Under the warm sunshine approaching noon, a low-key and luxurious carriage was driving slowly towards the "Withered Vine" Castle in the core of the noble district in the southwest of Ural City.
Along the way, pedestrians who saw it, whether they were nobles or citizens, stepped aside one after another and respectfully let it pass first, because it was a carriage belonging to Count Witte, the lord of Ural City, and it was not an ordinary carriage that transported goods.
Hitching a carriage.
In the carriage, Lucien pretended to appreciate the exotic scenery on the street and looked through the maps of the Shahran Empire specially collected in the Soul Library, and concentrated them near the Ural City.
The earl's invitation came suddenly, and Lucien couldn't find any reason for a normal nobleman to refuse, so he had to agree to go. This made Lucien feel very emotional. Even though he was very good at playing a nobleman, he was also bound by this identity.
Living.
"This invitation should be beyond Karilena and Ivanovsky's expectations. It may not only destroy their original arrangements, catch them off guard and make big mistakes, but it may also lead to fierce and violent consequences.
Dangerous changes require me to prepare in advance."
Lucien was certain that the invitation was not planned by Kalilina and Ivanovsky, because they would not take the risk of letting him appear before they controlled him or other members of the Vladimir family who did not have a big background.
In front of Count Werther. If Count Werther suddenly takes a fancy to herself and appoints another girl from the Werther family, their greed and desire will be as fruitless as drawing water from a bamboo basket.
This judgment was also one of the reasons why Lucien accepted the invitation.
"But shouldn't Kalilina and Ivanovsky strictly control what Count Werther sees and hears? Why did their unexpected invitation appear?" Lucien thought doubtfully, since they deliberately wanted to
In order to seize the inheritance of Count Werther, and Count Werther is in the midst of a serious aging disease, with Ivanovsky's ability and the extent to which Karilena is favored by him, it should not be difficult to hide it from the great knights and knights under him.
, so that he can only know what they want him to know.
If he couldn't even do this, Lucien could only advise Ivanovsky to go home quickly and buy a manor, land and mines to become a landowner, and stop being a smuggler in such a dangerous profession, and stop thinking about seizing
The legacy of an earl is impossible to play with his IQ!
While looking at the map, Lucien casually asked Leo next to him about the scenery around Ural City, especially if there were any spooky or haunted places.
Be prepared for the worst from the beginning.
"Mr. Peter, there is a church, and haunted places only exist in stories that scare children, or are created by evil magicians who live in seclusion in the mountains. But as far as I know, there are several ores in the west of Ural City because of
There were frequent landslides and many people died. It was called a 'place cursed by demons' and a 'cave connected to hell' and mining was stopped." Nikita, the Count's chamberlain who came to invite Lucien, heard the conversation between Lucien and Leo.
As a representative of the host, introduce the guest in detail.
He is a strong man with a formal knighthood and the title of Lord, but when he fought against the heretics in the south, he was a subordinate of Count Werther and was saved by him many times, so he willingly did not enjoy the prominent status and status.
Serves as chamberlain to the earl.
In fact, there are similar figures around nobility, grand dukes, kings, and emperors. Unlike the noble knights who follow the obligations of knights and join the knights to take turns protecting their lords, they have given up their integrity as fiefdoms for various reasons.
The rights of the nobility and the personal protection of the lord:
Some of them transfer their rights to their children and serve as guards to consolidate their rights or obtain family titles that exceed their own rank; some do it because of the grace of saving their lives; some make a knight's promise when they accept the lord's secret training and material provision, promising to become so-and-so.
Each level will serve as a guard for a certain number of years; some are simply a precious and unique way to refine and improve the bloodline passed down from generation to generation by the lord's family.
After listening to Nikita's words, Lucien smiled and said: "Mr. Nikita, in fact, there is a very gloomy place in the Northwest Province, where the dead are often haunted and have no rest in peace. Although the church has strictly controlled it, I still know it.
A little bit." This is indirectly proving his identity as a member of the Vladimir family.
"According to what you said, Mr. Peter, there may be some near the Ural City, but they are also controlled by the church so that we have no way of knowing. What's the need to discuss things that we just don't know?" Even though Nikita, who has a typical military temperament, tried to show off
My own humor also seems a bit stiff and not gentle enough.
Lucien didn't mind either and continued to ask Nikita and Leo to improve his understanding of the detailed terrain and environment nearby.
…………
Half an hour later, the majestic castle covered with withered vines and smelling of desolation appeared in front of Lucien.
At the same time, an exquisite and gorgeous carriage hurriedly came from the other direction.
As soon as Lucien stood still, he saw the carriage stopped with its front legs raised high, and a beautiful woman in a beautiful woolen dress walked down anxiously with the support of a maid. She was dressed in snow-white clothes.
She makes herself look pretty and dignified.
"Mr. Peter..."
"Mrs. Karilena..."
Lucien and Carilena did not expect to meet outside the castle gate, and greeted each other in surprise.
Looking at Carilena's appearance and recalling her previous actions, Lucien smiled: "Ms. Carilena, are you here to visit Count Werther?"
"Yes, I heard that Uncle Werther invited a guest. I was worried that he would not obey the instructions of the doctor at Shantang, so I came over to remind him not to be too tired and to have a good rest." After Kariliana was surprised, her smile became charming and charming.
Brilliant, just like when she held a banquet.
Lucien bowed slightly like a gentleman and stretched out his hand: "Ms. Carilena, I will follow your reminder and will not delay the Earl's rest, please."
"Mr. Peter, your etiquette is the best among the Shahran nobles I have ever seen, and I like it very much." After praising Karilena, she swayed ahead with her maid.
She was telling the truth. Most of the nobles of the Shahran Empire only abide by the most important etiquette and prefer fighting and strong drinks. Therefore, they are often called simple and rude "barbarians" by the nobles of the countries where the Southern Church belongs.
”.
It was indeed an unexpected invitation. Did something happen in the castle? Lucien followed Carilena calmly into the "Withered Vine" castle.
…………
In a small living room in Kuteng Castle, the fireplace is burning with blazing flames, creating a spring-like warmth in the room.
Lucien took off the ordinary coat that he wore outside and handed it to the waiter to hang on the coat rack. He saluted an old man with formal aristocratic etiquette: "It's an honor to meet you, Lord Earl Werther."
The old man was sitting on the sofa near the fireplace in the living room, wearing a thick black coat, wrapped tightly as if he was very afraid of the cold. His face was gray and haggard, but the stern and hard facial lines in the past could be vaguely seen.
, his light blue eyes were as dim and turbid as those of other elderly people, and he wore a black soft hat on his head, covering his hair that seemed to have become thinner. The whole person was like a plant that had dried up due to lack of water.
This is a seventh-level heavenly knight who was extremely brave and powerful back then.
Seeing Count Werther's appearance, Lucien felt the horror of the passage of time from the bottom of his heart, and aroused the fear of aging and death.
"Fortunately, magic has many ways to extend life." This fear gave Lucien a strong desire.
Fear of death and yearning for immortality and eternal life are the tireless pursuits of human beings, intelligent creatures with short life spans.
Count Werther squirmed as if a layer of gray had appeared on his lips, and said in a weak and old voice: "Peter, I am also very happy to see you. It is rare for me to see such a young and outstanding member of the Vladimir family in the southwest of the empire.
.”
After finishing his sentence, he took a few breaths and said, "This is my niece Kariliana, whom you should know. This is my housekeeper Semyon. He has been with me for many years and is an excellent housekeeper."
Karileena sat on the left side of Count Werther and served him, while the gray-haired Semyon stood on the right side of Count Werther. His blue eyes looked at Lucien and nodded with a faint smile. There were not many wrinkles on his face.
But each one is very deep, making it difficult to judge his age.
It is said that he is a strong man at the level of a knight, and he is not as rigid and strict as other butlers.
"Yes, Your Majesty the Earl, I have received warm hospitality from Lady Carileena. She is a rare good person." Lucien said "sincerely" and then sat on the sofa next to him.
Karilena always felt that something was wrong, but Lucien's words were impeccable, so she could only bite her teeth and curse him to be a good person for the rest of his life.
Count Werther chuckled and said: "Carilena is a good girl. In fact, I have been trying to find a young man from the Vladimir family during this time, but Peter happened to come to the Ural City..."
Before he finished speaking, he started panting again, and his physical condition was really bad.
Carileena next to her suddenly became nervous, her hands holding Count Werther slightly stiff, and veins seemed to be protruding on the back of her hands.
Lucien did not interrupt and waited politely for Count Werther to take a breath.
Earl Witte's voice slowed down and he said: "I am getting very old. I am no longer as firm and rigid as before. I am never weak. I start to like to recall the past. I still remember when I was a child, I followed my mother to the Northwest Province. I don't know what happened.
Are there still so many prey, so many strange trees and flowers in the forest?"
"Lord Earl, although I haven't been back for many years, everything in Tula Forest is still clearly in my mind, such as the crimson magic tree that can move and pounce on prey like an animal..." Lucien
He answered without any hesitation.
Carileena next to her relaxed.
From then on until lunch time, Count Werther's memories and Lucien's supplements were carried out. The atmosphere was harmonious and harmonious. Then Count Werther invited Lucien to have lunch and invited him to stay here for a day and return tomorrow. The caravan is about to leave.
Considering that there were many great knights and knight guards in Count Werther's castle, Lucien agreed. Now that things have changed, we can no longer proceed according to the previous thinking.
…………
The night began to get darker, in a certain room of Kuteng Castle.
"How did Count Werther know about Peter's existence?" Ivanovsky sneaked into the castle at some point and angrily asked Karilena in front of him. (To be continued. Please search Piaotian Literature for more novel updates. Good to update faster!)