Grellint

Under the butler's urging, Lucius finished washing up, eating, and changing clothes, then prepared to head out to the military port.

"Hahn, do I really have to wear formal wear?" Lucius fidgeted uncomfortably in the stiff attire.

"Yes, young master."

"No room for negotiation?"

"No, young master."

This formal wear was truly unbearable! Unlike modern suits that came in both loose and fitted styles, the "formal wear" he had on now was strictly tailored.

Having just traveled through time, Lucius wasn't used to Hahn's way of addressing him, so he said directly, "Hahn, just call me Lucius."

Upon hearing this, Hahn's face turned serious. "Young Master Lucius, that won't do. After today, you'll very likely inherit the Old Master's barony directly."

"If outsiders learn that your butler hasn't maintained the proper respectful address, it could undermine your authority and, in turn, affect the Sheffield family's business."

After listening to Hahn, Lucius tried again. "Then, when there are no outsiders, just call me by my name. When there are outsiders, address me as you see fit."

Coming from the modern era, Lucius really couldn't get used to Hahn's form of address. After more than ten minutes of persuasion, he failed to change the butler's mindset and even got lectured by him instead.

A "seducer" getting lectured—that was a first.

With the preparations for going out complete, the house in Bexland's Queen District, complete with its sprawling garden, opened its iron gate that sealed it off from the outside world.

Lucius sat in the carriage, watching the scenery recede around him, inwardly marveling. No wonder this was a nobility that had lasted over six hundred years.

Even in this prime real estate of Bexland's Queen District, they owned a medium-sized manor with such vast grounds.

As Lucius peered out the carriage window, he noticed that since the convoy left the manor, an extra carriage had joined them. He casually asked, "Hahn, why did we add another carriage after leaving the estate?"

Hearing his young master's question, Hahn opened the window, took a look, and said, "That's necessary security, Young Master Lucius. You're now the only member of the Sheffield family."

"Yesterday, I pulled some strings and secured a special squad from the Storm Church to handle your safety for the time being."

Lucius felt this was a bit over the top and said directly, "Hahn, there's no need for all this trouble. I probably won't leave the manor for a while."

"Once these couple of days are over, send them back."

Storm Old Pigeon? Hearing it was that church, Lucius wanted to learn more and asked:

"Hahn, do you follow the Storm Church?"

At Lucius's question, Hahn calmly explained, "No, Young Master Lucius. I follow the Church of the Goddess of the Night. The reason I could secure members of the Storm Church is because of the Old Master—he followed the Storm Church."

Hearing it wasn't the answer he wanted, Lucius lost interest in probing further. The Church of the Goddess of the Night didn't need Hahn's introduction either.

He hadn't inherited the title yet; the Storm Church was likely sending a squad out of respect for his predecessor's father. Otherwise, a noble who hadn't inherited his title wouldn't have that kind of pull.

Lucius said casually, "Let's use the church's goodwill sparingly for now. Who knows when it might come in handy later."

"After this period ends, send them back. Hmm... give the squad some Gold Pounds from my personal funds."

After a moment's thought, Lucius asked, "What do you think of 200 pounds?"

Hahn, hearing the amount, felt it was a bit much. "Isn't that too generous? For just a few days, they'd each get about 40 pounds on average."

Lucius thought it over and said directly, "Let's go with 200 pounds. The Sheffield family can afford it. It's a decent extra reward for this Beyonders squad."

Port Pritz, Oak Island, Royal Navy Base.

As the carriage stopped, Hahn said directly to Lucius, "Young master, we've arrived."

"You'll need to go to the nobles' gathering area on your own. I'll handle the other matters. Wait for me here after the meeting."

After getting off the carriage, a military man approached and asked, "Lucius Sheffield?"

Hearing the uniformed man's question, Lucius replied directly, "Yes, sir."

After confirming his identity, the uniformed man said, "Please follow me."

Lucius's arrival caused a small stir, as no one recognized him.

Even these well-traveled nobles had never seen such a "beautiful man."

Since he didn't know anyone, Lucius found a corner and waited for the banquet to end.

"Are you attending this event alone too?"

?

"Hello, Grellint."

Looking at the hand extended toward him, Lucius gave a casual handshake. Then he spoke:

"Hello, Lucius. Lucius Sheffield."

Grellint asked curiously, "Are you attending alone?"

Seeing that the other man showed no sign of leaving and intended to keep talking, Lucius said offhandedly, "Yes, I'm here to... well, pick up my father and take him home."

Hearing Lucius's words, Grellint replied directly, "Looks like we have the same goal."

As the two grew more familiar, Grellint asked curiously, "Are you a permanent resident of Bexland? How come I've never seen you before?"

Lucius didn't hide the truth and said directly, "I do live in Bexland permanently, but for personal reasons, I rarely go out. I basically stay at home."

Grellint responded immediately, "No wonder. Even though I can't possibly remember every noble of my age, I should have at least heard of you."

"And someone with your looks—I definitely wouldn't have forgotten."

Hearing Grellint's reply, Lucius thought to himself, That sounded weird. 'Someone with my looks'?

While Lucius was still puzzled, Grellint seemed to recall something and said, "Sheffield? That rings a bell. Isn't that the address at 59 Queen District?"

Hearing someone blurt out his home address, Lucius said helplessly, "Uh, yeah."

Hearing Lucius's confirmation, Grellint smiled and patted Lucius on the shoulder, saying, "See? I told you I had some impression of you. We don't live far apart—we can keep in touch from now on..."

Listening to Grellint's rambling, Lucius somewhat regretted striking up a conversation with him. This guy had a bit of a chatterbox streak.

Now he could only pick and choose responses to Grellint's topics.

Grellint covered his mouth as if afraid of being overheard and said, "Lucius, do you know about 'Beyonders'?"

Looking at the man's secretive demeanor, Lucius asked in confusion, "Beyonders? Yes, I know. What about them?"

Grellint, seeing Lucius's calm response, immediately asked, "Have you done any research on that subject?"

Lucius asked doubtfully, "What's there to research about it?"

"I mean, the method to become a Beyonder."

Understanding Grellint's meaning, Lucius said directly, "No. Those are practically semi-public secrets, aren't they? Just join a church or a special organization and you'll get the relevant knowledge."

Hearing Lucius's answer, Grellint sighed helplessly. He had hoped Lucius might have information on becoming a Beyonder without joining a church, but now that hope was dashed again.

Once the idea of becoming a Beyonder was linked to nobility, Lucius finally recalled who Grellint was—Audrey Hall's childhood friend, someone who explored mystical knowledge together.

To hook Audrey, that big fish, and get an introduction to the Tarot Society, Lucius could casually release some unimportant knowledge.

Lucius pretended to mention it offhand:

"Actually, if you find the right Potion Recipe, you can brew and consume the potion to become a Beyonder. For an ordinary person to become a Beyonder, they only need to find the correct Sequence Nine recipe."

Grellint was a Viscount's descendant. He knew about Beyonders and how to become one. But because he valued his freedom, he didn't want to join any "organization" to become a Beyonder, leaving him with only half-baked knowledge.

Hearing useful information, Grellint asked, "Just Sequence Nine is enough?"

Seeing Grellint's reaction, Lucius replied calmly, "Yes, Grellint."

But Grellint's imagination ran wild: "Do you think we could bribe someone inside the Holy See to get the Potion Recipe?"

Hearing this, Lucius was speechless. "Uh... I think that's probably not possible."

Bribing church insiders? What kind of idea is that? Not afraid the church will come knocking to check the 'Gas Meter'? And as I recall, even insiders might not know the recipe.

He could only say something that would crush Grellint's hopes: "As far as I know, even church members don't necessarily know the Potion Recipe. Even if you found someone who did, they might not be willing to trade. And the church probably makes them swear oaths not to leak the recipe."

At the same time, he gave him a glimmer of hope: "If you want to become a Beyonder without going through the church, you could attend some private Beyonder gatherings to trade recipes. A Sequence Nine recipe is generally worth around 200 Gold Pounds. Considering how rarely recipes are sold, the price might fluctuate, but it shouldn't exceed 300 Gold Pounds."

A carrot after the stick, so to speak.

Hearing how well Lucius knew the price of potions, Grellint asked curiously, "Lucius, how do you know all this so clearly? Have you attended a Beyonder gathering?"

Hearing this, Lucius realized he'd let something slip. He countered, "No. I've rarely left the estate since I was born. I heard this from others."

Grellint said helplessly, "Then that's probably it. It'll be hard to get any more information."

"None of the families provide channels for those who want to become Beyonders. Usually, you have to apply to join a church or a relevant department yourself, but in exchange, you have to give up your freedom for the recipe."

"Audrey's second brother became a Beyonder through the Kingdom Army, but he's still serving in the South Continent with no word of being transferred back."

Listening to Grellint's complaints, Lucius caught the information he needed and said, "Audrey Hall? The Most Dazzling Gem of Bexland?"

Seeing Lucius take an interest in his good friend, Grellint asked, "You've heard of Audrey's reputation too?"

Lucius said casually, "Of course. Even someone like me, who stays home all the time, has heard the title 'Bexland's Most Dazzling Gem.'"

How could I not have heard of Bexland's Most Dazzling Diamond, comparable to a High Sequence Witch? Audrey Hall—those titles are famous everywhere.

Seeing that his new friend was interested in his childhood buddy, he teased, "I thought someone who stays cooped up at home all the time wouldn't have heard of her reputation."

"But unfortunately, Audrey didn't come today. If she had, I could have acted as a middleman to introduce you two."

"Today, only Uncle Hall and Audrey's Eldest Brother came from the Hall Family."

He also joked, "Though I think if you put on a dress, you wouldn't lose to Audrey."

!!!!?

Hearing Grellint's words, Lucius's hair stood on end.

Seeing Lucius's reaction, Grellint laughed heartily: "Just kidding! A Rune man should have that kind of humor. But Lucius, you'd better watch out for those people from the Republic of Intis—they start..."

And Grellint continued, "Lucius, I see you're also quite interested in becoming a Beyonder. Want to join our private gathering? It's full of nobles who want to explore mystical knowledge..."

After hearing that joke, Lucius didn't want to bother with Grellint anymore. Joking was fine, but being the butt of the joke? Wasn't that just making himself a clown?