Steam Old Days: The Extraordinary Begins with a Corpse Collector

The villagers drove a donkey cart with Lyndon, who had been stung by a stinging wasp, back to the sanctuary at the Sandy Corner.

The venom of stinging wasps is not very strong, and as long as treatment is timely, there will be no problems.

The sting site will quickly swell and become inflamed.

In the end, it looked like a lump of dough had grown on his face.

Cecilia looked at Lyndon sitting on the car floor and was speechless.

Lyndon's right cheek was completely bulging out, and one eye was squeezed so small that it was only a slit.

Even his lips were swollen.

Lyndon's handsome appearance was now completely gone.

Cecilia couldn't believe that the person in front of her was Lyndon.

"Philip, my God! What happened to you?!" Cecilia ran up to Lyndon, cupping his face in her slender fingers. "I remember warning you to watch out for their thorns! You...you look like a pig's head now!"

Cecilia poked Lyndon's right cheek, and Lyndon winced and flinched back.

"Watch out, you might get an electric shock... I feel a bit of an electric shock!"

Lyndon moved his swollen, sausage-like lips and mumbled something.

He felt a burning pain on his right cheek, and a slight itch when the wind blew, but he dared not scratch it.

The only way to relieve the symptoms is by making faces.

The villagers who drove the car also looked apologetic: "We were also at fault. Such a big stinging wasp was on Mr. Philip's back. If we had seen it, Mr. Philip certainly wouldn't have ended up like this."

"Don't say that, it's also my fault for not paying attention," Lyndon said, sitting on the cart.

"Never mind, let's help him inside." Cecilia looked at Lyndon's horribly disfigured face, feeling both angry and annoyed. "Can he even see the way?"

Lyndon nodded and nimbly stepped across the threshold of the sanctuary.

Herbert, who was busy mopping the floor, heard the noise outside the door and curiously looked up to peek out.

Seeing Lyndon's strange appearance after being stung, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Philip, what happened to you?"

Cecilia glared at Herbert upon hearing this: "Get back to your work, this is none of your business! Don't forget, you still have a hundred more copies to give me! I don't think you want to eat or rest."

After being scolded by Cecilia, Herbert quickly lowered his head and obediently cleaned the floor.

Cecilia led Lyndon to her room, and then she brought him a basin of water and medicine.

"His face is so swollen, oh dear!" Cecilia sighed, soaking a towel in water, then wringing it out and wiping Lyndon's swollen right cheek.

Her movements were very gentle.

Cecilia shook her head and said, "We're going to see Viscount William the day after tomorrow. How can you go looking like this? Why don't you wait until you've recovered?"

But Lyndon said, "No, we'll go the day after tomorrow."

"What? But your face..." Cecilia exclaimed in surprise.

"It's alright, I can cover my face. Viscount William certainly won't say anything when he finds out the reason."

Lyndon said confidently.

"This..." Cecilia hesitated for a moment, "Never mind, whatever you want!"

After saying that, Cecilia poured the medicine into her hands and began to rub Lyndon's swollen face.

At first, her movements were rough, and Lyndon couldn't help but gasp.

Seemingly because she saw the pain on Lyndon's face, Cecilia's movements gradually softened.

Her soft fingertips, moistened with the medicine, gently stroked Lyndon's skin.

Their body heat was transmitted to each other through their skin.

Besides the herbal smell of the medicine itself, Lyndon also smelled a faint fragrance.

He looked at Cecilia's profile; in the sunlight, her skin was so flawless, like it was made of porcelain.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, revealing a pair of clear and beautiful eyes.

Lyndon's voice was a little hoarse: "Are you done?"

"Don't worry, it'll be ready soon," Cecilia said softly.

Finally, she removed her fingers from Lyndon's face.

"Alright, don't get it wet for the next few days."

After Cecilia finished speaking, she put away the medicine bottle and left the room.

Linden sat alone in the room, and he could almost still feel Cecilia's delicate touch.

He bent down, supporting his forehead with his hand.

"Depend on……"

Two days later, Lyndon's face was still swollen.

He asked Cecilia for a veil and put it on his face like a woman.

Lyndon looked at himself in the mirror from left to right, then nodded in satisfaction.

The carriage sent by the Viscount had been waiting outside for quite some time.

Cecilia left Herbert in the sanctuary while she and Lyndon boarded the carriage.

The carriage finally arrived at Sutcliffe Estate after a long journey.

Lyndon lifted the curtain a crack and saw the familiar Griffin on the stone pillar.

He never expected to come back here, especially as someone else.

The carriage drove into the manor, where the old butler Barkley and his servants stood at the gate to welcome them.

"Miss Cecilia, it's a pleasure to have you here," Barkley said, clapping.

Suddenly, he noticed Lyndon, who was wearing a veil, following behind Cecilia.

Barkley pointed at Lyndon and asked, "And this is?"

Cecilia explained, "This is Philip. His face was damaged in an accident, so he has to wear a veil to cover it. Please excuse the inconvenience!"

"I see." But Barkley still looked Lyndon up and down.

He felt he had seen this "Mr. Philip" somewhere before.

The figure of "Mr. Philip" looked somewhat familiar.

But Barkley just couldn't remember where he had seen him before.

"Barkley, have the guests arrived?"

Suddenly, Viscount William's voice came from the second-floor balcony.

Viscount William, dressed in a blue suit and holding a glass of champagne, looked down at the crowd below.

Barkley looked up respectfully and said, "Yes, sir. Miss Cecilia has come to visit with Mr. Philip."

"Then please invite them in," said Viscount William. "It is not proper hospitality to leave guests standing outside."

"Yes, sir."

Barkley then invited the two men inside.

Cecilia was seeing such luxurious decorations for the first time. Her mouth was slightly open as her gaze swept over the gleaming marble floor and the crystal chandelier overhead.

Cecilia even bent down to look curiously at the pressure gauge connected to the pipe.

"Is this the steam meter?"

"Yes, the pipeline runs all the way from the city center to here."

"Buried underground?"

"Buried underground."

Lyndon explained to Cecilia.

The two waited for quite a while before Viscount William slowly descended the spiral staircase.

"Welcome to my manor, you two."

Viscount William took Cecilia's hand and kissed the back of it.

Then he wanted to give Lyndon a hug, but when he saw the veil on Lyndon's face, he froze.

"Is this Mr. Philip?" he asked, puzzled.

"Yes, Viscount William, that's Philip, he has a bit of a facial injury," Cecilia said.

"Oh, okay."

Viscount William abandoned his plan to embrace Lyndon and simply shook hands with him.

"You two have come from afar, you must be hungry. I have prepared a sumptuous meal for you, let's eat and chat."

With that, Viscount William led the two men to the banquet hall.

A white tablecloth covered the long dining table, on which silver cutlery and fresh flowers were arranged.

"Please sit down, don't be shy."

Viscount William took the seat of honor, while Lyndon and Cecilia sat to his left.

"Serve the food, guys."

Viscount William clapped his hands.

The servants immediately brought in the food trays.

"Today's main course is roasted pheasant with sea cabbage and almond potato pudding. The side dish is fish, turbot with lobster sauce, plus veal slices and spinach. The soup is my favorite, mock turtle soup, which uses a cow's head to simulate the flavor of a green turtle."

Viscount William pointed to the dishes served by the servants and introduced them to the two of them one by one.

Cecilia looked at the exquisite dishes on the table and couldn't help but marvel at the wealth of the Viscount family.

During the banquet, Viscount William made no mention of the Dream Moth; instead, he recounted amusing anecdotes from his past to the two men.

Cecilia chuckled at Viscount William's witty remarks.

Only Lyndon lost his appetite, his eyes glancing at Viscount William from time to time through his veil.

Suddenly, for some reason, Viscount William steered the conversation toward Lyndon.

He pointed to Lyndon's veil and said, "Mr. Philip, can you tell me what caused the injury to your face?"

"It's a stinging wasp, sir," Lyndon replied.

"May I take a look?" Viscount William asked Lyndon to remove his veil so he could see her.

"I'm afraid it might frighten you, sir."

"It's alright, I'm not afraid." Viscount William leaned back in his chair. "Let me take a look. I happen to have quite a few famous medicines in my estate. You can take some with you; the wound on your face will heal quickly."

Viscount William's gaze was fixed on Lyndon's face behind the veil.

"It's been taken off."

Faced with Viscount William's insistence, Lyndon had no choice but to remove his veil, revealing a face that was completely disfigured.

Viscount William stared at it for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! You really were stung by a stinging wasp! I've been stung before, but on my butt! Hahaha!"

Seeing that Viscount William did not recognize him, Lyndon was relieved.

He put his veil back on.

Taking this opportunity, Lyndon asked Viscount William about the Dream Moth.

"Ah! I was just about to tell you about this."

Viscount William gave Barkley a wink.

So Barkley led a man in.

"Let me introduce you. This is Ryder, my guide, and also an experienced bodyguard."

Ryder's eyes were sharp as an eagle's as he nodded to Lyndon and Cecilia.

"I believe that with your and his joint efforts, the scourge of the Dream Moth that has long plagued Dark Oak Forest will be completely eradicated, and the people around will be able to start a new life."

Viscount William confidently raised his fist.

Hearing his grand pronouncements, Lyndon and Cecilia applauded in unison.

"Therefore, I propose a toast: for the success of tomorrow's operation, and for the peace of Dark Oak Forest!"

Viscount William picked up the wine glass on the table.

Lyndon and Cecilia raised their glasses in response.

"May Nicholas, the god of light and glory, protect you!"

"May the operation go smoothly!"

Lyndon, Cecilia, and Ryder echoed in unison.

The wine glasses clinked together, producing a crisp and pleasant sound.