In the Southern Mons Empire, the hegemon of the southern continent, fertile plains dominate the north while hills and forests envelop the south. With its strong national power and wise rulers, the empire seemed poised to surpass the might of the Coton Dynasty, the continent's strongest nation. At the empire's southernmost tip, on a coast surrounded by mountains and primeval forests, lies a small promontory. Our story begins here.
Oil Tung Town has borne its name for over 3,500 years, perhaps even longer. Like the town itself, the name has never changed. It is the only town on the promontory, named for the extensive oil tung forests that encircle it.
In the thicketed woods outside Oil Tung Town, a boy of about ten years crouches, gripping a dagger unbefitting his youth as he skins a wind leopard.
"Hey, did you hunt this wind leopard?"
A cloaked elder silently appears behind the boy, watching for a moment before curiously asking.
The wind leopard, a common carnivore of the mountains, is slightly larger than a domestic hunting dog. Though not as fearsome as some wild beasts, it is still astonishing for a child of ten to have hunted it.
"Oh? Old man, are you interested in this hide?"
The boy is not startled by the elder's sudden appearance. Instead, he turns, ignoring the elder's question, and smiles slyly.
The elder is momentarily taken aback, for the boy's innocent face bears a hint of a shrewd merchant's cunning. Amused, the elder squats down and says with a chuckle, "Addressing an elder as 'old man' is quite impolite! Haha! There's someone in Oil Tung Town who calls me that too—he's the town's lord."
"You know my father?"
The boy raises his thick eyebrows in surprise, looking at the elder.
"So, you're the son of that rascal. What a coincidence."
The boy's lively eyes gleam mischievously. He grins with a guile unbefitting his age and says, "Though I agree with your view, I'd be in trouble if I said it aloud. But, old man, you're also impolite! Calling someone's father a rascal in front of their child. However, if you're willing to buy this hide, I might forgive you. You see, I am the lord of Oil Tung Town now. My father, that rascal as you called him, went overseas for gold mining with my mother last year."
The elder exclaims in surprise. "So, the little one is now the lord. I must apologize for my offense earlier. Unfortunately, I had some matters to discuss with your father, but it seems it was a wasted trip. As for the hide, I'll give you 20 copper coins for it. A child's hunting trophy is quite amusing."
The boy suddenly bursts into laughter. "Haha, old man, that won't do. This hide is worth at least 4 silver coins."
"Little Lord, are you joking? The wind leopard is a common animal. Twenty copper coins is already a high price."
"Old man, do you not think a wind leopard hide hunted by a ten-year-old is worth 4 silver coins? That's where its true value lies. How many children on the continent can hunt a wind leopard alone?"
Hearing this, the elder laughs. He pulls out 5 silver coins, places them in the boy's chubby hand, takes the blood-stained hide, folds it, and tucks it into his cloak. Then, he stands and bids the boy farewell.
"Little Lord, I must take my leave. This place is quite dangerous, you should leave as well."
The boy pocketed the silver coins, giving them a light pat, and replied, "No, I can't. My maid has run away, and I am looking for her."
The elder paused and asked, "Oh? Do you know where she went? If you're searching for her, how did you have the time to hunt that wind leopard?"
The boy responded nonchalantly, "She's resting by a stream five miles away. I know her thoughts well. She's tired and likely still resting. I'm in no hurry. As for that foolish wind leopard, it thought it could make me its prey. Unfortunately, it was too stupid. I pretended to flee, and it let its guard down."
The boy's words triggered a memory in the elder, who murmured to himself, "Gray Blood? I had forgotten."
"What?"
"Nothing. But, Little Lord, it's just a maid. Is it worth all this trouble?"
The boy snorted, seemingly irritated. "No! She's not just my maid; she's also my little wife. It's quite embarrassing if my little wife runs away."
"Oh? A little wife? Do you have a main wife too?"
The elder's interest was piqued, and he crouched down again.
The boy puffed out his chest, ready to boast, but then looked slightly embarrassed as he spoke, "Yes, of course. But... I don't know her. My father said I met her when I was young, but I don't remember."
The elder suddenly grasped the boy's hand, and a faint purple glow enveloped the boy. He was terrified as he felt his body stiffen, unable to move a finger. Then, something even more frightening happened. He sensed something flowing from his heart like a stream, traveling through their connected arms to the elder.
When it was over, the elder released the boy's hand and smiled. "Well, you are indeed an interesting little rascal. But constantly scheming against others is a dangerous habit."
The boy frantically checked his body, finding no abnormalities, then mustered the courage to shout, "What did you do to me? If you truly know my father, how can you secretly tamper with his son?"
"Hehe, I haven't done anything yet. I just took a look. It seems I'll be staying by your side for a while. However, I will take something from you. It's not forever; it will return when you grow up."
"You're a deceitful old scoundrel! Let me go! Why should you take anything from me? This is robbery!"
The elder laughed and, ignoring the boy's outburst, squatted down as if calculating something. After a while, he stood up, pulled a curved wooden staff from his cloak, and murmured numbers. When he reached zero, he forcefully thrust the staff into the ground.
The staff created ripples of purple light that extended to the horizon. "Perfect!" the elder said, satisfied. He picked up the unconscious boy and pressed a complex, rune-like mark on the boy's forehead.
"Take care, Little Lord. When my student arrives, be sure to treat her well."
From that day, the residents of Oil Tung Town had a new eccentric old man among them. But no one noticed they had been deceived. In their memories, the old man had always been the castle's alchemist, a crafty old fox with a penchant for the mysterious.
Seven years passed in the blink of an eye.
On a small hill on the west side of Oil Tung Town stands a dilapidated little castle. The marks on its granite walls bear witness to the passage of many years. Without its low walls connecting to the main house and the two small spires barely reaching ten meters, one might mistake it for a countryside villa of a minor wealthy merchant.
As a castle, it is rather modest in size.
Though its appearance resembles a country villa, it is indeed a castle—a structure only noble titles permit to be built. The owner of this castle is the lord of Oil Tung Town, the Hart family of the Bluestad House.
Fifty meters directly beneath the castle lies a vast, empty basement of over five thousand square meters. At its center is a worn-out lounge chair, its lacquer peeling and original color indistinguishable. Reclining on it is a brown-haired youth, staring vacantly at the ceiling and occasionally sighing.
The youth's features could barely be called handsome. Apart from his thick eyebrows, nothing about him stood out. He had no flaws, but also no distinctive traits. In a crowd, he would be entirely unremarkable. This ordinary boy is Hart, the master of the castle.
Seventeen-year-old Hart bears an exceedingly aristocratic name: Harodlikot Norton Siderl Thelar Bluestad. On the Dawn Continent, long surnames often signify a family's deep and storied history, a critical measure of nobility within high society.
While it is uncertain if the Bluestad family is the oldest noble lineage on the Dawn Continent, it is undoubtedly one of the oldest in the Southern Mons Empire. From the ancient Solar Dynasty that unified the continent, through nine dynastic changes over 3,500 years, the Bluestad family's history is long enough to erode even the hardest stone.
From the time of the Solar Dynasty to the present, the Bluestad family has ruled the lands south of the Green Tree Mountains, quietly witnessing the continent's changes. Despite their three and a half millennia of diligent stewardship, their domain remains a small patch of land with fewer than five thousand subjects.
Even so, this small territory is the Bluestad family's greatest pride, though there is an unspoken truth they would never admit: despite their lengthy history and noble lineage, their influence has always been limited.
The Bluestad family was kept from the maelstrom of power struggles by their lack of sufficient ability and strength.
Once, the Bluestad family had its moment of glory. At the end of the Solar Dynasty, the brutal rule incited revolts across the land. Ministers amassed armies and began to carve up the vast empire. The royal army suffered defeat after defeat, eventually retreating to the southernmost tip of the continent. An aging Baron of the Bluestad family, the thirty-first generation's Vondosa, saw this as his chance for greatness and unwittingly accepted the three-thousand-strong royal army into his territory.
Unexpectedly, the force sent to quell this remnant army was led by a close friend of the royal commander, General Xigon. As a result, the remnants were smoothly incorporated into the new regime. Thus, the Bluestad family narrowly avoided annihilation. Vondosa was promoted nearly two ranks, becoming a second-tier viscount in the new empire.
In the following years, General Xigon's influence grew, and the Bluestad family shifted their focus to commerce, thriving in their business ventures. Although their domain didn't expand, their accumulated wealth over nearly a millennium under the new empire made even the ruling emperors envious.
With the fall of the new empire, the Bluestad family's prosperity came to an end. Adhering to the family's principle of not flaunting their wealth, coupled with some luck, the factions vying for power overlooked the continent's largest merchant house, which was secretly controlled by the Bluestad family, allowing them to escape disaster.
Over a thousand years of rule, the small southern tip of the continent bore the Bluestad family's mark. Its unassuming nature and some well-placed bribes ensured the new rulers left its ownership unchanged.
This is the history Hart "knew" of his family. Although for such an ancient family, the historical account seemed overly simplistic, Hart didn't care for these trivialities.
Hart was the 372nd heir of the Bluestad family. By now, the Bluestad family had long lost its former glory, reduced to a rural gentry in the Southern Mons Empire, forgotten by high society. Since his great-grandfather's time, the family's title had dwindled to the second-lowest rank of sixth-tier knight. As Hart neared his eighteenth birthday, he was poised to inherit his father's title and become a seventh-tier knight, the lowest rank of nobility, following the tradition of demotion for three generations without merit.
Strictly speaking, the Bluestad family could hardly be called a family anymore. If Hart's parents, off seeking fortune on the Sunset Continent, hadn't perished at sea or fallen to pirates, there would only be three members. As a family, it was notably lacking.
"The greater the risk, the greater the reward. This is my only piece of wisdom, and it shall be the family's motto from now on."
These were his father's last words before departing.
Lying on the lounge chair, Hart spent the afternoon staring at the ceiling, reflecting on his family's history with a sense of melancholy. The ancient family's splendor and their vast treasures seemed unattainable to him, even though he was a member of the Bluestad family.
Thinking of the treasures, Hart vaguely remembered a time when his father brought him to this basement as a small child. Back then, the vast room was piled with gold and jewels almost reaching the ceiling. Young Hart didn't understand their value but found the shiny objects reflecting torchlight painfully bright, making him cry and want to leave.
His father didn't take him away but instead stroked his head and said something that left an impression, perhaps because it was the first time his father had refused him.
"Little rascal! Everything here is the wealth left by our ancestors for their descendants. You can use it for anything you deem worthy. But by the time you die, this wealth and the family motto should be greater than when you received it, even if it's just one more piece of wisdom and a single copper coin."
Hart hadn't returned to the basement until the treasure, enough to buy half the empire, mysteriously disappeared.