Chapter Sixty-Three: Killing the Demon 3
It drizzled during the night.
In the morning, raindrops occasionally slid off the branches and flowers, dripping onto the damp earth. Birds fluttered their wings, and countless water droplets splashed. A wooden window was pushed open by a fair hand. She took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and took out a set of gorgeous clothes from the wardrobe.
The hot water she brought was getting cold, so she slowly moved to the bedside, bent down, and whispered to him, "Young Master, Young Master, it's time for Young Master to get up."
Lu Cen frowned slightly, showing his annoyance at being disturbed. He turned over and drifted off to sleep again. Ximi opened her mouth, hesitated for a long time, and finally pulled the blanket over most of Lu Cen's body before quietly leaving the room.
"Count, Madam, the young master is still asleep," Himi whispered as she came downstairs.
"Let's not wait for him, let's eat first."
Luna covered her mouth and chuckled, "Big brother is so old and still sleeping in."
Lu Cen, the eldest brother, didn't wake up until almost noon. The morning dew had long since evaporated in the sun. He sat up, covering his head, and his vision went black.
He felt very dizzy, so dizzy that he felt nauseous.
This feeling was very similar to his condition when he had a severe heart attack, but he is dead now, and these symptoms are gone.
He collapsed onto the bed with a pained expression, breathing rapidly, and it took him a while to recover.
Lu Cen let out a long sigh of relief, unable to understand why he suddenly felt so dizzy. Unable to figure it out, he put it aside and prepared to get out of bed to wash up. As soon as he moved, the maid outside the door heard the noise and pushed the door open. Seeing him go to the inner room, she went out to fetch hot water.
The clothes were complicated, and with Ximi's help, Lu Cen put them on. He carefully examined Ximi, a thought flashing through his mind: Could this maid be the one from the player's game?
It doesn't seem like it.
Her memory is complete; she is very familiar with her family members, including Luther's personality and the mayor's son's experiences. She knows everything about them. If she were a player, she wouldn't remember them so clearly.
Lu Cen dismissed this speculation and instead asked Ados, "Yesterday you said the Earl favored the mayor's son?"
"Yes, yes, I've heard about it before." Himi knelt on one knee and helped him put on his stockings. "Ados should be back in the next few days, right?"
Lu Cen's heart skipped a beat: "Ados isn't in town?"
"A few years ago, Ados went away to study and hasn't been home for a long time. I heard that he became a guard in a big city and has a bright future ahead of him. The mayor wrote to him recently, saying that his family intends to arrange a marriage for him and that he should come back soon. Judging by the time, it should be in the next few days."
Just as they were talking about Ados, Lu Cen received news that he would be having dinner with Ados that evening.
Before setting off, Himi helped him dress up in his finest attire, and she also placed the green gem around Lu Cen's neck. Lu Cen had pale skin and eyes like glass. Due to his own appearance, he did not have a completely Western look, but rather a four or five-tenths of his own features.
The mayor's house is on the edge of the town, near the forest, and the manor is magnificent.
Entering through the main gate, there's a fountain spraying water upwards. Directly in front is a three-story building extending to the left and right, seemingly endless from Lu Cen's position. The building's surface is carved with patterns and designs that Lu Cen can't understand. To the right is a path lined with rows of the same kind of trees, and to the left is a lush green lawn with many long tables set up, laden with exquisite food and drinks. Several people are already gathered in small groups, chatting. They say that he and Ados are having dinner together, but the mayor, just to be on the safe side, has simply organized a cocktail party so that if his son doesn't take a liking to him, or if Lu Cen doesn't take a liking to his son, it won't be too awkward for either side.
Lucen stood beside the fountain: "Who is Ados?"
Himi turned around and looked around, then whispered in doubt, "Young Master, I haven't seen Ados. Could it be that he hasn't come out yet?"
Lu Cen led Ximi to a corner and sat down. He casually picked up a glass of wine containing orange-yellow liquid, but he didn't drink it; he was just pretending.
There were so many people in the manor that he suspected all the young people from town were there.
"Is Young Master Inlai alone?"
Lu Cen turned her head and a familiar face came into view: "Why is the captain of the guard here? Don't we have to patrol today?"
“There’s still time to eat. We can go on patrol a little later. It won’t take up much time.” The captain of the guards sat down next to Lu Cen in a very familiar manner and started chatting without any formalities: “Young Master Inlai is a very dazzling gem.”
"If you want it, I can sell it to you."
Captain of the Guard: "......"
Lu Cen wasn't stupid. The captain of the guard must have had a purpose in suddenly contacting him. He just didn't know if it was because he suspected Lu Cen's identity or because of Ados.
Few people knew about his relationship with Ados, but it wasn't a complete secret either.
The former is highly unlikely. If they doubted his identity, the captain of the guard would have taken the opportunity to test him during their meeting yesterday. So, only the latter is left.
What is it about this Ados that the captain of the guard needs to pay attention to?
“Young Master Inlai is too kind. This gem is the icing on the cake for you.” The captain of the guards put away his speechless expression, then smiled: “It would be an insult to me.”
Lu Cen looked at his face, which was rugged and somewhat unkempt: "That's true."
The captain of the guard choked again.
During the conversation, the crowd stirred and all looked in one direction.
A man who was about 1.9 meters tall walked out of the manor. He had a high nose, thick light blond hair, and every move he made exuded the demeanor of an aristocrat.
This is Ados.
"I apologize for keeping you all waiting. Dinner has been prepared inside. Please come in."
A maid led the guests to their designated seats. Lu Cen was also led to the main hall by a maid dressed in light blue. There were many long tables in the hall. Lu Cen was led to a seat on the second from the right. Soon after, Ados sat on the first from the right. Maids brought in food in single file. The hall was silent except for the soft sounds of eating.
"Does the taste suit your palate?" Ados's voice was slightly hoarse.
"Very good," Lu Cen said against his will.
Having grown up in China, he had no interest in these steaks. After a brief exchange, the two ate separately. Soon, the group moved around, music filled the hall, and men and women gathered to dance. Ados reached out his hand to him, and Lu Cen stared at the broad palm in silence.
He doesn't know how to dance like that.
He forced himself to say, "Sorry, I don't want to dance today."
Ados didn't insist, and stayed by Lu Cen's side to talk to him. The topics were very unfamiliar and boring, but Lu Cen had to keep up. In just half an hour, he was restless and could only utter words like "um," "yes," and "right" to appease him. Ados probably noticed his reluctance and stopped the conversation.
Lu Cen's heart skipped a beat, fearing he would leave, and she tentatively asked, "I heard that the mayor's family has the largest collection of books. I wonder if there will be any opportunity to visit them?"
"I would be delighted."
The two went up to the second floor. The corridor was lined with rooms on both sides, resembling the layout of a modern hotel. If it weren't for the room numbers, Lu Cen wouldn't have been able to tell which room was which. He only knew that after passing many rooms, Ados pushed open the door to a light beige room with the number 2035. The room was spacious, with rows of bookshelves embedded in the walls. In the center was a rest area for people to relax. The room was dimly lit, so Ados summoned the maids, who lit many oil lamps. The darkness was dispelled, but the light was better than nothing.
"This side is culture, this side is religion, and that side is local customs and traditions." Ados gave a general overview of the layout, and finally pointed to the sign on the top of the bookshelf, saying, "It's all written here. You can take a look at whatever you're interested in."
Lu Cen then asked Himi to wait for him in the rest area. Seeing Ados following behind him, he smiled and said, "I can just look around by myself. It's not good to leave those guests there like that, is it?"
Ados thought for a moment and said, "I'll go and attend to the guests first. You can wander around as you please. If you need anything, just ask the maids outside to get it for you."
Lu Cen slowly looked around with an oil lamp in hand, only looking for signs. The yellow and red light cast a shadow. Lu Cen walked deeper and deeper, wandering around for who knows how long, until he found a bookshelf called Myths and Legends. It was full of different kinds of books, including the origin of gods, the ancestors of mankind, and the legends of dragons.
Finally, he turned to a biography.
Alvin's autobiography.
The opening states that this is what Alvin recorded in his old age.
Lu Cen skipped over the earlier descriptions of Alvin's childhood and only looked for the parts about demons.
Alvin was born a thousand years ago. He was intelligent from a young age and had an amazing memory. When he grew up, he became the lord of a city, and the people under his rule lived in peace and prosperity.
One day, the sun was obscured by darkness, and a race that was neither human nor inhuman attacked the city.
They were incredibly fast, fearless of swords and blades, tall and mighty, with immense strength. A single stomp could crush a person's head. In an instant, the city became like a hellish inferno. Countless people lost their lives, wailing, in pain, filled with resentment, collapsing, and terrified. In just one day, the city fell, countless people collapsed, and severed limbs were everywhere.
Alvin fled with his guards, hoping that other cities would send troops to rescue his people, but they refused. They only kept raising the walls of their own cities, hoping that these things would not be able to cross the walls that were as high as the sky.
Alvin was furious and felt powerless. Although the other cities were unwilling to send troops, they were willing to take Alvin in and provide him and his guards with a place to stay.
Then, city after city fell; the high and thick walls were no match for those creatures.
Alvin was forced to travel to many places, and in the local records of a remote city, he found descriptions of these creatures in a book called "The Demons".
The author is anonymous, only saying that he encountered these monsters by chance. They feed on humans and are bloody and terrifying. He named these things demons.
The book says that when he was young, he stayed in a village. In the middle of the night, the village was suddenly attacked by the enemy. The crowd was in turmoil and went to the scene of the incident. They found a monster gnawing on a severed arm. Its skin was as hard as iron, its head was raised, its back was bulging, and its two black, bird-like wings were folded together. It had four tentacles holding the severed arm, a long and thin tail under its buttocks, and huge claws like chickens on its feet. It was human but not human. Its eyes were black, and its vertical pupils looked at them coldly.
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