Chapter 77: Reilly the Painter

When Rhett returned to the fifth-floor hall, the room was dimly lit by faint candlelight. He poured himself a glass of red wine, took a small sip, and glanced at the three new crates still sitting in the dark corner.

Earlier that afternoon, he had checked them—one crate held roughly four hundred gold coins. The other crate, filled with crystals and gems, Rhett estimated to be worth nearly a thousand gold coins. All in all, it was a valuable haul, and Falcon Town was far from lacking funds.

Unfortunately, when Rhett inspected the third crate containing magical plant seeds, he found that they had succumbed to the ravages of time, completely devoid of life.

"What a pity. After hundreds of years, without any special preservation methods, it's no surprise that ordinary magical plant seeds wouldn't survive," Rhett sighed, slowly making his way to his room.

On his red-brown desk lay an old, weathered journal, face down and aligned with the edge. Although it appeared thick, it actually only contained about twenty pages, thanks to the quality of the beast-hide cover, made from the skin of a higher-grade magical beast, which had preserved it well.

Rhett picked it up. He had only skimmed the beginning that afternoon, leaving most of the content unread. He knew that the opening pages chronicled the decline of a noble family as recorded by an Earl.

In Rhett's eyes, the family's downfall during that historical period wasn't entirely their fault. The primary issue was external.

The fate of a kingdom is intertwined with its nobles—when one prospers, so does the other, and when one falls, the other follows. The negligence of the high-ranking members of the ancient Gordan Kingdom and the ferocity of the orcs were enough to gradually weaken the kingdom until it eventually fell apart.

Most of the main members of the Enger family, including both mages and knights, fled toward the eastern coast of Blue Sea. As for the ordinary members of the family, they were abandoned in order to increase the speed of their escape.

Rhett didn't pass judgment on this. If the orcs were truly pressing in from all sides, trying to save everyone would have been an unrealistic fantasy.

"The Enger family, huh? I don't recall them. They must have met their end during the escape, or else all these treasures wouldn't have been left buried beneath Falcon Town," Rhett muttered, furrowing his brow. If the Enger family had been significant figures in history, he might have remembered them, but from what he gleaned from the journal, they were an Earl's family he had never heard of.

As he read through the journal deep into the night, with the wind rustling outside, Rhett learned about the Enger family's encounters and experiences during their escape. They eventually ended up in the area now known as Falcon Town.

With each page turned, Rhett's eyes gradually gleamed with a strange light.

...

The next morning, Rhett followed his usual routine and went downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning!"

"Oh, Reilly, that hat looks great on you today—very fitting," Rhett remarked as he descended the stairs, spotting Reilly seated at the table. The blue hat on Reilly's head, adorned with three small crystals on the brim, added a touch of elegance.

"Really? Thank you for the compliment, Father!" Reilly smiled.

"But Reilly, doesn't it feel awkward to wear a hat while eating breakfast?" Tuck muttered, and before Reilly could respond, Tuck reached out, saying, "Let me help you take it off."

"Oh no, Tuck, keep your greasy hands away—I can do it myself!" Reilly exclaimed, uncharacteristically raising his voice and quickly dodging to the side. He then walked over to place the hat on a rack in the corner of the hall.

Tuck paused, sensing that Reilly was acting a bit differently today, though he couldn't pinpoint what it was. Deciding it wasn't worth dwelling on, Tuck shrugged it off and served himself a spoonful of blueberry potato mash.

Halfway through breakfast, Rhett wiped the milk from the corner of his mouth and asked, "Reilly, have you prepared the gift?"

"Gift? What gift?" Tyles looked up, confused.

"Not your concern, Tyles. After breakfast, you need to continue your training!" Rhett said sternly, remembering how the boy had tried to sneak in some late-night reading. Fortunately, he had caught him in the act.

"Oh," Tyles pouted, feeling a bit guilty.

Reilly put down his knife and fork, knowing that his father was referring to the gift he had prepared for Kelina. "I… I made a painting," Reilly paused before continuing, "A portrait I created myself."

"Oh? You can paint?" Rhett said, genuinely surprised. As a father, he had never known that Reilly had such a skill.

"Cough, cough, my skills are quite basic. I used to draw things when I was bored, and over time, I got better."

"Wow, Reilly, you can paint?" Tyles exclaimed in disbelief, as if discovering a whole new side of his brother.

"Can I see what you've drawn?" Tuck's curiosity was piqued.

Reilly firmly shook his head. The painting was meant as a gift for Kelina, and he wasn't comfortable showing it off to everyone just yet. Besides, the paper was thin, and he feared that Tuck's careless nature might accidentally damage it.

"A painting, huh? That's a meaningful gift," Rhett said with a nod of approval. Although he didn't openly discuss his children's romantic lives, he cared about them deeply. If things worked out between Reilly and Kelina, it would be beneficial for both Reilly and the family.

However, Rhett added, "But for a lady's visit, just giving her a painting might seem a bit too simple."

"I have an idea for a unique gift. It's something quick and easy for you to make, and I believe it will be a great help."

"Father, what is this gift?" Reilly asked, intrigued.

Rhett smiled mysteriously. "I'll tell you after breakfast, privately."

Curiosity sparked in Reilly's eyes, and he nodded thoughtfully. However, Tyles wasn't satisfied with this response. He had a strong curiosity about anything unknown and had been listening intently, only to be left hanging.

"Father, you can't just stop halfway! What is this unique gift you're talking about?" Tyles protested.

"Tyles, when you find yourself a girlfriend, I'll teach you," Rhett said with a smile as he picked up a piece of meat.

Reilly's face flushed red. He wanted to correct his father, pointing out that Kelina wasn't his girlfriend yet, but he feared his father wouldn't share the gift idea if he did, so he kept quiet.

Tyles was left speechless, grumbling, "Hmph! Father is so biased."

Tuck, on the other hand, perked up with interest. Since he was sitting closest to Rhett, he leaned in and asked, "Father, does that mean I can learn how to make this gift too?"

"Oh? Are you also planning to find yourself a girlfriend?" Rhett teased with a grin.

Tuck's expression froze as he realized the implication of his words. The next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his side as a strong force twisted his flesh.

"Ouch!" Tuck winced, quickly returning to his seat. He glanced at Vanessa, who was glaring at him with a murderous look.

Tuck sighed, rubbing his sore side with one hand and scratching his head with the other. "Oh dear, I just wanted to give the gift to Vanessa..."

Rhett pointed at his eldest son and shook his head with a sigh. "You fool, if you reveal the gift now and Vanessa hears about it, where's the element of surprise?"

...