With Lucius, under the butler's urging, completing washing up, eating, and changing clothes, he prepared to set off for the military port.
"Hahn, is it absolutely necessary to wear formal attire?" At this moment, Lucius felt extremely uncomfortable because of the formal wear.
"Yes, Young Master."
"Is there no room for negotiation?"
"None, Young Master."
This formal wear was truly uncomfortable! Unlike modern suits which have loose and slim-fit versions, the 'formal attire' he was wearing now was entirely slim-fit... Having just transmigrated, Lucius wasn't used to Hahn's way of addressing him, so he said directly, "Hahn, just call me Lucius."
Hearing Lucius's words, Hahn spoke with a serious expression, "Master Lucius, that is not permissible. After today, there is a very high probability that you will directly inherit the Master's title of Baron."
"And if outsiders were to know that your butler did not maintain the proper honorifics for you, it would affect your authority, and further impact the Sheffield Family's industries."
After hearing Hahn's words, Lucius tried once more, saying, "Then in the future, when there are no outsiders, you can just call me by my name. When there are outsiders, address me as you wish."
Lucius, who came from the modern era, was truly not used to Hahn's way of addressing him. After more than ten minutes of lecturing, he still failed to change the butler's mindset; instead, he was lectured by the butler himself.
It was a first for an 'Instigator' to be lectured... With the preparations for going out completed, the iron gates of this house in Backlund Queen District, which came with a massive garden, were opened to the outside world.
Sitting in the carriage and watching the scenery recede, Lucius was inwardly amazed; it was indeed a noble family with over six hundred years of heritage.
Even in this Backlund Queen District where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, they owned a medium-sized manor with such a vast area.
While Lucius leaned against the carriage window to look at the surroundings, he noticed that another carriage had joined the convoy after leaving the manor. He asked casually, "Hahn, why did another carriage join the convoy after leaving the manor?"
Upon hearing his young master's question, Hahn opened the carriage window, took a look, and said, "That is necessary security, Master Lucius. You are now the only member of the Sheffield Family."
"Yesterday, I used some connections to hire a special squad from the Church of Storms to be responsible for your safety for the time being."
Lucius felt that things were being a bit exaggerated and said directly, "Hahn, actually there's no need for such trouble. I likely won't be leaving the manor during this period."
"Once the matters of the next few days are over, you can just let them go back."
Storm Pigeons? Hearing it was this church, Lucius wanted to learn more and asked:
"Hahn, do you believe in the 'Church of Storms'?"
Hearing Lucius's question, Hahn explained calmly, "No, Master Lucius, I believe in the Church of the Evernight Goddess. Being able to hire members of the Church of Storms this time was because of the Master; the Master believed in the Church of Storms."
When he didn't get the answer he wanted, he lost interest in exploring further. He didn't need Hahn to introduce the Church of the Evernight Goddess to him.
I haven't inherited the title yet. The Church of Storms is likely sending a squad to protect me out of respect for the original owner's father; otherwise, a noble who hasn't even inherited his title wouldn't have such great face.
Lucius said casually, "Let's minimize using the church's legacy for now. We don't know when it might be of great use later."
"After this period ends, let them go back. Hmm... at that time, I will give this squad some gold pounds in my own name."
After a moment of thought, Lucius asked, "What do you think of 200 pounds?"
Hearing this amount, Hahn felt it was a bit much and said, "Isn't that a bit much? For just these few days, they would receive an average of 40 pounds per person."
After thinking for a moment, Lucius said directly, "Let's go with 200 pounds; the Sheffield Family can afford it. It's a decent extra reward for this squad of 'Beyonders'."
...Pritz Harbor, Oak Island, Royal Navy Base.
As the carriage stopped, Hahn said directly to Lucius,
"Master, we have arrived."
"Next, you will need to proceed to the area where the nobles are gathered on your own. I will handle the other matters and wait for you here after the meeting concludes."
After getting off the carriage, a soldier came forward to receive him and said,
"Lucius Sheffield?"
Hearing the question from the man in military uniform, Lucius said directly,
"Yes, sir."
After confirming his identity, the man in uniform said directly,
"Please follow me."
Lucius's arrival caused a small commotion because they realized that no one knew him.
Even these well-traveled 'nobles' had never seen such a 'beautiful man'... Since Lucius didn't know a single one of them, he headed straight for a corner to wait for the banquet to end.
"Are you also attending this event alone?"
?
"Hello, I'm Glelynt."
Seeing the other person's outstretched hand, Lucius shook it casually. Then he spoke:
"Hello, I'm Lucius. Lucius Sheffield."
Glelynt asked curiously, "Are you attending alone?"
Seeing that the person in front of him had no intention of leaving and wanted to continue the conversation, Lucius said casually,
"Yes, I'm here for, well... to bring my father home."
Hearing Lucius's words, Glelynt spoke directly,
"It seems our purpose is the same."
...As the two became more familiar, Glelynt asked curiously, "Are you a permanent resident of Backlund? Why haven't I seen you before?"
Lucius didn't hide it and said directly, "I am a permanent resident of Backlund, but for personal reasons, I rarely go out and mostly stay at home."
Glelynt immediately replied, "No wonder. Although it's impossible for me to remember every noble of my age, I should have heard of them more or less."
"And with your appearance, I shouldn't have no memory of you."
Hearing Glelynt's answer, Lucius thought to himself, 'That sounds a bit strange—someone with an appearance like mine?'
While Lucius was still puzzled, Glelynt seemed to remember something and said, "Sheffield? I remember now. Is it that place at No. 59 Empress Borough?"
Hearing his home address blurted out, Lucius said helplessly, "Uh, yes."
Hearing Lucius's confirmation, Glelynt smiled and patted Lucius on the shoulder, saying, "See, I told you I had some impression of it. We don't live far apart; we can keep in touch often in the future..."
Listening to Glelynt's chatter, Lucius slightly regretted talking to him; this guy had a bit of a chatterbox attribute.
Now he was forced to just pick and choose which of Glelynt's topics to reply to.
Glelynt covered his mouth as if afraid someone would find out, and said, "Lucius, do you know about 'Beyonders'?"
Looking at the person in front of him, Lucius asked in confusion, "Beyonders? I know. Why?"
Glelynt looked at Lucius's calm response and immediately asked, "Have you ever researched this area?"
Lucius asked in confusion, "What is there to research in this area?"
"I mean the method to become a Beyonder."
Understanding Glelynt's words, Lucius said directly, "No. These should be considered semi-public secrets by now; you can obtain relevant knowledge as long as you join a church or a special organization."
Hearing Lucius's answer, Glelynt sighed helplessly. He had originally thought Lucius might have information on how to become a 'Beyonder' without joining a church, but now his hope was dashed again.
After linking the desire to become a Beyonder with a noble, Lucius finally recalled who Glelynt was: Audrey Hall's childhood friend and someone who explored occult knowledge together with her.
In order to hook the big fish that was Audrey and use the connection to join the Tarot Club, he could appropriately release some unimportant knowledge.
Lucius pretended to mention it casually:
"Actually, as long as you find the correct potion formula, you can concoct and consume a potion to become a Beyonder. An ordinary person only needs to find the correct sequence 9 formula to become a Beyonder."
Glelynt was a descendant of a Viscount; he knew about Beyonders and how to become one. However, because he still wanted his freedom, he had no intention of becoming a Beyonder by joining a 'power,' which led to him having only a superficial understanding of everything.
Hearing the useful information, Glelynt asked, "Is only sequence 9 necessary?"
Looking at Glelynt's reaction, Lucius replied calmly, "Yes, Glelynt."
Unexpectedly, Glelynt's imagination ran wild, and he said, "Then do you think one could obtain a potion formula by bribing internal personnel of the Church?"
Hearing Glelynt's words, Lucius was speechless for a moment. "Uh, I think in all probability, that wouldn't work."
He thought to himself, 'Bribing internal Church personnel—how could he even think of that? Isn't he afraid of the Church coming to check his "gas meter"? Besides, I recall that internal personnel don't necessarily know the formulas anyway.'
He could only helplessly say what made Glelynt feel despair: "As far as I know, Church members don't necessarily know the potion formulas. Even if you could find someone who knows a formula, they wouldn't necessarily trade it. Moreover, the Church likely makes them take oaths forbidding the disclosure of formulas."
At the same time, he gave him some hope: "If you want to become a Beyonder without going through the Church, you can attend some private Beyonder gatherings to trade for formulas. A sequence 9 formula generally costs around 200 gold pounds. Considering that few people sell formulas, there might be some fluctuation, but it wouldn't exceed 300 gold pounds at most."
It was a case of giving him a carrot after hitting him with a stick.
Hearing Lucius's familiarity with potion prices,
Glelynt asked curiously, "Lucius, how are you so clear about these things? Have you attended a Beyonder gathering?"
Hearing this, Lucius realized he had let something slip and countered, "No, I've rarely left the manor since I was born. I just heard this knowledge from others."
Glelynt said helplessly,
"Then I suppose that's it. It'll be very hard to get any other information."
"Families never provide channels for those who want to become Beyonders. Usually, one has to apply to join a church or a relevant department on their own, but correspondingly, one must sacrifice their freedom in exchange for the formula."
"Audrey's second brother became a Beyonder through the Kingdom's army, but he's still serving in the Southern Continent, and there's been no news of him being transferred back."
Listening to Glelynt's complaints, Lucius also heard the information he needed and immediately said:
"Audrey Hall, that 'Most Dazzling Jewel of Backlund'?"
Seeing that Lucius was interested in his good friend, Glelynt asked, "Have you also heard of Audrey's title?"
Lucius said casually, "Yeah, even though I stay at home all the time, I've heard of the title 'Most Dazzling Jewel of Backlund'."
What he was thinking, however, was: 'How could I not have heard of Backlund's most dazzling diamond, who is comparable to a high-Sequence Demoness, Audrey Hall? These titles are so famous.'
Seeing that his new friend was interested in his childhood friend, he also teased, "I thought a shut-in like you wouldn't have heard of her title."
"It's a pity Audrey didn't come today. If she had, I could have acted as an intermediary to introduce you two."
"Today, only Uncle Hall and Audrey's eldest brother from the Hall family came."
At the same time, he joked, "But I think if you put on a dress, you definitely wouldn't be inferior to Audrey."
!!!!?
Hearing Glelynt's words, the hair on Lucius's body stood on end.
Seeing Lucius's reaction, Glelynt laughed loudly, "Just kidding. A Loen man should have this kind of sense of humor. But Lucius, you have to be careful of those people from the Intis Republic; they are... " And Glelynt continued, "Lucius, I see you're also very interested in becoming a Beyonder. Do you want to join our private gathering? It's all nobles who want to explore occult knowledge..."
After hearing that joke, Lucius didn't want to pay any more attention to Glelynt. Jokes were fine, but if he was the one being joked about, wouldn't he truly be a Clown?