First Meeting

Two days later, on the outskirts of the city, at Gayn Manor.

As an ancient noble family with a long history, the Gayn Family had been unable to expand much due to its sparse population. It had also declined somewhat because its recent generations of heirs had lacked ability. Even so, Gayn Manor remained one of the most beautiful estates in the entire royal city.

With its clock tower, gardens, and streams, the manor had been kept beautiful by generations of highly capable butlers. In the entire royal city, no family besides the royal family would dare claim that its estate was better than the Gayn Family's.

Unlike other estates, Gayn Manor had its own distinctive style. Rather than the bright, strongly scented roses favored throughout the Hundred Flowers Kingdom, it had the traditional aesthetic of the Crimson Cloud Empire.

Beyond the gates, red, purple, white, and yellow camellias grew in clusters along the path. There were even rare camellias with multicolored markings. It was the height of their blooming season, and surrounded by purple hibiscus and thorny begonias, they made for a uniquely beautiful sight.

Perhaps because the family was relatively small, Gayn Manor differed from other estates in that it did not have many maids. Everyone had her own daily duties, and they were all busy from morning to night.

Of course, while they worked, Eddie Gayn, head of the Gayn Family and master of the manor, kindly allowed the women who worked in specialized positions to skip greeting guests and simply focus on their own tasks.

This was extremely rare in the Hundred Flowers Kingdom. Traditional noble maids often had to perform many different duties, and a maid capable of doing several jobs was part of a noble family's prestige and heritage.

Maids assigned to only one kind of work were usually found only on the estates of nouveau riche who had made their fortunes in recent years.

But to Eddie Gayn, who had slammed the brakes on the Gayn Family just before it plunged into the abyss, then made a sharp turn, this was nothing. After all, in his pursuit of profit, he had trampled on most of the Gayn Family's thousand-year traditions anyway.

Beyond the camellias, they came to a row of chrysanthemums. It wasn't chrysanthemum season, but the distinctive shapes of their leaves and branches made it easy to tell there were about three varieties.

Liu Tian hadn't studied them closely, so he couldn't identify the flowers any further.

Beside the chrysanthemums was a row of tree azaleas. They were in bloom, and their delicate fragrance drifted through the air.

"Brother Tian, look! These azalea leaves have little prickles on them. They feel ticklish when you touch them, but it's so nice." Alice hopped beneath an azalea tree and gently stroked the soft, fuzzy little spines on its leaves. Her pure, carefree smile complemented the flowers so well that it was hard to say whether the flowers or the girl was more beautiful.

Clearly, Alice liked flowers, but she was even more fond of those soft, fuzzy spines.

"Even if their growing requirements aren't completely opposite, they're at least vastly different. How did you manage to grow them all?" Liu Tian didn't have much of an eye for beauty. The garden was pleasant enough, but he was more curious about something else: how had Gayn Manor managed to grow so many delicate plants with such different needs so well?

"I'm not sure," Alice said, tilting her head. "Butler Gimon manages the whole estate. I think he has some kind of secret formula. You just sprinkle it on, and it lets you ignore most of the plants' growing requirements? My sister said that selling the finished product of the formula is one of the family's major sources of income..."

What the hell kind of black technology was that? Just sprinkle it on and ignore the plants' growing requirements? Imagine what it could do for farming!

The thought came to Liu Tian instinctively, but before he could ask, Alice seemed to anticipate his question and immediately shot it down.

"It does seem a little expensive, though. Once, I told my sister the formula was so effective and asked if we could use it to grow something. She said that if we used it to farm, we'd spend more than we'd earn. It'd be a huge loss. The only way to make money is to hype it up and use it to fleece the other nobles." Alice tilted her head, tapping a finger against her cheek as she spoke.

"True. People who care about appearances are the easiest to make money from." Liu Tian nodded, almost gritting his teeth. If those image-conscious people hadn't driven the prices of antiques so high, he wouldn't have needed to spend so much money looking for an Origin Point last time.

As they chatted, they soon crossed the garden and reached the main building. In front of it stood a carefully designed fountain. The water was clear, and the pool was nearly half a meter deep, its bottom covered in smooth, dark pebbles. Little fish swam lazily in the warm sunlight, occasionally darting a short distance and sending ripples across the water.

Alice and Liu Tian's time alone had now come to an end. Tia Gayn, who had been informed of their arrival, had been waiting at the entrance for quite some time. When she saw Alice and Liu Tian approaching, Tia stepped outside and came forward to greet them.

Unlike the last time they'd met, late at night, Tia had clearly dressed with care. She wore a touch of light makeup, and her vivid red lips looked especially striking. Her simple white tea dress was modestly decorated, with a small tulip pinned to her chest. Its stem drew the eye down to her deep cleavage, then to her slender waist, narrow enough to fit in one hand. Without a petticoat, the white dress hinted at her shapely hips and long legs. Her striking figure was impossible to hide. No wonder she was one of the Hundred Flowers Kingdom's two great beauties.

Unlike Alice, who had inherited her mother's black hair and eyes, Tia had inherited her father's blood-red hair and ruby-red eyes, which stood out sharply against her white tea dress.

This was the sort of outfit one wore only around family and especially close friends. Knowing Liu Tian was coming, why had Tia chosen to wear it in front of a strange man?

Had she, despite spending so long immersed in high society, failed to understand the implications? Or did she have another reason?

"Hello." Tia extended her hand with easy grace. "Although this isn't our first meeting, I'm Tia Gayn, the third daughter of the Gayn Family. My father and elder brother are still on their way back, so I'm temporarily in charge of the family. Please excuse anything we may fall short in during your visit."

"Hello." Liu Tian gently shook her hand. "I'm Liu Tian. From the way you speak, Miss Tia, you seem quite familiar with the customs of the Crimson Cloud Empire?"

"My mother was originally the daughter of a noble family in the Crimson Cloud Empire." Tia smiled slightly. "So I know a little about them."

"I have about a thousand antiques related to the Lost Empire here. Mr. Liu, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Why don't we talk over a meal?" Tia seemed to have taken a liking to Liu Tian and invited him warmly.

"All right." He had a faint, strange feeling, but it wasn't hostile, so Liu Tian agreed.