Steam Old Days: The Extraordinary Begins with a Corpse Collector

"Sis! I'm back."

Herbert rode back to the Shrine at Gray Corner in a donkey cart, swaying and rocking.

He jumped off the car, paid the fare, and carried the basket into the courtyard in front of the sanctuary.

Herbert took out an amber-colored ram's horn comb from the basket. It felt smooth to the touch and had a semi-transparent texture.

He saw it by chance at a small stall in the city.

Herbert thought his sister would look beautiful wearing the comb, so he bought it for sixpence.

If you hold the comb to your nose and gently smell it, you can detect a faint floral fragrance.

It seems the vendor deliberately sprinkled some perfume on it to attract the attention of passing young women.

Herbert put the comb back in the basket, already imagining his sister's expression when she saw the gift.

He walked to the door and pushed it open.

The house was not empty.

Several elderly women sat devoutly on a bench, their fingers interlaced, heads bowed as they listened to the pastor's prayers from the platform.

Cecilia, who had been lying in bed recovering from her injuries, was now dressed in her priest's robes and wearing a tall crown. She stood on the pulpit and prayed for the elderly women below.

"sister!"

Herbert gasped as he watched Cecilia get out of bed.

Upon hearing this, Cecilia glanced at Herbert standing outside the door, but ignored him and continued to recite the classics earnestly.

Seeing this, Herbert had no choice but to shut up and quietly find a place to sit down.

He waited until everyone had finished praying and Cecilia had closed her book before quickly walking up to them.

"Sis! Your injury hasn't healed yet, how could you come down? You're not taking good care of yourself!"

Herbert became anxious about his sister's health.

Cecilia smiled faintly: "It's alright, I feel fine."

As she spoke, Cecilia looked at the elderly women below the stage and said with pity, "They are all devout believers in the church. They have come all this way just to pray. I can't let them come for nothing. Besides, I'm just reading some articles. Nothing will happen."

Cecilia gave Herbert a bright smile.

"Sister..." Herbert remained silent.

"Miss Cecilia, thank you for helping us conclude our prayers. May God bless you!"

The elderly women lined up and went up on stage to put coins into the donation box.

The amount of money donated by each person varied, ranging from five shillings to seven pence.

But Cecilia didn't care about any of that; she always believed what her teacher said.

True believers should be judged by their sincerity, not by the amount of money they possess.

Then the old women walked up to Cecilia and bowed to kiss the back of her hand.

May the gods bless you!

Cecilia said this to each of them.

After seeing them off, Cecilia was finally able to rest.

Herbert quickly helped his sister to the bench.

"Sis, you're really something."

Herbert massaged his sister's waist, his eyes overflowing with heartache, like a pool of water after the rain.

Cecilia, however, insisted that she was fine.

But when Herbert's fingers brushed over her wounds, she would still frown and tears welled up in her eyes.

"By the way, did you get what I asked you to get?"

Cecilia suddenly asked.

"Got it." Herbert handed the basket to Cecilia with a displeased look.

Cecilia was delighted to see the basket full of potions.

"Great, this should be enough."

Herbert felt a strange mix of emotions upon seeing this.

At this moment, he took out the horn comb he had bought from the basket.

"Sis, look, do you like it?"

Cecilia's eyes lit up when she saw the ram's horn comb.

Wow! What a delicate little hair comb!

Cecilia took the comb and held it in her hands, admiring it dearly.

"That must cost a lot of money, right?"

"I negotiated the price with the boss, only sixpence!"

"That's quite cheap," Cecilia said, bringing the comb to her nose and smelling it. "It even smells nice! How wonderful!"

Hearing his sister's praise, Herbert raised his head, his face full of pride.

"By the way, did you see Philip on your way here?" Cecilia asked.

"What? He hasn't come back yet?"

"no."

"I don't know," Herbert said, looking down in thought. "Where could he have gone?"

The two of them waited until nightfall, filled with doubt.

Cecilia prepared dinner for three people as usual, thinking that if Philip returned, he wouldn't go hungry.

But after the siblings finished eating and washing the dishes, Philip still hadn't appeared.

In Herbert's room, Cecilia was supervising him as he finished his lessons for the day.

"If Philip hasn't returned by today, let's go look for him," Cecilia said to Herbert, holding up her book.

"Okay, sister." Herbert slumped on the table, listlessly writing down the incantation for the Radiant Arcane Art.

Suddenly, a low knocking sounded on the downstairs door.

The siblings in the room immediately straightened their backs.

"Sis, did you hear that?" Herbert tilted his head and blinked. "Someone's knocking."

Cecilia nodded.

The siblings said together, "Philip."

With this idea in mind, the two put down their books and pens and hurried downstairs.

The two men each grabbed one of the handles and simultaneously pulled the door open.

But the person standing outside the door wasn't the Philip they expected.

He wasn't as tall as Philip, and he looked much older.

"Who are you?"

Cecilia stood by the door, looking at the person outside with a puzzled expression.

Barkley removed his black felt hat and bowed to the two men.

"Good evening, beautiful Miss Reverend and handsome Mr. Reverend. I apologize for disturbing you so late. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Barkley, Barkley Borg. I am the butler of the Sutcliff family. On behalf of Viscount William, I extend my greetings to you."

Barkley spoke very quickly, so quickly that Cecilia and Herbert only understood Viscount William.

They had certainly heard of this viscount.

"Oh, I see! Please come in!"

After Cecilia realized what was happening, she invited Barkley into the sanctuary.

Herbert wanted to pour Barkley a cup of tea, but Barkley declined their offer.

"No need for such hospitality. I'll be leaving after conveying Viscount William's message; it won't take much of your time," Barkley said, then added in a low voice, "if you two agree readily."

"So, does Viscount William have any instructions for us?"

Upon hearing this, Cecilia and Herbert obediently sat down opposite Barkley and asked him the purpose of his visit.

Barkley coughed lightly, then took out the letter written by Viscount William from his pocket.

"This is a personal letter from Viscount William to you; the purpose of this trip is all in it."

Herbert took the letter, opened the envelope, and took out the letter inside.

"Although the letter contains very detailed information, I still feel obliged to repeat it in person."

Barkley paused.

"The Dark Oak Forest beside the Penning Mountains is the private property of the Sutcliff family, which I think is no secret in Wiltling. Viscount William has always been very concerned about its development, but recently some bad signs have emerged. The activities of the Dream Moths have seriously affected the lives of the surrounding villagers, so Viscount William has sincerely invited the Gray Mud Corner Sanctuary..."

"Philip?" Herbert said, looking at the letter.

“Yes, Mr. Philip, that’s right.” Barkley snapped his fingers and said, “Viscount William has heard that Mr. Philip is a rare spiritual priest, so he hopes that he can help.”

"By the way, where is Mr. Philip? May I see him first?"

As Barkley spoke, he looked up and around.

"Yes, I'm sorry, but Philip isn't here," Cecilia explained.

"Where did he go?" Barkley asked.

"We don't know either, and we'd also like to ask why Viscount William chose us to handle this matter. The Viscount could have found someone more capable, after all, Philip is just a newcomer."

Cecilia asked, forcing herself to be brave.

Barkley laughed heartily upon hearing this: "Miss Cecilia, Viscount William's ideas naturally have their reasons. As for your view that Mr. Philip is still a newcomer, please don't think that way. Human potential is limitless. Just as hundreds of years ago no one could have imagined that the once-powerful Triumph Ross Empire would be destroyed by a general, or that His Majesty Augustus I rose from the ranks to sweep away all rivals and unify the three islands. Never underestimate the power of a seemingly insignificant person!"

After Barkley finished speaking, he placed a bag of gold coins in front of the two men.

"Furthermore, Viscount William said that if you are willing to lend a helping hand, he will reward you handsomely."

"With this money, you can do so many things, can't you?"

Barkley stood up, walked to the statue of Nicholas Cronus with his hands behind his back, and exclaimed, "What a great god! I can't help but think that if His statue were placed in a more magnificent and exquisite abode, it would surely attract even more people to come and worship!"

"And I believe the gods would be pleased to see that you have protected the property of ordinary people from destruction by the alien race."

Cecilia and Herbert, sitting in their original seats, listened to Barkley's eloquent speech, gazing at the bag of gleaming gold coins before them, and then at the dilapidated sanctuary. Something seemed to be growing in their hearts.

At this moment, Herbert looked at Cecilia and said, "Sister, what do you think about this?"

Cecilia shook her head and asked in return, "What do you think?"

Herbert thought for a moment and said, "I think it's a good idea. It doesn't sound like a bad thing. The church does a major purge of the heretics every year, doesn't it?"

"But we don't know what kind of person Philip is, so would it be risky to make a decision for him without proper consideration..." Cecilia hesitated.

"Oh, sister! We can try to persuade him! Philip isn't a selfish person; he might even seem happy about it, especially since it's a whole bag of gold!"

Cecilia glanced at Herbert, then at the smiling Barkley, and finally at the gold on the chair. She said helplessly, "Mr. Barkley, since Philip isn't here, we'll have to wait for him to return before we can give you an answer, okay?"

"Of course, Miss Cecilia." Barkley adjusted his hat, greeted the two, and said, "I'll be waiting for your good news. Good night!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Barkley turned and left the sanctuary.

The candlelight flickered in the sanctuary, and the gleam of the gold coins shone so brightly in the dim light.

The crisp sound of horses' hooves gradually faded into the distance.

Cecilia sat beneath the statue, bowing her head in prayer.

Suddenly, a muffled thud came from upstairs.

Cecilia was taken aback. Following the direction from which the sound came, she slowly walked upstairs.