Under the warm sun at noon, a luxurious carriage was slowly moving towards the Dry Vine Castle, which was located in the center of the noble district in the southwest of Ural City.
Along the way, all the people who saw it, no matter if they were nobles or citizens, all stepped aside and let it pass. It was a carriage that belonged to Count Witte, the Lord of Ural City, and it was not an ordinary carriage that was used to transport goods.
Inside the carriage, Lucien pretended to be enjoying the exotic scenery on the street. He was reading the map of Schachran Empire that was collected by the Library of the Soul, and the maps were all around Ural City.
The Count's invitation came so suddenly that Lucien could not find a reason to reject it. Therefore, he had to accept the invitation. Lucien sighed. When he played the role of a noble very well, he was also bound by his identity.
"The invitation this time must be out of Carleena and Ivanovszki's expectation. It might ruin their plan, and they might make a big mistake. Also, it might bring drastic and dangerous changes. I have to be prepared as soon as possible," Lucien murmured to himself.
Lucien was sure that the invitation was not part of Carleena and Ivanovszki's plan. Before they could control him and the other members of the Vladimir family, they would never let him appear in front of Count Witte. If Count Witte suddenly fell in love with Lucien and chose another girl from the Witte family, their greed and desire would be in vain.
This was one of the reasons why Lucien accepted the invitation.
But shouldn't Carleena and Ivanovszki control what Count Count Witte sees and hears? Why would there be an unexpected invitation? " Lucien was confused. Since Ivanovszki was trying to steal Count Witte's inheritance, and Count Witte was so old and sick, it should not be hard for him to hide it from the grand knights and knights under Count Witte. Count Witte only knew what they wanted Count Witte to know, considering Ivanovszki's ability and how much Count Witte loved Carleena.
If Ivanovszki could not even do that, Lucien could only advise him to go home and buy a manor, land, and mines as soon as possible. Ivanovszki should stop being a smuggler and stop trying to steal the count's inheritance. Ivanovszki was not smart enough to do that.
While looking at the map, Lucien casually asked Leo about the scenery around Ural City, especially if there were any gloomy places that were haunted.
Lucien had to be prepared for the worst.
"Mr. Peter, because of the Church, haunted places only exist in stories that scare kids, or are created by those evil sorcerers who live in seclusion deep in the mountains. But as far as I know, there are a few mines in the west of Ural City that often collapse and many people die there. They are called 'the place cursed by demons' and 'the cave connected to hell'. " Nicolay, the chamberlain of Count Witte, heard the conversation between Lucien and Leo. As the representative of the host, he explained to Lucien in detail.
Nicolay was a powerful Knight with the title of a Count. When he was fighting against the heretics in the south, he was Count Count Witte's subordinate, and he was saved by Count Count Witte many times. Therefore, Nicolay was willing to give up his status and become the chamberlain of Count Witte.
In fact, whether it was the great nobles, the Grand Duke, the king, or the emperor, there were people like Nicolay. They were different from the noble knights who followed their duty as Knights and joined the Knight Order to protect the lord. For various reasons, they gave up their rights as nobles to protect the lord.
Some of them gave their rights to their children and became the guards themselves to consolidate their rights or to obtain a higher title than their own. Some of them did it because they were saved by the lord. Some of them made a promise to Knight when they received the secret training and materials from the lord. Some of them just did it for the precious and unique method of refining and improving their bloodline that had been passed down from generation to generation in the lord's family.
After hearing Nicolay's words, Lucien smiled and said, "Mr. Nicolay, in fact, there is a place in the northwest province that is very gloomy and haunted, and the dead cannot rest in peace. Although the Church strictly controls it, I still know a little bit about it." This was indirectly proving his identity as a member of the Vladimir family.
"According to Mr. Peter, maybe there is also a place near Ural City, but it is also controlled by the Church, so we don't know. What's the point of talking about something that we don't know? " Nicolay, who was a typical soldier, tried to show his sense of humor, but his tone was a bit stiff and not gentle enough.
Lucien did not mind. He continued to ask Nicolay and Leo, so that he could get a better understanding of the terrain and environment around here.
…
Half an hour later, Lucien saw the magnificent ancient castle covered with withered vines.
At the same time, an exquisite and luxurious carriage hurriedly drove over from another direction.
The moment Lucien stood still, he saw that the horse stopped in front of the carriage, and a beautiful lady in a beautiful woolen dress came down from the carriage with the help of her maids. She looked quite anxious. Her snow-white dress made her look beautiful and dignified.
"Mr. Peter …"
"Mrs. Carleena …"
Lucien and Carleena did not expect to see each other at the gate of the castle, so they greeted each other in surprise.
Looking at Carleena's face, Lucien smiled, "Mrs. Carleena, are you here to visit Count Witte?"
"Yes, I heard that Uncle Witte invited a guest. I'm worried that he might not follow the doctor's advice, so I'm here to remind him not to be too tired and to have a good rest." Carleena's smile was bright and charming, just like when she held a banquet.
Lucien slightly bowed and reached out his hand like a gentleman, "Mrs. Carleena, I'll follow your advice. I won't disturb Mr. Count's rest. Please."
"Mr. Peter, your etiquette is the best among all the nobles I've ever seen. I like it very much." Carleena praised and walked in front of Lucien with her maids.
She was telling the truth. Most of the nobles in Schachran Empire only followed the most important etiquette. They preferred fighting and drinking, so they were often called "barbarians" by the nobles in the countries where the South Church belonged.
Lucien was surprised by the invitation. What happened in the castle? Lucien calmly followed Carleena into Dry Vine Castle.
…
In a small living room of Withered Vine Castle, the fireplace was burning with a blazing flame, creating a room that was as warm as spring.
Lucien took off his coat and gave it to a servant to hang on the coat rack. He then bowed to an old man with the formal etiquette of a noble, "It's my pleasure to meet you, Mr. Count Witte."
The old man was sitting on the sofa near the fireplace. He was wearing a thick black coat, which was tightly wrapped around his coat as if he was afraid of the cold. His face was pale and haggard, but one could still vaguely see the stern and rigid lines of his face in the past. His light blue eyes were as muddy as those of other elderly people, and he wore a black bonnet on his head, covering his hair that seemed to have become sparse. His entire body was like a dried up plant that lacked water.
This was a powerful level-7 radiant knight who had been very brave and powerful back then.
Seeing Witte Count Witte like this, Lucien felt the horror of the passage of time, and he was afraid of aging and death.
"Luckily, there are many ways to prolong one's life." This fear made Lucien want to prolong his life.
Fear of death and yearning for immortality were the pursuit of short-lived intelligent creatures like human beings.
Witte Count Witte's lips were moving, and his voice was weak, "Peter, nice to meet you too. It's rare to see such a young and outstanding member of the Vladimir family in the southwest of the empire. "
After that, he took a few deep breaths, "This is my niece, Carleena. You should know her. This is my steward, Semyon. He's been with me for many years. He's an excellent steward. "
Carleena was sitting on the left side of Witte Count Witte, and Semyon was standing on the right side of Witte Count Witte. Semyon looked at Lucien with his blue eyes, and he nodded with a gentle smile. There were not many wrinkles on his face, but they were so deep that it was hard to tell his age.
It was said that he was a powerful Grand Knight, and he was not as old-fashioned and strict as the other stewards.
"Yes, Mr. Count. Mrs. Carleena treated me very well. She's a nice person," said Lucien "sincerely", and then he sat down on the sofa.
Carleena felt that something was wrong, but Lucien's words were perfect, so she could only curse him to be a nice person for the rest of his life.
Count Witte smiled, "Carleena is a nice girl. In fact, I've been looking for a young man from the Vladimir family, and you happened to come to Ural … "
Before he finished his words, he started to pant again. His body condition was really bad.
Carleena became nervous. Her hands that were holding Count Witte's arms were a bit stiff, and the veins on the back of her hands were popping out.
Lucien did not interrupt, but waited for Count Witte to catch his breath.
Count Witte said slowly, "I'm old now, and I'm not as strong as I used to be. I like to think about the past. I still remember when I went to the Northwest Province with my mother when I was little. I wonder if there are still so many strange trees and flowers in Tula Forest. "
"Mr. Count Witte, although I haven't been back for many years, I still remember everything in Tula Forest, such as the Crimson Magic Tree that could move and hunt like an animal …" said Lucien without any hesitation.
Carleena, who was sitting next to Lucien, relaxed a bit.
Count Witte's memories and Lucien's comments went on until lunchtime. The atmosphere was harmonious. Then Count Witte invited Lucien to have lunch with him. He asked Lucien to stay for one day and return to the caravan tomorrow.
Considering that there were many Knight and Knight guards in Count Count Witte's castle, Lucien agreed. Now that things had changed, Lucien could no longer follow his original plan.
…
It was getting late. In a room in Dry Vine Castle.
"How did Count Witte know about Peter?" Ivanovszki had snuck into the castle, and he questioned Carleena angrily. (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to qidian.com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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