Chapter 68

Two days passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was the day for the Holy Son's arrival.

A crow flew from the outpost in the suburbs, saying that the Son of God would arrive around noon, and the castle was already on full alert in the early morning.

Count Jiahang Xu Custer, contrary to his usual laissez-faire attitude, was either checking over and over again whether the flag with the family crest was wrinkled, or supervising the washing and preparation of dishes in the kitchen without blinking. He was so busy that he couldn't stop for a moment.

Xu Jiahang really didn't dare to calm himself down, otherwise he would be occupied by thoughts like "What if the reception of the Holy Son is not good?", "Will the Holy Son's dissatisfaction affect the entire Caster family?", "If the citizens have to choose between the two, will they choose me or the Holy Son?"

He was the servant who had stayed with Mr. Shen the longest, and knew the old man's physical condition inside and out. Especially after Shen Yan made her father sick, he followed him closely on many occasions, acting as both a nanny and a doctor to prevent the old man from feeling unwell.

The old man is always the one who makes others nervous when important people come to visit. He gets so excited about everyone around him that he loves to see his hosts so nervous that they dare not even breathe.

But things change, and if you become the cautious one, the feeling is not so good anymore.

Just as the Son of God was once just a background board in the dungeon setting, even the "original owner" Count Custer had never had the experience of personally receiving the Son of God.

Especially since the Holy Son came so hastily, the Queen's notification letter did not arrive much earlier than the Holy Son's personal guards. Xu Jiahang did not even have time to understand the other party's preferences. He could only bite the bullet and prepare according to the highest standards of the castle in the past, plus one level higher.

I hope nothing goes wrong.

Xu Jiahang was about to sigh when he caught a glimpse of a faint gold color out of the corner of his eye and frowned.

He looked around and waved to the nearest butler who was assigning tasks to the servants: "Come here."

"Then you go ahead and get busy." Tan Ning closed his thin notebook and stuffed it and the quill pen into his front pocket. He walked over and said, "My Lord Earl, please give me your orders."

"That child..." Xu Jiahang hesitated. "I mean, Li. Didn't we tell him not to appear in public areas today? What if such a young child clumsily disturbs the peace of His Majesty the Saint?"

Tan Ning's eyes flashed sinister for a moment, but the patriarch didn't notice. He replied respectfully, "Gwen is helping out in the kitchen right now. I think the child may have woken up and didn't see her, so he came looking for her. I'll take him back right away."

It was indeed he who asked Gwen to take care of Li Jue. It was normal for children to rely on adults. Xu Jiahang always felt that he was shooting himself in the foot.

He was just about to ask Tan Ning to lock up the child when his eyes lit up. Miao Ling had changed into a new light pink dress with a big bow tied at the back of her waist, like a gift waiting to be opened.

The maid ran towards their position, and the bell around her neck jingled crisply, like a real kitten wearing a collar.

"She" came in front of the men, lowered her head and picked up the edge of her skirt, and spoke to Xu Jiahang, but raised her eyes to look at Tan Ning: "Master, do I look good?"

Tan Ning turned his head away, trying not to roll his eyes in front of the Earl.

Xu Jiahang grinned: "Looks good, looks good, you look good in anything you wear."

Miao Ling pouted, pretending to be disappointed: "So this skirt is the same as the previous one?"

Xu Jiahang was horrified and quickly coaxed, "How could it be? This one, this one... is so beautiful! So different! Oh, it's just like the peach blossoms in spring, so pretty and pink..."

Tan Ning wasn't sure whose tone made him want to vomit more.

He bent down: "Then I'll take my leave first."

Miao Ling swore that Tan Ning's retreat today was faster than usual.

"She" curled her lips. She dressed up specially to come here, but the flower has feelings but the water is heartless... She has no taste!

With the maid attracting Count Kai's attention, the butler can deal with the little male servant on his own.

He quickly walked to the corner, grabbed the sneaky kid, and asked in a low voice, "Why did you run out?"

Li Jue was already used to being picked up like a kitten, so he didn't resist. Instead, he imitated him and whispered, "Baby, I want to see the Holy Son!"

Tan Ning sighed. The topic of conversation in the castle these days revolved around the Son of God. It was natural for a child to be interested. "What did I tell you before? After Gwen's work is done, I'll take you somewhere to watch it secretly."

Li Jue opened his big, round, bright eyes and asked, "Why do you have to say 'secretly'?"

Tan Ning didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Is he going to say to such a cute cub that the Earl doesn't like you and therefore forbids you from appearing?

Just as he was racking his brains to weave a lie, the child lowered his long eyelashes, covering his beautiful golden eyes like gemstones, and said in a voice as light as a feather: "The Earl doesn't like the cub."

Tan Ning was stunned.

He put the cub down and bent over to look at him: "Why do you say that?"

"Because he shook it off."

Li Jue raised his little hand to show Tan Ning.

It was the same hand that he had tried to hold the Count's, but had been waved away with indifference and disgust.

He is a child who likes physical contact very much. He follows his father's advice of "if you like it, you have to cuddle", and always wants to hug his parents; Finks and Qianxing never refuse.

Unfortunately, Xu Jiahang is not that parent.

Tan Ning felt a little uncomfortable when he saw the child's serious yet inevitably disappointed look.

How could the baby cub, who enjoys so much love and care in the Dragon World and the Ocean World, suffer such injustice here?

It's that guy with a bad taste who insisted on creating an immersive dungeon. It's really...

"Uncle." Li Jue looked at him and asked in a baby voice, "Isn't the baby cute anymore?"

In the first two sub-worlds, both NPCs and bosses liked him very much.

However, Count Custer obviously disliked him, and the other servants in the house did not dare to approach him due to their master's majesty.

Apart from Grandma Gwen, only the familiar Uncle Tan Ning and Brother Miao Ling...ah no, sister, are willing to talk to him.

"That's not true." Tan Ning pinched his face, "You are the cutest child in the world. No one doesn't like you."

Li Jue hesitated: "Then..."

"He likes you too." Tan Ning said firmly, "It's just that people have different personalities. Some people don't express it, but keep it deep in their hearts."

Zizi nodded, not quite understanding, and tried to draw inferences: "Just like what Yaoyao brother does to Mimi brother?"

Tan Ning: “…”

Don't reveal information about two terrifying bosses so casually.

Tan Ning: "So, the Earl doesn't dislike you, it's just that everyone has different tasks to do. What is your task today?"

Li Jue: “Water the flowers!”

Tan Ning: "Are you done?"

Li Jue: "And... still a little bit!"

Tan Ning patted his little head and said, "Why don't you go quickly? Don't you really want to see His Royal Highness the Holy Son?"

The child had been coaxed into submission. He picked up the elephant water bottle that had been placed at his feet and ran quickly to the yard.

The butler curled his lips, but his smile froze as the servant approached him and said, "Mr. Tan, the Holy Son has arrived."

*

Xiao Lijue's flowers were not watered after all.

Following a melodious whistle, all the servants in the castle quickly gathered towards the gate, including the captive crows that served as the family's symbol.

The birds' feathers fell down like a blanket of fluffy black snow.

Gwen luckily found the little cub in the chaos, and held his little hand as they walked against the current with the crowd.

Zizi, still holding the crow feather he had picked up, asked in confusion, "Grandma, aren't we going to see it?"

Gwen thought about the secret spot the housekeeper had mentioned: "Let's look at it from somewhere else. The view will be better."

When Xu Jiahang changed into Custer's highest-standard family clothes and led the important members of the family to kneel on the ground and pay homage, Gwen took Li Jue to a small storage room on the third floor of the castle that was usually deserted. The window here just happened to give them a view of the gate.

Zizi stood on a chair, holding onto the stained glass with both hands and looking down: "Grandma, why are you all kneeling?"

Whether in this world or in the several sub-worlds he had visited in the infinite space, Li Jue had never seen such a lavish way of saluting.

There are more than a hundred people in the Custer family, including members and servants. It is really spectacular to see them kneeling down like this.

Gwen stood beside him, watching. "Because His Majesty is the incarnation of the gods, the embodiment of the faith of Fialan. When people kneel before him, they are also praying to the gods."

The little guy formed a pair of binoculars with his hands and placed them before his eyes, trying to see more clearly: "Grandma, where is His Royal Highness the Holy Son? Why can't I see him?"

Gwen pointed and said, "He's in the carriage. The High Priest will pick him up."

"Da, Ji..." Another title that the kid had never heard of, so difficult to pronounce that he couldn't repeat it.

"Your Excellency, High Priest," the old maid repeated patiently, "From the time the Holy Son is chosen by the High Altar until he reaches adulthood, he will be personally raised by Your Excellency, High Priest."

Li Jue looked in the direction of her finger. In the middle of the team, there was an extremely luxurious and religious carriage, pulled by a white horse; in front of it was another one with shiny black fur, and a very tall man was jumping out of it.

The man was wearing a brocade cloak, a dark color between blue and purple, the darkest night before dawn; the accessories on his shoulders were tassels made of silver thread, inlaid with diamonds of different colors.

His hands were gloved, and he held a staff engraved with obscure prayers. A huge, glittering crystal diamond was embedded on the top, which seemed to contain an omnipotent, solemn and distant power.

The hood covered the upper half of his face, and his jaw was as sharp as a knife. Even a three-year-old child could see that he was a very majestic man.

The high priest walked to the front of the carriage, and the vermilion curtain was lifted from the inside, revealing a slender, snow-white wrist.

Two believers came over with their heads lowered, one of them took the scepter with both hands raised high, and the other tied up the curtain.

The high priest bent down and carried the people out of the carriage.

He did not put him down, but held him horizontally, accepting everyone's worship.

Even Gwen in the attic had prostrated herself on the ground with her hands, muttering something, thanking the god Fialan for his miraculous power.

Is that the legendary Holy Son?

The only cub that hadn't knelt opened its eyes wide.

The young man in the high priest's arms looked to be no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, with delicate and cold eyebrows, skin as white as snow, and long, smooth black hair that almost fell to the ground. No wonder he needed someone to hold him.

He was wearing a pure white robe. Compared with the intricate patterns on the high priest's body, the Son of God's robe had almost no decorations, but it did not prevent him from being shrouded in a halo of true and pure truth.

The boy was not wearing shoes, and his thin white legs hung in the arms of the high priest.

His expression was indifferent, and he did not respond to the pious gestures of the crowd at all, as silent as snow.

The high priest said something to the earl at the front of the crowd, who stood up, and then the others.

They exchanged pleasantries, and then the crowd split into two groups, with the Earl leading the way, leading the Holy Son and his party into the castle.

Just when Li Jue was about to lose sight of the Holy Son, the young man suddenly raised his head and glanced in the direction of the cub.

Although it was only a brief second or two, it was the only ripple in the Son of God's expression, which had been motionless since he appeared in front of everyone.

The attic windows were densely painted, and nothing could be seen from the outside.

But at that glance, it was as if he really saw him.

*

From the time the Son of God became a Son at the age of eight, he no longer needed shoes as clothing: his feet had to be clean and free from dust.

When traveling, they used horses and carriages, and were carried in the arms of the high priest, but when entering a house, they simply walked barefoot on the floor.

Just for this reason, the Caster family has had servants kneeling down to clean every inch of the castle floor every hour since last night until now.

The Son of God rarely speaks himself, and all his intentions are conveyed by the high priest. Even if there is something that really needs to be said or answered, it is the high priest who speaks after listening to the whisper.

As dusk fell, the Custer family's most prestigious dinner party began.

The long table in the center of the restaurant was covered with a purple velvet tablecloth and filled with a variety of fine wines.

The pure silver tableware reflected the dim light of the candlelight, and even the flower baskets were decorated with gold foil, which complemented the pure gold frames of the oil paintings on the wall, highlighting the prominence of the century-old aristocracy.

The seats on both sides were arranged in order of status, and sitting at the end was Earl Jiahang Xu Custer, the head of the family.

Fialan respects the right, and on the right of the Earl sits His Royal Highness the Son of God, and next to him sits His High Priest.

All the guests today were dressed in noble and gorgeous dresses, and spent their family fortunes to buy the most expensive jewelry they owned to wear around their necks and wrists.

Being invited by the Earl to attend the Custer family dinner is already a ticket to enter the upper class, not to mention the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the Son of God in person today. It is a great honor.

The servant opened the red wine and poured it into the crystal glass in front of the count.

He picked it up, stood up with all the guests, and saluted from afar:

"Everyone, please allow me to welcome you on behalf of the Custer family! Next, let us thank the gods for their generous gifts - thank His Majesty the Son of God for his benevolent protection - thank Her Majesty the Queen for her wise guidance - may you and I, along with Fialan, be eternally glorious!"

Everyone raised their glasses and said in unison:

"Thank you, gods, for your generosity."

"Thank you for your mercy and protection, His Majesty the Holy Son."

"Thank you, Her Majesty, for your wise leadership."

"May you, I, and Fialan be together in eternal glory!"

It is the most familiar prayer for every Fialan from childhood to adulthood, and it is also the established ritual before any major event.

From then on, the curtain was raised on this extravagant banquet.

The distinguished guests were immersed in the banquet, chatting and laughing happily.

Except for the waiters who were required to pour wine for them, the other servants were given the mercy of the Son of God and were able to eat at the same time in a place other than the main hall.

The butler and the head maid in the shadows in the corner did not join them, their eyes fixed on the Holy Son who was standing beside the Earl at the end of the long table.

Unlike the others who were busy eating and talking, the Son of God slowly and leisurely cut a small plate of goat's milk mousse cake in front of him. He did not say a word to anyone during the meal, including the high priest; the latter, on the other hand, walked past him and had a pleasant conversation with the count.

The young man lowered his eyes and stared at the mousse cake and the special jade tableware he brought from the temple, which was different from others, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Isn't he hungry?" Miao Ling was curious. "You know what, these humans are really good at cooking. I'm getting a little greedy just looking at them."

"No one's stopping you from eating," Tan Ning said. "While fabricating these backgrounds is your responsibility, I've heard from the accompanying team that the Son of God is no longer purely human since he was chosen by the altar. You can understand him as a true messenger of God, possessing the power of light."

"Light? That sounds disgusting." The girl curled her lips. "But he's so beautiful, even I'm a little interested in him. What do you think about making him into a doll?"

"Does anything else need to be done? He's like a puppet now. The divine authority of Fialan far outweighs the royal authority. The Son of God is merely an image pushed to the front. The temples, the church, and the priests behind the scenes are the ones who truly control this continent." Tan Ning paused. "By the way, you really have a bad taste."

"Although I'm happy for you to praise me with that word, it's really not my style." Miao Ling said innocently, "You know, it's like planting a bunch of seeds. You never know what kind of flowers they will eventually bloom into - maybe they'll be a variety you've never seen before. If you want to achieve your goals, these are the lessons you have to learn, dear."

The maid serving the food walked past them, bowing to the butler as she did so.

Tan Ning hoped that she hadn't heard their conversation.

"Don't call me that in public." He frowned.

Miao Ling was unmoved: "Private, okay?"

Tan Ning: “.”

Regardless of the previous excuses, Miaoling’s last sentence is correct.

He now endured the humiliation of being teased and chose to stay with Miaoling, just to learn how to sit in "her" position and look at the sub-world with a completely different perspective than before.

In a way, Miaoling is now his mentor.

...These two words are really disgusting.

Unlike the other guests, hosts, and even servants who were dressed in formal attire, the Son of God was still wearing a pure white robe without any unnecessary patterns.

The only difference was that for the dinner he wore a wreath—not of actual flowers, but of golden branches interwoven in an intricate pattern.

The circle of gold was very dazzling on his long black hair, attracting the attention of many people intentionally or unintentionally.

Rather, there was no moment when he was ignored by anyone.

But the boy was obviously accustomed to living under all kinds of gazes, and he showed no reaction from beginning to end.

He sat there quietly, neither moving nor speaking, like a fairy in a lake shrouded in forest fog, light, clear and cold.

Seeing that Tan Ning was still staring at Shengzi inquiringly, Miao Ling deliberately asked, "Is he prettier or am I?"

Tan Ning: “…”

Tan Ning: "I really don't want to repeat myself. I'm not interested in men."

At this moment, the Holy Son suddenly put down the jade dessert spoon.

The high priest didn't miss his move and immediately leaned forward to listen.

After a moment, he looked at Xu Jiahang, his lips curved slightly under his hood. "My Lord Earl, is there a young child in your family? A boy with long hair, very young."

Xu Jiahang was stunned: "...Ah?"

These keywords can locate one and only one person.

"His Highness the Holy Son wishes to see him after the banquet." Seeing his daze, the high priest already knew the answer and smiled faintly, "Please grant His Highness's wish."

His voice was gentle and polite, yet full of oppression.

He didn't even ask "can I" or "may I" - the word "please" was used as an order.

He was just a little male servant, so Xu Jiahang naturally could not disobey the powerful Holy See and agreed repeatedly.

But he still felt strange for no reason. How could the Son of God meet Li Jue?

Could it be that old lady Gwen didn't listen to me and take good care of Li Jue?

Or did that little bastard run away on his own?

Letting such an uncertain child meet the Son of God is a dangerous thing no matter how you look at it.

What if something goes wrong or the kids start talking nonsense? He has to be there to monitor the whole process.

Too unlucky, he thought, whether in the real world or here, as long as he met Chen Lijue, no good would come of it. That child always managed to put on an innocent face and easily destroy the happiness that was within his reach.

After the Autumn Festival, he must make that brat disappear. Out of sight, out of mind.

Whether throwing it away, sending it away, or eradicating it...

"grown ups?"

"master?"

"My Lord Earl?"

"Lord Custer!"

The last sound was much louder, almost like a roar.

Xu Jiahang, who was immersed in his reverie, was finally awakened. He looked up and saw Tan Ning staring at him with a sinister face. His heart skipped a beat in fright and he almost fainted.

He started coughing violently, and someone patted his back. Tan Ning bent down and asked with concern, "My Lord Earl, are you okay? Do you need a doctor?"

Xu Jiahang felt embarrassed in front of the Holy Son and the High Priest, and waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no need... ahem..."

Tan Ning immediately called for someone to pour him some warm water, and held it in both hands before handing it to his mouth, acting like an honest and loyal steward, without any trace of the cold look he had just shown.

Xu Jiahang was confused, was it just an illusion?

He took several gulps of water to suppress the panic that was rising from his feet to his scalp. He regained his composure and cleared his throat: "What's the matter?"

"Sir, the school has sent word that the young master will be back home tomorrow evening," the butler replied respectfully, bowing at the waist. Finally, he explained to the Holy Son and the High Priest, "Our young master usually lives on campus and only returns on rest days. I hope Your Highness and Your Excellency will understand."

Xu Jiahang was stunned and couldn't recover.

What?

"Young Master"?

...He also has a adopted son?