Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Natural Sequence 3

Chelsea heard the Young Lady’s instructions and was a bit surprised, but her face remained composed. She pushed up her glasses and replied.

“This will take some time, Young Lady, because much of the people I trust overlap with those he trusts.”

“Mm, be cautious. There must be someone else pulling the strings behind Seres.”

“Yes, thank you for your reminder.” Then, the head maid stepped out.

Lolan Hill continued sitting on this small balcony, watching the beautiful night view of the harbor city. The serene moonlight reflected on the sea, shimmering with the waves’ rise and fall, breaking into fragments that rippled across her vision. She could even hear the sound of waves crashing against the beach far away, a soothing water sound like a gentle lullaby.

Seres was the butler at Angus’s side, having been with him for nearly a decade. In his early years, he was a noble officer in Westwind, having fought on the battlefield. That was when Westwind was at war with the northern barbarians. Though the scale wasn’t large, only a few nobles from the north participated. Although Westwind won, they suffered significant losses, revealing their own weakness and inability to fully suppress the chaotic forces within.

Later, the northern nobles withdrew entirely, focusing only on their castles and cities, leaving the peripheral villages unattended. This led to rampant bandits and mercenaries becoming popular in the Northern Region.

After retiring, Seres, not being the eldest son and thus without inheritance rights, worked as a mercenary for a while. By chance, he met Angus, who was doing business in Westwind. They shared many similar experiences—they were both born into noble families in Westwind, both second sons who struggled in their homes, and had gone through numerous hardships. Eventually, Angus invited Seres to be his deputy, and he gradually became the great butler of Callites, one of the most trusted people of Angus in his lifetime.

It was hard to imagine such a person betraying, yet Lolan Hill had indeed sensed something off about the butler.

Firstly, when Mrs. Mela opened the door and saw Seres, she initially said ‘you’ before changing to ‘you’ respectfully. At that moment, Mela immediately recognized Seres, her tone showing some fear, which she later corrected.

Secondly, when Mrs. Mela broke the teacup, he picked up the shards, and his eyes and expression weren’t particularly kind. At that time, he was facing away from Lolan Hill, perhaps thinking the young lady wouldn’t see, but in fact, Lolan Hill noticed this from the reflection in Mrs. Mela’s pupils.

Lastly, when Lolan Hill asked Seres to investigate events from ten years ago, his first reaction was to refuse, albeit politely. Perhaps he didn’t realize it himself, but this was his first time contradicting the young lady’s instructions, which shouldn’t happen to an excellent butler.

After leaving Mrs. Mela’s residence, Lolan Hill asked him to investigate the past ten years, which was also a test. If he didn’t know the truth, driven by instinct, he would inquire about everything related to the past ten years comprehensively.

But if he already knew the truth and wanted to continue hiding it, he would deliberately avoid certain people and matters, making his actions unnatural. And the points he avoided would remind Lolan Hill. Therefore, no matter how he acted, he would reveal part of the truth.

Lolan Hill sat quietly on the wooden chair, unconsciously tapping her fingertips against the teacup, causing faint ripples to appear on the amber liquid and producing subtle, crisp sounds.

When did I become so scheming? She suddenly thought about this, feeling a bit scared and conflicted.

As people grow, after experiencing many things, it’s hard to maintain the innocence and purity of childhood because reality is complex, cruel, and full of coincidences.

She understood this. In an era of information explosion, a newly adult person has seen, heard, and even experienced stories that are unimaginable to the world. Countless plots, intrigues among countless characters, and strange cases involving suspense and deduction.

Perhaps outsiders can’t understand Seres’s behavior, but Lolan Hill’s mind had prepared over twenty logical reasons and plot lines for him, such as ethical revenge, heart-wrenching grudges, and ten years of covert operations. This made her unsurprised by Seres’s oddity and even somewhat curious.

What kind of twisted thoughts would this outwardly excellent and resolute butler have in his heart?

On the long road called life, the dazzling scenery and ups and downs easily make people forget their original intentions.

But when Lolan Hill realized she had spontaneously started using some schemes, she felt a warning. Scheming can be a temporary means and method, but relying solely on it would make one lose the courage to fight to the death and the initial determination and dreams in their heart.

In dire straits, using schemes is understandable, especially for the weak who need to learn wisdom and planning. But as one grows, this behavior gradually becomes instinctive, wanting shortcuts in everything and striving for efficiency beyond normal. Seeing rigid work and tasks makes one unwilling to do them, always weighing whether something is worth it, as if the entire life could be calculated, everything is business, and everything is for maximizing profit.

This is indeed a kind of strength, but what is it for? Boasting cleverness for profit, disregarding principles, yet unknowingly forgetting the original intention at the start. When placing one’s most precious dream on the scales, one is actually committing a crime.

Slowly finishing the cooled tea, Lolan Hill decided to stop thinking about these intrigues for now. She disliked speculating about others’ complex inner thoughts and preferred doing practical things. Thus, she returned to her room, closed the door, told the maids she would rest early tonight, and began perfecting and practicing her Extraordinary Sequence.

Even if the other party had many schemes and tricks, she would remain unchanged and break through all with her strength, for power is the constant truth of the world.

Her transparent light blue eyes seemed to shine with the light of emerald gems. Lolan Hill’s Natural Sequence had long been stable, but recently, she focused more on the Demon Sequence and hadn’t settled down during her travels. Today, she finally found time to advance to Natural Sequence 3.

In her Sea of Consciousness, a green gem like a bud bloomed, with light constantly flowing around it. As the girl concentrated, countless Mana slowly rose from the Sea of Consciousness, spiraling around it, enveloping and integrating into it, continuously reinforcing its structure and beginning to outline new patterns and veins.

In the dark bedroom, a series of green fluorescence appeared on the girl. Her originally golden hair dyed by an extraordinary potion began to turn silver, then acquiring a slight glow, turning into a color between blue and green.

The bouquet on the dressing table also rapidly grew under the fluorescence, vines and branches extending from the vase, creeping along the dressing mirror towards the ceiling.

One, two, three… More and more vines covered the ceiling until it was completely hidden. Then, they spread along the walls, covering wardrobes, beds, wooden chairs, tables, and more. These plants viewed Lolan Hill as the sun in darkness, their leaves all facing her. The fluorescence emitting from the girl seemed to have a magical power, providing these plants with infinite energy and stimulation.

When Lolan Hill finished advancing and opened her eyes, what she saw was a scene like a fairy tale.

Green plants filled the entire bedroom, tender green leaves gently unfolding, flowers peeking out and blossoming amidst the greenery. These flowers were blue, light red, and pale yellow, with the magic of the Natural Sequence shining from the flower stamens, emitting faint light in the night bedroom like tiny night lamps, illuminating the bedroom, making it peaceful and harmonious.

Lolan Hill achieved Natural Sequence 3: Cultivation of Spring Sprouts.

These past few days, I’ve come up with over ten ideas and beginnings. I’ll organize them later. This time, I’ll submit them to the editor first. I won’t blindly write books anymore.

(End of Chapter 57)