The Baron's Funeral

Bishop Orion closed his eyes, clasped his hands over his chest, and a low, mournful prayer flowed slowly through the bedroom, offering his lord a final, sacred tribute:

"As the sun rises and darkness fades... old friend, may your soul find eternal rest in the glory of Los Santos."

Morse and Hilt could no longer hold on.

They gritted their teeth, hot tears silently streaming down their scarred faces.

Men don't easily shed tears, unless they are deeply saddened. For them, with Harandil's departure, the hope of most of their lives has vanished.

"Harandil..."

"Father! Father!"

Serena collapsed by the bedside, crying so hard she almost fainted. It was a complex mix of years of grievances, relief, and confusion.

Lucas knelt to one side, whimpering helplessly like a puppy. Even as a spoiled brat as he was, he was still just a twelve-year-old child in the face of his father's death.

Ye Wei'an stood in the shadows of the room, watching the scene of life and death unfold before him, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, he lowered his eyes and gently wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye with his finger.

The death of his adoptive father meant that the last thing he could call a attachment in this place had disappeared.

-----------------

Seven days later, at dusk.

The sky was overcast, and a fine, cold rain enveloped Firefall Valley.

The setting sun was struggling to pierce through the cumulonimbus clouds, painting Firefall Valley with a layer of dark gold.

Outside the temple stood a crowd of nobles dressed in dark mourning clothes, and the air was filled with the scent of damp earth and spices.

There were quite a few people attending the funeral: the surviving knights of the Xia Xing family stood solemnly like a forest, while the local merchants and manor owners of Firefall Territory bowed their heads and held their breath.

The most eye-catching were the nobles and dignitaries who came from other places.

At the family thank-you table, Lady Serena's face was veiled in black, obscuring her expression; Lucas, standing beside her, looked uneasy in an ill-fitting heir's suit. Yevian, however, stood calmly behind them, silently observing everyone.

The noble guests lined up, each holding a pure white lily, and took turns offering it as a gift to the deceased.

Leading the way was Count Vafred Emerysko.

As the Watcher of the East, he is the highest military commander of the Dragon Throne in the eastern part of the kingdom, and also Serena's older brother.

His personal attendance at his brother-in-law's funeral was not only to oversee the distribution of the estate, but also to represent the royal family in ensuring the smooth transition of power in the East.

After putting down the flowers, he didn't look at his sister, but instead gave Ye Wei'an a cold, sidelong glance before turning away sullenly.

Following closely behind was Baron Raymond Yeland.

The baron's territory is Galdin Gorge, located south of Firefall Valley.

As Baron Harlandil's neighbor and rival for many years, his attendance at the funeral was both to bid farewell to the Baron and to find out about the successor of the Xia Xing family and whether there was an opportunity to make a move.

Following them were two young nobles from Susar.

Even at his funeral, Orifen Silversword was dressed in an adventurous outfit with pockets and a compass at his waist. This wild attire clashed starkly with the somber atmosphere of the occasion.

He comes from a close relative of the royal family—the Silver Hunter family.

This family has long overseen farmland development and the clearing of Hurek Forest, and wields considerable influence in several key towns in the East, including Hurek Forest, Daedok, and Redstone.

As a member of the younger generation, Orifen's trip was merely a routine fulfillment of his neighborly duties; he seemed more interested in the temple's architectural structure than the funeral itself.

Seziga the Crowned Hunter beside him was a completely different story.

The Crown Hunters are the most well-connected and scandal-spreading family in Cormier. They are a prominent family, just like the Silver Hunters and the Amareskes, and they also have territory in Cormier's eastern border.

Sezgar, dressed in an extravagantly tailored mourning outfit, was idly trimming his nails.

His presence here is not only for family socializing, but also for gathering local material—such as "the inheritance battle between a down-on-his-luck illegitimate son and his domineering stepmother"—which is enough to make him the focus of Susar Salon next week.

In addition, there are the Indice family, the Arcantright family...

The last person to enter was Savile, the assistant herald officer from the Royal Herald Academy.

He did not come to offer gifts.

The herald holds the register, recording every step of the funeral like a statue.

According to the laws of the Purple Dragon Kingdom, the birth and death of nobles, as well as the inheritance of titles among nobles, all require the witnessing of a herald.

After the offerings were finished, the nobles retreated to the colonnade of the temple to chat.

Ye Wei'an also came to the other side of the colonnade.

Because of his awkward status as an illegitimate child, he was out of place with most nobles.

He naturally wouldn't shamelessly participate in social activities; he simply leaned against a pillar, closed his eyes, and rested.

Although it wasn't intentional, he still overheard the conversations of the nobles around him.

"Raymond, I know what you're thinking," Earl Varfred's voice came from behind the pillar. "Don't think that just because Harandil is gone, you can claim those disputed grasslands as your own. I must remind you, the Dragon Throne will always be watching Firefall Valley, so don't engage in any 'border friction' at this juncture, understand?"

"Lord Varfred, you're meddling far too much," Baron Raymond Yeland scoffed, turning his head away defiantly. "I'm merely concerned about security in Firefall. The new lord is still a child who can barely stand in the stirrups. If some bandits disrupt the trade routes between Firefall Valley and Galdin Canyon, I won't stand idly by."

"As long as you don't become that bandit, the trade route will be safe," Wafred retorted without hesitation.

Sure enough, Wafred's main purpose in coming here was to support his sister.

At the other end of the corridor, Sezigar the Hunter was disgustedly patting the moisture off his mourning clothes with a silk handkerchief, complaining incessantly to Orifen the Hunter beside him: "Even the Holy Day of Susar wasn't this annoying. This wretched place is a wasteland of civilization; even the rain smells like horse manure. I was expecting some decent funeral, but what happened?"

He raised his chin and gestured to Ye Weian, who was not far away, with the kind of look one gives to a lower being.

"The most outrageous thing is that these country nobles are utterly rude beyond redemption. They actually allowed a bastard to stand openly in the family section and receive salutations? In Susar, such a person wouldn't even be allowed to enter the gate. This is an insult to the nobility, a desecration of heraldic law..."

Although Seziga's voice was not loud, Ye Wei'an heard it.

Ye Wei'an suddenly opened his eyes and gave him a cold look.

Sezga's pupils constricted slightly.

In that instant, he seemed to see a flash of blue and white light.

The feeling was like being stared at by something terrifying, causing his unspoken sarcasm to get stuck in his throat, and he involuntarily took half a step back, almost bumping into the relief.

"Oh! He... he actually dared to glare at me?" Sezuga snapped out of his daze, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"A mere illegitimate child, how dare he..."

He was about to cause trouble when Orifen grabbed his shoulder.

"Stop talking, Seizga." Olivier's tone was stern, his gaze fixed on Ye Weian's calm eyes. "If you don't want to utterly disgrace the Hunter's Crown family in front of everyone, shut up now."

"What do you mean? Olivier, are you afraid of some country bumpkin?" Seizga asked incredulously.

Olivier ignored his provocation and leaned close to his ear, explaining in a voice only the two of them could hear: "You fool who only knows how to gossip in salons, didn't you notice? In this cold, damp weather, he's completely dry. Look at the paving stones beneath his feet, they're dry too! This means that the raindrops within three feet of him disappeared before they even touched the ground. Do you know what that means?"

"What? Maybe he's wearing some expensive magical jewelry?" Seizga asked stupidly.

"I've seen people like that when I was exploring the ruins at Thunder Peak—they're either renowned and powerful mages or magical geniuses... By the Silver Saint Mother, neither of them are easy to mess with. He already warned you just now."

Seizga gasped, and when he looked at Ye Weian again, the arrogance in his eyes turned into awe.

"No wonder..." Suddenly, he slapped his thigh. "That makes sense, that makes sense."

"What makes sense?" Olivier asked, puzzled.

"I was saying before that old man Harandil had gone mad, actually giving this bastard son 20,000 gold coins. So that's how it works!"

Sezuga suddenly realized, "There's another thing that explains this too. I was wondering before, given Wafred's stingy and protective nature, how could he let something like this happen? He usually values ​​his territory and money more than his own life, but this time he didn't dare to utter a single word..."

Thinking of this, Sezuga chuckled again, muttering mockingly, "It seems our Eastern Watcher can be selective in his treatment of people."