Family Arrives

Chapter 41: Family Visitors

Lorist froze. What had Alisha just said? That beggar was looking for a young master named Norton Lorit, which should be Norton Lorist. Wasn't that the original name of this body? It was just that everyone had always called him by his nickname, Locke, and had forgotten his original name was Norton Lorist, the second young master of the Norton Family from the Northland.

"What's wrong? I thought I heard Alisha say your name just now," Er asked, seeing Lorist frozen. Having helped Lorist with his property deed and tax certificate, he knew Lorist's original name.

Lorist snapped back to reality and found Alisha already skipping towards the backyard. He stood up. "The beggar Alisha mentioned earlier was looking for someone named Norton Lorit from the Northland. It sounds like he was looking for me. I'll go take a look. I wonder if it's someone sent by the family."

"Oh?" Er became interested, standing up with a chicken leg in his hand. "I'll go with you."

The two arrived at the backyard and saw the beggar Alisha mentioned. He was sitting on a bluestone slab in the backyard, dressed in rags, drinking oat porridge. The two chicken legs Alisha had given him were placed on a gray linen napkin beside him, seemingly for him to take away.

Alisha, gnawing on her own chicken leg, asked the beggar curiously, "Why aren't you eating the chicken legs? How can you drink porridge without any side dishes? The chicken legs are really delicious!"

The beggar nodded at Alisha and replied with a smile, "Beautiful little princess, thank you for the delicious chicken legs. It's just that I have a companion, and good things are meant to be shared with companions..."

Then the beggar saw Lorist. He froze, put down his bowl, rubbed his eyes, and looked carefully. Finally, he confirmed that the Lorist standing before him was not an illusion.

"Second Young Master, sob, Young Master, I've finally found you, sob sob sob..." The beggar scrambled over, not even caring that he had knocked over the bowl of oat porridge, and tightly hugged Lorist's leg, crying profusely.

"Uh..." Lorist tried to pull his leg back but found it held too tightly. "Um, please get up first. You are..."

"Young Master, you don't recognize me? I'm Sertkamp!" The beggar raised a face full of tears and snot.

"Sertkamp?" Lorist tried hard to recall. Memories buried deep in his heart surfaced. The silly, always honest-looking young servant following Little Locke, shouting, "Young Master, wait for me..." Little Locke bossing him around, wanting this and not that, while the young servant ran around trying to please him...

No wonder he recognized me so easily. He was a personal attendant who had followed Little Locke since childhood.

"It's you, Sertkamp. Long time no see. It's been ten years, hasn't it? Get up first, don't just cry." Lorist said with a smile.

Unexpectedly, Lorist's words made Sertkamp cry even harder. "Young... Young Master, hurry home! The Old Master is gone, the First Young Master is gone, the Third Young Master is gone. You are the only one left in the Norton Family. Everyone is waiting, waiting for you to return and inherit the territory... sob sob sob..."

Lorist's body swayed. Although he was a transmigration, the bloodline connection to the Norton Family could not be severed. A tremor from the depths of his soul made Lorist tremble all over.

Er quickly stepped forward, supporting Lorist, and said to Sertkamp, "Don't cry. Speak slowly, and explain clearly what happened."

"Last year, the Master was pursuing mountain barbarian bandits who had invaded the territory. He fell into an ambush and was severely injured. He was bedridden until the beginning of this year when he couldn't hold on any longer. He instructed us to find the Second Young Master to return and inherit the territory before he passed away. We only knew that the Second Young Master went to Molent City ten years ago, but we didn't know which academy he was studying at. Moreover, ten years have passed, and we didn't know if the Second Young Master was still here, so we came to try our luck. When we finally arrived in Molent City, we asked at every academy, but no one knew anyone named Norton Lorist. They were also dismissive when they heard we were from the Northland. Pat said he heard stories that heroes used to get information from taverns, so I went to every tavern to ask. Heaven is merciful, I finally found the Young Master." Remembering the hardships of searching for the Young Master, Sertkamp couldn't stop his tears.

Lorist finally steadied himself. "Sertkamp, let me ask you, how did my eldest brother and third brother die? Who is this Pat you mentioned? Why does his name sound so familiar? Also, didn't my third uncle know which academy I was studying at? Where is he?"

"The First Young Master died in battle three years ago. He was conscripted by Duke Lugins to serve the Second Prince under his command. When the news arrived, the Master was bedridden, and the Third Young Master was in charge of the territory's affairs. The year before last, the Third Young Master went to inspect the territory and his magical beast mount was spooked. The Third Young Master fell from his horse and suffered a severe head injury. Despite three days of emergency treatment, he still passed away. The Master's illness worsened, and he only began to recover slightly by last spring. However, upon hearing news of the mountain barbarians, he insisted on going on campaign despite his illness, which resulted in... Second Young Master, don't you recognize Pat? He is the eldest grandson of the old steward Cress, the child who always played with you when you were young. He is very capable; he is already a Black Iron Swordsman. Because we knew you and remembered your appearance, the old steward sent us to find you."

At this point, Sertkamp hesitated. "Second Young Master, your Third Uncle, Lord Rodsick, passed away seven years ago. The family's merchant caravan was plundered by bandits in Portoorg Province, and all the members of the family caravan were killed. This news shocked the entire Northland. There were always rumors that the family caravan was plundered by the First Prince's men disguised as bandits to extort military funds. That's why the First Young Master, against the Master's wishes, joined the Second Prince's faction."

What a string of bad news, Lorist could hardly imagine. The Norton Family, once hailed as the Northern Rage Bear by the royal family of the Krissen Empire, had suffered so many consecutive misfortunes, to the point of having to recall him, the second young master who had been exiled for ten years, to inherit the family territory. This was truly unexpected and deeply moving.

Composing himself, Lorist asked Sertkamp, "Where is Pat then? Where did he go?"

Sertkamp looked a little embarrassed. "Pat, he... he's carrying sacks for people in the dock district..."

"Carrying sacks?"

"Yes, our travel expenses ran out. Pat carries sacks to earn enough for a day's food," Sertkamp mumbled.

"Ready!" Lorist shouted towards the tavern.

Ready quickly appeared.

"Go get the carriage, take this Sertkamp to the dock district to find his companion, then take them both to the public bath to clean up, get them some new clothes, and bring them back to see me." Lorist instructed, taking two gold coins from his coin purse and giving them to Ready.

"No, no, Young Master, we have money. We can't spend yours." Sertkamp hurriedly stopped him, then rummaged through his clothes and pulled out a dark coin purse. "Young Master, I still have twenty imperial gold coins here."

"Huh? Didn't you say you had no money just now?" Lorist asked, puzzled.

"Young Master, this is the travel expense for your return home. We can't use it. Now that I can hand it to you, I don't have to worry about losing it anymore." Sertkamp stuffed the coin purse into Lorist's hand, relieved.

Lorist was a little moved. Guarding twenty gold coins and choosing not to use them, preferring one to carry sacks and the other to beg for food – were these family members foolish, stubborn, or just loyal to their duty?

So Lorist gave Ready two Gold Fude coins. "Get them some better clothes."

Ready took Sertkamp and drove the carriage to find Pat.

Lorist returned to the tavern and sat at the table, feeling uneasy. He opened the black coin purse and poured its contents onto the table. Twenty gleaming gold coins appeared before him. These gold coins were smaller than Gold Fude coins and bore the head of an old man wearing a crown.

Fatty Shi became interested when he saw the gold coins. He picked one up and looked at it, then sneered dismissively. "Old man's head from the former Krissen Empire, not worth much. Three of these are only worth one Gold Fude. The three kingdoms and seven duchies in the north are now popularizing our Gold Fude. These old man's head gold coins are bought back by those unscrupulous merchants and recast into Gold Fude. They make more than double profit with just one transaction. Where did you get these old man's heads?"

"Locke's family has sent people. They want Locke to return and inherit the territory. These old man's heads are for Locke's travel expenses," Er said.

"What? Locke, you're going back to be a lord?" The companions were suddenly shocked and gathered around.

"What's all the fuss about? I haven't decided whether to go back or not." Lorist frowned, looking troubled. He was already a minor celebrity in Molent City. He had lived here for ten years and already considered himself a Molent citizen. Suddenly, his family sent news asking him to return and inherit the territory, which was too unexpected. Although it was his hometown, to Lorist, it was a completely unfamiliar place.

"What's there to hesitate about? Of course, you should go back and inherit the territory. Here in Molent City, you can only be an academy instructor, but back home, you'll be a respected territorial lord. In your territory, you are the god of your people; everything is up to you." Telman, who said this, originally came from Rigor, a region famous for producing mercenary knights. Pursuit of war and a spirit of adventure were the nature of the Rigor people.

"But Locke is living very well here now; he's even bought a house. And he's a renowned dual Gold instructor at our academy. What's so great about going back? The Northland is a wasteland, sparsely populated. If you look at geography books and maps, you'll know it's a wild land, not as comfortable as Molent City." Steve retorted. He was a local and always proud to be a citizen of Molent City.

"Perhaps Locke can go back for a visit, inherit the territory, and then come back. He can let his subordinates handle the territory's affairs, and he can continue living in Molent City as usual," Yuri suggested, believing this would be the best of both worlds.

Lorist smiled wryly. It wasn't as simple as Yuri imagined. The family territory was far away in the northern wilderness, thousands of miles from Molent City. It would take more than three months to ride a fast horse back and forth. This was unlike the noble lords of the kingdoms and duchies near the Malichu Plains, who lived in Molent City and could return to their territories in just a few days.

Fatty Shi asked, "Where are your family members who came?"

"Ready took him by carriage to find his companion. They split up to search for me in Molent City," Lorist replied.

"Looking for you? You're so famous, they still need to look for you? Wouldn't your family know that you studied at Dawnlight Academy?" Fatty Shi was very surprised.

"I mentioned before that I lost contact with my family for almost seven years. It turns out that the family caravan that knew I was studying at Dawnlight Academy was attacked by bandits, and everyone died. Even my third uncle, who brought me here, died in battle. So, the family members only knew I was studying in Molent but didn't know which academy. Then, there were six more years of war, and communication was cut off. Now, with more changes in the family, they sent people to Molent City to find me. However, the people they sent didn't know I was the Black Iron Locke. They went to each academy asking, but no one recognized Norton Lorist. Then they went to each tavern to inquire. Just now, they met Alisha, and when Alisha ran over, I found out my family was looking for me," Lorist explained.

"So that's how it is. No wonder I couldn't find you. Everyone in the city knows you as Black Iron Locke, but fewer than ten people probably know your real name. What are your plans?" Fatty Shi asked, his expression clearing.

"I don't know..." Lorist shook his head. "My mind is a mess right now, and I don't know what to do. I'll wait until they get back and clarify the situation before deciding."

When Ready brought Sertkamp and Pat, who were dressed in new clothes, before Lorist, Lorist was holding Alisha and watching Old Luke give Shiward a haircut at the barbershop behind the tavern. Alisha asked Lorist, "Uncle Locke, you said that beggar earlier was looking for you. Is he from your family?"

"Lorist nodded. "Yes, and we have to thank Alisha for giving him two chicken legs. Alisha is such a good child."

Alisha furrowed her little brow and thought for a long time before suddenly realizing. "I get it! Uncle Locke's family are beggars!"

"Pfft!" El, sitting beside them, sprayed wine all over Fatty Shi opposite him. Forgetting to apologize, he clutched his stomach, laughing uncontrollably. "Ali, Alisha said it so well, it's so funny! Locke's fam, family are beg, beggars, hahaha..."

Lorist didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Alisha, Uncle Locke's family isn't made up of beggars. Look, he's standing right in front of you. Does he look like a beggar?"

Sertkamp, standing before them, had a face as red as a monkey's backside, wishing the ground would crack open so he could crawl into it. Beside him, Pat, dressed in a brand-new swordsman's outfit, looked quite distinguished and spirited.

Lorist put Alisha down and walked over to Pat. He compared their heights and then sighed. "Pat, it's been a long time. You and I have both grown up. We're no longer those two kids who used to fight like bulls."

Pat also took a deep breath. "Yes, Young Master. We've both grown up."

In Lorist's memory, Little Locke and Pat had been rivals since childhood. Whenever they met, they would either fight or wrestle, and one of them would always leave in tears. The next day, they'd meet again and continue fighting. Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye, and both had grown up. Meeting again now, there was a sense of familiarity.

Patting Pat's shoulder, Lorist chuckled. "Alright, you've grown taller and stronger than me now. I wonder what you ate to get so big. You must have had a tough journey. Don't worry about anything else; just sit down and have a good meal. I've already told the kitchen to prepare something. Madam, we're ready to be served."

Lorist called out twice to Louise and then turned to Old Luke. "Old Luke, after Shiward, it's Ready. When you're done with them, give them haircuts too. Ten people in total, and I'll give you two large silver coins."

"Sure thing, I'll make sure they look refreshed," Old Luke said happily.

Lorist stopped Sertkamp and Pat, who were fidgeting, and said with unquestionable authority, "This is my territory. You're here, so you listen to me. Not to mention, I'm still your Young Master. Just follow my arrangements. After you've eaten and rested, I'll take you home. We can talk about everything else once we're back."