The carriage passed through the bustling Dock Square and smoothly entered the Central Main Road of the Royal Capital Ocreto, a thoroughfare wide enough to accommodate eight carriages side by side.
Inside the carriage, Leo initially sat upright with forced composure, his hands on his knees, trying to maintain the dignified demeanor expected of a noble young master.
But as the carriage passed towering Magic Towers, rows of luxurious shops, and the Suspended Fountain Plaza with its ever-changing water curtains, his amber eyes couldn’t help darting around, his head swiveling back and forth like a windmill.
“Wow, this street is three times wider than the biggest commercial street in Fengyue City! Ailiya, look! And that tower over there—it’s shooting lightning from the top! That’s a Mage Tower!”
“Young Master, your neck is about to snap.” Ailiya sat across from him, hands folded on her lap.
“If you keep shouting like this in the Noble District, by the time we reach the villa, the servants will probably think the Young Master was caught straight out of the mountains as a savage.”
“I’m not a savage!” Leo retorted, but he still couldn’t help glancing out the window. “It’s just that I haven’t been here in so long. I’ve forgotten a bit.”
Lady Elsa sat by the window, a faint smile on her lips, not interrupting. She simply gazed quietly at the familiar yet unfamiliar royal capital, a trace of elusive nostalgia hidden deep in her eyes.
The convoy traveled along the broad central avenue for about half an hour. The buildings ahead gradually became more magnificent and ornate, the road surface replaced by smooth, mirror-like white stone bricks.
In front of a massive archway carved with a Thorn Crest, the carriage slowly decelerated and came to a halt.
A strict checkpoint stood at the gate. But the reason for stopping wasn’t that they had reached the villa.
“Are we there?” Leo nervously adjusted his collar.
A knight clad in silver-white plate armor, draped in a deep red cloak bearing the Kastian clan’s crest, blocked the convoy and raised a hand.
“Please present your pass.”
The Knight Captain spoke expressionlessly.
The butler Lester, sitting beside the coachman, immediately pulled a golden badge engraved with the Thorn Crest from his pocket and handed it over.
The Knight Captain took the badge, inspected it carefully, then swept a sharp gaze across the carriage.
“Who are the passengers inside?”
“Lady Elsa and Young Master Leo. They have been invited by Young Master Cedric to attend the coming-of-age ceremony,” Lester announced loudly, a hint of arrogance in his tone.
The Knight Captain nodded and was about to wave them through when his eyes suddenly stopped on the black-and-white figure standing straight behind the carriage, holding a black suitcase.
“And this demi-human?”
Ailiya stood beside the carriage, her silver-white short hair shimmering in the afternoon sunlight. Her ice-blue eyes stared calmly and unwaveringly at the knight inspecting her.
The wolf ears atop her head were cleverly concealed by the edge of her hood, and only her silver-white fluffy tail swept lightly under the shadow of her skirt.
“She is the accompanying Head Maid, responsible for Young Master Leo’s daily care,” Lester replied, still respectful, but a subtle disdain flickered in his eyes at the words “Head Maid.”
The Knight Captain glanced at Ailiya. Seeing only an ordinary maid, he asked no further questions and waved them through.
The carriage started moving again, passed through the archway, and entered a quiet area clearly belonging to the exclusive Noble District.
The streets here were lined with meticulously trimmed laurel trees. Every few steps stood an independent estate, with high walls and deep courtyards, spaced far apart.
Inside the carriage, Leo muttered indignantly, “Even the gatekeepers of the main family act like that. That ‘most enthusiastic hospitality’ Lester was talking about earlier was probably just lip service.”
“Lester has always been Cedric’s personal butler. That kid made such a fool of himself at the estate; naturally, his servant feels stifled inside,” Lady Elsa said flatly, as if stating a simple fact.
“Once we reach the villa, just go through the motions politely. Don’t care too much about their attitude.”
“I understand, Mother.” Leo clenched his fists and nodded.
The carriage traveled for another ten minutes or so, finally stopping in front of an independent estate that, although imposing, was clearly on the edge of the Noble District, rather secluded.
The scale and decoration of this estate were far inferior to the main family mansion’s splendor, but it still exuded noble heritage.
In front of the wrought iron gate, two rows of neatly uniformed servants stood with respectful expressions.
“Lady Elsa, Young Master Leo, welcome back to the Kastian Villa.”
The leader was an elderly butler with white hair and kind eyes.
His attitude was much more sincere than Lester’s, even carrying a hint of emotion at seeing old acquaintances. He bowed deeply.
“You must be weary from the journey. The rooms have been prepared. Please follow me.”
Lady Elsa nodded slightly, a genuine gentle smile appearing on her face.
“Mr. Carl, it’s been a long time. You’re still in such good health.”
“Thanks to your blessing, Madam. I can still serve the main family for a few more years.” Old butler Carl sighed with emotion, then gestured to the side.
“You must be tired from the long trip. The rooms have been arranged according to Madam’s preferences in advance. Please follow me. If you need anything, just instruct the servants.”
Lady Elsa nodded and, with Leo and Ailiya, formally stepped into this royal capital villa, which would be their temporary residence for a long time to come.
As the old butler led the way, he quietly reported the villa’s recent situation to Lady Elsa.
Passing the garden fountain, he glanced at Ailiya, who was silently following Leo. His gaze lingered briefly on her rare silver hair, but he quickly averted his eyes and asked no questions.
“Miss Ailiya’s room has been arranged next to the Young Master’s for convenience in taking care of him. If there are any special supplies needed, just tell Liz. She’s the maid in charge of chores here.”
The young maid named Liz quickly bowed to Ailiya, her eyes filled with curiosity and nervousness.
***
Meanwhile.
Royal Capital Ocreto, West City District. A secluded dark alley so out of the way that even a dog wouldn’t bother visiting.
“Sid, are you sure this is the right direction? I feel like we’re going somewhere even more remote.”
Balke, carrying his heavy broad blade greatsword on his back, looked left and right at the increasingly dilapidated streets, even with crude graffiti scrawled on the walls, and couldn’t help complaining.
When they were on the airship, Balke had spotted Ailiya and Leo’s group in the distance.
He’d wanted to go say hello—after all, they had fought side by side for a couple of days—‘acquaintances,’ but each time Sid had stopped him with some utterly ridiculous excuse.
Something about “Senior gets airsick and needs looking after,” or “the divination shows today is not good for catching up”—in short, she had firmly held Balke down in the lower economy class.
After getting off the airship, as soon as Balke stepped out of Dock Square, he saw the Kastian family’s grand welcoming convoy.
He’d thought about hitching a ride, but when he turned around, Sid and that “Divination Master senior” had already walked far away, about to disappear into the crowd.
He could only hurriedly follow, not even getting a chance to call out.
Now, he thought that given Sid and that unfathomable senior’s class, they would at least pick a mid-range inn with a clean environment and hot baths as a base.
Instead, these two had twisted and turned, leading him into a broken little alley reeking of some unknown foul odor.
“What are we doing? Experiencing the slum scenery of the royal capital?” Balke asked, utterly bewildered.
Ahead of him, the man in the gray-brown cloak and silver mask, Graves, walked silently to a mottled low wall at the end of the alley, bent down, and yanked open a heavy, rusted manhole cover embedded in the muddy ground.
The black hole emitted a pungent smell of mold and sewage. Faintly, the sound of uneasy flowing water could be heard below.
Without a word, Graves grabbed the edge of the hole, leaped down expertly, and disappeared into the bottomless sewer, not even leaving a ripple.
Balke was completely dumbfounded.
He pointed at the manhole, stammering, “This… is this some kind of mysterious ritual unique to your diviner lineage? Or is it a big shot’s eccentricity?”
“Ahem.” Sid coughed dryly, adjusted her hood, and rapidly organized her thoughts.
After a moment, she turned to Balke with a solemn, somewhat mysterious expression:
“Big Boss, you don’t understand. This is precisely a compulsory course passed down through generations of our diviner lineage, called dark room ascetic training.”
“True wisdom can only be thoroughly precipitated and discovered in absolute darkness and silence far removed from the clamor of the surface. Senior is testing our devotion to learning.”
“I see.”
Balke nodded, half-understanding.
Seeing his confused look, Sid added, “But Big Boss, if you feel bad about it, you could invite me to stay at an inn instead. I’m just a delicate diviner, after all. It’s okay to slack off in this kind of ascetic training occasionally.”
Balke’s weathered face visibly flushed from confusion to bright red.
“You… you damn girl! Why didn’t you say that earlier?! You almost made me think I had to sleep with the sewer rats!”
He roared in indignation and embarrassment, grabbed Sid by the wrist, and walked back toward the alley exit without looking back.
“Come on! I’ll treat you to a comfortable inn!”
“Hehehe… hehe…” Sid chuckled softly, letting Balke drag her out of the alley.