Steam Old Days: The Extraordinary Begins with a Corpse Collector

Chapter 113 Mike's Arrival, William's Bloody Past

The Sutcliffe Estate becomes noisy the moment the servants get up in the morning.

The servants were busy giving the entire estate a thorough cleaning.

They even cleaned up the dust behind each mural.

The carpets in the manor have all been replaced with new ones.

In Viscount William's room, he was standing in front of the mirror choosing clothes.

He frowned, scrutinizing the suit Barkley had brought him with considerable disapproval.

"Isn't the red tie a bit too bright? Let's change to a darker color. And the suit isn't fashionable either; let's avoid stripes."

Buckley opened the walnut wardrobe, and the scent of oak and camphor filled the Viscount's spacious bedroom.

He then picked out a suit from among them.

Barkley presented the document to Viscount William, his voice calm and composed.

"A dark gray double-breasted casual suit, with an ivory-white turtleneck linen shirt underneath, paired with a light champagne-colored vest, is both composed and elegant."

Viscount William stretched out his hand and compared the clothes to his skin tone.

"What about the jewelry?"

Barkley bowed slightly and said, "Sir, please allow me to recommend the Ascot tie, a deep sapphire blue with a subtle pattern, and how about an agate lapel pin?"

William nodded upon hearing this: "That's settled then. Oh, and the shoes have to be Chelsea."

"Yes, sir," Barkley said with a bow.

William, having finally decided on his outfit, sighed wearily. He looked at his young self in the mirror; he was clearly in his twenties, but his face bore the marks of time.

William raised his left hand, on which was a dark gold signet ring bearing the Sutcliff family crest.

He unconsciously turned the ring around.

William said softly to himself in the mirror, "I will never let my family be ruined in my hands—"

Bright sunlight streamed through the bedroom's tall windows, bathing the room in a dazzling golden glow.

Viscount William was facing away from the light, half of his face hidden in shadow.

10:22 AM.

A four-wheeled carriage slowly drove through the cast-iron gates of Sutcliffe Estate.

The wheels made a faint sound as they rolled over the gravel road.

Viscount William and Butler Barkley, having finished tidying themselves up, were already waiting at the bottom of the steps in front of the main house.

Upon seeing the carriage stop in front of him, Viscount William even tidied his hair to ensure that his current appearance was impeccable.

"Your Excellency Milan! Welcome to Sutcliffe Estate!"

Viscount William descended the steps and opened his arms to Macmillan.

Macmillan stepped gracefully down from the carriage.

He responded to Viscount William's warm welcome.

"Such a neat lawn, it's clearly been meticulously manicured." Macmillan, supporting Viscount William's back, praised the estate's lawn.

His gaze also fell upon the enchanting artistic fountain in front of the manor.

"An impressive manor, Mr. William," Mike exclaimed sincerely. "The manor's grounds alone have piqued my interest. I wonder if Mr. William would be willing to act as my guide and show me around the interior of the manor."

"Of course, Your Excellency Milan."

Viscount William smiled slightly and led Mike into the main house.

Since Macmillan was the son of an earl, he must have seen many valuable items.

Therefore, Viscount William did not choose to make a big fuss about how many valuable items were in his estate.

So he led Mike to see the portraits of his family.

Viscount William pointed to the painting and explained, “This is a portrait of my ancestor, who was then just an obscure wool merchant in western Yorkshire. In that sense, my ancestor was a subject of your territory. Later, during the Royal Civil War, he provided a large wool loan to Parliament, helping the King win the war, and was therefore created a baron. This is the origin of the Sutcliffe family.”

"That sounds exciting!" Mike enthusiastically agreed.

William then continued, "After that, my ancestors brought the family's glory to its peak through merits, both large and small, and political marriages."

As they were talking, the two walked to a balcony on the third floor.

Standing there, you can see the distant, continuous Benning Mountains, with shadowy indistinct shadows at their foot.

"Lord Milan, do you know what that place is?"

Viscount William said, pointing to the shadows below the mountain.

McMillan placed his palm over his eyes and squinted in that direction.

He then gave his answer.

"If I'm not mistaken, that must be Dark Oak Forest!"

William nodded and said, "Yes, it was bestowed upon us by the king during my grandfather's time."

After saying that, Viscount William shook his head and said with some regret, "However, there are some problems there now, and I have sealed it off. Otherwise, I could have taken Lord Milan there to hunt."

"What a pity."

Mike looked intently at William.

Suddenly, he suggested setting up a table right there so the two of them could enjoy tea while admiring the beautiful scenery in the distance.

"Your Excellency Milan has quite the refined taste!"

After sighing, Viscount William instructed his servants to prepare the balcony and bring out black tea and refreshments.

The two then sat down on the balcony, drinking tea, eating snacks, and chatting.

They talked about everything under the sun, from art to astronomy, from geography to humanities, and from theology to politics.

Mike then talked about the purpose of his trip to Wiltling.

“Mr. William, I actually hate politics. In my heart, I would rather be a great artist.” Mike put down his ceramic teacup as he spoke. “But as the son of an earl, I was born to inherit the title and enter the political arena. For this reason, my father has been honing my skills, which is why he recommended me to the king and sent me here to investigate taxes.”

That's life; many times, we're not in control of our own destiny.

Viscount William took a sip of tea and said.

Mike chuckled softly, then looked at William sitting beside him with a mocking expression.

"However, I am a responsible person. I believe that when doing something, whether you like it or not, you should do your best! So before coming here, I specifically sent someone to investigate Wiltling. Among them, I found some interesting things about the Sutcliff family!"

Viscount William looked at Mike with suspicion after hearing this, and he saw ill intent in Mike's eyes.

His expression immediately tightened.

Viscount William raised his hand and waved to the servants standing not far away.

"All of you, step back. No one is to approach this place without being summoned."

The servants bowed to Viscount William on the balcony and then silently withdrew.

Soon, only William Sutcliffe and MacMillan remained on the balcony.

A breeze from the distant Penning Mountains, carrying the dampness of the dark oak forest, brushed against their hair.

William leaned his weight back in the chair, tilting his head and glancing at McMillan.

"I'm ashamed to say that, to my recollection, I don't remember any interesting stories in my family history."

Mike, however, smiled and pointed at William with his finger.

"You should know that, after all, the protagonist of this story is your father."

Upon hearing Mike mention his father, Viscount William's fingertips turned icy cold. He suddenly felt a little short of breath, so he loosened his tie and relaxed his neck.

Viscount William's neck was covered in sweat.

Sticky sweat soaked his ivory-white collar.

But MacMillan continued, "Mr. William must have been only five years old at the time. Your father took in a group of homeless people who had nowhere else to go. Of course, it wasn't because your father was so kind and benevolent, but because the homeless people gave him a magical powder."

"After a person ingests that kind of drug powder, they will fall into a state of extreme excitement and become extremely dependent on it."

Your father saw potential for wealth in this, so he started having the homeless men make more and more medicinal powder for him.

"Your father sold the powder to everyone he could, whether they were commoners, gangsters, or officials, and made a fortune from it."

"What's this medicine called again? I think it's called—Sleeping Kiss?"

boom!

William felt like his head was about to explode.

His face turned deathly pale, and even his fingers trembled uncontrollably.

For the sake of the family's future, the secret that Viscount William had been desperately trying to conceal was now being discussed by Macmillan as fodder for a tea party.

Viscount William picked up the teacup on the table and drank all the remaining tea inside.

But he still felt thirsty.

Viscount William licked his lips, his eyes blinking rapidly.

His memory then returned to the night his father died.

At that time, my father was sitting in his study, checking the monthly account details, just like always.

Since the arrival of those homeless people, the Sutcliffe family's monthly cash flow has been steadily increasing.

"That's fantastic! Compared to last month, this month's earnings have increased by another four thousand gold pounds!"

Regis Sutcliffe clapped the ledger in his hand and said happily.

Just then, there was a knock on the study door.

When Regis Sutcliff heard a knock at the door, he put the ledger he was holding into a drawer.

He seemed to have guessed who it was, so he put on a stern face and said impatiently, "Come in!"

Having received his father's order, young William Sutcliffe, carrying a cup of coffee, pushed open the door and entered the study.

"William, what brings you here?" Regis Sutcliffe showed no joy whatsoever for his son, and even displayed a cold indifference.

William placed the coffee in front of his father.

He said humbly, "Father, I've come to apologize."

"Oh?" Regis Sutcliffe's eyes widened. "Apologize? What are you apologizing for? What do you have to apologize for?"

After realizing what was happening, Regis Sutcliffe sarcastically remarked to his son.

You should know that her precious son had a fierce argument with her that morning over whether those homeless people should stay or leave.

Those homeless people were clearly treasures sent to the family by God. With the medicine powder they offered, the Sutcliff family's profits increased by so much!

But his own son always tried every means to drive them away!

They said they would destroy the family that their ancestors had painstakingly built.

Regis Sutcliff couldn't stand it anymore, so he moved all the homeless people into Dark Oak Forest.

The area is fraught with danger, and the mountain roads are rugged.

It also makes it easier for me to keep them under control and make money for myself!

Even after going this far, William still wouldn't give up; he even wanted to hire someone to kill him!

So I punished him severely.

Now, his son, who had been punished, had come to apologize to him for the first time ever, which made Regis Sutcliff feel a little strange.

"Father, I thought about it for a long time, and it wasn't until I saw you so angry with me that you almost collapsed that I realized my mistake!"

You are my father! How can a son quarrel with his father? Especially when he is worrying about the family's interests!

William spoke with such sincerity that a tear even rolled down his cheek.

Regis Sutcliffe was astonished by this scene.

He stood up in astonishment, looking at William's sorrowful expression, and a sudden pang of tenderness for his father stirred within him.

"Oh, William, my child. You finally understand my good intentions!"

Regis Sutcliffe stepped out of the desk and excitedly hugged him.

The father and son embraced and wept in the study.

After crying until she was exhausted, William brought her the coffee he had brought.

"Father, this is coffee I made for you myself. You stay up late every day checking the accounts, so have some to keep you awake."

"good!"

Regis Sutcliffe took the coffee without the slightest suspicion and took a big gulp.

"The coffee my son makes is really delicious."

The formidable Regis Sutcliffe showed his most amiable smile in front of his son.

At this point, William offered suggestions for the development of the family.

He said that the bottleneck for the family's next stage of development is that the original business has gradually fallen behind the times.

Therefore, if you want your family to grow bigger and stronger, you must make a breakthrough.

The most important thing is a breakthrough in thinking.

"Yes, yes, yes! So, son, how do you suggest we break through this mental barrier?"

Upon hearing this, William reached out and touched his father's face.

He said, enunciating each word clearly, "First of all, the family needs to replace its leader with one who has real insight."

The next moment, Regis Sutcliffe suddenly felt that he couldn't muster any strength in his body.

Only then did he realize that he had been deceived.

But it was too late; Regis Sutcliffe collapsed to the ground, utterly powerless.

He could only look at William with resentment.

"I'm sorry, Father," William said, turning his head away from his father's eyes and placing his hand on his father's neck. "I did it for the family."

After saying that, William gripped his father's throat tightly with both hands.

Moments later, Regis Sutcliff, the sixth viscount of the Sutcliff family, was so hastily strangled to death by his own son in his study.

He will not rest in peace.

As the recollection ended, Viscount William looked at Macmillan sitting beside him, his fear of his family's destruction reaching its peak.

Once Macmillan reports these matters to the King and Parliament, the Sutcliffe family of Wiltling will disappear from the annals of history.

Perhaps in the future only a few servants will remember the family's glory.

"Your investigation is quite thorough, Your Excellency Milan."

Viscount William's voice was terribly hoarse.

"So, you've come here today to sentence the Sutcliffe family to death?"

McMillan shook his head.

He leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed.

"No, Mr. William, on the contrary, what I want to do is pull the Sutcliff family out of that quagmire of sin."

"This is why I am here: first, to thoroughly investigate the financial and corruption problems in Wiltling City; and second, to rebuild order in Wiltling City on behalf of His Majesty the King. And you, William Sutcliffe, are you willing to declare your loyalty to me, to the King, and to the nation?"

Is it a rebirth or a march to destruction?

This is the question that McMillan posed to William Sutcliffe.

To this, Viscount William's answer was—

"I will pledge my allegiance, and my life to the death."

Viscount William knelt on one knee, gently placing his hand on his heart, and swore his loyalty to Macmillan.

Mike Milan nodded in satisfaction.

He stood up and extended his hand.

Viscount William understood what he meant, so he carefully took Mike's hand and kissed the back of it.

"Mr. William, today is a day we should celebrate."

Mike withdrew his hand and helped William up.

He smiled at William: "I'm really looking forward to tonight's dinner. I'd love to try some of Wiltling's specialties."

Taste. "