Chapter 208 Another Farewell to the Royal City, First Impressions, The Intruder...
After sending Tata back to Draven, Ray didn't stop there; he was about to face his second farewell of the day.
Lai and Seymour returned to the palace in a carriage.
The magic circle that could connect to any location on the continent was located in a dark underground chamber.
In fact, if Seyah hadn't told him, Lai wouldn't have known that they were already in the palace's basement.
Besides Seyia, Western Europe also came to see Lei off.
High Priest Thorin was unable to attend to see him off due to other commitments, and Tosio expressed his apologies to Lei.
This time, because everyone is an adult, the farewell wasn't as sad as before.
However, Lei and Seya were still feeling down because of Tata's crying.
"Saya, if possible, I hope you can help take care of Tata in the future."
"Definitely. After a year of getting to know Tata, I've developed a deep affection for him. I'll visit him from time to time."
With Saiya's promise, Lai felt much more at ease. In his eyes, Saiya was an elf he could entrust with his trust.
“Saya, I left you the things you mentioned before with the maid, and a jar of hot pot base.”
"Really? That's wonderful! After I finish eating, I'll definitely come to the royal city to find you!"
Western Europe glanced at Seyia, his expression clearly showing his disapproval.
He knew that the young prince still had thoughts of leaving the palace.
"Cough, no need for that. I can send you over via teleportation."
"Okay, that works too."
Lei breathed a sigh of relief for Seya.
Saiya already has a "record" of misconduct, so there must be many elves secretly watching his actions.
"Ray, have you received the ring?"
"Um."
"Take it out and let me see it."
Lei took the ring out of the pendant space and placed it in Seya's hand.
This ring, made of mithril, gleams under the light; its exquisite design makes it a rare find.
"It's still as clear as before, Ray. Don't underestimate this ring; you must wear it on your hand at all times."
"We won't underestimate it."
"That's not what I meant. Try it on."
Ray took the ring and put it on the middle finger of his left hand.
He usually works in the fields, so it's not really suitable for him to wear any jewelry on his hands. Besides, rings are very uncomfortable for him to wear, and he's not used to them.
"Try infusing your own magic into the ring."
Lai Yi did as she was told and discovered that it was actually a spatial ring with a space of 100 square meters.
"Is this enough to hold everything?"
Saiya smiled.
That's enough.
The ring became even more precious to Ray because of its practical storage function, rather than just because of the important meaning it represented.
“Lai, this is a gift from the Queen Mother. I also have something I want to give you. Thank you for taking care of me during this time.”
"You don't need to be so polite. You've already fulfilled our agreement."
“It’s different. An agreement is an agreement, and a gift is a gift. I also want to be able to eat your hot pot broth every year.”
Saiya blinked, and after regaining his original appearance, he had a lively quality to his every expression.
Seymah also gave Rae a ring, but with a simpler design.
"Is it also a spatial ring?"
"Okay, you can look at the things inside after you get there."
Saiya is acting all mysterious.
Seeing that Lai was still hesitant, and fearing that he might not be willing to accept it, he simply told him the truth.
"Don't feel pressured, Ray. It's just barrels of wine, a few baskets of fruit, and some seeds."
"Thank you, Seya."
"You're welcome. These things are nothing compared to your help. By the way, Ray, could you give me your address? Maybe I'll have a chance to visit you in the capital someday."
Lai hesitated for a moment, but in the end decided to leave Seya a note with the location indicated on the land deed.
"This is the address of the Victor family's old residence, and I should be staying here. But there's always the possibility that something unexpected might happen and I won't be able to stay here."
"Okay, I understand."
Seyia carefully put the address away.
"It's getting late, it's time to get ready to leave."
Lei bid farewell to Seia and Western Europe.
"Lay, thank you for meeting you. May the Mother Tree bless you so that you may get what you want and successfully rescue Neil."
After Sayya finished speaking, he performed a blessing ceremony for Laiyi. Laiyi felt a flash of light above his head, like stacking buffs in a game.
"Thank you. Seya, your magic has been restored?"
"Hmm! Mother is just being stubborn. I'll flatter her a bit and she'll help me untie it."
"Congratulations."
"Mr. Victor, may the Mother Tree bless you with all good things."
"Okay, thank you."
Lei felt like he had been given another buff.
If this happened in a game, and someone received the blessing of an elf, wouldn't they be able to obtain two legendary gold weapons?
"Can the blessings of elves stack up to increase luck?"
Seya didn't understand what Lai meant by that, but he could roughly guess what it was.
"Some people do have opportunities."
"Haha, I'm leaving now, goodbye."
"goodbye."
Lai, carrying the wicker box used for disguise, stepped into the center of the teleportation array and waved goodbye.
The magic circle activated, and he vanished instantly from the elves' sight.
"Your Highness, let's go back. Mr. Victor should have arrived safely by now."
“Okay, I’m going to check what Lai left me. Professor Theo, please feel free to do as you please.”
"yes."
Let bygones be bygones...
Seyia thought to herself.
He didn't want his own affairs to cause trouble between the elves, dragons, and humans.
We are already going through a turbulent time, and we cannot afford any more hardship.
That memory...
Perhaps I could go and ask High Priest Thorin.
………………
The royal city of Canberra is situated in the heart of the continent, bordering three major territories, and is an extremely luxurious city.
Known as the capital of alchemy and magic.
Its tall and majestic buildings, along with the numerous castles and manors of all sizes, demonstrate its important position on the continent.
The two most famous places are the temple dedicated to the God of Light by the Holy See, and the White Tower, which represents the supreme magical power of the entire continent.
They stand on either side of Canberra, symbolizing religion and magic—two of the most indispensable things on this continent.
It is a contest between divinity and reason, and also a spiritual sustenance for all residents of the mainland.
When Lei arrived in the royal city through the magic circle, he was questioned by knights from the Papacy.
Fortunately, he had identification and a letter of recommendation from the Elf Kingdom.
This saved Ray a lot of unnecessary trouble. After seeing the two items, the knights let him pass without asking any further questions and were much more respectful.
After registering his information near the teleportation array, Lai prepared to head to his future residence.
—The land deed, which was originally hidden under the floorboards on the second floor of his house, showed that his family once owned a property in this prime real estate area.
Ray had never been here before and had no idea where this ancestral home, which was part of the heritage, was located, or even whether it actually existed.
After much searching, he finally managed to hire a carriage that would give him a ride, costing him three silver coins.
The carriage wheels creaked and turned, and after about an hour's journey, it took Lai from the center of the main city to a relatively less luxurious area.
The residents walking on the street were all dressed in stylish, clean, and tidy clothes.
The ladies wore light-colored overcoats with lace trim and beautiful headpieces made of feathers, gemstones, pearls, and precious metals.
Light-colored clothing signifies that they are free from the worries of housework, while luxurious jewelry symbolizes their happy and prosperous life.
They showed no fear of the demons reappearing on the continent and continued to live their happy and carefree lives.
Staring at passersby for too long is not the style of a gentleman here. After getting a general idea of the situation, Lai withdrew his gaze.
We've left the central area and arrived at a relatively underdeveloped residential area.
Even here, the environment is much better than Eaton City, and other places that Rye has been to.
What comes into view, besides vast expanses of grassland, are rows of relatively independent manor villas.
They are surrounded by neatly trimmed trees, lawns, fountains, and flower beds, making them both beautiful and grand. They have clearly been carefully maintained.
The coachman could tell from Lai Yi's attire that he was from out of town, so he struck up a conversation with him, trying to get information out of him.
The coachman told him that although this place couldn't compare to the luxurious mansions in the city center, it was still much better than other places.
It was the residence of the city's minor nobles.
Ordinary residents like them can only live in more remote areas.
But there, the city lord provided the residents with clean water. Knights patrolled back and forth, solving their security problems; it was a good place.
He asked Lai if he was going to stay with a relative in the capital.
Lei didn't want to reveal his information for the time being, so he continued talking along with the coachman's words, only saying that he had come to visit the sick.
The groom became somewhat excited upon hearing what Lai said.
Rumors about distant nephews and cousins inheriting family property and titles were commonplace.
Perhaps I've landed a chance to become a minor nobleman who will inherit my cousin's vast fortune?
The other guests have already reached their destination and left; currently, only Lai is on the carriage.
He initiated a conversation with Lai, becoming increasingly respectful towards him, his words filled with probing and flattery.
This made Lei find it very boring.
The coachman hadn't been to this area much, and he was completely dumbfounded when the carriage stopped at the place marked on the land deed.
This doesn't look like a nobleman's estate; it's more like a slum.
On the overgrown open space, there was only one dilapidated house, surrounded by several walls made of bricks, tiles and shrubs.
Ma Fu's attitude towards Lai changed completely in an instant.
"Please pay for the ride."
He was afraid that Ray would try to cheat him out of his car money.
Ray took out his money bag and pulled out three silver coins from a pile of copper coins.
The coachman glanced at Lai's old money bag and the dusty copper coins inside, and curled his lip.
It's a waste of breath.
All the flattery along the way was just a ploy to get more tips from Ray.
Lai noticed that the driver was still looking at him even after receiving the money.
Is it customary to leave a tip?
Ray didn't know anything about Canberra, but he still took out ten copper coins from his purse and gave them to the coachman.
That's it?
Lai keenly noticed the disdain in the driver's eyes.
He put away the silver coins and the tip from Lai, returned to the carriage, cracked his whip, and drove away, leaving Lai with a trail of dust.
"......"
He was speechless. He had a very good first impression of the capital, but this snobbish coachman had immediately ruined it.
Ray had long anticipated that the environment here might not be very good, but he never expected that in the more than twenty years since Mr. Victor left, the manor would have fallen into such a state of disrepair.
He carried his luggage, the mithril ring on his hand not particularly noticeable, and finally stepped onto the stone path overgrown with weeds.
However, this time he was all alone.
This road was built in the old days to facilitate the passage of horse-drawn carriages. Now, the stone slabs are covered with moss, plantain, and other weeds.
Lai walked to the end of the cobblestone path and tentatively pushed the iron gate.
The clanging of chains came from the door; the iron gate was locked, and Ray couldn't get in.
As he was wondering whether he had jumped over the stone wall or something, he suddenly noticed a small door at the edge of the iron gate.
This time, Lei successfully pushed through.
The scene inside the iron gate was just as he had seen from the carriage; it could only be described with one word: dilapidated.
After entering, there was the gatehouse of the manor villa and a small storage room. Lai walked another hundred meters or so before finally standing under the villa, which was tightly wrapped by vines and ivy.
Two panes of glass from the third-floor window were broken, and the roof tiles were pitted and uneven, with many missing, exposing the underlying slab.
A thin layer of dust covered the villa's double doors. Lei gently pulled the handle. The rusted hinges creaked unbearably.
He opened the entire front door, letting light stream into the large living room that had been blocked by curtains.
He then walked to the curtains, drew them closed, and opened the window, letting the breeze carry away some of the musty smell from the villa.
The dust that fell from the curtains made Ray sneeze several times.
It looks like no one has been here for a long time; it will take a lot of effort and money to renovate.
Lai was worried about whether his meager gold coins would be enough to cover the expenses of repairing the house and searching for Neil.
Perhaps all he needs to do is prepare a room that he can live in.
Who are you! What are you doing here!
Lai was startled by the sudden sound behind him; he hadn't even noticed it.
“This is the property of the Victor family. If you don’t leave here immediately, I’m going to take action.”
Ray raised his hands to indicate that he was unarmed and harmless, and at the same time turned around to face the person approaching.
But the glaring sunlight outside made him instinctively shield his eyes.
“I think we can have a good talk,” Ray said. “There may be some misunderstanding. I’m not an intruder, so you don’t need to be so wary.”
"Who sent you? This is not a place for you."
The man's attitude remained very firm.
“No one sent me here. This is the land I inherited, and I am the heir to this property.”
The stone stirred up a thousand waves, and the villa fell into a brief silence, with only dust swirling in the light.
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