Old Mansion
Unlike the wealthy, bustling, and densely populated East Coast.
The West Coast is sparsely populated, a situation that began when William the Western Conqueror passed an act declaring that anyone who voluntarily went west to cultivate the land would receive twenty acres of land free of charge after three years of cultivation.
From then on, even without shipping routes to the Old Continent, the West Coast gradually developed.
Of course, it mainly focuses on aquaculture and animal husbandry.
This has resulted in the unique cultural atmosphere of the West Coast, where households are far apart and people generally only go to the town church to pray and buy enough daily necessities once a week.
Furthermore, every household kept a hunting rifle, keeping a watchful eye on any creature that entered their territory.
Whether it's a bear, a wolf, or a stranger!
Once the police line is crossed, according to Western custom, it is always 'shoot first, then question'.
This day.
On the open-air steam locomotive platform in Huano Town, Sulu, wearing a brown overcoat, a round hat, and carrying a suitcase, stepped down.
He was using his original appearance at this time, and for this purpose, he deliberately ran a distance and even hitched a ride on a steam train to create the illusion that he had just returned from another place.
"Sir, where are you going?"
Sulu flagged down a carriage, got inside, and heard the driver's question from the front.
He gave me an address, which was where Rhode later lived with Tonks.
"So this is the Portley Family's residence."
The coachman smiled and cracked his whip.
That's the downside of small towns; the social circle is narrow, mostly consisting of acquaintances or people you've heard about before.
Sulu could only sigh that it was fortunate the Portley Family's new home wasn't too far away; otherwise, if the carriage hadn't been willing to go, he would have had to wait in town to see if any enthusiastic neighbors would be willing to drive their oxcarts or horse-drawn carriages to transport hay along the way.
"Yes, I haven't been back here for... many years."
Sulu's voice carried a hint of emotion, as if it were a genuine expression of feeling.
"I remember now... you're Rhode's younger brother who got into university, right?"
The coachman's hearty laughter rang out.
"Yes..."
Sulu tugged at his collar, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
This is typical of Westerners—warm and direct, which made him, accustomed to Eastern etiquette, feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Then you might be disappointed... Rhode has been away for a long time too, um... I remember running into him at a bar a year ago... I have to say, he's a fierce fighter, the dream lover of many girls..."
The coachman boasted.
' Rhode... my dream girl?'
Thinking of the other person's Sturdy, bear-like physique, Sulu almost laughed, but then she thought that it seemed that girls in the West liked Rhode's tough, masculine style.
On the contrary, a weak and bookish student like myself has basically no market.
As they chatted, the carriage arrived at a wooden house.
It occupies a large area, has three floors, and has a large courtyard enclosed by a wooden fence in front, as well as stables and warehouses.
However, it seems that it has been abandoned for some time now.
This is it.
Sulu paid the fare, stepped off the carriage, and took a deep breath of the slightly chilly air.
'I don't feel any excitement at all... It's like a strange place, it doesn't even stir up any memories... Well, after that fire, Sulu went away to study...'
He took a deep breath and watched the carriage leave.
The driver was very likely an informant for the town's mounted police; at the very least, he would spread the word of his arrival.
However, Sulu Potter's official identity is that of a graduate of St. George University and a researcher hired by Green Tree Castle; there is nothing shady about him.
Sulu, on the contrary, hoped that Rhode would receive the news as soon as possible and come to retrieve the information he had left in cipher.
Squeak!
He pushed open the wooden fence and came to the front of the villa.
Although he didn't have a key, he still managed to open the door after grasping it.
A rotten smell, mixed with dust, immediately hit me.
"Really... it seems Rhode didn't come back to clean at all. Luckily, I wasn't planning on staying here anyway..."
Sulu waved and went inside.
Of course he couldn't possibly live here!
After all, although Sulu Potter had no connection to the ' Black Knight,' the Dream of the Ancient God in Nia City, or the recent Demon curse in Lori City, there was one person who would definitely remember him: Beatrice Taylor, the Saintess of the Black Death Society!
The Black Death Society's influence was even greater on the West Coast of the Federation.
It's entirely possible that they could work with the authorities to find out his whereabouts.
"Although I'm not afraid of fourth-tier professionals now, it would be troublesome if I were surrounded... and Beatrice, having learned her lesson last time, certainly won't come at me alone this time."
Sulu entered the living room and saw a tanned Black Bear head on the wall, as well as casually placed tables, chairs, cabinets, and other furniture, all covered with a white cloth.
He ignored all of that and let his Inspiration flow.
At this moment, Sulu's mental power had reached an extremely high level. He could casually use it to cover the entire Potter Mansion and even penetrate several meters into the ground to conduct a 'screening'.
"So clean... it's so clean..."
After one attempt, he lost his Inspiration and let out a sigh.
To him, the mansion was so 'clean' it looked like it had been licked by a dog!
In his perception, there was no trace of any spirits that had lingered in the surroundings, and of course, no Curio were left behind.
There wasn't even a single Silver Eagle!
"I feel... a bit sad... but thinking about it, it makes sense. Although the Portley Family has a long history, too much time has passed, and too many spendthrift sons have emerged. It's still possible that they could squander their ancestral fortune... especially Tonks!"
How terrifyingly powerful would it take to create a passage between this world and the Abyss, allowing people to pass through?
In particular, was the perpetrator just an ordinary person?
Sulu estimated that the vast majority of the resources accumulated by the Portley Family had been consumed by Tonks.
The remaining bit was taken by Rhode to advance him to [Witch Hunter].
As for him?
Hehe... Isn't it better to be an ordinary person?
Perhaps in the eyes of this body's father and brother, it should have been a good thing for the former Sulu to go to study abroad and stay away from the Mystic World.
Unfortunately... what happened next completely exceeded their expectations.
Sulu felt somewhat disappointed.
There were no Curio in the mansion, which was exactly what he expected.
What he really wanted to 'browse' was the location where Tonks held the ceremony.
"Now it seems... it's definitely not here. If it were, the surrounding environment would have been permanently altered..."
Sulu strolled around the mansion for a while before finally leaving.
He and Rhode agreed that the location for setting up the secret messages would not be within this building, for the sake of necessary secrecy and security.