Backlund, Earl Hall's residence.
Today was a fine day. Earl Hall, who was usually diligent with political affairs, had rarely taken a day off. Early in the morning, he even specially instructed the person in charge of the kitchen to go out and purchase some fresh ingredients and had the chef prepare several delicious dishes.
Audrey was a little puzzled at first, but she soon learned from Countess Hall that her second older brother was returning from Southville County together with Mr. Hastur.
She had not seen this second older brother of hers for several years. In the past, they had only kept in contact through letters.
Susie followed behind Audrey, silently observing every movement around them while happily wagging her tail. She was also getting an extra meal today.
At around 3:20 in the afternoon, Audrey brought Susie along and followed her eldest brother Hibbert to the steam train station to pick them up.
After waiting for nearly half an hour, the steam train from Southville County finally came to a steady stop at the platform.
Soon, Audrey, who was waiting outside by the carriage, saw the figures of her second older brother and Mr. Hastur.
"Long time no see, my brother."
Hibbert enthusiastically stepped forward and embraced Alfred, his face filled with a joyful smile.
Audrey stood to the side and glanced at the touching reunion between the brothers before turning her gaze toward Mr. Hastur, who was holding a small black cat.
The corners of her lips curved slightly as she involuntarily recalled the unusual actions Mr. Hastur had taken on the night before he last left Backlund.
"Meow?" Lying in Hastur's arms, Ariella looked down from her elevated position, lowering her noble eyes as she discreetly glanced at Susie beside Audrey.
So this was that Beyonder dog who liked reading books? That shiny golden fur looked so vulgar. How could it possibly compare to her own glossy black fur in beauty and elegance?
That dog even had to follow beside her owner, unlike Ariella, who could be intimately held in her owner's arms without even needing to walk.
No matter how she looked at it, she was superior in every way.
Ariella smugly raised her head slightly, withdrew her gaze from Susie, and resumed her lazy appearance as she curled up in Hastur's arms.
After Hibbert and Alfred spent some time catching up, Hibbert warmly greeted Hastur, while Audrey also exchanged pleasantries with her second older brother.
After their brief reunion, Hibbert and Audrey invited Hastur to their home for dinner.
Hastur merely smiled and declined the invitation. The main character at the Hall residence today was Alfred. He would not visit at a time like this. He could always pay them a visit when he had time later.
Parting ways with Audrey and the others halfway through the journey, Hastur returned home to find that Butler Neil had already arranged everything.
He had not informed Butler Neil that he was returning this time. Neil had probably learned from the Hall family that he would be coming back soon.
Hastur comfortably soaked in his large bathtub, washing away the dust and exhaustion from the journey. If he had not wanted to return to Backlund openly and legitimately, he would never have chosen such a slow means of transportation as a steam train.
Traveling directly through the spirit world would have been many times faster.
To make future travel more convenient, Hastur had already decided to establish a rule related to the Apprentice pathway with the Chain of Stars he obtained after advancing to Sequence 5 Mentor of Disorder.
At Sequence 5, he corresponded precisely to the Sequence 5 Traveler of the Door/Apprentice pathway. In the future, traveling would only require him to open a spatial door.
After enjoying the feast Butler Neil had prepared in advance in the first-floor dining room, Hastur sat on the sofa in the first-floor hall and listened to Butler Neil report on everything that had happened during this period.
Once he had finished hearing the reports, he went to the second-floor study and reviewed the relevant financial statements and future development plans for the factory and law firm.
Since only about a month had passed since his previous return, there were not many accumulated matters to deal with.
A little after eight that evening, Hastur left Ariella at home and departed in a carriage.
He did not go directly to the Bravehearts Bar to find Sharron and Maric. Instead, he headed toward Fors and Xio's new residence.
Audrey had only given him the address earlier today.
Because Adam had helped conceal George III's attempt to advance to Black Emperor, even with Bernadette's abilities, she probably would not be able to detect it.
He needed to discuss this matter with Bernadette.
As for the reason? It was all the will of the Stars.
When Hastur knocked on the door of the large house, the sound of something shattering seemed to come from inside, followed by Xio's complaining voice.
After a while, Xio cautiously asked who it was from behind the door. Only after learning that Hastur had come to visit did she slowly open it.
"Did something happen just now?" Hastur entered the house and casually asked.
Xio snorted lightly and glanced toward Fors, who was cleaning the floor.
"Wasn't it because someone has such poor nerves that the moment she heard someone knocking, she was so startled that she spilled the coffee she was holding all over the floor?"
"Xio, you have the nerve to criticize me? Didn't you get startled too?"
"But I didn't spill any coffee."
"That's because you weren't holding coffee at the time."
"Cough, cough…"
Seeing Fors' voice grow louder, Xio coughed twice, reminding her that there was someone else in the house.
Fors' face immediately flushed slightly. She hurriedly finished cleaning up the debris on the floor, gathered the trash, and put it into the kitchen garbage bin.
Xio glanced at the floor stained by the coffee. Fortunately, there had been no expensive carpet covering that spot, allowing her to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
After inviting Hastur to sit down, Fors soon came out carrying two cups of hot tea.
She handed one cup to Hastur and kept the other for herself. Seeing Xio about to say something, Fors spoke first.
"I can only carry two cups at once. If you want tea, go to the kitchen and get it yourself."
Xio rolled her eyes, got up, and went to the kitchen to bring herself a cup of hot tea. She deliberately sat beside Hastur, directly opposite Fors.
"It seems like the two of you have been living fairly peacefully lately." Hastur took their little interactions into his eyes and spoke with a light smile.
"Not at all."
"It hasn't been peaceful in the slightest."
Xio and Fors each answered in turn. In the end, Fors burst out laughing and gestured for Xio to explain what their lives had been like during this period.
Xio took a sip of hot tea. Steam rose from the cup as she took a moment to collect herself before beginning to recount how she and Fors had been living lately.
Ever since Fors was corrupted last time, they had moved to this place with Miss Audrey's help. Afterward, they encountered a woman who called herself the Sage.
During this period, the Sage had sent Xio out to investigate information, while instructing Fors to go outside more often whenever she had nothing to do, serving as a competent piece of bait instead of staying inside the house all day.
As it turned out, Fors was quite competent as bait.
Within a single month, she encountered three separate groups of people who tried to make a move against her.
Although she ultimately survived every encounter without danger, the experiences still left a shadow over Fors's heart.
Xio was doing better. She had long since grown accustomed to running around outside, and gathering information was an old profession she was quite skilled at.
Thanks to the Sage's care and support, Xio and Fors were now both Sequence 7 Beyonders.
In the Sage's words, they were finally somewhat useful. But none of this was Xio and Fors's true predicament.
Their greatest enemy was the mundane problem of daily expenses exceeding their income.
If Fors had not sold the news of the God of Combat's fall for the astronomical price of 2,500 gold pounds last time, the two of them would already have exhausted their original savings.
Fors sighed emotionally.
"After living in such a nice house, our daily expenses are far higher than before. It always feels like buying anything too cheap would be polluting this big house."
"Exactly. Whether it's buying clothes or food, we can't go back to the poor little life we used to have." Xio felt the same way.
Hastur understood the feeling very well. This was a change in spending habits brought about by a change in one's living environment.
When living in a large house, one could naturally continue eating coarse food and living a difficult life. But as long as there was still money in one's pocket, one's spending habits would gradually rise until they matched the level of consumption befitting the value of the house.
Hastur smiled.
"I happen to have a highly paid bounty here that could help solve your financial problems."
Xio shook her head and refused.
"Mr. Hastur, it's not that we don't want to help. We simply don't have any free time right now."
"That's right. Our time already belongs to the Sage." Fors chimed in as well.
"Besides visiting the two of you, the other reason I came tonight was to discuss something with your Sage."
"Mr. Hastur knows the Sage?"
"Hastur is also a believer of the Stars?"
Faced with Xio and Fors's different questions, Hastur merely nodded calmly.
"That's right." Xio and Fors exchanged glances.
Although they were somewhat shocked, they were not particularly surprised.
After all, it had been Hastur who helped Fors become a believer of the Stars in the first place. Naturally, there had always been a high possibility that he himself was also a believer of the Stars.
"Then is tonight a meeting of the believers of the Stars?" Xio and Fors' eyes lit up simultaneously.
The Sage was far too lofty and distant, making it difficult for them to truly feel like fellow believers of the Stars around her.
Hastur was different. He felt much more real.
"A meeting of the believers of the Stars?"
Accompanied by a voice, a fresh green pea vine appeared inside the house.
The distinctive pea vine and familiar voice proved that the newcomer was Bernadette.
Hastur remained relaxed and continued sitting steadily on the sofa, while Xio and Fors instinctively stood up.