A year ago, Ginny obtained a discarded transponder snail.
However, with her familiarity with communication devices, she quickly restored it to a usable state and re-established contact with the Revolutionary Army.
The Revolutionary Army clearly had no plans or ability to rescue her.
But Ginny's resolve was not shaken by this; she did not want the Revolutionary Army, which had developed with such difficulty, to engage in a frontal battle with the World Government prematurely because of her.
Not to mention that she was not in mortal danger now; even if she were, she would be willing to sacrifice herself rather than have others execute a rescue plan.
Tonight, Ginny once again took out the transponder snail and reported the recent situation in Mary Geoise to the Revolutionary Army.
"The atmosphere on the Red Line seems a bit off these past few days."
Ginny chose her words carefully, saying with some uncertainty:
"I just feel a sense of urgency."
On the other end of the transponder snail, Belo Betty, who had replaced Ginny as the new commander of the East Army, spoke with concern:
"Sister Ginny, you must be careful."
"Just protect yourself; don't deliberately try to gather intelligence."
"Don't worry, I..."
Just as Ginny was about to say something, footsteps were heard outside the door, quickly approaching.
A trace of panic flashed in Ginny's eyes; she instinctively grabbed the transponder snail and scanned every corner of the room—
the vase with white roses, the half-open jewelry box on the dressing table, the lace nightgown hanging on the coat rack... Finally, she lifted the duvet, and without time to end the call, she tucked the transponder snail deep under the bedding.
Blake's push on the door was just enough to make the hinges groan, and his jacket still carried the unique fragrance of the Slave market.
"Your Highness!"
Ginny quickly stood up, displaying just the right amount of respect—
neither fearing him like an ordinary maid nor being as casual as Robin and others.
Blake walked up to her and gently lifted her chin with his finger:
"It's been several years since I brought you here; it wouldn't do to keep wasting such... beauty?"
Seeing the fire in Blake's eyes, Ginny's pupils constricted slightly, and her body tensed for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.
She took a few steps back, lowered her head, and hid the complex emotions on her face—
anger, helplessness, fear... the list went on.
Blake hung his jacket on the hanger, the friction of the fabric covering the sound of Belo Betty's sharp intake of breath from beneath the bedding.
When the heavy body pressed down, Ginny bit her tongue hard.
The taste of blood spread in her mouth, and in a daze, she seemed to hear Belo Betty muffling the microphone.
Blake's actions had a performative brutality, each step precisely calculated for sound—
the clang of the belt buckle hitting the bedpost, the reverberation of palms slapping skin, the rhythmic vibration of the nightstand colliding... All these noises were clearly transmitted through Ginny's carefully modified transponder snail into Belo Betty's ears on the other side.
When the final creak of the bed frame ceased, Blake held the silent Ginny as they lay on the bed.
His fingertips drew meaningless circles on Ginny's shoulder blade, and sweat left dark marks on the feather pillow.
Blake suddenly spoke:
"Don't leave the manor recently; we might have to go out for a while in a few days."
"Hmm?"
Ginny's gaze instantly shifted from confusion to clarity; she suddenly realized this might be an opportunity to gather intelligence.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly in the dark, and her movement as she turned over was calculatedly languid; her calf brushed against Blake's waist as she tentatively asked:
"Your Highness, has something happened?"
Blake, however, seemed to have entered a sage-like state, answering whatever was asked.
He played with Ginny's hair, his volume just right for the transponder snail below to pick up:
"Garling whipped four Slaves to death a few days ago, and Christopher got into a fight with him again."
"Do they... often do this?"
Ginny gently stroked Blake's chest, a kitten-like whimper escaping her throat.
Blake found it somewhat amusing that this usually outspoken woman was trying to use a honey trap on him.
However, he didn't expose her, but instead continued to press Ginny's wrist above her head as if unaware, explaining:
"Their conflict has been going on for a long time, and now it's just escalating."
"Christopher and Garling have fought twice in the last month, and they're getting increasingly reckless."
"Last time, the two of them really went all out; Christopher cut off a lock of Garling's hair, and his own clothes were as tattered as a Slave's."
"It took the Gorosei to step in and separate them."
"But if this continues, it won't be long, or due to some special circumstance, before the two of them go to full-blown war."
Ginny endured the slight pain in her wrist, trying to continue capturing key information:
"Are those two Celestial Dragons... very powerful?"
Just then, the static from the transponder snail suddenly intensified.
"Is there some sound?"
Blake looked up, feigning confusion as he asked.
Ginny knew that Blake usually didn't often activate his Observation Haki in Mary Geoise.
At this moment, she absolutely couldn't let him become suspicious.
Otherwise, once Blake activated his Observation Haki, he would immediately discover the transponder snail hidden under the bed.
She gritted her teeth, hooked Blake with her calf, and silently prayed:
"Don't find it! Please don't find it!"
It seemed her prayers worked, as Blake's attention was completely diverted.
He rolled over, continuing to speak amidst the violent swaying of the bed curtains:
"Where was I?"
"Ah, yes, Garling is the Commander of the God's Knights; that is the Celestial Dragons' last line of defense, the true top combat power belonging to the Celestial Dragons."
"Christopher might not even be his match in a one-on-one fight, let alone facing the entire God's Knights?"
"However, this guy has also cultivated some strong individuals, who should be able to cause considerable trouble for the God's Knights."
As Blake spoke, Ginny arched her neck and let out a whimper, successfully enticing Blake to continue:
"And that Fishman Slave who escaped from Mary Geoise last time..."
"I think his name was Tiger, right?"
His sneer, mixed with the creaking of the bed frame, entered the transponder snail:
"Without Christopher's secret help, how could a mere Slave escape from the Red Line?"
"Last time I passed through Fish-Man Island, I met some people there."
"Just today, I received news from Fish-Man Island—"
"That Fishman named Tiger is planning to gather a group of people, return to the Red Line to create chaos, and free other Slaves."
Blake finally concluded:
"Mary Geoise might not be peaceful for a while; we might have to go out and hide."
...When Blake finally rolled over and fell asleep, Ginny carefully crept up, dragging her exhausted body, hung up the transponder snail, and cautiously hid it.
The transponder snail's shell was incredibly hot; several hours of continuous operation had brought the small creature close to exhaustion.
After doing all this, Ginny finally collapsed onto Blake's body and closed her eyes.