The Ancient Greek God of Gardens

As dusk slowly enveloped the entire water city, the setting sun bathed the domes and Court of Fontaine in a warm, golden glow, causing the water to ripple and the evening light to shimmer and dance.

Xingsu slowly stepped out of the gates of the Maison Gardiennage, looked up at the magnificent city view before him, let out a long sigh, put his hands behind his head, and casually hummed a little tune.

Ah, this day has been perfect.

"Hey, is it because you touched Melusine that you have no regrets, or is it because you did a good deed today that you have no regrets?" Lin's voice suddenly rang out.

Xingsu subconsciously stopped, touched his nose, and said with a nonchalant air:

"That must be because justice helped the Maison Gardiennage solve the case, and I have no regrets for contributing to the safety of Fontaine. I'm proud!"

"Fine, fine, fine, you believe it yourself."

"Let's go, it's time to go find the necklace."

Fortunately, Xingsu had already purchased all the camping supplies while strolling Court of Fontaine during the day. After a quick packing, he gathered the tent, dry food, and other necessities, shouldered his light pack, and left the bustling city, heading up to the high outskirts of Court of Fontaine.

"Backpack on, backpack on, backpack on, I've picked up my bag!"

Xingsu hummed a powerful-sounding tune as she sensed the location of the necklace under Lin's guidance.

"Here, here, no, not here, it's over there."

Which way is that?

"That's over there, not over there, it's over here."

Which side is this?

"Oh dear, why are you so clumsy! See that tree? Walk towards that tree."

"There's a small grove of trees around us!"

"..."

In short, an unreliable guide and a traveler who doesn't know where to go are a Chlothar and Fu Xuan.

With their cooperation being anything but clumsy, or even completely lacking in chemistry, Xingsu Su finally managed to Chlothar into the bushes—and get lost.

Xingsu decided to ignore the unreliable navigation for now, quickly determined the direction, and headed in one direction, leaving a mark every 100 meters or so.

Lin's task was to tell him whether he could sense the necklace getting closer along this direction. If it was getting closer, he should continue walking in this direction until he reached the point where he could sense the necklace most strongly. Then he should draw a perpendicular line and walk along the direction of the perpendicular line.

This might mean taking a longer route, but you'll definitely find the location.

"Hmph, I didn't expect you to be so smart."

"... He's only slightly better than someone like you who can't even give directions."

The evening breeze swept across the fields of flowers in the suburbs, Xingsu was bending down to tidy up the tent frames for camping.

It's astonishing that people live in this desolate wilderness, and even have the leisure to tend to a flower field.

After hiking for most of the night, Xingsu decided to camp and rest nearby. Firstly, the presence of human habitation in the area indicated that there were few monsters, and secondly, he could ask for help if he encountered any problems.

Just then, a heavy sigh came from not far away.

Looking up, he saw an elderly man with white hair and a thick beard sitting alone at a wooden table. Several empty wine bottles were scattered haphazardly on the table, and the old man was holding a wine glass in his hand. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his expression was a mixture of anger and undisguised loneliness. Noticing Xingsu's gaze, he only barely raised his head.

"Young man, why are you camping here so late? What do you do for a living?" The old man's voice was a little hoarse and carried a hint of scrutiny.

Xingsu put down his work and politely replied, "Hello, sir. I am a traveler and plan to stay here for the night. I hope I haven't disturbed you. You seem to be troubled by something?"

When asked about his worries, Earnshaw's tense shoulders slumped slightly. He slammed the letter on the table, his tone full of anger, yet his eyes betrayed a deep sadness.

"It's all because of my disobedient daughter. A few days ago, she went to Court of Fontaine alone without a word. I warned her countless times that the city is full of treacherous undercurrents, but she insisted on leaving. Why is my daughter so inconsiderate, leaving me alone to take care of those dogs? Sigh..."

The old man sighed heavily, raised his hand to tilt the wine glass, hoping to dispel his worries with the wine, but when he tilted the glass, not a single drop of wine came out.

He stared at the empty cup, pursed his lips forlornly, and his already gloomy mood sank even deeper.

Seeing this, Xingsu Su took out a bottle of Fonta from his bag and filled the old man's cup.

The old man didn't refuse and even invited Xingsu to sit down and chat and drink with him.

"You're a good child too... much more sensible than that naughty brat. That brat would step on the flowers whenever he saw them, and I had to give him a good scolding before he stopped; and those three dogs are all a handful, always running off, and then there's my daughter..."

As the old man drank, he told Xingsu stories of the place incessantly. Xingsu mostly listened, occasionally interjecting with words of agreement, which the old man enjoyed. When he got excited, he would even hold Xingsu's hand.

Xingsu listened quietly for a long time and finally figured out the whole story.

This elderly man Earnshaw cherished his only daughter as the most precious treasure of his life, but his love went too far, turning into suffocating control and overprotection.

The daily constraints made the daughter weary, and she could no longer tolerate the pre-arranged life. So she left without saying goodbye and went to Court of Fontaine alone.

That's why Earnshaw was both annoyed by his daughter's willfulness and recklessness, and worried about her safety while she was away alone. He was filled with conflicting emotions and had nowhere to vent them, so he could only look at his empty wine glass and brood alone.

Xingsu spoke gently, trying to ease his inner turmoil.

He advised Earnshaw not to be too anxious. Although there were many undercurrents in Court of Fontaine, the city had the Maison Gardiennage to maintain order. Since his daughter had the courage to travel alone, she must also know how to protect herself. Perhaps she just wanted to train alone for a while and would come back on her own after some time.

After listening for a few moments, Earnshaw simply waved his hand impatiently. "Alright, alright, I appreciate your kindness. But considering your age, and the fact that you've never been a parent, don't meddle. It's getting late, and it's not safe to be out in the countryside at night. You should hurry up and set up your tent and get some rest."

After saying that, he turned around with a dejected expression and pushed open the door of the wooden house.

Just as Earnshaw was about to step into the house, Xingsu called out to him, "At least tell me your daughter's name. I'm from Court of Fontaine; maybe I can help you if we run into each other."

The action of pushing the door suddenly stopped, and the old man's back froze in place for a moment in silence. After a few seconds, a low, hoarse voice came out.

Agnès.

As soon as he finished speaking, the wooden door clicked shut, locking all his worries inside the small house.