March 1, 1347, Friday, early morning.
The breeze of a March morning still carried the lingering chill of late winter. The air was like glass just pulled from an icy river—transparent, sharp, yet faintly hinting at a loosening warmth.
In Sheffield Manor, located in Empress Borough, Backlund, the servants were already bustling about. Their footsteps and whispers wove together into layers of warm clamor.
After being woken by her personal maid, Irene, Altair was forced out of bed. She allowed the maids to perform their duties, washing her, changing her into a new morning gown, styling her hair, and dressing her up.
Vivian, still sitting on the bed, watched all this with affectionate eyes and sighed, "I really didn't expect time to pass so quickly. It's been nearly a year since we first met."
Sitting in front of the vanity mirror and letting the maid do her hair, Altair said in a flat tone, "Isn't that just how time is? It never stops for anyone. It always pushes forward in a steady manner, letting us grow through loss and gain."
"Perhaps this is the only fair thing in this world. Regardless of wealth or status, after a hundred years, everyone is but a handful of yellow soil."
While she was still talking about time, Vivian had already gotten out of bed and walked to the vanity mirror. Taking over the work from the hair-styling maid, she leaned down and kissed Altair's fragrant lips, forcibly ending her speech.
After a long while, the kiss ended. Vivian couldn't help but say, "Dear, many of the world's troubles come from thinking too much. Your current mindset isn't conducive to stabilizing your spirituality."
"If the world is truly as you say—that regardless of wealth or status, everyone is but a handful of soil after a hundred years—then what are people like us? Are we no longer human?"
"You should turn your attention to the beautiful things in front of you, like the sunlight, flowers, or the music and opera you like—and also your birthday today. Keep smiling."
After saying that, Vivian used her fingers to lift the corners of Altair's mouth, making her show a strange smile.
After finishing her grooming, Altair waited aside for Vivian to change. Out of boredom, she remarked casually, "It seems our room needs more improvements and adjustments. Now, even for basic makeup, we have to wait for each other."
Hearing this, Vivian tilted her head slightly to look around, then gave an "mm" and asked, "Are there any other adjustments needed?"
"Nothing else comes to mind for now," Altair replied after thinking for a moment.
Actually, from a modern perspective, the room shared by Altair and Vivian wasn't small; it could even be called very large. The bedroom alone was at least nearly a hundred square meters.
The internal layout included a sleeping area, a vanity area, and a large lounge area set by the window, equipped with a sofa and coffee table for sunbathing or chatting with close friends.
However, this was the simplest standard for a noble young lady of this period, because for the daily routine of waking up, changing, and grooming alone, there would be at least five maids assisting with dressing and tidying one's appearance.
So, if the room was only for one person, it would be fine and completely sufficient.
But since Vivian moved in, she had been living in Altair's room, which made the room feel a bit crowded now.
After finishing their grooming, Altair offered her left arm for Vivian to take, and they left the room.
On the way downstairs, every servant Altair met would give her a brief congratulation, mostly along the lines of "Count Altair, I wish you a happy birthday. May your year be as bright, healthy, and happy as the spring sunshine."
"Count Altair, may the Evernight Goddess bless you. I wish you health, peace, and joy."
"—May the god of storms protect you."
—
After breakfast, Altair went to the study, preparing to open the birthday gifts from the servants that Irene had collected.
In previous years, the task of collecting gifts had always been Hahn's responsibility. But this year, he had been left in Morse Town by Altair, as he still needed to wait for the spring thaw to transport Beyonder materials back to Backlund.
Since he wouldn't make it in time, this year she could only entrust her personal maid, Irene, to perform the duty on his behalf.
The gifts from the servants were all practical items, such as an ink bottle from Butler Hahn.
The gift from the two personal maids, Irene and Vera, was the current best-selling mystery novel in Backlund, "Storm Villa".
Other ordinary maids and manservants gave gifts like homemade jam, candles, handmade cloth dolls, and so on.
After putting away these gifts, Altair handed the gold pounds she had already prepared to Irene according to her usual standard for return gifts, saying, "Give the return gifts according to the normal ranks: 3 gold pounds for personal maids, 2 gold pounds for second-tier servants, 1 gold pound for ordinary servants—"
After Irene left, she began distributing the gold pounds at the study door. The servants waiting there would thank the study and leave after receiving their return gifts.
Inside the study, Altair didn't respond to these thanks but was engrossed in the new work by Miss Salted Fish,
"Storm Villa".
The first half of the book told the story of the female lead, Sissi, who entered Flius Manor as a governess and developed feelings for the owner's son—a complete romance novel.
But as the plot developed, the second half incorporated supernatural events. Evil spirits suddenly appeared in the manor, and the style gradually shifted. At this point, the female lead, Sissi, revealed her identity as a detective and began to use scientific methods for reasoning and problem-solving.
As the plot progressed, Altair became more and more hooked, starting to think about the plot's direction with the mindset of a veteran bookworm from her previous life.
But at the climax of the plot, the content simply ended—in the way people recognize as a cliffhanger; the content of the first volume ended there.
Still wanting more, Altair couldn't help but grumble, "Fors really should have taken the Spectator Pathway. By now, she has completely mastered the readers' curiosity and turned it into a bestseller code."
Unfortunately, last year, in 1346, she had already accepted the deathbed entrustment of Mrs. Anisat from the Abraham family at the Yosef Clinic in Backlund. Using her Beyonder characteristic, she became an Apprentice of sequence 9 in the Door Pathway.
As for how Altair knew, after she had clarified the timeline, she had specifically sent someone to find this clinic. She just wanted to see if Mrs. Anisat truly died alone, with only Fors by her side until the end.
Don't get the wrong idea; she hadn't intended to catch an Abraham back then to refine into a Sealed Artifact.
However, Altair's sequence 7 potion was almost digested. She would soon advance to sequence six and could naturally become an Artisan.
Then the plan to create a Sealed Artifact using the Shepherd Beyonder characteristic she had traded for could also be implemented.
Out of the five characteristics, she had already found four. Now she was only missing a Traveler. She was still in urgent need of an Abraham.
Meanwhile, in East Borough, Backlund, a young adolescent girl wearing a knight's training suit, with a petite build and slightly chubby baby-faced cheeks but delicate and soft features, pushed open the door in front of her while holding a paper food bag.
But as soon as she opened the door, she keenly caught the smell of smoke in the room. She couldn't help but fan the air with her hand until she adjusted before walking in.
————————————————
Looking toward the sofa, she found a lady lying there motionless like a salted fish washed ashore.
She was wearing a beige long dress with a lotus-leaf stand-up collar. She had a pretty face and wavy brown hair, but her temperament was extremely lazy and decadent.
The short girl couldn't help but remind the salted fish on the sofa, "Fors, smoking frequently is bad for your health. Also, you haven't left the house for five consecutive days."
Hearing the reminder, the salted fish lady, Fors, didn't choose to get up. Instead, she turned her head with difficulty and looked at the girl who reminded her with her pale blue eyes, saying, "Xio, I'm contemplating how to fill the holes in the next volume of 'Storm Villa'. But my state today is really poor, so I can only think and can't write."
Then she changed the subject and said, "I asked you to help me get cigarettes and red wine. Did you buy them?"
Hearing this, Xio nodded. While taking things out of the food bag, she said to Fors, "I did. Not only did I bring those, but I also bought you a sandwich for breakfast along the way."
At the mention of breakfast, Fors finally struggled to get up, took the red wine and sandwich, and began to eat, saying casually, "Xio, my manuscript fee from last month has come in. Let's go out for dinner together this afternoon. I know a very good Intis restaurant in North Borough; their red wine braised meat is delicious."
Looking at Fors's way of eating a sandwich with red wine, Xio felt lucky that she had chosen an egg sandwich for herself; otherwise, she might have to carry Fors to see a doctor in a while.
After thinking this, Xio couldn't help but yawn and nodded, "Okay, then I'm going to rest. Remember to wake me up in the afternoon."
After saying that, Xio returned to her room, lay down on the bed, and fell into a deep sleep.