Thank you @Renea for the Kofi~
Chapter 129: Secret Family Letter
Chendo’s words were no exaggeration; this was indeed a deserted wilderness.
Due to the effects of the mist, the territories of countries in the Fisher World were always somewhat fragmented. The mist might separate this village from that settlement, or this city from that port. In short, developable areas always seemed somewhat constrained, as people had to avoid those dangerous zones.
The territory of the Duchy of Konst was the same. Various reasons led to this situation: for instance, initially people just wanted to hold onto their existing plots of land rather than expand outward; or, after the mist dissipated, the dangerous creatures originally inside suddenly scattered, causing numerous bloody incidents.
The place where they were currently stopped was located in the western part of the Duchy of Konst. It was more than half a day’s journey to Maltz, but also an overnight train ride away from Lamifa City.
“About how long do we have to stay here?”
In the dining car, the people from Lamifa University and the Church of the Past gathered together. Lorenzo asked this question feeling somewhat frustrated. It was quite understandable; after all, he had just finished his semester’s tasks the day before yesterday, set off on a long journey yesterday, and woke up today to this terrible news.
Professor Bella had already asked the conductor about this in advance. She explained, “There’s a small train station just over ten kilometers away. We just need to wait for the workers from there to come and repair the tracks. We’ll be delayed here for at most one night, barring any accidents. Fortunately, there’s still enough fuel on the train to provide heating, and we have plenty of food.”
This was indeed good news, Siles thought. However, would the repair work really go so smoothly? The heavy snow, the suddenly halted train, and the anxious passengers always gave him a subtle sense of worry.
It was a long while before he dug up the origin of this unease from the corners of his memory: the detective novelist Maynard Davies once said that snow-crushed tracks, a trapped train, and passengers seemed very suitable for a detective novel.
Siles: “…”
This surely can’t happen.
The people in the dining car ate their breakfast without tasting it. After breakfast, they all got off the train to walk around. A night of heavy snow had piled up thick drifts near the train tracks.
In this era, train tracks in some places were still made of wood, and even the metal ones couldn’t be said to have a perfectly sound structure and craftsmanship. Therefore, the tracks couldn’t bear the weight of the heavy snow and directly snapped or collapsed. Many tracks, even if not damaged, were completely buried by the snow and required a large number of snow sweepers to clear.
Chendo walked up beside Siles. He said, “An unfavorable start to the journey.”
“But the weather is indeed terrible,” Siles said. “It’s already late February; perhaps the weather will improve by March?”
“Hmm… and then prepare to welcome Lamifa City’s long rainy season in July?”
Siles silently turned his head and glanced at Chendo.
Chendo laughed. He affectionately held Siles’s hand and said, “I just wanted to joke with you. The weather in Lamifa City is always like this, but Kansas is completely different.”
“What is Kansas like?”
“It’s a place… that is always sunny,” Chendo said. “Of course, storms strike occasionally, because compared to Konst, Kansas is closer to the northern ocean.”
Mentioning the ocean naturally made Siles think of Middleton.
They were walking along the stopped train and the tracks. Although the ground was still covered in thick snow, the sky had cleared, suggesting the next few days would bring good weather.
Walking on the snow produced a rustling sound and abrupt footprints, but that also ensured they wouldn’t lose their direction. Quite a few people were strolling around nearby.
“It seems Kansas is a good place to escape the cold?” Siles said. “Does it snow there?”
“Of course it does, but not as heavily as in Konst,” Chendo explained. “Moreover, overall, the infrastructure in Kansas is more complete. They have heating there.”
Siles was surprised to learn this. He thought, since Kansas City in the Sardinian Empire, that has been an economically prosperous region. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that the infrastructure was better.
But… heating?
Professor Noel, who had been tormented by the cold and snow of Lamifa City for an entire winter, honestly admitted that he was tempted. Unfortunately, he was ultimately a resident of Lamifa City.
So he could only say, “That’s really nice.”
Chendo gazed at him. Having left Lamifa City and appearing on this vast, boundless snowfield, Chendo seemed to have once again become that explorer from the Ashless Lands. His eyes sparkled with that wilder, more unrestrained light.
He said, “If you’d like, I can frequently take you to Kansas. You know, possessing Ligadia’s power allows me to speed up our travel.”
Only then did Siles belatedly recall how Chendo had traveled back and forth between the House of Hales and Biedel City in a single day.
He thought for a moment, then couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t need to refuse Chendo’s kindness. Besides, this was Chendo, his lover. So he said, “Of course. If there’s an opportunity.” He paused, then added, “Thank you, Chendo.”
“Why the thanks?” Even knowing what Siles was about to say, Chendo still asked.
“Because this is my etiquette,” Siles said. “Just like how you always address me with an honorific.”
Chendo’s lips moved. He looked like he wanted to refute Siles but felt that Siles’s logic was impeccable. He couldn’t help but close his mouth in frustration. After a while, he still said unwillingly, “But I’d rather…”
“99 Kelly Street.”
Chendo fell into an even more depressed silence for a while, then said, “Professor Noel, how can you always torture your lover like this?”
“How am I torturing him?”
“You dangle a delicious meal right in front of him, swaying it back and forth, but absolutely refuse to let him eat it!”
Siles let out two muffled laughs. He said, “Just one more month, Chendo.”
“Oh, there’s still a whole month,” Chendo said. “I feel like I’m going crazy from hunger.”
Siles: “…”
He gave Chendo’s fingers a warning squeeze.
Chendo held his hand in return, then triumphantly kissed his fingertips. He said, “I know you’re always so reserved. But precisely because you are so reserved, I never tire of saying these things.”
Siles froze slightly, then said, “You know, 99 Kelly Street has a total of four bedrooms.”
Chendo tilted his head. “Yes, I know. What about it?”
“One will be used as a storage room, one as a guest bedroom, and one as a walk-in closet. So, there is only one master bedroom left,” Siles said. “Chendo, it’s already waiting for its occupant.”
In that instant, the color of Chendo’s eyes burst forth with incredibly passionate light; his emerald eyes could practically be described as radiant. He murmured to himself, “That belongs to me.”
“Yes, Chendo. That belongs to you,” Siles whispered.
Chendo froze for a moment, then leaned in and kissed Siles. He sighed, “I’m really getting more and more impatient. Every single day, you use such words and such actions to make me even more impatient.”
Siles couldn’t help but smile. He was about to say that they had been walking outside for a long time and should perhaps return to the train. But at this moment, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of a small black dot on a high slope in the distance.
He said, “Chendo, look what that is.”
Chendo also looked over and said uncertainly, “Looks like… a house?”
They trekked quite a distance before arriving in front of the house. They did this purely out of curiosity, but when actually standing in front of the house, Siles felt some surprise.
“Is this… an inn?” Siles said thoughtfully.
Only a few barely legible symbols remained on the tattered sign, faintly suggesting this was someone’s “home,” which typically symbolized an inn. Behind the fence stood a two-story cabin.
Nothing inside could be seen through the blurry, dirty glass, but steaming hot smoke was indeed rising from the chimney. A cow rested in the pen next to it, and there was also cultivated land in the distance. Further away were a few other houses, but those appeared even more desolate and uninhabited. Set against the snow and barren hills, this solitary house “perfectly matched” the trapped train behind them.
This looked like a deserted village inn in the suburbs.
Snow, a deserted village, an inn, and a trapped train and passengers. Sounds even more like a detective novel, Siles thought to himself.
“Should we go knock on the door?” Chendo suggested. “Perhaps the innkeeper can offer some advice or help us.”
It was evident that Chendo harbored reservations about Professor Bella’s earlier claim that the train would be able to run again within a day. The heavy snow had just passed, and a night of blizzard must have caused considerable damage. He didn’t believe the small train station would have high work efficiency.
Siles nodded, agreeing with Chendo’s idea.
They stepped forward. But before Siles could knock, the seemingly very fragile wooden door opened. The middle-aged woman inside, wearing an apron and looking somewhat unkempt, was given a huge fright.
She let out a startled cry, then recovered her senses. She said, “Oh, more guests trapped by this snowy weather.”
More?
As if sensing Siles and Chendo’s confusion, the woman readily added, “This is ‘Mencken’s Home,’ you can just call me Mrs. Mencken. There was a blizzard last night, and several passing travelers came here to take shelter from the heavy snow. I suppose you are the same?”
“We are travelers traveling by train, Mrs. Mencken. But the heavy snow blocked our path forward,” Siles explained. “The train is parked at the foot of the hill.”
“Is that so!” Mrs. Mencken exclaimed again. She was a woman easily startled but rather kind-hearted. “That’s really annoying, isn’t it? Besides, the town of Dole won’t be able to come help you anytime soon… Oh, did someone say the train station there will send someone to repair it as soon as possible? Don’t believe a word they say. The repairman at the train station is my husband’s younger brother, and he’s a lazy drunkard. He’s probably fooling around somewhere right now; who knows when he’ll be willing to go to work. This damn weather is making everyone miserable.”
Mrs. Mencken chattered on. Siles and Chendo exchanged a glance, feeling that neither was particularly shocked. It should be said that they had mental expectations early on.
After a while, Mrs. Mencken finished complaining and said, “You must be freezing. Why don’t you come inside and sit for a bit? There are definitely many inconveniences on the train. If you need anything, you can come to me. The same goes for the other passengers on the train. I would be very happy to host you at this time.”
Of course, the greedy and mercenary gleam flashing in her eyes clearly indicated that her “hosting” meant “ripping them off.”
However, Siles and Chendo had indeed been walking outside for quite a while and were feeling a bit cold. They walked into Mencken’s Home. The area of the cabin wasn’t large, but it was fully equipped with various facilities and looked reasonably clean.
They were greeted by a gust of warm air and the aroma of meat. The fire in the first-floor fireplace was burning briskly. Siles checked the time and saw it was already nine o’clock. He and Chendo had been walking outside for almost an hour.
Several tables and chairs were placed on the first floor, apparently to serve traveling guests. Behind the counter was a wine cabinet. A young boy, looking like Mrs. Mencken’s son, stood there staring blankly.
“Alan!” Mrs. Mencken called to the child. “Two new guests have arrived; pour them a bowl of hot tea.”
Siles thanked Mrs. Mencken, simultaneously noticing the other guests present.
There were three in total. Two were traveling together, looking like explorers planning to head to the Ashless Lands. The vigilance in their eyes was truly a perfect match for the Ashless Lands. Of course, so were the puzzled looks they directed at Chendo. They had probably heard some information about Chendo.
The other person looked entirely out of place with the first two.
It was a young man, probably only around twenty years old, his face pale and sickly as if frozen stiff. He had a pair of panicked eyes trying hard to feign calmness; one glance and you could tell this was a young man who was fierce in appearance but faint in heart. He was wearing an expensive but inappropriate suit, and although wrapped in an overcoat, he still shivered. He held a cup of hot tea, occasionally taking trembling sips. He probably hadn’t arrived much earlier than Siles and Chendo.
He was thin, with sunken eye sockets and an unhealthy mental state. His whole being exuded a neurotic, nervous, and panicked aura. He held a bag in his arms, guarding it very carefully against his chest.
Siles couldn’t help but take a few extra glances at this young man who clearly harbored a secret.
“What’s with him?” Chendo whispered in his ear.
“Seems he encountered something unpleasant,” Siles said. “Or perhaps he was frightened by something.”
Chendo pondered for a moment, then said, “Perhaps just a reckless young man who doesn’t know his limits wanted to explore the Ashless Lands but got scared witless.”
Siles admitted this was a highly probable guess.
They stopped paying attention to the others and sat down. The boy named Alan poured them two cups of hot tea under his mother’s instructions, while Mrs. Mencken went out to do other things.
Alan was a rather rigid and serious boy. He didn’t greet Siles and Chendo, and after pouring the tea, quickly returned behind the counter. For a time, the first floor of the cabin was quite quiet.
But the situation quickly changed because one of the two explorers, a strongly built man, suddenly stood up and slowly walked over to Siles and Chendo.
He stood there, hesitated for a moment, and said, “Are you Chendo Praia?”
Chendo glanced at him and said, “Yes.”
The explorer looked at him in amazement, then said, “It really is you! I heard you disappeared after the incident at the House of Hales; I never expected you to be here.”
Chendo said impatiently, “What exactly do you want?” His tone was icy and arrogant. “If it’s nothing, don’t bother us.”
The explorer hesitated, then said, “I… we are somewhat curious about… what happened at the House of Hales back then. If you are willing…”
“I’m not willing. You can leave,” Chendo said annoyedly. “You can find hundreds of people who know something about what happened at the House of Hales, and they would definitely be happy to tell you. But that doesn’t include me.”
The explorer choked, his expression shifting uncertainly, then he shook his head and slinked away in disgrace.
Siles thoughtfully listened to the conversation between Chendo and this explorer. He thought, it seems people still maintain ample curiosity about the annihilation of the House of Hales.
At the same time, he also noticed that the young man shivering continuously not far away cast seemingly inadvertent glances towards them. He appeared very interested in the topic they mentioned.
When the explorer left, Chendo’s expression instantly changed. He muttered, “So annoying… I can’t even spend some time alone with you.”
Siles gently held his hand, and Chendo finally fell silent in satisfaction. After a while, he added, “The things that happened at the House of Hales already sound very distant.”
The House of Hales… even the term itself seems very distant, Siles thought to himself.
Siles said, “However, that matter hasn’t been completely resolved.” He thought for a moment. “Perhaps when you return to Kansas, you can ask around about Alfonso Carte’s whereabouts.”
“Of course, I will,” Chendo said. “I still remember that issue… his being able to safely leave Corinna Canyon makes things seem unusual.”
This was also an issue Siles had always been curious about and worried about.
Furthermore, ever since parting ways with Alfonso Carte during the winter break, Siles had never received any news from him. This also made him uneasy.
Alfonso Carte had said he would travel to Kansas to lay Emmanuel to rest; however, almost an entire winter had passed, yet there was no word from him, not even a letter to tell Siles whether he had arrived in Kansas.
Perhaps it was because the severe winter weather disrupted communications, or perhaps Alfonso Carte was immersed in sorrow over Emmanuel’s death and unable to extricate himself; regardless, as time dragged on, Siles believed it was necessary to investigate Alfonso Carte’s whereabouts.
As they were discussing this, the two explorers, probably realizing they were unwanted, quickly finished their breakfast and went upstairs. For a time, only Siles, Chendo, and the young man who had remained silent and curled into a ball were left on the first floor.
Siles and Chendo sat for a while, feeling their bodies warm up, and prepared to leave. They had been away from the train for some time, and their companions might be worrying about their whereabouts.
But just before they were about to get up, the young man who had been in a long silence suddenly spoke a sentence in a trembling voice, stopping them in their tracks.
“Sir… did you also experience the incident at the House of Hales?”
Siles paused slightly, then raised his eyes and looked over. He calmly met the young man’s gaze. He saw those trembling, wandering, uneasy eyes. After a moment, he said, “Yes.”
The young man looked as if he had suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, yet also as if he had become even more nervous. He swallowed hard, as if to ease the hoarseness in his voice.
He said, “I… an elder in my family, he… he said he also personally experienced that incident. And then… he wrote me a letter… telling me to, telling me to…”
He seemed utterly terrified, yet also utterly lost.
He said, “Telling me to go to the Ashless Lands.”
This looked like a pampered child from a wealthy family. However, for some reason, after that letter arrived, he embarked on this journey. He was completely clueless, not even knowing where he was heading.
He continued, “My family… I originally thought that letter was just a joke. That elder claimed to be my granduncle, but I had never heard of his existence. I told my family about this as a joke.
“…But they later kicked me out and told me to do as my granduncle said. But… but I know nothing. I don’t understand why this is happening… I don’t even know how to get to the Ashless Lands…
“Why did they suddenly change their attitude? Why did they insist I embark on such an inexplicable journey? I don’t understand…”
His voice gradually lowered, and finally, he began to tremble again. He looked completely unprepared, yet he had already been pushed onto this path by his family.
A secret family letter. A completely ignorant young man.
Siles frowned slightly. He asked, “I am Siles Noel. How should I address you?”
“Herd Dryson,” Herd whispered.
Siles had never heard his name. However, the events at the House of Hales seemed to vaguely connect them.
“Chendo, head back to the train first. Tell them there is an inn here, and they can come here to rest. Don’t let them think we’ve gone missing,” Siles said. “I’ll chat with Mr. Dryson here.”
Chendo obediently followed Siles’s arrangement, but still squeezed Siles’s hand tightly to show his emotions. He said, “Stay safe.”
“I will,” Siles said. “Don’t worry. Go quickly and come back quickly.”
Chendo left promptly. Siles then let the young Dryson lead the way to chat in a room upstairs. Taking advantage of Herd turning his back, Siles drank a potion, just in case.
They arrived at Herd’s room. It was empty, containing absolutely nothing. Herd had likely been kicked out of his house under these circumstances.
Herd also looked much calmer after encountering a possible “insider.” He sat dejectedly on a chair in the room and recounted his experiences over the past period in more detail.
He received that letter three days ago.
He didn’t elaborate on the contents of the letter. Roughly, it was about how that granduncle had personally experienced the incident at the House of Hales, encountered something else afterward, and so wrote this letter to the family before his death, hoping someone (specifically Herd) would go to the Ashless Lands to do a certain thing.
At the time, Herd thought it was a joke and casually mentioned it at the dinner table that day. To his surprise, his parents and grandparents all reacted very intensely to it.
His family argued all night, but Herd was unable to participate. And the result of their argument was that yesterday afternoon, Herd was directly kicked out of the house.
He only had time to grab that letter, some coins, and a simple change of clothes. Just like that, he was thrown out by his family.
Moreover, he received a very stern instruction: “You must complete the mission in the letter!”
Lost and confused, Herd wandered around Lamifa City. He came from a wealthy family and had been doted on since birth, but overnight, everything changed. He was in a state of sheer panic.
A certain special power drove him to complete the mission in the letter. He thought that as long as he did what the letter said, he could return to his previous life.
So, in a daze, he boarded a carriage heading out of Lamifa City.
“Why a carriage?” Siles had to ask. “Did you not know how to get to the Ashless Lands?”
Herd shook his head vigorously and said, trembling, “I… I don’t know. I know about the train station, but when I went to the train station to ask for directions, someone said he could take me to the Ashless Lands in his carriage. I believed him, but he just… took my money and dumped me halfway, saying it was for my own good so I wouldn’t go to the Ashless Lands to die.
“…There was a blizzard last night, and I found this inn in the snow. If this inn hadn’t been here, I probably would have frozen to death.”
Siles fell silent for a moment. He realized that the person in front of him really was a young man spoiled by his family, and moreover, he seemed to still stubbornly want to complete the mission his so-called “granduncle” entrusted to him.
Herd looked at Siles with anticipation and said, “So, you must know what happened at the House of Hales, and you must know the inside story behind it, right?”
Siles remained silent for a while.
From Herd’s words, it was clear his granduncle decided to write this letter because of the incident at the House of Hales.
But how could that be?
The annihilation of the House of Hales was caused by those Old God followers hiding in the shadows, who had distorted their faith in Hoodoka over the long passage of time and finally decided to make a desperate attempt to resurrect the Old God.
Their action naturally failed, but it indeed caused numerous disasters and casualties.
The legend of the Non-existent City, the secret of Corinna Canyon, the incitement at the House of Hales, and other outposts… regardless, that was an underground conspiracy hidden behind countless legends in the Ashless Lands.
After that incident, Siles also learned from Jerome Lanmere that some major merchants in the Ashless Lands were also involved. But those merchants were all either dead or injured as well.
…So, how did this so-called Dryson family get tangled up in this incident?
Siles deliberated for a moment and finally said, “I’m afraid I need to see that letter.”
Herd visibly hesitated. Up until now, he had tried his best to avoid discussing the contents of that letter. He had just verbally, and indirectly, given Siles a rough idea of what it contained.
It seemed even he himself didn’t dare to look at the letter again.
However, despite his fear and resistance, Herd finally took the letter out of the backpack he carried with him.
The envelope was gone, so it was really just a crumpled piece of paper, covered in sweat and bright red bloodstains, to the point where even the writing on the paper was a bit blurry.
Herd nervously explained, “When I received this letter, the paper was already like this.”
Siles nodded thoughtfully. He first inspected the paper itself and found no issues, then looked at the content written on it.
“Warning:
“The House of Hales is annihilated. I have encountered disaster again. The time has come, please have the youngest child in the family embark on a journey. Someone is waiting at the seaside lighthouse in the north of the Ashless Lands.
“Hurry! Hurry!”
It was just a short paragraph, but Siles instinctively frowned.
The seaside lighthouse in the north of the Ashless Lands?
Lighthouse?
He instinctively felt that this matter might hide no small secret. Of course, he originally had this feeling, but now it was much clearer.
The imagery of a lighthouse always had some connection with Ligadia.
Whether it was the legend of the snake in the fog described by the seaside lighthouse dwellers in On the Journey, a book by a devout believer of Ligadia, or the relevant power of the “Soul Lighthouse” used by Chendo, these were directly connected to lighthouses.
Furthermore, seaside lighthouses were also connected to Amois. After all, they were guiding beacons on the ocean.
This mysterious granduncle told Herd to go to the lighthouse in the north of the Ashless Lands to meet someone and do something together… What thing?
No, he should ask, whose side was this family on?
This question of stance was extremely important and could very likely lead to diametrically opposed outcomes.
And what should Siles do?
He fell into deep thought.
Meanwhile, Herd looked at him nervously.
In the midst of the silence, Chendo returned. He had probably asked Alan downstairs about Herd’s room, so he knocked on the door and walked in. He said, “The people on the train know about this inn now; it seems a few plan to come over. Also, almost a whole morning has passed, and there is no sign of the repairman. It looks like Mrs. Mencken was right; we’re going to be stuck here for a while.”
Siles nodded, finding it unsurprising.
He roughly told Chendo about Herd’s situation. When he heard the word “lighthouse,” Chendo also unconsciously narrowed his eyes. He looked at Herd with amusement and said, “This is no small matter.”
Herd subconsciously shivered again at his teasing tone. He clenched his hands even tighter.
Siles said, “Perhaps we need to investigate this matter.” He then asked, “Herd, do you know absolutely nothing about this granduncle?”
“Absolutely nothing,” Herd answered honestly. “I didn’t even know such a person existed in my family.”
He could see that Siles and Chendo understood the behind-the-scenes factors of this matter much better than he did, so he breathed a huge sigh of relief. He even said with anticipation, “You know? I mean, I am very grateful that you are willing to help me!”
“I will try to investigate this matter,” Siles said, returning the letter to Herd. “But what do you plan to do?”
Herd was taken aback. He said, “What… what do I plan to do?”
Siles very calmly pointed out Herd’s current predicament: “You are currently penniless and cannot go home. Do you plan to continue to the Ashless Lands, or stay here and fend for yourself?”
Herd was stunned for a long time. It was as if only at this moment did he suddenly understand what kind of choice he needed to make. He had been in a daze before, never realizing that his situation was already so dire.
He subconsciously licked his dry lips, then whispered, “Could… could you give me some money? I want to return to Lamifa City. Once I get home, I will repay you!”
Siles’s expression didn’t change; he took a deep look at the young man in front of him. Herd also felt somewhat baffled by that look.
He said, “Are… are you worried I won’t pay you back? No, I won’t. Sir, I am the only son of the Dryson family; many people in the city know me. I will definitely…”
Chendo said, “Stop deceiving yourself, this… Mr. Dryson. Do you really think you can go home?” He added, “Better think carefully about what you should do now.”
Herd abruptly snapped his mouth shut. He was stunned for a moment, then grabbed his head and let out a few sharp screams. He trembled madly.
At a certain moment, Siles even felt that his emotions carried a hint of ferocity. But it was hard to say whether that was genuine or just the struggle of a young man driven to a dead end.
After a while, he sat up straight, his expression calmed down, despite his bloodshot eyes. He said, “I still… I still have to ask you to lend me some money… but I, I mean… I need to, I need to go to the Ashless Lands. I want to unravel this secret.”
He closed his eyes, then murmured softly, “Yes, this secret… the secret of my family.”
Siles remained noncommittal. Even though Chendo had pierced through Herd’s disguise, Siles didn’t react to it. He simply said, “Of course you can, Herd. I will lend you one hundred Duke coins.”
Herd nodded repeatedly. As if suddenly remembering something, he asked, “Did you travel here by train? I vaguely heard you and Mrs. Mencken saying so earlier.”
“Yes,” Siles said, realizing what Herd meant. “Do you want to travel with us?”
“Yes… yes, that would be more convenient,” Herd murmured. “Besides, I also don’t want to… don’t want to stay here anymore…”
“Then pack your things, Herd,” Siles said. “You’ll have to go tell the conductor. We’ll wait for you outside. Oh, and take this hundred-coin note.”
Siles took out a hundred-coin note from his wallet and handed it to Herd.
Herd thanked him repeatedly. He said, “I will repay you as soon as possible, thank you for your generosity.” He whispered, “I never expected something like this to happen… thank you for your helping hand.”
Siles just smiled slightly and didn’t say anything.
He and Chendo stepped out into the corridor. The corridor was empty, though still warmer than outside.
Chendo asked, “What do you think is really going on here?”
“It’s hard to say. Is the Dryson family Old God followers?” Siles said. “But Old Gods also have different stances. The point is, which side is the Dryson family actually on?”
This secretive style was clearly very fitting for Old God followers, not to mention the behavior of Herd’s elders after the incident occurred. They completely kicked Herd out of the house.
Such crazy, terrifying actions were clearly inextricably linked to the Old Gods. However, the Old Gods were one thing, and the choices of these humans were another.
The lighthouse. The lighthouse was related to Ligadia.
The Dryson family might be on Ligadia’s side, but the appearance of the lighthouse didn’t necessarily mean they set out based on Ligadia’s guidance; it might also be because it was indeed a landmark building on the sea. Therefore, they could also be standing opposite Ligadia.
…Perhaps they were on the “shadow’s” side, or perhaps they stood against the “shadow.”
Their unclear stance made it very difficult for Siles to determine how they needed to handle this matter.
Perhaps the first thing they needed to do was clarify what this matter actually meant. What exactly did that mysterious granduncle write the letter to the family for? And why did he demand the youngest child in the family set out for the Ashless Lands to find that seaside lighthouse?
Was the whole affair really related to the Old Gods?
After a moment’s thought, Siles said, “We’ll arrive in Biedel City in a few days. If Lanmere is there, we can ask him to help investigate relevant information, at least finding this ‘granduncle’ first. No one knows how long that mysterious Mr. Dryson stayed at the House of Hales, or why he stayed there all along.”
“Why would he stay at the House of Hales all along?” Chendo asked, a bit puzzled. “Was he looking for some clue at the House of Hales? Or perhaps… waiting for something?”
Siles pondered for a moment, then said, “He specifically mentioned the annihilation of the House of Hales in his letter. That means he, and the Dryson family who received this letter, understood what those followers of Hoodoka wanted to do. Was it this matter that ultimately drove him to write this letter… is he a helper to those Old God followers, or the exact opposite?”
Siles pondered this question while also realizing that this question, like the one he just thought of, was important but equally unknown—the mysterious Dryson family, and the mysterious Mr. Dryson.
“After the incident at the House of Hales, he decided to do something,” Chendo added. “…What did he encounter afterward?”
Siles thought for a moment, then helplessly shook his head. This point was very hard to say; no one even knew a mysterious Dryson had been staying at the House of Hales, so even fewer people would know what he did after leaving the House of Hales.
They stopped talking and waited in silence. Soon, Herd left the room.
He planned to follow Siles and the others back to the train, and would later set out with them as well. It was evident that after encountering such a sudden change, he wanted to mingle with the crowd and forget about those annoying things.
Mrs. Mencken was a little regretful about this. However, people soon appeared near the inn—they were passengers from the train. They came here to clear their minds, and perhaps also for more comfortable beds.
So Mrs. Mencken immediately beamed with joy. She even specifically thanked Siles and Chendo.
The three of them walked for a while again, returning to the train. The entire morning had passed just like that. There were indeed still vacant berths on the train for Herd. Herd paid the conductor to buy a ticket, and then casually joined the conversations of the others.
Although occasionally, when he looked out at the endless snowfield beyond the window, he still couldn’t help but show a look of fear and uncertainty.
Siles and Chendo went to the dining car to have lunch first, and then found Dr. Chester—he was playing cards with other people. Noel Cards seemed to have swept through the entire train in a short amount of time; of course, the main reason was also because staying in this place was truly boring.
If nothing had happened to the tracks, they would be almost at Maltz by now. But now, they could only wait in the pale daylight and endless snow for the repairman from the train station to come over. The passengers sincerely hoped the repairman would come quickly, but they also knew very well that this wasn’t an easy task.
Hearing Siles talk about Herd, Dr. Chester couldn’t help but show a very confused expression. He said, “This is unbelievable, why isn’t the House of Hales matter over yet?”
Siles actually really wanted to ask this question too, but that was just how things were. They probably wouldn’t be able to escape the shadow cast by those Old God followers that easily.
Dr. Chester pondered for a while, then said, “Could this mysterious granduncle have been a spy left at the House of Hales by those Old God followers back then?”
Siles froze slightly.
This theory went a step further than his previous guess that “Mr. Dryson might be a helper to those Old God followers”, directly confirming Mr. Dryson’s identity. And that wasn’t impossible.
At the time, among the explorers at the House of Hales, there must have been people with unidentified backgrounds mixed in. They couldn’t possibly verify everyone’s identity one by one, so it was highly possible someone slipped through the net.
…We might be able to hook a big fish, Siles thought to himself. Of course, the premise was that they had to investigate everything thoroughly.
“This matter truly lacks a beginning and an end,” Chendo sincerely sighed, then added, “Unless we can really find that mysterious granduncle.”
Siles and Chester both nodded.
A call for Dr. Chester came from afar, sounding like Lorenzo’s voice.
Chester replied, then said to Siles, “Professor, the card battle game you invented really has many people obsessed. It also makes our waiting time much less agonizing. By the way, do you guys want to play? They might still be setting up a game.”
Siles thought about it, and finally shook his head. He said, “I still have a batch of materials I haven’t finished reading. Since we’re stuck here, I can spend some time finishing them.”
Chester looked at Siles in surprise and said, “You really are very busy… even busier than I imagined.”
Siles felt slightly helpless.
Since Siles planned to return to his compartment to read, Chendo naturally left with Siles instead of playing cards. They said goodbye to Chester. Siles first went to his own compartment to get the materials he wanted to read, then went to Chendo’s compartment.
“What are you planning to read?” Chendo asked.
Siles said, “The Church of the Past sent me two sets of materials previously, regarding news about the Old God’s Scions and the fall of the Old Gods, respectively. Since you are here, let’s look at the first set of materials together.”
