Chapter 31: Rise of the Dark Knight

"I had a great time chatting with you. I've arrived at the station."

At the station entrance, Wayne carried his suitcase and spotted the driver arranged by Veronica, holding a large sign with his name—Wayne.

At the same time, he bid farewell to Hefei in an indirect manner.

Hefei didn't understand and smiled, saying, "I missed my own train, now I'm penniless. As a gentleman, can you bear to see a lady stranded on the street?"

"Come on, do you even know what being penniless means?"

Wayne rolled his eyes. "I'll buy you a ticket and throw in three baskets of potatoes."

"..."

Hefei didn't say anything and smiled as she got into the same car with Wayne.

The driver was a young man, astonished by Hefei's appearance, and expressed envy towards Wayne once again. Wayne remained silent, knowing that anyone with eyes could see that he and Hefei were just strangers passing by, and there was nothing more to explain.

Wayne straightened his chest slightly, unable to understand why the driver couldn't grasp this logic, but it was none of his concern.

Enolde Town was much more prosperous than Cafuno Town. Due to the impact of industry, a large number of rural populations flowed into the towns. If it weren't for the recent economic downturn, Enolde Town would have been even more prosperous.

But that had nothing to do with Wayne. Mr. Lando's estate was located in a remote area, avoiding the hustle and bustle of the town, situated on a low hill north of the town, overlooking the entire town.

It was a huge estate, a four-story villa with white walls and blue roofs, surrounded by lawns, a specially manicured fountain garden, and a gazebo garden for the enjoyment of the owners.

As the vehicle entered the iron gate, Wayne looked at the luxurious estate and marveled at Mr. Lando's wealth. Even an uninhabited property like this had its own gardeners.

Hefei looked at the familiar garden, memories of sweet moments flashing before her eyes, and exclaimed, "Wayne, I never expected you to be so wealthy, owning property in such a remote town."

"You're mistaken. This belongs to my girlfriend's family. Her wealth doesn't mean I'm wealthy."

"Can you tell me about your girlfriend and how you met?" Hefei asked with interest.

Wayne was convinced she was digging into Veronica's background and didn't want to delve into this topic. He replied casually, "There's not much to say. She applied for a job at the detective agency, and I happened to need an assistant. We grew fond of each other over time."

"She's so wealthy. Can you afford to hire her?"

"She's on a paid job, gets a salary from me."

"..."

In other words, her daughter is funding her own pursuit?

Seeing Hefei's puzzled expression, Wayne shrugged. "I've already given her a job, why should I pay her a salary? Don't be surprised. When other employers realize this, paid jobs will become the norm."

He was too ahead of his time, leaving Hefei baffled.

In front of the mansion, the butler waited neatly dressed for the arrival of the lady's distinguished guests. As this mansion was a bit distant from Landon, there were only four professional maids sent from Landon, responsible for the security and hygiene of the mansion, ensuring that the Lando family could move in at any time.

The gardeners and servants were hired from the town and weren't considered part of the family, so they didn't join the welcoming party.

A middle-aged butler and four sturdy maids greeted Wayne, who looked stunned. They were so robust, surely they weren't devotees of the Sun Goddess?

Or was Mr. Lando's taste just like this?

Oh my, if that was the case, wouldn't Mrs. Lando be in the same style as the fitness trainers?

Thankfully, Veronica didn't turn out crooked!

Wayne was stunned, and the butler, wearing a monocle, was also stunned. Wasn't there supposed to be only one guest? How come the lady of the house was here too?

Hefei smiled at the butler, shaking her head indicating she didn't want to admit her identity. The butler, being a professional, immediately understood his master's instructions. He didn't ask why but approached and bowed, "Esteemed guests, I am Butler Flah, representing the Lando family, welcome to our home."

"Uh, thank you, Butler. I'm Wayne, and this is Miss Valentin."

Wayne apologized, "Originally, it was just me, but there were some unexpected incidents on the way, and this lady had nowhere to go. Since I owe her a favor, I had to trouble you to arrange another room."

Butler: (灬)

Young man, do you even hear what you're saying!

"Thank you, Butler," Hefei bowed slightly.

The butler immediately returned the courtesy, saying politely, "It's no trouble. It's my honor to serve such elegant ladies. Please rest assured, I will arrange everything for you as I would for the master."

Wayne nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself, 'This guy is truly professional.'

With impeccable manners and eloquent speech, especially his politeness, one would think he was welcoming the master of the house back!

With the butler being so polite, Wayne's face also lit up, inviting Hefei into the mansion.

Ten seconds later, Wayne's eyes were moist. Poverty limited his imagination. He had imagined the luxury of this place as much as possible, but the reality... was far from it.

Compared to this mansion, the luxury train was just a shed. No, it was a maid's shed.

If houses in remote towns were this luxurious, what about Landon's ancestral home? Wayne's imagination ran wild. Did the maids and guards of Lando have a breakup? Because of a long-distance relationship?

The butler first arranged Wayne's guest room. After closing the door, he bowed deeply to Hefei, expressing his apologies for his earlier offense.

Hefei smiled faintly, pointing to the guest room opposite Wayne's, indicating she would stay there for the time being.

She also instructed the butler not to contact Landon. She didn't want her husband to call and harass her.

The butler had just nodded when the phone in the living room rang. It was a call from Landon, from Aston Lando.

Mr. Lando had already found out about his wife's whereabouts and was very angry. He wanted to drown Wayne in the river right away.

He had just investigated Wayne for a short time when the leak occurred due to outsourcing the investigation business below, causing Wayne to realize he was being targeted by someone important.

Luckily, Wayne found someone to help him out, and with a little trickery, he managed to get the person out of Landon. Judging by the result, everything was still going smoothly.

The process couldn't be seen, too flashy. For this matter, his daughter, who hadn't spoken to him for a long time, personally spoke up, and her tone was much gentler...

You brat, you're dead!

Mr. Lando had made up his mind. He would never be able to handle that important person, and likewise, Wayne would never be able to return to Landon.

Thinking he could date his daughter, huh, not even close!

Mr. Lando felt pleased for only a short while, just one night. The next day, he received a call and couldn't feel happy anymore.

Wayne wasn't pursuing his daughter anymore but was pursuing his wife.

How coincidental, this kid must have done it on purpose!

Although...

Mr. Lando believed in his wife. With Hefei's pride, it was impossible and unlikely for her to find a lover outside. But the information he collected was alarming. Just in case, he decided to call and ask.

Calm down a bit. That kid Wayne seems to be a bit ambiguous with your daughter!

Hefei didn't answer, glaring at her scumbag husband. Her wife was rumored to be with a stranger, and all he did was make a phone call instead of rushing over to kill someone.

Scumbag! Jerk! Go to hell!

Landon.

Mr. Lando hung up the phone, and his face was completely black.

"Wayne, huh? Very well, you've piqued my curiosity..."

The scene returned to Enolde Town.

Ms. Hefei found many clothes and jewelry in the mistress's dressing room. Jewelry didn't matter, but the clothes were crucial. They fit her perfectly, as if tailored for her.

She hadn't been on vacation here for four or five years, but the mansion still kept her clothes...

"Bastard, people's bodies change, but the clothes here are all one size, clearly they didn't care!"

Hefei changed into an evening gown, turned around in front of the mirror, and instructed the butler to invite Wayne for dinner and to mention the matter of magic.

The result wasn't great; Wayne refused to have dinner together.

Hefei shook her head, then nodded. Her previous aggressive actions had undoubtedly made Wayne wary.

Good, staying away from romantic entanglements was a good habit. She hoped Wayne would keep it that way.

A black owl landed on the windowsill, holding a magic card in its mouth.

Hefei took it and read it with a solemn expression, "Paris's underground tomb projected to Landon... The whereabouts of the Death Knight are unknown, but someone in Landon has seen his sword, the Shadow of Nightmares..."

"The rise of the Dark Knight is unstoppable, and the Alliance is unable to spread its influence in Landon due to his suppression."

"Minions of death and darkness are entrenched in Landon..."

"The domain of mist is now deeply rooted and almost impossible to eradicate, and a major disaster may occur at any time..."

Hefei sighed and pondered for a moment. She couldn't delay any longer and decided to take action against Wayne tonight, take him as a disciple, and return to Landon as soon as possible to take charge of the situation.