1.
As the first light of dawn shone into the deep alley of the nest, the old man had already risen early, opened the bedroom door, and walked into the study. On the sofa by the side of the study, the young man was sleeping soundly .The old man didn't want to disturb the young man, so he quietly opened the door and walked down the stairs to Baz's door .In the nest, none of the doors were locked because everyone here was an expert at picking locks. Those things had no use here and would only tempt the gold-fingered individuals.Pushing open the door and entering the room, unlike the young man, Baz was an experienced old thief. Any unusual movement in the room would immediately alert him. Seeing Baz wake up immediately, the old man felt quite satisfied and nodded, saying, "Get up quickly, go and call Ted. We need to go see the boss." "So early?" Baz was a bit puzzled. "We need to leave before everyone wakes up. I don't want a repeat of yesterday's chaos," the old man said. " Understood." With that, Baz jumped out of bed and quickly ran out of the room .It took a while before Baz returned, holding a piece of clothing in his hands ."The carriage is waiting outside. Ted said the alley is too deep for his carriage to enter," Baz said. "Go wake up that kid," the old man ordered Baz agreed and went upstairs. Waking up the young man was not a difficult task. Baz handed the young man the clothing and then stepped back to the window, looking outside. Baz had no interest in watching a boy change clothes. Looking out of the window, the old man was whispering something to Ted, who nodded repeatedly. "I'm ready," came the voice of the young man from behind .Baz turned around and saw the young man, now dressed in new clothes, looking refreshed. It seemed he had recovered from the turmoil of yesterday. "Well, let's go!" With that, Baz led the way. Outside the alley, the carriage was already prepared. Following behind the old man and Baz, the young man got into the carriage.
The carriage slowly started moving and soon left the city gates.
After passing through the city gates, the carriage did not take the wide main road but instead turned onto the country lanes.
The branches on the sides of the road kept tapping against the carriage, and inside the carriage, the three people remained silent.
The carriage moved slowly, with several uphill and downhill slopes. The road had many forks, and the young man felt like the carriage was constantly turning.
Having lost his sense of direction, the young man prayed that the coachman wouldn't lose his way. Otherwise, even if they wanted to get back to the main road, it would be quite difficult.
The young man wondered why the employer lived in such a remote and complex road location. It would be very difficult for him if he had to go out for something in the future. Just getting familiar with this road would probably take several months.
As the young man frowned while looking out the window, the carriage finally entered a neatly lined tree-lined avenue.
In the distance were rows of lush green fields. With the arrival of spring, the crops in the fields were a vibrant green, swaying in the wind. Fields of wheat swayed back and forth with the breeze, creating ripples like waves. Besides the wheat fields, there were rapeseed fields, with the new rapeseed resembling a thick green carpet spread across the fields. The large rapeseed leaves covered the fields layer by layer, not revealing a hint of soil color.
In the sky, birds were joyfully flying, searching for their first meal of the day.
Along the tree-lined avenue, the carriage picked up speed. It was evidently a more remote area, as not a single person or carriage was seen along the way.
After more than an hour, the carriage finally stopped in front of a spacious and luxurious villa garden.
Getting off the carriage, the young man's first impression was white.
Everything was snow white.
The ground was covered with white gravel and uncommon white pebbles. The trees, flowers, and grass in the garden were planted in flower beds made of white bricks.
The high iron railing surrounding the garden was also painted white.
As for the villa, not only was the floor made of snow-white marble, but the nine double-armed porch columns were also carved from Han white jade. The walls of the villa were all snow white, whether painted or made of white bricks was unclear.
The most prominent feature of the entire building was the white large dome.
Buildings with huge domes were difficult to construct, making the construction costs quite expensive. In South Port, the wealthy individuals were shrewd businessmen who were not willing to spend money on such structures.
Only the nobles who rarely appeared in South Port were interested in buildings with domes. It was said that there were several such domed buildings in Sether Castle.
The young man speculated on the identity of the person who would soon become his employer.
From the grandeur of the place, it was highly likely that the new employer was a person of noble status.
Feeling a bit uneasy, the young man tugged at his clothes and straightened them out.
The old man pulled a long bright yellow silk cord hanging in front of the door. With a crisp ring, the door opened, revealing a middle-aged man dressed neatly, with a waiter's bow tie and a stern expression.
"Mr. Palm, the master has been waiting in the study. But I assume you haven't had breakfast yet. The master has instructed me to prepare for you all. Once you finish eating, you can go see the master," the butler said, leading everyone to the kitchen.
Along the way, the young man looked around at this completely unfamiliar place.
The decor was luxurious yet elegant, indicating that the owner did not want to flaunt their wealth. There were no extravagant decorations or intricately carved furniture like in most wealthy homes in South Port.
However, the entire building itself was already an incredibly elegant masterpiece.
In the eyes of the young man, the entire building was like precious artworks from distant shores of the ocean. As Mr. Madiel once said, only the Eastern nations truly understood art. They could use simple lines to depict unforgettable artistic treasures.
In the kitchen, the kitchens of the wealthy were all similar. Several cooks were busy in the kitchen, and the air was filled with the enticing aroma of food. In the center of the kitchen was a long table with freshly cut meat, flour, and cleaned vegetables.
The butler gave an order, and the cooks cleared a space at one end of the table.
The old man, Baz, and the young man sat there.
The cooks brought out the food from the steaming pots one by one.
"I didn't know when you would arrive, so I had the cooks prepare the food in advance and keep it warm in the steamers. It may not be as fresh as if it were made on the spot, but I think it's worth the slight loss to prevent the master from getting impatient," the butler said.
When Baz saw the first dish brought out was a golden-brown roasted tuna sprinkled with onions and pepper, he had no complaints. Along with the individually portioned mushroom quail and his favorite ham and eggs, this meal was no less than the celebratory feast he had on the day he was released from prison.
Baz enjoyed the meal contentedly.
However, the young man, feeling too nervous, had little appetite despite facing such a table of delicious dishes he rarely had the chance to eat. He ate a few bites absentmindedly and left the rest for Baz to enjoy.
After finishing breakfast, the butler led them to the entrance of the study. The study was on the second floor of the villa, connected to the first floor by a spiral staircase made of redwood. On either side of the study entrance hung two large paintings depicting the story of the battle between the Angel of Dawn and the Night Demon. The painting on the left showed the Night Demon defeating the Angel of Dawn, driving her to the west in a chariot of the moon. The painting on the right depicted the Angel of Dawn launching a counterattack at dawn, with the Archangel of Light driving a chariot of the sun, tearing apart and crushing the Night Demon army.
While working in the shop, the young man's favorite items were the artworks from the East. The exquisite paintings had fascinated him countless times. Now, facing these two paintings, the young man felt the same sense of wonder.
As he was lost in the paintings, the door of the study opened.
The young man followed the old man into the study.
The study was extremely spacious, and what surprised the young man was that three walls of the study were filled with various books, with a ladder placed in the corner.
The bookshelves were so tall that they reached the ceiling, and without the ladder, there was no way to reach the top shelf.
Apart from the towering bookshelves, the most eye-catching feature of the study was the one side that had no shelves.
To allow more light in, that side had been completely opened up and fitted with a large piece of glass.
The young man had never seen such a large piece of glass before. Francourt did not produce glass, and although there were one or two glass workshops, they could never produce something like this.
Such a huge piece of glass could only have been custom-made from Itire.
However, glass was quite fragile, and transporting such a large piece of glass was even more difficult. The young man couldn't imagine how much it would cost to transport such a piece of glass, but undoubtedly, it would be much more expensive than the porcelain plate he had broken.
The young man became more and more certain that the new employer was a distinguished noble.
"This is one of the fifty large pieces of glass that the Chief Magistrate of Itire sent to Paro Cathedral for decorating the tall windows. To prevent damage during transportation, they made more than fifty pieces of this large glass. Fortunately, after the construction of the cathedral, there were still over twenty pieces left, and I happened to want to build this wall, so I bought them," the old man explained.
2
As the young man marveled at the window, a frail voice came from behind and above to the right.
Turning around, they saw a white-haired, thin-faced old man slowly descending another ladder, with two thick books tucked under his arm.
The young man carefully observed the old man, guessing that he was his new employer.
The old man's face was lined with wrinkles from the passage of time, his hair was white with only a few strands of black remaining, and his eyes were hidden behind large gold-rimmed glasses. The old man's hands were thin and calloused, and based on his face and hands, the young man would not have thought the old man was wealthy.
In his impression, wealthy people like his former employer, even if thin, would not be as dry and thin as this. Wealthy individuals usually took care of themselves, and even with age and wrinkles, they would not look as weathered and aged.
However, the quality of the old man's clothing indicated his wealth. It matched the room's decor perfectly, with fine craftsmanship, simple yet tasteful decoration, all imported from Itire. Just the crocodile skin belt alone was valuable.
"Is this the child you brought?" the old man asked the butler.
"Yes, yes, I hope he meets your expectations," the butler replied with a bow and a smile.
"Whether he meets the requirements or not, ask Audrey," the old man said.
"Isn't that Baz? How have you been recently? While you were away on your trip for the past three months, I and the butler discussed it. The butler mentioned that you are now capable of handling things on your own, and he also said he's getting old, so gradually, you will have to take on more responsibilities. You must work hard," the old man said to Baz. He then turned to the butler and instructed, "Bring Audrey here."
The butler acknowledged and left to fetch Audrey.
The old man sat on a leather recliner, engrossed in reading.
Meanwhile, Pam and the others stood quietly on the side.
The study was silent, and the young man dared not even breathe, afraid of making a bad impression on the old man.
As for Baz, he felt much more at ease. Hearing the boss confirm what the old man had told him yesterday, Baz felt reassured. He wanted to shout three times in celebration.
Time passed, and as Baz began to feel uncomfortable standing, the door of the study opened.
A middle-aged man with neatly trimmed dual beard walked in from outside. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, a black velvet vest paired with a snow-white silk shirt, loose black wool trousers, and shiny soft leather boots, indicating he had just returned from horseback riding.
"I just took a stroll outside. The newly bought young horse is still not very tame, so it seems a bit risky to use it for riding lessons. I think if it doesn't work out, we should go with the gray spotted mare instead; she is quite docile," the middle-aged man said.
"You're the expert, you decide. Pam has brought the person you wanted, this child," the old man pointed to the young boy. "In the next six months, you have to teach him many things."
The old man turned to the young boy and said, "From now on, you will follow this Audrey. You have a lot to learn, but you only have half a year. I heard from Pam that you are a quick learner, so show me what you can do."
With that, the old man waved towards the middle-aged man, indicating for him to take the young boy out.
The middle-aged man led the young boy out of the study and gently closed the door behind them.
He took the young boy to a room in a secluded corner of the west wing.
The room's decor, while not as grand as the study and the hall, still reflected the elegant taste of the owner. Situated on the west side of the entire building, the room had windows on three sides, allowing sunlight to filter through the wooden blinds onto the teakwood floor. A large four-poster bed stood under the north window, a luxury only wealthy families could afford.
In the center, a screen made of pear wood divided the room in two. The screen, similar to one the young boy had seen in a shop from West Bay, was of considerable value. It naturally divided the room into two sections.
Under the south window was an intricately carved mahogany desk, with a French window to the west, likely leading to a balcony.
To the right of the door stood a row of bookshelves, not as grand as those in the study but more refined.
On the left side of the door, facing the head of the bed, hung a beautiful portrait of a mature and charming lady.
The young boy speculated whether this lady could be Audrey's wife.
"From now on, this will be your room," Audrey said.
"What? No way," the young boy exclaimed, clearly surprised by this arrangement.
"In the next six months, you will stay here to learn many things. The most important thing is that from now on, your name will be Ivan Baindite. Remember this name," Audrey sternly instructed.
"Why?" the young boy asked, puzzled.
"You can't ask why. When I think you've learned enough, I will explain all your questions, but not now," Audrey's tone left no room for argument. "Ivan baindite, let's start your first lesson."
With that, Audrey took a thick book from the bookshelf and brought a chair over, gesturing for the young boy to sit down.
The young boy, full of questions in his mind, walked over to the desk, looking bewildered yet obedient.
The lesson began.
In the study, the old man sat on a recliner, flipping through a thick, old book. Pam and Baz had already left, and the warm sunlight streaming into the study made the old man feel drowsy. He had forgotten where he left off in his reading and ended up dozing off in the recliner.
After some time, the door of the study opened, startling the old man awake. Despite the comfort he had acquired over half a lifetime, he remained as alert as he had been during his street days, which pleased him.
The old man glanced at the newcomer, confirming it was Audrey.
"How is it? Are you satisfied?" the old man asked with a smile.
"Very good, Pam made a good choice this time," Audrey nodded in response.
"Do you have confidence in completing the first step of the plan within six months?" the old man inquired.
"Just as Pam told us, this new recruit is quite a quick learner. It should be no problem to transform him in six months," Audrey replied.
"What about Fis? His role is equally important to yours," the old man asked again.
"We have successfully bribed several key witnesses, especially the captain of the guard, who has significant leverage over Fis. For those unnecessary to bribe or those whose loyalty cannot be bought, Fis plans to find reasons to replace them one by one. The bribed steward will handle this matter," Audrey explained.
Upon hearing Audrey's response, the old man nodded and handed the book to Audrey. "You should take a look at this. I've never developed a reading habit; whenever I see a book, I feel like dozing off."
"Hermeticism is indeed a rather dull and useless study in my opinion. If not for this plan, I wouldn't have any interest in researching such matters," Audrey remarked as she took the book.
"What about the boy?" the old man inquired.
"I gave him a test paper to see what he already knows. It seems I underestimated him. Just by looking at his answers, it's clear that the test paper posed no challenge for him. It appears he has learned a lot in South Harbor," Audrey replied.
"Knowing too much is not always a good thing," the old man remarked.
"Can Herbert go to South Harbor? The boy has an aunt named Jenny there. Please have Herbert retrieve an item from this aunt. I believe it will make controlling the boy even easier," Audrey suggested.
"Herbert? Is it necessary to involve Herbert?" the old man expressed some doubt.