Chapter 1051 - 868: Earl

The Earl’s Mansion is located at the highest point of Stone Crown City. After leaving the Adventurer’s Guild, Lloyd led the Duke along a gradually ascending stone main street.

The further up they went, the more exquisite the buildings on either side of the street became. The rough-hewn square stones of the lower walls gave way to smoothly polished, gray-white granite, with semi-transparent crystal stone pieces embedded in the windows. Occasionally, uniformed servants could be seen bustling about at the entrance.

Halfway up the hill, an inner city wall separated the upper city from the lower city. The guards on the wall clearly recognized Lloyd and saluted her from afar, waving to halt the gate-side inspection process and granting direct passage.

Passing through the inner city wall, the full view of the Earl’s Mansion unfolded before them.

It was a grand stone-built complex constructed along the hillside, with the main castle entirely paneled with silver-gray granite. Its towering spires cast elongated shadows in the morning light.

On the exterior wall of the main castle front, rows of intricately carved stone reliefs were embedded, depicting various scenes from hunting and warfare to depictions of gods descending to earth. The edges of each relief were polished smooth and round, clearly indicating a meticulous level of craftsmanship.

In the center of the courtyard stood a fountain carved entirely from a single block of obsidian. The jets of water shimmered with a faint golden glow in the morning light, and several tamed Silver-Feathered Eagles perched on the fountain’s edge, leisurely preening their wings.

Lloyd led the Duke across the courtyard and into the main hall of the castle.

The dome of the grand hall soared tens of meters, with dozens of chandeliers powered by Demon Eye Crystals hanging from above. The hall was bathed in a dim crimson light, as if steeped in a subtle layer of blood-red hue.

The walls on either side were adorned with portraits of past earls, each framed in dark silver frames with their names and years in power inscribed below. The oldest frame showed signs of fading and wear, with the year marked more than nine hundred years ago.

At the end of the hall, on the stone stairs, sat a chair carved from a single piece of black ironwood. The back of the chair was extremely tall, its surface paint worn and patchy, while the armrests were polished smooth and shiny.

Seated on the chair was an old man with white hair and beard. He wore a deep blue velvet robe embroidered with the silver-gray lion territorial emblem using silver thread, and a large blue gemstone pendant hung at his chest, with fine lights slowly twirling within the gem.

His face was extremely haggard, with dry and loose skin, sunken eye sockets, prominent cheekbones, and sparse white hair at his temples that almost revealed the scalp. The back of his hand, gripping the chair armrest, was covered with dark brown age spots.

As the Duke stepped into the grand hall, he immediately caught a faint whiff of decay—a scent that comes only when the internal organs are slowly failing and when magic potions and healing magic are no longer effective.

This old man had little time left; even by Elderlands indigenous standards, he had reached the end of his life.

The old man saw the Duke walk in and slowly raised his head.

Those cloudy old eyes lacked any befuddlement, containing only a calm and scrutinizing gaze tempered by age.

His gaze lingered on the Duke for a while, and then he spoke.

His voice was hoarse and deep, with a slow pace, but every syllable was clearly enunciated.

"Are you a wizard?"

The Duke held his gaze for a fraction of a second, a slight surprise flashing through his mind.

Every detail since last night flashed quickly through his mind—the Earl’s collection of Demon Eye Crystals, the Knight Captain’s energy manipulation clearly unconventional, the Lord’s control over the border villages far beyond ordinary feudal territories.

These clues pieced together pointed to a simple conclusion: Count Cadwell knew of the existence of the Wizard Plane and might have even interacted with wizards before.

This old man was the lord of a border territory in the Osseron Kingdom, and the Osseron Kingdom had a cooperation agreement with the Wizard Council, so it was not surprising that he knew of the wizards’ existence.

The Duke did not deny but simply nodded slightly: "Yes."

From his deep seat, the Earl’s body leaned slightly forward, his dry fingers lightly tapped the armrest, and suddenly there was a glow in those cloudy old eyes.

The glow was not the frenzied intensity of a man in his death throes but rather like that of someone who had long traversed darkness and finally glimpsed a distant light.

His voice grew even more hoarse but unconsciously quicker: "I’ve long yearned for your wizard civilization. You are a group of genuinely wise and knowledgeable people. As it happens, I have a few questions that I’ve always hoped to ask a true wizard."

"What questions?" the Duke inquired.

The Earl’s mouth curled into a mysterious smile and didn’t elaborate further: "The specifics of the questions, you’ll know in a few days. Meanwhile, please allow me to host you properly."

The Duke looked at this aging Earl and did not press further.

Staying at the Earl’s Mansion for the next few days would give him the chance to observe how this city operates, gather intelligence on the key, and understand what the Earl intended.

The Earl stood up from the chair, his movements slow but steady, indicating he still retained some physical faculties.

He gestured as an invitation for the Duke to follow him out.

Lloyd and a few guards automatically followed from behind, keeping a not too close, not too distant distance.

The Earl’s carriage was parked outside the courtyard, pulled by four deep black steeds—an open ceremonial carriage with the body painted in dark blue heraldry and seats lined with thick velvet cushions.