It was already two in the afternoon when Young Master Parker's convoy entered Weisshem town.
With Main Street full of construction sites, the convoy couldn't travel down such a muddy and dusty road, so they had to detour through Martin Street.
Now back in the carriage, Young Master Parker lifted the curtain, frowning and surveying the surroundings warily.
The market on Martin Street was busiest between three and five o'clock, so the street was relatively quiet at this time, with only the storefront businesses open. The vegetable farmers who set up stalls were still on their way into town.
Able-bodied townsfolk were all working on Main Street, so there were few pedestrians around here.
Under the relatively shady eaves along the street, selderly people sat either on steps or on their own small wooden stools. They weren't chatting idly but were seriously guarding one or several spots in front of them.
These seniors weren't just cooling off but were reserving spots for familiar vendors. Helping to secure a good spot could earn them free produce from the farmers.
All in all, Martin Street seemed quite ordinary. Everything was so normal, natural, and calm… There were none of the "common" sightings of the undead as the mailman had claimed.
"Could that brat have dared to lie to me?" Young Master Parker grew uneasy after seeing that all was normal after traversing half the street. "No… he seemed confident and fearless as if he was very familiar with those disgusting things…"
His friend sitting beside him sighed. "Parker, since we knew that there's something wrong with Weisshem, we really didn't need to cin… Why bother with a commoner?"
Young Master Parker pursed his lips but remained silent.
A commoner from Weisshem had said to his face that he was overreacting on just seeing undead, so the young and impetuous Parker certainly couldn't let that slide.
Not only was he unwilling to back down, he also chided that commoner to make way and let the convoy move ahead of the postal carriage. He wanted that commoner to see how the young lord of the Odysse family bravely entered the town.
Of course, Young Master Parker couldn't admit being petty over a commoner's remark; that would be beneath him… Thus, he stubbornly claimed, "Don't overthink it, Grey. Viscount Rex has connections with our family. If the local lord, young Charlie, knew about his father's ties with the Odysse family, he might even ask for our help to mediate their father-son relationship."
When the Odysse family learned that their worthless nephew had beca hostage awaiting ransom, they received not only a mocking letter of notification from Adra III but also a letter from the self-proclaimed new lord of Weisshem, Charlie Rex.
Just by the nalone, the Odysse family members knew that this Charlie Rex was not a cherished heir of the family. No respectable noble would nan heir so casually.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtEven if they were to nsomeone Charlie, it should have been spelled as Charles, or there should be a middle name. For example, Young Master Parker's full nwas Parker Chapman Odysse, with Chapman being his middle name, derived from his godfather, a cardinal of the Church of Lady Golden Coin.
Upon investigation, they found out that Charlie Rex was indeed an abandoned illegitimate child of Viscount Rex, whom they were familiar with, and a mother of very insignificant status.
Under the assumption that they had a "lead" on Rex's origins, Count Odysse agreed to let his impetuous younger son take this trip. A matter that could be settled with money and leveraging family relations didn't require dispatching their more competent eldest son.
Young Master Parker shrugged helplessly in resignation.
At that moment, a young woman turned onto the street from an alley, slightly ahead of the convoy.
On seeing this woman, Young Master Parker muttered, "Why doesn't this ugly woman just stay at hinstead of coming onto the streets and scaring others?"
His friend Grey couldn't help but chuckle. "Discussing a lady's looks in private isn't very gentlemanly of you."
"I'm just stating facts… Wow, this ugly woman even has the audacity to walk alongside such a beautiful woman. Isn't she afraid of becoming a joke?" Young Master Park commented loudly, rudely, and without regard for whether the women could hear him.
Before the market started, Martin Street was rather quiet. The two women, one after the other, emerged from the alley and heard the disrespectful comments from the passing carriage. The beautiful lady walking behind was particularly displeased and glared fiercely at the direction of the carriage.
Young Master Parker, probably never having been glared at by a beautiful woman before, whistled, instructing the coachman to slow down while preparing to step out of the carriage and flirt.
At the moment as a servant cto open the carriage door for Young Master Parker and his friend, Grey, they witnessed several undead emerging from the alley the women had cfrom.
These undead were clad in strange scale armor, armed with weapons, and… riding tricycles, tricycles laden with goods.
The entire convoy fell silent instantly.
These undead, riding their tricycles, seemed just as curious about the convoy on the street, parking their tricycles by the side of the street while pointing at the nearby convoy and making strange clacking noises.
"More new NPCs?"
"Seems like it. Weisshem's storylines are so abundant. I just heard how Blossoming Strokes and the others tackled a tough one…"
"If only Weisshem had more monster spawns, I'd camp here and never leave…"
Being openly gawked and pointed at by the undead like this was an utterly bizarre experience.
Young Master Parker's rear, which had just lifted off the seat, slowly descended back into place.
The convoy, having momentarily halted, resumed its journey with dignity and calm.
The undead didn't pursue this convoy.
Young Master Parker, fighting off his shock, shifted his gaze to the rear-view mirror.
In the mirror, he saw the two contrasting women instructing the undead to unload the goods from the tricycles.
The undead were well-behaved, although they still glanced toward the convoy while busily unloading.
Young Master Parker quietly exhaled a breath he'd been holding in…
He should have just whipped that mailman earlier as punishment for his disrespect. What was the point of getting worked up over a commoner?
His friend Grey also looked quite shaken, turning over with a pale face.
"…Save it, I already know," Young Master Parker said, his face equally pale. "Let's meet with Viscount Rex's illegitimate son, get that waste of space ransomed, and leave here at once."
Grey nodded, clutching his chest… He really hoped Parker wouldn't stubbornly insist on staying in this eerie place for a few more days to prove his bravado.
After turning right at the end of Martin Street, the town hall cinto view.
When the convoy stopped in front of the town hall, everyone from the convoy breathed a sigh of relief… They had finally made it!
Having already notified the security team at the town gate of their arrival, one of the guards had run ahead to the town hall to inform Rex. By the tthe convoy arrived from Martin Street, Rex was already waiting at the entrance.
"Young Master Parker Chapman Odysse?" Rex approached with an outstretched hand as Parker alighted from the carriage. "Good day, I am Rex."
"Good day, I am Parker." Normally, Parker wouldn't be too polite to an illegitimate son, but right now he just wanted to get things done and leave without delay. He shook hands with Rex without hesitation.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAnd then he felt a severely callused hand… One that was coarser than those of his family's knights.
Parker was momentarily taken aback and gave Rex a thorough sizing up.
This illegitimate son… had the demeanor and presence, but he was just too crude. His skin was as dark as the people of the south, his hair as short as that of factory workers, his shirt sleeves and collar stained with sweat. He could easily pass for a dockworker.
The more Park looked at him, the more repulsed he felt about exchanging a handshake…
Subtly withdrawing his hand, he put on a superficially polite but distant smile. "Mr. Rex, I hope I can meet our family's disgraceful member as soon as possible. Can you accommodate this small request?"
Charlie Rex, who didn't care about Parker's attitude as long as he got paid, politely gestured. "Of course. Please cin and rest for a while. Dart Odysse will be here shortly."
Young Master Parker nodded reservedly and walked ahead as if it was only natural.
Upon entering the town hall, Young Master Parker's respect for everything in this rustic town, including its illegitimate lord, plummeted even further. The town hall, supposedly the highest governing body here, looked more like a chaotic marketplace. The central courtyard, which should have showcased grand statues or at least a fountain, was occupied by a strange dirt platform.
Park was disgusted and struggled to maintain his trained, elegant facade.
Just when his facade was about to crumble, the dirt platform he despised the most suddenly emitted a strange white light.
Young Master Parker, his friend Grey, and the ever-present family knight hadn't yet processed whether they were seeing things or not when, from the midst of the white light, a skeleton wearing strange fish-scale armor rose upright from the platform…
Again, like hitting the pause button, Young Master Parker and his entourage were frozen in place.
"My apologies, I haven't had the chance to introduce them yet. These are our undead friends from Taranthan," Rex hastened to Parker's side and explained. "This platform is a facility used by our undead friends for traveling between reality and the Dimensional Realm. They will appear here when they cto Weisshem."
Young Master Parker, maintaining his composure, gently placed his foot down and gave Rex a polite nod as if to thank him for the explanation.
As they passed by the platform, Young Master Parker clenched his teeth and forced himself not to take a detour, walking past it with his head held high.
He managed not to look directly at the skeleton that had just emerged, even though the rude undead creature followed them for a few steps, trying to stop and communicate, only to be held back by Rex.
—As if anyone could understand that gibberish undead language!
Young Master Parker, striving to maintain his noble demeanor, strode into the town hall's mayor's office with a graceful but strained smile.
"This is the undead mayor of Weisshem, Ji Tang," Rex proudly introduced the skeleton who emerged from behind the desk. "Mayor Ji Tang is a very remarkable wise man, and I am fortunate to have such a wise official in my employ."
Young Master Parker, still wearing his elegant but forced smile, stiffly watched the skeleton approach confidently, flashing a wide toothy grin and even extending a bony claw toward him.