Deep in the Black Earth Forest, outside the small house where the wanted criminal McCarthy Thompson had once lived.
A purple-haired man dressed in black stepped on the soft black soil as he walked towards the small house.
He had a scar across half of his face, and his face was as cold as ice. What was colder was his eyes, which were like icy rays. It was as if anything that was stared at by this pair of eyes would be frozen.
He pushed open the door of the small house, walked in, and rummaged through the house.
The wardrobe, the bottom of the furniture, under the bed …
He searched every nook and cranny of the room carefully. Finally, he stood up and frowned after searching every nook and cranny of the room.
* Rustle! *
Outside the house, there was a slight rustling sound like the wind. He suddenly turned around and stared coldly.
Then, he saw four figures who were also dressed in black appear in his field of vision.
"Captain!"
The four figures dressed in black came to the small house and greeted respectfully. There were both men and women in their voices.
"How is it? Have you found out who killed McCarthy Thompson?"
The purple-haired man with the scar on his face asked coldly.
"We've found out. It's the Viscount Emerson Fergus of this place."
One of the four black-clothed men replied.
"Emerson Fergus?"
Muttering this name, the purple-haired man with the scar on his face had a cold gaze.
… …
In the afternoon, in the empty space south of the castle, Gray was cultivating when he saw the maid Barbara run over in a panic.
"What's the matter?"
Gray frowned slightly, stopped cultivating, and looked at her.
He did not like to be disturbed when he was cultivating. Barbara knew this. Since she still came to disturb him despite knowing this, it meant that this matter was more important than his current cultivation.
"Gray … Young Master, the Viscount wants you … to go to the castle gate and welcome the honorable guest with them!"
Because she had run all the way here, Barbara was panting heavily. As she panted, her chest rose and fell.
"Honorable guest?"
Gray didn't notice it, or rather, he noticed it but didn't have the energy to appreciate it. He muttered the word "distinguished guest".
To be called a distinguished guest by Viscount Fergus, this person's identity could be imagined. At the very least, this person should be from the Count's family, and this person's status in the Count's family couldn't be too low.
"The Earl family that is close to the Fergus family is the Ford family. Could it be someone from the Ford family?"
"But the Ford family doesn't seem to have much contact with the Fergus family, right?
Why did the Ford family come to visit? "
With these thoughts in mind, Gray didn't stop walking. He quickly walked toward the castle's entrance with his maid, Barbara.
When he walked to the entrance of the castle, he saw Viscount Fergus, Madame De Milan, Bolar, Caroline, and the others waiting there.
He walked over to Viscount Fergus's side. Just as he was about to ask, he saw a troop coming from afar.
At the outermost edge of the troop were dozens of elite soldiers wearing black and white armor. The horses they were riding were all pure black in color.
In the inner layer of the elite soldiers were eight people wearing white battle armor and riding white horses.
In the middle of the group of people wearing white battle armor and soldiers wearing black and white armor was an exquisitely decorated carriage.
Pulling the carriage were two strong and tall horses. Their hair was crimson red, and their eyes were bright. They were two Crimson Blood Horses. To be able to pull the carriage with Crimson Blood Horses, one could tell that the person in the carriage wasn't an ordinary person.
In fact, this was the case. On the left and right sides of the carriage, there was the same picture of a blood beast.
Its body was bronze in color. It had a thick body, four thick legs, a slightly long neck, and three sharp horns on its head. There was one on each side of its head, and one on its forehead that pierced the sky.
This was the picture of a Copperback Dragon. The identity of the carriage's owner was obvious.
"It's actually someone from the Sidney family?"
Gray's eyes were filled with shock. Because of the words "distinguished guest", he thought of someone from the Earl's family. However, he didn't expect this person to be even more important than the Earl's family. He was actually the direct superior of the Fergus family, a family that ruled over 400,000 square kilometers of land.
Under the gaze of Gray and the others, the carriage drove to the gate of the castle. Two people walked down from the carriage.
One of them had an old face and mottled hair. He wore a grey robe, but his eyes were extremely sharp.
The other person wore a white dress. Her face was well-proportioned and delicate, and she was tall and slender. Her blonde hair was tied into a ponytail, and she naturally exuded a noble aura.
"Miss Polly, Master Tulu!"
Under the lead of Viscount Fergus, Gray and the others respectfully greeted the two people.
These two people were the daughter of Marquis Sidney, Polly, and the Sidney family's Alchemy Master, Master Tulu.
Looking at the two people, Gray's eyes were filled with shock.
One was the daughter of a Marquis, and the other was an Alchemy Master who didn't even give face to a Marquis. These two people were known for their distinguished status even in the Sidney Marquis family. Gray didn't expect them to come to the Fergus family. This was truly beyond his expectations.
"Yes."
Master Tulu only nodded slightly in response to the greetings. Polly, on the other hand, gracefully returned the greeting.
"Viscount Fergus and everyone else, sorry for the intrusion."
"Miss Polly is too polite. It is the honor of the Fergus family that you and Master Tulu are able to visit Fergus Castle. This way, please!"
Viscount Fergus personally led the two people to the Fergus family's guest hall, which was specially used to entertain distinguished guests.
The servants brought in pastries and milk tea, and the Fergus family members sat around the two people like stars surrounding the moon.
"I didn't know Miss Polly and Master Tulu would come, so I can only entertain the two of you like this. Please forgive me!"
Madame De Milan apologized.
"Madame, you are too polite!"
Polly smiled, elegantly picked up the milk tea, and took a sip.
"It tastes good!"
"It's good that you like it!"
Madame De Milan let out a sigh of relief.
The two people's arrival was too sudden. They didn't have enough time to prepare a lot of things before they arrived at the castle.
Master Tulu clearly wasn't interested in the pastries and milk tea prepared by the Fergus family. He didn't touch them at all. Instead, he looked at Viscount Fergus and said.
"We came here for two reasons. First, the alchemy manuscript and the few bottles of potion you mentioned in your last letter. Second, we are going to McCarthy Thompson's wooden house."
"The manuscript and the potion are in the castle, but the wooden house is a bit far from the castle. We can only bring Master Tulu there tomorrow."
Viscount Fergus said hurriedly as he finally understood the reason for their arrival.
"Then give me the manuscript and the few bottles of potion first!"
Master Tulu faintly nodded.
"Okay, I'll have someone go get them."
Viscount Fergus was naturally able to guess the value of the Beast Controlling Potion's manuscripts and potions. However, the manuscripts and potions in his hands were no more than a pile of waste paper and a few bottles of waste liquid. He naturally didn't mind doing the other party a favor at little cost.
"Bernal, go get the stack of manuscripts on my desk and the few bottles of potions in my locker!"
Bernal answered and soon returned with the manuscript and the few bottles of potion.
Master Tulu took the manuscript and began to read it as if there was no one else around. He didn't even care about Viscount Fergus and the others.
As he read, his eyes became brighter and brighter. There was a faint smile on his face. He seemed to have discovered something.
This also confirmed Gray's guess. The manuscript was related to alchemy. Only alchemists could understand it.
Master Tulu was busy reading the manuscript, but the atmosphere in the living room didn't become cold. It was all because of Polly.
She didn't put on any airs as she chatted with everyone, laughing and chatting with them.
"I didn't expect Sister Caroline to like reading. Right, what kind of books do you like to read, Sister Caroline?"
“
She looked at Caroline.
"It's a bit miscellaneous. I can read all kinds of books, but I like books about local customs and customs the most!"
Caroline said.
"Local customs and customs?
That's interesting. Even at home, I can learn about the places far away from here and the customs of the people. "
Polly smiled.
"I like the biographies of historical figures the most. Reading their legends is like traveling with them, adventuring with them, seeing all kinds of things together. It's a really interesting feeling."
"There are biographies in the castle's library, but I don't know if you've read them before …"
It was rare to meet someone who liked to read, so Caroline was interested.
"What are their names?"
"Luca's Travels, Wayne's Biography, Roger's Biography …"
"I've read some of them, but I haven't read some of them."
Polly's face lit up.
The books in this world were clearly regional. Many books were only circulated in a small area. This made it so that even the most powerful noble families couldn't guarantee that they had collected all the books.
"This young lady from the Marquis family is surprisingly easy to get along with."
In the living room, Gray would occasionally add a few words, but most of the time, he was just a listener.
From the way this young lady from the Marquis family spoke, he could feel that she wasn't as overbearing as the other noble children.