After the Rain, Morning Dew
When Leon first heard this from Eaton, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
It turns out that this is a type of tea… When the long-forgotten memories were unlocked, Leon immediately recalled a series of memories related to "After the Rain, Morning Dew." He had drunk this tea before. It was a green tea that Jon particularly liked. The tea brewed a light green color, and the tea leaves, resembling needles, would flutter up and down in the hot water. Looking at the green color, it felt as though he was seeing a lush forest.
As for the taste, Leon couldn't quite remember. It was probably a bitter-tasting brew, as Jon always liked this type of tea.
"Is there something strange about 'After the Rain, Morning Dew'?" Leon asked Jon.
Jon's expression remained unchanged, but a look of confusion flashed in his eyes. "Not really... It's just a regular tea. You've both had it before, and your parents have as well. But…"
"But if there's really something unusual about it, there's only one possibility."
"One possibility?" Leon asked eagerly.
Jon didn't answer immediately. Instead, he motioned for the mute servant to leave before slowly saying:
"The tea plants for 'After the Rain, Morning Dew' didn't come from this world, but from another world, one I brought with me."
Before Jon could finish his sentence, Leon rolled his eyes. "Alright, since Count Eaton didn't come for you but for the 'After the Rain, Morning Dew,' I'll send him an invitation to the manor for tea tomorrow night."
Leon had no interest in hearing Jon's absurd "otherworldly theory."
With that, he turned and left.
Jon, on the other hand, stared at the tea box in Angel's hand, lost in thought.
The mist was rising, and thin smoke drifted in the air.
Angel leaned over the artisan's desk, watching the tea leaves in the transparent cup flutter up and down with the hot water.
—This is "After the Rain, Morning Dew." It didn't seem particularly unusual.
Angel privately liked to drink strong tea with milk, gulping it down in big sips. The rich milk, combined with the tea leaves, would stick to the edge of his lips, and with a quick lick of his tongue, he would savor the last lingering taste. That always made him feel incredibly satisfied.
Jon often teased him, saying only children liked milk. So, to appear more mature in front of Jon, Angel would only drink bitter, grassy teas when others were around.
He had drunk "After the Rain, Morning Dew" countless times. It was bitter with a sweet aftertaste. There was nothing particularly special about the taste, but why would Count Eaton specifically ask his brother about this tea? Could it be, as the mentor said, that they had doubts about the origins of this tea plant?
After thinking for a while, Angel couldn't come up with an answer, so he decided to stop worrying about it. Instead, he continued browsing through some materials organized in his mentor's bookshelf.
Most of the materials were about the Golden Finch Empire and surrounding countries, covering topics like language, culture, history, characters, medicine, astrology, and more.
After reading an epic praising the sea warriors, Angel noticed Jon's note at the bottom: "The language is beautiful, the structure is proper, but the praise is excessive, making it hard to deduce historical details. It can be used as supplementary material for the history of the Hai Lan Kingdom."
Jon used to focus on studying physical data and biological forms, but later he discovered that some physical constants did not follow the Earth's natural rules. This made him realize the peculiarities of this world, which is why, in recent years, he preferred organizing and researching literary materials.
The Golden Finch Empire and its neighboring countries seemed to have no official historians, so the historical materials Jon had compiled over the past ten years were unique.
Angel was quite interested in the new materials Jon had organized, so he read them carefully.
After finishing a piece, Angel came across another piece of parchment with a Chinese annotation from Jon:
"In this world, few people are literate, and basic universal knowledge seems to be absent. Take, for example, the terminology for the macro world. In ancient China, there was the concept of a round heaven and a square earth, which was a mistaken understanding but still demonstrated a concept of the living planet. People here, however, seem to be limited to the concept of countries and have no concept of a unified macro world. I hope to find the name of this planet (world) in other documents… If I cannot find it, I'll have to name it myself."
After this, Jon began recording information about the common values of the people in this world.
Angel, being a local, was naturally familiar with this, so he only glanced through it before opening the next scroll.
"A Guide to the Applicability of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine in This World" was a fully Chinese document. Only Angel and Jon likely understood its content.
Before long, dusk settled in, and the servants lit the fire in the hearth. The warm light of the fire, the rustling of insects in the yard, and the cawing of crows in the distance made for another gentle evening.
Meanwhile, not far outside Gru Town, on the plains, temporary tents were set up around a roaring campfire. Of particular note was a large and luxurious black tent with golden trim in the center of the camp, with the surrounding tents forming a protective circle around it.
This was the temporary encampment of Eaton Monn, though that black tent wasn't his.
The cold wind of the Frozen Soil Month blew fiercely. Without the shelter of trees, even knights in armor began to shiver.
Seeing this, Count Eaton ordered a pair of sentry knights to patrol outside the tents, while the rest of the knights rested by the campfire.
Once the arrangements were made, Count Eaton slowly walked into the luxurious black-topped tent. As soon as he entered, the commanding and authoritative expression on his face vanished, replaced by one of respect and ingratiation.
The tent wasn't heavily decorated, but each item inside carried a sense of mysterious significance. In one corner of the tent, an elderly man with a white beard, dressed in a black robe, was writing furiously. Beside him, a crystal ball floated eerily in midair.
The crystal ball seemed to be swirling with mist, and the old man occasionally glanced at it before returning to his writing. Eaton looked at the crystal ball, but it made his head spin, so he quickly turned his gaze elsewhere.
"Did you find 'After the Rain, Morning Dew'?" A hoarse, deep voice came from the old man.
With a hint of fear, Eaton recounted his conversation earlier that day with Leon Pat at the Pat Manor, describing everything in detail.
"Oh?" The old man put down his quill and blew on the paper to dry the blood-red ink. "Though they didn't recognize 'After the Rain, Morning Dew,' their expressions did change when they saw the wooden box… Could it be that the creator of this box has something to do with it? Or perhaps it was the enchanter?"
Eaton stole a glance at the pattern on the paper. The blood-red lines formed swirling waves, and in the center were strange lines and symbols. Just a quick glance made his eyes start to ache.
"The magic runes on this scroll are called 'Turbulent Waves.' It's useful for the war in Hai Lan and for you," the old man continued. After a pause, he added, "It's a pity you lack talent. Otherwise, when we return to the family, I could take you along to leave the Old Earth Continent."
Eaton's face darkened. "Father… If we can take Alan and Erin with us, I will be content. As for me, staying in the family is no problem."
The old man sighed but then thought of his two grandsons, and his expression softened considerably. "Wizards are rarely born with talent. In some places, there's one in ten thousand. Our family is blessed to have produced two gifted individuals. And as for Alan and Erin, they are my grandchildren, so I will take care of them."
"It's a pity my own talent is low. I expect that in a few years, I'll be relying on my grandchildren," the old man added before turning his gaze back to the wooden box on the table.
"The carving is interesting, but there's no magical fluctuation in the lines. It should just be made by an ordinary person, right?" The old man shook his head. On the Old Earth Continent, where could one find enchanters? The continent had even suppressed elemental fluctuations, and wizards who didn't rely on elements, such as those who practiced mysticism or bloodline magic, couldn't find the necessary materials here… After all, this is the Forgotten Continent.
"Since Leon refuses to tell the truth, I can't be blamed," Eaton said, folding his hands into a bow, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "This is a matter concerning my father's promotion, it's crucial! Tonight, I'll have Mal lead two teams of iron cavalry to flatten Pat Manor!"
The old man didn't speak, but he tacitly approved. Though he was a White Wizard and didn't actively kill ordinary people, since this was about his own promotion, killing a few people would be no problem. Moreover… to ordinary people, White Wizards were seen as good wizards, which was, of course, a joke. The conflict between White and Black Wizards lay in their different philosophies of magic use. In other areas, their values were quite similar; it was simply that the White Wizards didn't bother to create more unnecessary bloodshed.
Eaton continued to discuss the matters regarding Alan and Erin's departure before preparing to leave.
At that moment, Captain Mal suddenly knelt outside the tent, requesting to see him.
"Report, Count. Just now, Viscount Leon Pat from Pat Manor sent a messenger with an invitation."