Just as this small city in the southern border was gradually recovering, various undercurrents were also slowly flowing within the empire.

Eastern border, Hongshan Province.

Dark trees undulate among the mountains, and the soil beneath is a rare reddish-brown color, unlike that of other areas. That is why this place is named Hongshan Province.

Inside a mountain castle, the lights were now brightly lit, and the mountain roads and the castle were filled with all kinds of carriages. Today was Count Angen's birthday, and he had invited many friends, including some wealthy merchants and nobles from the surrounding area, to celebrate.

At the banquet, the clear glasses rippled with different colors under the light, and the crisp clinking of glasses was so pleasant. Inside this bright castle, everything was so comfortable and warm, with no sign of winter at all.

The wealthy Count Angens set up multiple windproof and heat-insulating magic arrays in the castle. In the halls inside, you can see many small charcoal stoves burning quietly, adding heat to the place.

Another dance ended, and the men and women in the hall took a break. At this time, everyone raised their glasses to thank the count for his warm hospitality.

Afterwards, everyone continued to talk and have fun until late at night.

Carriages with lanterns hanging on them began to leave one by one. The loyal servants escorted their masters, boarded the carriages, and then said goodbye to the castle and drove slowly down the mountain.

"I'm very sorry, my master is drunk, so I'll say goodbye to him on his behalf."

At the castle gate, the butler placed one hand on his chest, bent over to apologize, and then asked the servant to help his master get into the carriage.

Soon the carriage gradually entered the cold night. It was dark all around and even the faint chirping of insects could be heard in the grass.

The dim lanterns roughly illuminated the road ahead. The coachman drove the horses slowly forward on the spacious mountain road. The road here was very good, so there was no need to worry too much.

The butler checked on the owner of the house, Count Gekuan, and was relieved to see that he was just drunk and asleep.

Away from the hustle and bustle of the castle, the road in the mountains is exceptionally quiet, and you can even hear the squeaking sound of wheels rolling over pebbles.

The rather exhausted butler also leaned against the sofa, closing his eyes to rest. There were two servants in the carriage anyway, so he didn't need to worry about the entire journey. Besides, nothing would happen now; he had walked this route many times with his master.

In a daze, the carriage swayed gently, like a soothing lullaby, making people gradually forget the time.

The wheels jumped again and the carriage shook. The butler opened his eyes again, glanced around briefly, and prepared to close his eyes and rest.

wrong!

He suddenly opened his eyes, only to find that Count Gekuan, who was resting on the sofa, had disappeared.

"Stop the car! Stop the car!" the butler shouted loudly, and then slapped the two servants who were also dozing off twice to wake them up. They searched inside and outside the car anxiously and shockedly.

The master he served is gone.

In the dark and cold forest, Count Gekuan, who was originally lying in the carriage to rest, woke up slowly. This middle-aged man, who was a little fat, had a slightly bulging beer belly and was wearing an aristocratic suit with a white base and red lining. He was now lying in the damp and cold red soil forest.

Because it was a bit cold around, the nobleman who was drunk and asleep woke up slowly. He scratched around and tried to cover himself with something, but when he touched, he found only hard gravel, rough branches and soil.

Surprised, he suddenly woke up.

"Where am I?" Where is the butler? Where are the servants? Many questions arose in his mind, and then he slowly and carefully got up.

Although he looks a little pot-bellied now, he was also a legion commander in the past, but was later dismissed by the new emperor because of his stance.

Fortunately, he was born into a count family, had a noble status and deep connections, which allowed him to escape the brutal purge of the coup that year.

But even so, he no longer had to think about joining the military in the future. He could only stay in the countryside of the East Territory and make the best of a difficult situation with a group of nobles around him.

Fortunately, the status of earl was still very high. In the East, no one could surpass him except Grand Duke Landsworthy, so he lived a good life and gradually his figure became out of shape.

Count Gekuan stood up carefully in the night, put one hand to his waist, and saw that the sword he carried with him was still there, and he felt a little relieved.

Drawing out the long sword that had not been used for many years, he looked around in the darkness, ready to find out what was going on.

Soon the earl discovered the nobles around him who had fallen on the same level as him.

That's Viscount Sivillian, this is Baron Bray...

Compared to him, these people were still asleep. After a while, they woke up slowly and were as surprised and nervous as Count Gekuan.

The sound of small conversations between people could be heard in the mountains, and then everyone woke up. There were six of them in total, and they all seemed to be returning after attending the banquet.

"Where is this place? Does Baron Bray have any idea?" Baron Bray's home is closest to the castle, in a small town 4 miles away.

"Here, let me take a look." Baron Bray was in his 30s and thin. He stood still in shock, holding on to the tree trunk and looking at the scenery and environment in the distance.

Unfortunately, there was no moon now, and only the starlight was shining. The night was dark and hazy, making it difficult for him to distinguish anything for a while.

Ten seconds passed in depression and silence. The baron wiped his sweaty forehead, still unsure of where he was.

Just as he was about to confess his helplessness, the sound of birds flying through the leaves came from not far away.

In the darkness, a few leaves fell from the swaying branches, dry and light.

"Good evening, my Lords."

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