Chapter 152: [Finally Met!]

As the carriage traveled westward, heading straight toward the city gates, a sense of doubt arose in Xia Ya's mind. He urged his horse forward a few paces until he was riding abreast of the carriage, and asked, "Um... Excuse me, is the Duke inviting me to leave the city?"

The coachman, a man named Roddy, smiled slightly and replied in a loud voice, "Indeed. It is outside the city. Head south after passing through the gates, and you will arrive in about an hour." Pausing for a moment, he glanced at Xia Ya and chuckled, "That is the Duke's suburban residence. Normally, the Duke lives quietly and recuperates there."

Xia Ya nodded, though he frowned and said, "If we are leaving the city at this hour, I am afraid that after I meet with the Duke, I will not be able to return inside the walls tonight."

The city gates of Osgiliath were closed every evening, and no one could pass through without a special official pass. Yet, how could Xia Ya possibly possess such a thing? Setting out so late meant he was surely destined to remain outside the city tonight.

"Ha! Is the Baron worried about that?" Roddy laughed. "There are plenty of quarters in the estate; surely you won't lack a place to rest? Please, come with me without worry. Everything will be arranged when we arrive."

Finally, passing out through the magnificent western gates, crossing the stone bridge over the artificial canal, and heading south all the way through a patch of woods, the scenery along the road gradually grew desolate. As twilight deepened, only the distant, flickering lights of scattered villages could be seen here and there; beyond that, the earth was shrouded in profound darkness.

Following the road further south, the terrain gradually leveled out. In the distance, against the slope of a low hill, a manor came into view halfway up. The hill was not high, but its midsection appeared as though it had been abruptly sliced flat. After ascending the slope via a wide carriage road, about a hundred paces of lawn and flowerbeds stretched across the level ground on the hillside, and the manor itself was encircled by this expanse of gardens.

Standing on the slope and looking out into the distance, one could catch sight of the vast, boundless sea far away. The hill was barely a few hundred paces from the coastline, and the faint sound of crashing waves drifted on the sea breeze.

Dismounting at the entrance of the manor, Xia Ya looked up at the towering structure before him, a vague sense of doubt stirring in his heart.

If this was supposed to be the Duke's place of quiet recuperation, why was it now night, and looking up, why was the entire manor pitch black—did the Duke's household not light any lamps at night?

Moreover, the exterior of this retreat was desolate and dreary, the flowerbeds clearly somewhat neglected. Not to mention that, the stone steps leading to the manor gates were covered in a fair amount of dust, and a layer of greenish moss grew even in the corners of the steps. Did this ducal household lack even gardeners to tend the flowerbeds or servants to handle the cleaning?

The main entrance was desolate; save for the lack of sentries or guards, there wasn't even a servant to welcome guests and hold the horses!

Such desolation and decay suddenly aroused his vigilance. He pressed his hand against the hilt of the sword at his waist and fixed his eyes upon Roddy.

Roddy, however, jumped down from the carriage, bounded up the steps in a few strides, and hammered heavily on the great doors, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Hey! Open up, open up! I'm back, and I've brought the guest!"

Such shouting completely lacked the decorum expected of a great aristocratic household. Let alone the august residence of a Duke, surely not even a minor country noble family would have servants bold enough to bellow and yell with such utter lack of manners!

Xia Ya's suspicions deepened, and his eyes narrowed into slits.

With a creak, the great doors of the manor were pulled open, and a head poked out from within. A middle-aged woman with a stern and peculiar expression looked Roddy over, frowned slightly, then pushed the door open wider and said coldly, "What took you so long to return?"

Roddy tilted his head. "We ran into a few merchant caravans passing through the city gates and had to wait in line for a while." With that, he turned and pointed at Xia Ya. "See? This is the guest I was sent to invite, the honorable Baron Xia Ya."

Having spoken, Roddy raised a hand toward Xia Ya and smiled, "Baron, my task is complete. Please go right in."

The stern and rigid-looking woman inside cast a scrutiny-laden gaze upon Xia Ya, then cleared a path to the side with apparent reluctance.

Xia Ya gazed past the threshold into the dimly lit, desolate foyer—hesitation gripped his heart. There were far too many suspicious points about this place; Roddy's claim that this was the Duke's secondary residence sounded like a lie meant to fool children! How could a true imperial Duke live in a dump like this? Hmph!

Could this be some enemy who had tricked him into coming here?

Yet, when he looked up, an emblem cresting the manor gates displayed a totem pattern that appeared remarkably ancient. The raised metallic parts of the insignia had already dulled and faded, but the design of that crest was unmistakably the family coat of arms of the Minas clan.

Xia Ya had once seen the Minas family crest at Ruhr's place; this was definitely genuine. Furthermore, the crest on the gates bore the unmistakable patina of great age, and could by no means be a hastily fabricated disguise.

Very well... Although everything here reeked of the bizarre, Xia Ya ultimately drew a deep breath, gritted his teeth, cast a glance at Roddy, and stepped up onto the stone stairs.

No matter what, since he had already reached this place, whether it proved fortunate or disastrous, he could not run from it.

If someone had indeed laid an ambush for him here, he had already walked straight to the doorstep; fleeing now would be useless. If his enemies were capable of setting an ambush inside the building, could they not pursue him outside? Running away at this moment held little meaning; he might as well steel his heart and go in to see what lay at the bottom of it all!

He instinctively brushed the hilt of his sword, while slipping his other hand inside his robe. Xia Ya felt a twinge of regret: believing he was merely going to meet the Duke of Minas, he had not brought the dragon scale along his person, nor had he brought his fire fork. The weapon at his waist was nothing more than an ordinary longsword, and he wore only a plain brocade tunic.

Despite these thoughts, Xia Ya strode up the steps and stepped through the doorway.

The cold-faced woman stepped aside, and Xia Ya caught a clear view of her appearance. She was dressed in a black robe of a rigid and conservative cut, closely resembling the habits worn by nuns in the church. Combined with the woman's stone-like expression—could she truly be a nun?

The woman held a candle holder and tossed a cold remark toward Xia Ya: "Follow me. Do not wander about."

Watching the woman walk toward the grand hall, Xia Ya had no choice but to follow. He had taken only two steps when the heavy doors behind him groaned and slowly closed shut.

The grand hall was exceedingly spacious, though clearly antiquated, and the air carried a faint, musty odor of decay and dust. The upholstered chairs and couches in the center of the hall had evidently not been cleaned, as they remained draped in layers of white dust covers. On either side, flight-style staircases led up to the second floor.

There were no electric lights in the hall; guided solely by the candlelight held by the woman ahead, he could barely make out the surrounding contours. The hall possessed an exceptionally high, vaulted ceiling, and looking up from the staircases on either side, the railings of the second floor were clearly visible. In the center of the hall, several taller-than-man metal lamp pillars stood around, though their decorative fixtures were visibly on the verge of rusting.

Beneath his feet lay soft, high-quality carpeting, yet walking across it inevitably stirred up clouds of dust.

Xia Ya's suspicions intensified by the moment, and his vigilance reached its absolute peak. Keeping one hand firmly pressed against his sword hilt, he quickened his pace, pressing close behind the woman. He resolved that at the slightest sign of trouble, he would neutralize this woman first!

The woman walked ahead, paying no heed to Xia Ya's actions whatsoever. Instead of leading him toward the staircases on either side, she walked straight ahead into the depths of the hall, passing through an arched doorway...

Having entered the hall and traversed a corridor, the woman finally halted at the corridor's end, turned to look at Xia Ya with a hint of displeasure, and frowned, "Why are you walking so close to me?"

Xia Ya made no reply, merely staring coldly at her. A trace of disgust flashed across the woman's features, and she pushed open the door at the end of the corridor with one hand. "There. It's inside."

Xia Ya glanced beyond the threshold and took two steps out of the doorway. The woman remained inside the room and suddenly added, "Do not be too long! Come out quickly!"

With that, she slammed the door shut!

Xia Ya was momentarily stunned; at that instant, his heart leaped into his throat!

Outside the door lay a garden. Evidently, the manor's architecture was shaped in a ring, with this garden situated in the central courtyard. At a glance, it was quite spacious, spanning a full hundred paces across. Beneath his feet lay soft soil, and the garden was planted with thickets of bushes, alongside some holly trees that appeared untidy due to a clear lack of trimming. Around the perimeter lay a bed of exposed soil; however, given the season, no blooming flowers were to be found, leaving the scene utterly desolate, with the black earth of the flowerbeds completely bare.

Upon a swift inspection, Xia Ya felt somewhat relieved. The terrain here was not complex, and the holly trees were sparse. If this were an ambush site, it could hardly conceal many hidden combatants.

At that moment, Xia Ya was certain that whoever awaited him here was definitely not the Duke of Minas! He had clearly been tricked and lured into a trap.

Abandoning any remaining politeness, he gently drew his longsword into his right hand and began to walk slowly, step by step, into the courtyard garden. Surveying his surroundings, he called out coldly, "Hey! Is anyone alive out there? Make a sound! Who on earth wants to see me, and tricked me into coming to this godforsaken place?"

He shouted twice, and after sweeping his gaze across the area, he finally locked his eyes upon a row of slightly taller holly trees in the distance—in this courtyard, that was the only place capable of concealing a person!

Sure enough, as Xia Ya concentrated his gaze, the holly bushes suddenly stirred. The green foliage seemed disturbed by something and rustled slightly, and a figure emerged from behind the trees. Catching the faint glimmer of starlight, the figure appeared tall and slender, casting a thin, elongated shadow that seemed nearly as tall as his own. As Xia Ya took a couple of steps closer, he suddenly saw the figure rub their hands together, as if operating a fire-striking tool. With a sharp snap, a tiny flame flickered to life. The person held a candle, carefully igniting the wick. In the warm candlelight, a familiar face appeared, beaming with joyous laughter as she looked toward Xia Ya. Her features held a faint trace of emotion, her gaze mixed with resentment and longing, while a gentle smile played at the corners of her lips. In those eyes shone two brilliant, luminous points of light.

"Hey, bumpkin, do you not recognize me anymore?"

The moment Xia Ya recognized her face, the tension in his heart instantly vanished, replaced immediately by wild joy.

"Eh? You... Wretch?!"

[New Year's Eve!

Dancing bows and clasps hands here to all brothers and sisters, wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Thank you all for your support and encouragement over the past year.

At the same time, Dancing sends a blessing to all my friends! Wishing you a happy and fulfilling family in the Year of the Tiger, smooth progress in your career, and robust health! Earn more money, fall ill less!! Roar with the strength of a tiger, and may everything go your way and bring you great fortune!!!]