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For places one has never been to, they always seem incredibly distant, with people constantly estimating how far the road stretches and when they will arrive. However, for places one has visited before, that feeling completely disappears.
Ivan walked alone on the forest path leading to Baron Longa's villa.
This time, unlike the first, he rode a horse, just like those upper-class nobles.
This was also following Mr. Hyde's instructions.
For a thief, the ability to navigate using a map is a fundamental skill.
Moreover, although Ivan had learned to ride a horse, he had never attempted long-distance riding.
Riding a horse for an hour or two, covering thirty to forty kilometers, couldn't be considered a long horseback journey. How to conserve the horse's energy during long rides? How to adjust one's fatigue level? These were not skills one could master by simply riding a horse around every morning.
Ivan slowed the horse's pace, patting its neck with his right hand. It was slightly damp but not sweating yet, indicating that he was managing it well.
If one were to travel from Lai to Peyton by carriage, it would take half a day. But riding a horse was much faster, especially when the rider was a small, underdeveloped youth like Ivan, and the horse was a high-quality purebred steed. The journey from Lai to Peyton, a hundred miles or so, was a breeze.
Riding this horse instead of the usual one was also Mr. Hyde's idea.
Ivan understood this to some extent.
Unless they needed to travel long distances, upper-class nobles rode horses for shorter journeys.
Unlike the luxurious decorations of a carriage, horseback riding focused on the quality and purity of the horse's bloodline.
A purebred horse could even be sold for five thousand Francs.
The pure lineage of many steeds was strictly controlled by one or a few families. Sometimes, these steeds were more emblematic of their family's identity than their coat of arms.
These families would never sell such purebred horses.
In fact, many knowledgeable horsemen could determine which country, region, and family a purebred horse belonged to at a glance. These purebred horses were quite rare, and their pedigrees were much simpler than those of well-established noble families.
The horse Ivan was riding was a purebred steed owned by a prestigious family in Ithrae, never to be sold.
This four-year-old colt was the second generation of purebred horses in that lineage.
Stealing four purebred foals, two males and two females, was once one of Mr. Hyde's proudest achievements in his youth.
What's more, even the family itself was unaware that their purebred horses had made their way into the hands of the common folk.
With just these few horses and some simple arrangements, Mr. Hyde managed to get the most stubborn members of the Elder Council to acknowledge his noble lineage, a collateral branch of a prominent noble family in Ithrae.
In fact, if Mr. Hyde were to gift a pair of these horses to a duke, the influential figure in the Elder Council would even be willing to propose to the king to grant Mr. Hyde a baronial title.
However, Mr. Hyde himself clearly didn't care whether he was a viscount or a baron; as long as he had a noble title, it was already very helpful for him.
Today, for some unknown reason, Mr. Hyde had Ivan ride this purebred steed to the banquet.
Walking on the forest path, although this was the main road from Peyton to Setherburg, the dense forest covered the road, which could accommodate two carriages side by side, so calling it a small path was not an exaggeration.
After walking for about five or six miles, there was a fork in the road. Turning there and walking about ten miles would lead to the baron's villa.
At that moment, thunder suddenly sounded in Ivan's ears.
Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating everything in the forest.
Before Ivan could react, large raindrops began to fall, pattering on the dense canopy of the trees.
Although he hadn't been rained on yet, Ivan knew that the raindrops would eventually reach him. With ten miles still to go to the villa, if he hurried, perhaps he could make it there before getting completely soaked.
With this in mind, Ivan urged his mount on, galloping forward on the high-quality purebred horse as if flying. Clearly, upon hearing the thunder, this noble steed also knew what was about to happen. A horse of such noble lineage did not wish to be covered in dust and fallen leaves.
Suddenly, another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, and Ivan instinctively felt that it was very close to the ground.
Subconsciously, he slowed down.
Raindrops seeped through the cracks in the leaves, dripping onto Ivan's body and face.
The dust that had clung to the leaves was washed down by the rain, flowing from his cheeks down to the collar of his clothes and down his back.
The rain fell heavier and faster than Ivan had anticipated.
At that moment, Ivan suddenly noticed a fallen tree ahead, half of it completely charred, leaving black charcoal marks, indicating the handiwork of the lightning bolt from earlier.
The entire road was completely blocked, with even the places where one could have bypassed the fallen branches now densely packed with broken twigs.
Clearing away these branches and leaves would obviously not be something that could be done quickly.
The rain fell harder than Ivan had expected, and he was already completely soaked. He pondered whether to return to Peyton, but he had no money on hand, so what could he do once he got back to the city?
Or perhaps he could return to the fork in the road he had just passed. He remembered there should be another path leading deeper into the forest from there, which might lead to Baron Longa's villa.
Even if not, finding a household would also be good. Living in the forest, they should have some knowledge of the baron's family and hopefully wouldn't turn him away.
With this in mind, Ivan turned around and sped off.
Riding a steed in the rain was definitely not a pleasant experience.
His hair was already wet, sticking uncomfortably to his forehead. Rainwater seeped into his eyes, blurring his vision, and his clothes were already soaked, clinging to his skin, making him extremely uncomfortable.
These cold liquids also brought with them a bone-chilling cold.
Ivan urged the horse on, swiftly moving along the narrow path deep in the forest.
Leaves swirling in from time to time hit his face painfully.
Whether the road was easy to traverse or if the horse was tired was no longer something Ivan needed to worry about.
The only thing Ivan needed to care about was whether there was a place to shelter from the rain.
Just as Ivan was feeling extremely miserable about this sudden downpour, the silhouette of a mansion gradually appeared ahead.
Without thinking much, Ivan spurred his steed towards the mansion.
As he approached, Ivan looked up and saw that the mansion was quite peculiar.
In the center of the mansion was a towering tower that pierced through the canopy of the trees, the most prominent feature of the mansion.
Upon closer inspection, the three-story mansion seemed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding trees, which formed a circular arch enveloping the entire building. Not a drop of rain penetrated this area.
Ivan tied his horse to a nearby tree and cautiously knocked on the door.
"Who is it? What's the matter?" came a very old voice from inside the door.
"I am Ivan, Ivan Hyde, just passing through. Because the rain is too heavy, I would like to find a place to shelter from the rain. If it's not convenient for you to let me into the room, then please allow me to wait in this only clean spot until the rain stops, okay?" Ivan's voice trembled as he spoke the last sentence, his hands wrapped around himself, huddling up in the cold wind, shivering.
"It must be very cold outside, come in," the old voice sounded again.
The door opened silently on its own.
Ivan widened his eyes, marveling at everything inside the door.
It was a completely different world.
Chapter Seven: Encounter of Magic and Unknown Mysteries
Although from the outside, the mansion appeared to have three floors, upon closer inspection, there was only one room.
This room was enormous, with a hollow glass pillar in the center that extended all the way to the top of the tower. Ivan found it difficult to determine if it was truly glass, as he had never seen glass emit a soft blue light before.
Apart from the glass pillar, the most striking feature was the four large tables filled with various experimental equipment.
These tables were longer and larger than the dining tables in Hyde Manor, but the materials and craftsmanship used were clearly exceptional.
The tables were made of five-inch thick oak, sturdy and robust, and displayed items that Ivan had never seen before.
Two of the tables were filled with glass flasks of various shapes - long, round, spiral, spherical. These flasks contained unknown red and green substances. The other two tables held a variety of delicate and unique objects - feathered dragons, rudimentary dolls made of leather, silk, and small wooden sticks, as well as fairies made of leaves and flowers...
Every item in the room left Ivan puzzled about its purpose and origin.
The walls surrounding the mansion were evidently massive cabinets storing various materials, with numerous drawers making the room resemble a giant beehive, each drawer labeled with the material's name.
The huge cabinets extended all the way to the ceiling, and to facilitate access to these materials, circular staircases were built along the walls, with a slight incline that made them appear very long.
The only relatively normal item in the room was a rocking chair - the most ordinary rocking chair one could imagine.
Despite Ivan's thorough search, he could not find any trace of the owner of the room. Where had the elderly man who spoke earlier hidden himself?
As if in response to Ivan's question, the elderly voice came from the top of the tower, "I haven't had visitors in a long time. If you're interested, young man, you can come up."
"Generous sir, it would be my honor to meet you. How can I go up?" Ivan asked, looking at the staircase leading to the ceiling.
"Oh, look at me, getting old and forgetful. Child, just stand in the center of the pillar," the homeowner said with a smile.
Following the instructions, Ivan walked into the transparent pillar in the center of the room. Now he was certain - it was definitely not glass.
Glass was hard and cold, shattering upon impact.
This pillar was more like jelly, soft and emitting a slight warmth.
On one side of the pillar, facing the door, there was a two-foot-wide gap.
Ivan stepped into the gap and stood in the center of the pillar.
Just as he wondered what would happen next, he suddenly felt an unknown force lifting him off the ground.
Gradually, Ivan felt himself rising, distancing from the ground, tables, rocking chair, and cabinets - everything slowly moving away from him.
As he continued to ascend, Ivan was filled with a mix of nervousness and excitement. He had never experienced this feeling before, a thrilling sensation akin to flying.
Wide-eyed, Ivan tried to figure out what was carrying him upwards. But he saw nothing - no racks, no hooks... nothing.
As Ivan rose higher, immersed in the exhilaration of flight, a bright light suddenly enveloped him.
The surroundings instantly changed.
Before him lay an endless forest, with dark green treetops resembling surging waves, stretching as far as the eye could see.
The sky above was filled with dark clouds, occasionally flashing with angry lightning, igniting fierce flames where it struck.
Yet, the rain poured so heavily that the flames barely reached the treetops before being swiftly extinguished by the downpour.
"Not a bad view, is it, young man?" the elderly voice came from behind.
Startled, Ivan turned around and saw a bearded old man standing there.