Chapter 865

Chapter 865: Baron Moroz

The next day, after a long journey, the merchant caravan finally arrived at its destination—the castle where Baron Moroz resided.

After crossing numerous hills and forests, a vast plain appeared between two towering mountains.

Wheat fields were planted on this plain, arranged like large grids scattered across the land, creating a picturesque scene that was pleasing to the eye.

Near the western mountain, there was a white stone wall surrounding a small town. Continuing up the slope, one could see a white castle shrouded in trees.

This castle, built over a hundred years ago, remained well-preserved, maintaining its past grandeur. A few soldiers patrolled the watchtowers, overlooking the town and the plains below.

Lolan Hill followed the caravan into the city. After being inspected by the guards, the caravan continued forward, slowly making its way up the hill towards the castle.

“Welcome, Miss Sharin,” said a captain in full armor, lifting his helmet to reveal a slightly handsome face.

“This is Captain Kevin, our castle guard. We’ve known each other for a while,” Sharin introduced to Lolan Hill beside her.

“Hello, beautiful swordswoman,” Kevin had chestnut short hair and a bit of stubble on his chin, looking around 25-30 years old.

“Hello,” Lolan Hill nodded, extending her arm-gauntleted hand for a simple handshake.

“Is she a new companion of Miss Sharin? She’s quite strong,” Kevin noted, recognizing her as someone with Sequence 4 power, a local expert.

“Of course, Mesia is our great hero,” Sharin said, leading Lolan Hill into the castle and recounting their journey.

“Such a big bear? That’s not a small matter,” Kevin rubbed his chin, recalling recent intelligence about increased sightings of demonic beasts in the peaceful region.

“Forget it, I’ll discuss this with Baron Moroz later. He’s been looking forward to your arrival, Sharin. Since losing his beloved piano, he’s become more irritable. Every time we meet him, it’s nerve-wracking.”

Kevin then discussed recent events in the castle. Baron Moroz was a music enthusiast who loved playing his piano in the forest.

“Accompanied by bird songs, sunlight, and gentle winds, this is the most beautiful enjoyment of life,” Moroz often said.

He enjoyed nature and disliked the monotonous symphonies of big cities, preferring tranquil and moving tunes. Living in this castle near his hometown, he would usually sit under the shade if not for a small animal damaging his piano recently.

“We bought a brand-new piano from a renowned instrument shop in Dragon Wing City and hired an apprentice tuner to inspect and assemble it, as per Baron Moroz’s request,” Sharin assured them, confirming they brought what the Baron wanted.

“However, some of the other goods, such as fruits, wine, and fabrics, were damaged on the road by that black bear.”

“These issues aren’t major. Trust me, Baron Moroz cares more about the piano’s condition. If you bring the piano here, he will be very satisfied,” Kevin comforted, then instructed the castle’s maids to notify the butler.

The caravan unloaded the goods onto the castle grounds, handling them carefully. A middle-aged butler approached.

“What a wonderful day. Thank you, Miss Sharin,” he exclaimed, smiling broadly as he watched the boxes being carried down.

“I’ll inform Baron Moroz immediately. Please rest for a while.”

“Molly, go to the kitchen and prepare some water for everyone. They must be thirsty,” he instructed.

“Yes, sir,” a young maid nodded and hurried away.

After a brief conversation, the butler returned to the castle, presumably to find Baron Moroz. Kevin and the guards began checking the goods and moving vegetables and fruits to designated warehouses.

Lolan Hill had nothing to do with unloading and sat idly on a bench, observing her surroundings.

From inside the castle, the stone walls showed signs of moss and rust, yet the interior buildings looked newer, with fresh yellowish walls.

Looking up, one could see arched windows with glass panes, some left open, letting the wind blow through.

A woman’s face appeared behind one of the windows, peeking out before retreating.

Was she a lady of the castle? Wife or daughter of Baron Moroz? The young lady speculated.

The sound of crisp footsteps echoed from inside the castle, the sound of leather shoes on marble floors evoking images of conservative attire.

Soon, these footsteps led to the courtyard.

“Baron Moroz,” Kevin bowed respectfully.

The young lady turned her head, seeing an elderly man in a black suit and leather shoes approaching. He looked about fifty, standing roughly five feet tall with a shiny beard.

Ignoring Kevin’s greeting, the Baron waved and walked down the steps toward the boxes.

“Where’s my piano?” he asked as he walked.

“Here, please take a look,” Sharin instructed a caravan member to open the box, revealing the well-preserved piano body, though still unassembled, lying on thick blankets.

The Baron’s yellowed fingers gently caressed the smooth surface, a look of rapture on his face.

“Very good, very good.”

Then he stood up, looking at Sharin.

“I mentioned needing a tuner to assemble the piano. Did you bring one?”

“We discussed this with the instrument shop, but the masters there refused to leave Dragon Wing City. You know, the South Region isn’t safe lately,” Sharin carefully explained, watching Moroz’s frown deepen.

“Fortunately, we found someone capable to help you tune and assemble the piano. He is Master Jide’s apprentice, now highly skilled,” Sharin said, introducing a young man in his twenties.

The young man wore a deep green headscarf and light robes, his slender fingers inspiring trust.

Moroz examined the apprentice for a while, then coldly snorted.

“My patience is limited. You must have the piano assembled before sunset. Otherwise, you’ll face the consequences,” he warned, then left with a dismissive gesture.

“Kevin, take a few men to assist. Make sure they finish quickly,” he called out.

“Yes, sir,” Kevin replied, standing at attention.

The atmosphere in the castle became tense and awkward.

“Don’t worry. You’ve learned from Master Jide for so long. You can do this,” Sharin reassured the young apprentice, who seemed intimidated by Moroz’s presence.

After all, he was just a commoner, unable to imagine the consequences of offending a noble.

Sharin approached again.

“I’m sorry, Mesia. I planned to show you around, but we need to handle other matters first.”

“How about I arrange a place for you in the small town to rest?” she suggested.

“It’s fine. Work comes first,” Lolan Hill shook her head, then left with a few caravan members.

As they prepared to leave, the young lady noticed a figure at the window again. From this angle, she could clearly see it was a girl in a round-neck dress with curly blonde hair, about twenty years old with fair skin.

Was she Baron Moroz’s daughter? But she didn’t resemble him at all. The young lady pondered, then headed up the path on the hill.

After arriving in the small town, some members of Rengen Commerce had already settled down, renting a courtyard for storage and housing the accompanying personnel.

“Miss Mesia, this is your room. What do you think?” The caravan members had grown familiar with this swordswoman.

“It’s fine,” the young lady nodded, looking at the simple but tidy second-floor room.

“Let’s rest here for now. We’ll stay for a few days.”

Arriving here, besides delivering goods, they also planned to purchase local specialties before leaving, staying for about a week.

Thus, Lolan Hill stayed temporarily, using the quiet time to practice her current extraordinary Sequence.

As the sky darkened, birds chirped in the forest, and the distant sunset painted the leaves red.

A disorganized melody played in the woods, each note repeated several times.

“Is it ready?” Sharin asked the perspiring apprentice.

“I think so,” the apprentice answered uncertainly, despite finding no faults, still hesitant to guarantee it.

“There’s still some time before sunset. Let’s check again. Baron Moroz is quite demanding.”

“Okay,” the apprentice carefully played and observed.

Sharin turned, looking at the darkening woods, feeling a chill in the evening breeze.

She wondered how Moroz maintained the area without proper protection, questioning if wild beasts ever came around.

Suddenly, a terrified scream echoed in Sharin’s ear. Turning back, she saw a long snake, blending with fallen leaves, coiling around the apprentice’s ankle, biting his thigh. The scene was chaotic.

The leaf-patterned snake wasn’t large, but its twisted body and triangular head were unsettling.

Sharin instinctively stepped back, momentarily flustered.

“What happened?” Hearing shouts from behind the castle, Captain Kevin rushed out. He leaped down the stairs, entering the small woods.

Seeing the apprentice convulsing on the ground, Kevin grabbed the snake’s head, pulling it out and shaking it vigorously, throwing it against a tree trunk.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t an ordinary snake but a demonic beast with extraordinary attributes. It writhed on the ground, not dead, but darting into the forest.

“Damn!” Kevin muttered, scanning the area. He needed a weapon.

Recalling something, he reached for his waist, drawing a thumb-sized knife. Holding it, a cold blue light spread, and he charged towards the fleeing snake.

With a quick step, he caught up to the leaf-patterned snake, reaching out again.

The snake struggled violently, turning to bite with its venomous fangs. However, Kevin, fully armored, only saw a slight black smoke when the fangs struck, unable to penetrate. The snake was currently only Sequence 1, not powerful enough.

Holding the snake, Kevin sliced it in half with the knife, then chopped off the head.

The decapitated snake writhed on the ground for a while before finally stopping, only occasionally twitching. The forest finally fell silent.

Nightfall, Lolan Hill stepped out of her room, heading downstairs to eat.

At a nearby tavern, many caravan members were already drinking.

“Hey, Hero Miss, you’re here too,” they waved, greeting her, drawing the curiosity of local residents.

Not in wartime, Lolan Hill wore only blue and white clothing with a longsword at her waist.

After sitting down, she ordered local specialties and listened to their conversations.

“Did you hear? There seem to be more demonic beasts in the forest recently?”

“Seems so. Last week, Uncle Mont told us about a peculiar black wolf he encountered in the mountains. Though only Sequence 2, it was very cunning, following him until he entered the city.”

“Yeah, I heard a terrifying growl passing through Birchwood Forest. It sounded like two demonic beasts fighting on the other side of the mountains. But I was too scared to investigate, never knowing what kind of beasts they were.”

“I remember the army cleaned up the area a couple of years ago. Why are there more now?”

“No idea, maybe they migrated from elsewhere? Some demonic beasts expand their territories after advancing,” someone explained.

“But there haven’t been any particularly powerful ones around. Strange, these beasts seem to have appeared overnight.”

“It’s hard for ordinary animals to evolve into demonic beasts. That takes too much luck,” another resident commented.

“Who knows?” someone shrugged.

“Recently, Baron Moroz has asked townspeople to avoid going into the mountains. While it’s a kind reminder, it’s odd since he doesn’t usually care about others risking their lives.”

“Could it be that they discovered some secret treasure in the forest?”

“Haha, you’ve been listening to too many bards’ tales,” they laughed.

“Forget it, whatever. I heard Baron Moroz has issued many tasks, asking adventurers and mercenaries to clear out the demonic beasts. Likely, there’s nothing suspicious there. I must be overthinking,” the drinker shook his head, taking another sip.

“Come on, let’s not stop drinking tonight.”

In the small tavern of the mountain town, laughter and chatter filled the air.

This mission seems more complicated than expected. Listening to the discussions, Lolan Hill recalled the black bear they encountered on the road and the ‘fire-eyed nightingale’ assassin attempting to intercept their goods. Something unusual might indeed be happening in Baron Moroz’s territory.

(End of Chapter)