Steam Old Days: The Extraordinary Begins with a Corpse Collector

The carriage bumped along the way, carrying the three of them back to the small house.

The driver didn't say anything; he simply reined in the horse.

The three people in the carriage got off when they saw the train stop, knowing they had arrived.

The three of them got off the carriage without saying a word.

Lyndon walked at the back, while Wesley and Garrett walked side by side at the front.

But Wesley's expression was stiff, as if he was holding his breath.

Garrett seemed to have lost his mind, trying his best to keep up with Wesley's pace.

"I'm back!"

Giselle, who was inside the house, heard the horse neighing. She went outside and saw the three people returning.

She was very happy. First, she stood at the door waving, and then she ran towards her father.

Giselle rushed into her father's arms, just like when she was a child.

Wesley gently stroked his daughter's head, his previously stiff eyes now shining again.

Garrett was overjoyed to see Giselle again. He wanted to greet her, but when he saw the unsightly scars on her face, his mood sombered.

Therefore, Garrett simply stood aside and watched the father and daughter.

"Uncle Garrett."

Giselle lifted her head from her father's arms, turned her head to the side, and timidly greeted Garrett.

Hearing Giselle call his name, Garrett's gaze fell on her again.

"They've grown so big."

Garrett said with a smile, wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes, mouth, and forehead.

Giselle responded timidly.

Wesley was still stroking his daughter's head when he suddenly told her that he had something to say to Garrett and asked her to go ahead and do her work. After all, the house hadn't been lived in for a long time and needed to be cleaned carefully, because there might be a plump mouse lurking in the corner.

Giselle glanced at Lyndon behind the two of them, knowing they must be talking about Lyndon, so she let go of his hand and obediently went back into the house.

"Let's go, we have guests at home, let's talk at your place."

Wesley only turned back to Garrett after his daughter had walked away.

Garrett nodded.

The three of them still planned to go to Garrett's cabin through the back door.

As Giselle entered the house, she considered what to have for lunch. There were no fresh vegetables available, so she decided to boil some potatoes and serve them with some cured pork and her own cheese.

Tom squatted down to the side, washing the potatoes in the wooden basin.

Alastor, meanwhile, sat casually in his chair with his long, thin legs propped up on the table. He was flipping through old newspapers, reading with great interest the stories that had taken place in the Wiltlin region.

The three of them left through the back door and walked along the path behind the house to Garrett's cabin.

Garrett took the wooden door key out of his pocket and opened the door.

The room was dark because the curtains were drawn tightly shut.

As soon as I stepped inside, a strong smell of tobacco hit me.

Lyndon finally saw the whole room.

Rows of furs hung on the walls of the wooden house, each fur taut.

There were foxes, rabbits, deer, and an animal whose name I couldn't recall.

It has gray fur, short limbs, and is not much bigger than a cat.

Its tail is quite beautiful, very fluffy, with gray and white stripes on it; it must feel wonderful to touch!

In the corner stood a wooden cabinet, its door half-open, revealing many glass bottles neatly arranged inside, each containing various herbs.

As a hunter, one must always keep some medicinal herbs at home in case of emergencies.

Garrett pulled back the curtains, and sunlight streamed into the room through the glass.

"Please have a seat."

Garrett pointed to the wooden stool in the room, leaned his shotgun against the fireplace, and then took a half-empty bottle of wine from the herb cabinet and placed it on the low table in front of him.

Wesley took the bottle without hesitation, uncorked it, and took a swig.

The spicy taste exploded in his throat, and Wesley covered his mouth and coughed violently.

He wiped his mouth, slammed the bottle back onto the table with a thud.

Unable to contain his emotions, Wesley questioned Garrett about why he was working for Sutcliff.

"Mr. William shut down Lin's business to make a living, so we have no choice but to work for him!"

"Then why don't you protest! Why don't you appeal? Why don't you seek help from the magistrate? By what right does he arbitrarily restrict our access to the land we depend on for survival! Is this in accordance with the law?"

Wesley shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Of course! This is certainly in accordance with the law!” Garrett stood up, walked to the window, and pointed into the distance. “Because he is a viscount, he is a nobleman, and that entire forest was granted to him by His Majesty the King long ago, when his grandfather was still alive!”

Garrett helplessly lowered his hand: "Legally speaking, Mr. William owns this land, and we are his subjects."

Wesley fell silent, and the room fell into a deathly stillness.

Garrett sat back down on the stool, picked up the bottle, and took a sip.

"Besides, we really don't need to appeal. Mr. William is not like his father. He is a good master. He changed many of the previous rules. He still pays us, gives us jobs, and supports us. Mr. William is a good man."

"A good person?"

Wesley smiled wryly, a sarcastic smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"He's a good man. I'm asking you, has he apologized for what happened in the past? Has he apologized for the crimes his father committed?"

"Mr. William compensated us..."

"What compensation do we need?" Wesley jumped to his feet, the chair legs scraping harshly on the floor. "We're still alive! We can still support our families with our own hands! But what about those who have died, those who were driven away? Who will compensate them?!"

"They rode on tall horses, brandishing whips and wielding spears, and drove us out of the fields, drove us out of our homeland!"

"Did they compensate us for all of this? Their compensation is simply sealing off the Dark Oak Forest and preventing us from entering!"

Wesley became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and his spittle flew onto Garrett's face.

Garrett frowned and raised his arm to cover half of his face.

"Put your hands down and look at me!"

Wesley reached out to pull Garrett's arm away.

Garrett shoved him away, shouting, "Stop being unreasonable!"

Wesley was stunned by Garrett's shout.

Even Lyndon sat up straight.

Garrett stood there awkwardly, like a deflated balloon, sitting there dejectedly.

"No matter what you say, it doesn't change the fact that we're doing better now than before..."

The cabin fell silent once again.

Wesley sat down, his back to Garrett.

"As long as the villagers are doing well..."

Wesley seemed to be speaking to Garrett, or perhaps to himself; in any case, he spoke very quietly.

"Yes, as long as life goes well..."

Wesley was silent for a moment before finally revealing his purpose: "Garret, I actually came back this time to ask you for a favor."

Garrett paused, his hand holding the bottle still. He looked at a hole in the ground and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I want to go into the woods," Wesley said.

"Why are you going into the woods?"

"Go hunt some good prey."

At this moment, Lyndon, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

"I asked Wesley for help, and he recommended you to me, saying you must have a solution."

Upon hearing this, Garrett turned around and glanced at Lyndon, then at Wesley.

"What kind of prey?" Garrett asked.

"It will definitely be useful to me," Lyndon replied, then added after a moment's thought, "If you're willing to help, I can offer you compensation."

Garrett took a sip of his drink and then shook his head.

"Please forgive me, sir, I cannot help you."

"The price is negotiable; you might want to hear my quote first."

But Garrett still shook his head.

"No matter how much you offer, I won't do it."

"Why!" Wesley asked in a firm tone.

"Because I now work for Mr. William."

Garrett turned his face to the side, half of his face in the sun and the other half in the shadow.

"I can't eat Mr. William's food and then smash his pot. A person should keep their word. Mr. William has been kind to us, so I will not help you get into the woods."

Garrett paused. "This isn't a personal grudge."

Snapped!

Wesley suddenly slammed his hand on the table, stood up from his chair, and his lips trembled violently.

Without saying a word, he angrily left the cabin.

"Goodbye."

Seeing that Wesley had already stormed off, Lyndon reluctantly said goodbye to Garrett and then left the cabin as well.

Inside the room, Garrett glanced sideways at the doorway, then suddenly muttered under his breath, "Damn it..."