorkshire accent, gently pushing the knight away. "I'm so sorry, I brought my daughter to the fair; she wants to see the good stuff over there. Her mother died young, and she's in poor health—"

"Your accent isn't quite right." The knight placed his hand on the silver chain on his arm. "Also, Yorkshire people don't say 'exhibition,' they say 'grand exhibition.'"

Yes, that's true! I just transmigrated and didn't know that!

These are Templar Knights? They're incredibly perceptive!

Fortunately, Angel was quick-witted enough.

She used the same trick again, suddenly letting go, and the spice jar in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".

Instantly, cinnamon powder rose into a white mist, obscuring the view. Taking advantage of the moment, Ax grabbed her and pulled her back, rushing into the crowd.

Because of the presence of other tourists, the Templars' movements were restricted, and they were unable to wield their weapons, so they could only follow along and charge forward.

Ex heard the sound of silver chains dragging on the ground behind him, which was rather eerie.

"Master! He's catching up!" Angel's pointed ears almost popped out of the ribbon, and her blue eyes widened in surprise.

Ax glanced back and realized that the knight hadn't actually locked onto his location. So he suddenly turned towards the Egyptian pavilion, avoiding the knight's line of sight.

Once he had escaped all the curious stares, X ran into his hiding place.

"Crouch down!" He pulled Angel behind the Sphinx replica, and the sound of the knight's boots stopped three meters away.

The knight didn't have X-ray vision; he could only see the tourists coming and going, and the suspicious person from before had disappeared.

A knight seemed to run over and ask what had happened.

"Strengthen inspections at the Crystal Palace exits." The knight's voice was as cold as ice. "Focus on checking the girl in the blue dress... I'll also go check the Persian pavilion for any issues."

"A girl in a blue dress?"

"Just do as instructed."

"yes!"