Golden Lion Garden and Sun Radiance Mountain (Please Follow Along)

In August of the 492nd year of the Rin Winter Calendar, in the Winter Kingdom, August was also known as the Harvest Moon, symbolizing the season of abundance.

Once this month arrived, the scorching climate would slowly fade away.

The crimson sky turned pale red, and a breeze occasionally swept through.

At this moment, Chen Mu was changing into formal attire with the help of a Maid.

Beneath it was a long-sleeved garment that wrapped both arms, along with a luxurious outer robe that reached his ankles. This was the standard attire of Winter Kingdom nobles.

Over that, he wore a long men's overcoat.

The long overcoat was also called a "Roman Shirt" and was made from exceptionally precious silk.

Besides preventing sunlight from reflecting, the long overcoat also kept direct sunlight from raising the temperature of the armor beneath it.

Therefore, during wartime, it was worn over armor.

Embroidered across the surface of the long overcoat was the Golden Lion Family Crest representing the Wesley Family. The crest was intricate and magnificent, lending Chen Mu a distinctive air.

A sword belt circled the waist of the long overcoat. It was used to hang a Longsword and was integrated into the garment itself.

Naturally, a silver-white Knight Sword hung at Chen Mu's waist as well.

The Knight Sword had no scabbard. It was a standard double-edged sword, its blade roughly ninety centimeters long.

His shoes were nothing special. As usual, Chen Mu wore a pair of Pointed Shoes.

Pointed Shoes were simply shoes with pointed tips.

With the Maid's assistance, Chen Mu finished dressing in his formal attire.

This Hunting Day, he represented the Wesley Family's honor, so he naturally could not dress as casually as he usually did.

Dressed formally, Chen Mu seemed less easygoing than usual and carried a greater air of authority.

Seeing the Maid withdraw with a blush on her face, Chen Mu rose and headed outside.

William was already waiting for Chen Mu beyond the Manor.

Unlike Chen Mu's luxurious attire, William wore Light Armor, with a Heavy Sword hanging at his waist.

When he saw Chen Mu emerge, William shifted his gaze onto him, surprise and wistfulness appearing in his eyes.

"He looks far too much alike, exactly like the master back then."

William's daze lasted only an instant before he recovered.

For that brief moment, he seemed to see Earl Arthur from thirty years ago in Chen Mu.

The same attire, except William had only been a minor guard standing behind Earl Arthur at the time.

"Please follow me, Young Master Vieri."

William unconsciously changed how he addressed him, then turned and walked ahead of Chen Mu.

The Noble Carriage was outside the Great Manor, still some distance from the Small Manor where Chen Mu lived.

Their destination, Sun Radiance Mountain, was not too far from here either. Traveling by carriage along the main road, they could reach it in less than a day.

Chen Mu followed behind William with a relaxed expression.

Outside the Manor lay the Wesley Family's Golden Lion Garden. Beyond the Golden Lion Garden was where the carriages were parked.

As they passed through the Golden Lion Garden, Chen Mu looked around.

In Chen Mu's memories, this place had not originally been a garden.

This garden had been built specifically by his father, Earl Arthur, for Chen Mu's mother, Lando Fiya.

However, ever since Chen Mu's mother, Lando, had passed away, few people besides gardeners and Maids had come here.

The Golden Lion Garden could absolutely be considered a grand garden. More than a hundred Marble Columns surrounded it, forming covered walkways, while the eastern and western ends protruded into two Square Pavilions. It was exceptionally luxurious and exquisite.

Every Marble Column was adorned with delicate openwork carvings.

A closer look even revealed that no two carvings were alike.

Cross-shaped water channels divided the garden into four sections, with a Lion Fountain at the center. Twelve marble lions were carved around the circular Marble Basin.

The stone lions were imposing in form and overwhelming in presence.

All of these stone lions had been personally carved with a sword by a Grand Knight.

The garden contained an Herb Garden and a Vegetable Garden.

Some ornamental plants had been trimmed by the gardeners into the symbol of the Golden Lion Family Crest. The garden also cultivated a great number of flowers and trees, creating striking color contrasts.

Though he possessed many memories of this garden, seeing it with his own eyes still gave Chen Mu no small shock.

When William noticed Chen Mu slowing down, he turned his head to look at him.

Seeing Chen Mu's expression, William assumed he had been reminded of the late mistress by the scenery and could only sigh inwardly.

In William's memories, Vieri's mother, Lando, had adored Young Master Vieri while she was alive.

She had handled nearly everything herself. A large part of the reason Young Master Vieri was unaccustomed to being cared for by Maids and servants was because of his late mother.

So William subconsciously slowed his pace as well, saying nothing to disturb Chen Mu's thoughts.

Time passed. Though William deliberately slowed down, the two still moved quickly and soon arrived where the carriages were parked.

Chen Mu entered a carriage bearing the Golden Lion Family Crest, while William mounted his horse.

Most of the horses the Wesley Family used to pull carriages were Cold Winter Warhorses.

These horses were extremely fast and had remarkable endurance. Traveling a thousand li in a day was no problem for them.

"Crack!"

William snapped his whip, and the carriage began moving.

Noble Carriages were exceptionally steady to begin with, and they were traveling along the main road. Sitting inside the carriage, Chen Mu could barely feel any bumps at all.

The carriage moved quickly. Chen Mu and William would likely reach the vicinity of Sun Radiance Mountain by the next morning.

Hunting Day was merely the day the event began, so arriving a few days late was still acceptable.

Before the hunt began, there would be a banquet tomorrow at noon, followed by a ball in the evening. There was more than enough time.

As for formally entering the mountain to hunt, that would take place within fifteen days after Hunting Day began.

Therefore, Chen Mu would be away from the Far East Territory for at least fifteen days this time.

However, with William guarding him, he had no need to worry about his safety.

After all, within the kingdom, Grand Knights were already among the strongest people in the open.

Aside from the legendary Epic Knights and Wizards, no one could harm Chen Mu under William's protection.

As for Epic Knights and Wizards, the chances of encountering them were very low.

There were only a few Epic Knights in the entire kingdom, while there were not even any Wizards in the kingdom.

Few Wizards would leave the Wizard Continent for the barren Secondary Continent.

Even if one truly did come, they would rarely appear in the Winter Kingdom. After all, the Winter Kingdom was not considered a major nation on the Secondary Continent.

As for the Wizard Apprentice who had cursed the original Vieri, it was simply Vieri's bad luck.

Perhaps that Wizard Apprentice had merely happened to pass through this place and had a bad temper.

White bread and butter cheese had been prepared inside the carriage, and Chen Mu ate some whenever he was hungry.

If he could activate the Life Seed and become a Formal Knight, he would not need so much high-calorie food. At the very least, Chen Mu had barely seen William eat anything along the way.

The sun set, yet the carriage continued through the night.

A Grand Knight's night vision was exceptionally powerful. It would not be an exaggeration to say they saw the night as clearly as day.

The next day, the Three Suns rose one after another, blazing sunlight pouring down upon the earth. Chen Mu and William also arrived within the bounds of Sun Radiance Mountain.

Sun Radiance Mountain belonged to the Morning Dawn Territory, the domain of the Morning Dawn Marquis.

However, this place occupied only a small part of the Morning Dawn Marquis's territory.

Chen Mu's final destination was the Morning Dawn Marquis's castle on Sun Radiance Mountain, where this banquet and ball would also be held.

Upon arriving, William parked the carriage in a horse farm specifically designated for carriages. Quite a few carriages from other families were already parked there.

Chen Mu looked around. Some of the family crests on the carriages were unfamiliar even in his memories. The only one he recognized was the crest of the Carlos Family.

The Carlos Family was the family of Garden Earl Melan Carlos. Their crest was a wreath formed from a cluster of lavender.

Chen Mu had not forgotten that, in the simulation, it had been one of the Garden Earl's subordinates who killed him.

When Chen Mu stepped down, a Maid in a long dress immediately approached.

There were many Maids in the horse farm. They had been sent by the Morning Dawn Marquis to guide the young nobles.

Thus, Chen Mu followed the Maid, while William walked half a step behind him toward the marquis's castle.

Please follow along~