The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

The whistle pierced through the station's arched roof, and the steam train gradually slowed down, finally coming to a complete stop with a dull screech of brakes.

Morian, carrying his suitcase, followed the flow of people off the train and onto the platform of St. Christine Central Station, where the station was equipped with broadcasting equipment to announce train schedules.

Unlike the heavy smell of coal smoke at Bettel City Station, the air here is filled with a soft, pleasant aroma—the delicate fragrance of spices mixed with the sweet scent of baked goods, forming the unique character of this city.

Looking around, most of the passengers were well-dressed; the men wore well-tailored suits, and the women wore dresses with exquisite hats, making them look beautiful and charming.

Morian was glad he had changed his clothes beforehand, otherwise he would have looked out of place in the crowd.

Following Charlotte's instructions in her letter, he walked through the crowded station square, which was paved with smooth flagstones and had a fountain in the center, whose water jets refracted rainbows in the sunlight.

The carriage association is located on the east side of the square. It is an elegant white building with dozens of carriages neatly parked in the open space in front of it. The carriages are all uniform in style and are mainly painted brown.

Horse-drawn carriages are a common sight in Bet City, while St. Crentin has a dedicated association responsible for unified management and rental, ensuring that there is no haphazard parking.

"To Earl White's mansion."

Morian chose a relatively clean, enclosed carriage with gauze curtains hanging on the windows.

The driver was a middle-aged man who was not good with words, and the price he quoted was unexpected, costing nearly a gold pound for a one-way trip.

Morian didn't haggle further and silently paid the money.

As expected, big cities have their own prices, and this is true in any world.

As the wheels began to turn, the carriage left the station area and passed through the bustling streets into a sparsely populated residential area.

Half an hour later, the vehicle drove onto a stone bridge spanning a river, the famous "Williams River," whose tributaries extend throughout the kingdom's interior, greatly facilitating the import of goods.

After crossing the bridge, you are greeted by a tranquil suburb, with neat farmland and orchards on both sides of the road, and scattered manor houses in the distance.

The carriage stopped in front of a smooth stone-paved road. At the entrance of the road stood a black wrought iron gate with intricate patterns carved on the top of the gateposts. Two-meter-high walls extended from both sides of the gate.

If you go a little further ahead, you'll reach the Earl's mansion.

Morian handed the invitation to the guard at the gate, and as expected, he was allowed to pass. The gate slowly opened to both sides, and the carriage smoothly entered the main path paved with gravel.

The road was about five meters wide, with plantations on both sides. Dozens of laborers were working in the fields, some planting and others harvesting the ripe crops. When they saw the unfamiliar horse-drawn carriage entering, the laborers all cast curious glances at it.

The garden design here is also very ingenious. The types of plants change every distance you go, and the fragrance of flowers in the air also changes accordingly. At the entrance, there is a rich rose fragrance, followed by an elegant jasmine fragrance, and now it is the sweet fragrance of peony.

When they were still a hundred meters away from the mansion, a wall of people suddenly appeared on the road ahead.

Eight women in matching white maid outfits stood in a line blocking the way, each standing ramrod straight with a calm expression.

The one in the lead was a gray-haired maid, her gaze fixed straight ahead on the approaching carriage.

"No unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter the Earl's mansion," the maid suddenly said, her tone devoid of any emotion.

Seeing this, Morian had no choice but to get out of the carriage, waved for the coachman to return the way he came, straightened his collar, and calmly handed the invitation to the maid.

"I came by invitation."

The gray-haired maid's gaze shifted to him, glancing at his clothes before settling on the invitation, lingering for less than two seconds.

"You too, why haven't these idlers left yet?" Her tone remained unchanged. "We haven't received any orders from the head of the family, let alone any outsiders visiting."

Morian's expression froze on his face.

I thought they were talking about the stable boy, but it turns out I was the bystander?!

Miss, did you even read the letter carefully?

Morian put on a friendly smile again and said in a gentle tone, "Please confirm again, I did indeed receive an invitation from Earl White."

As he spoke, he took a half step forward and pointed to the words "sincere invitation" in the letter with his finger to confirm it again.

Just as her fingers were about to touch the paper, the gray-haired maid moved.

Without warning or any preparatory movement, her right fist shot out like a cannonball, aiming straight for the attacker's face.

Thanks to the warning of "danger," Morian reacted quickly, turning his head sharply to the right, allowing the punch to graz his cheek.

Although he dodged it, the force of the punch hit the air and made a series of short, sharp explosions.

Ascended?

The moment this judgment crossed his mind, the second and third punches followed in quick succession, each punch compressing the space around him to dodge.

Morian was greatly alarmed and kept dodging the attacks, sometimes rolling and sometimes leaping. Within seconds, he was forced back to a wall.

Without pausing, the maid unleashed three powerful punches.

Bang!Bang!Bang!

Stone chips flew everywhere, leaving three clear dents in the wall. Morian dodged almost touching the wall, and all three punches landed heavily on the stone wall.

Unlike Quilt, who relied on her rank for her half-baked skills, this maid's style was more ruthless and aggressive. Every movement was swift and sharp, with tricky angles, making her like a merciless fighting machine.

Her fighting techniques are somewhat similar to the famous "Muay Thai" on Earth. Like a master-level fighter, she pursues maximum efficiency in every attack.

Seeing that her punches and kicks had failed to land, the maid flipped her wrist, and a silver dagger gleaming with a cold light appeared in her hand. She then swung it at the enemy.

Morian dodged with three consecutive backflips, his movements clean and swift. Before he could even regain his footing after landing, he flipped his wrist and pulled out a dagger, holding it horizontally in front of his chest.

clang!

The cold blades clashed together, sparks flying and a piercing scraping sound emanating from them.

At first, they were able to hold their own for a moment, but Morian soon realized the difference in strength.

The short sword pressed down on the dagger, inch by inch, against the maid's chest. At such close range, the cold killing intent in the maid's eyes could be clearly seen.

We must avoid their sharp edge!

In a flash, Morian used his body to deflect the dagger to the side. The moment the two weapons parted, he immediately leaped back two meters.

Almost as soon as he landed, the short knife in the maid's hand disappeared, turning into specks of spiritual energy that drifted away, replaced by an ancient wooden longbow.

Through "analysis," Morian "saw" an unbelievable scene.

In just one minute, the opponent's etheric properties switched three times!

From the "Fighter" who focuses on close combat to the agile "Thief", and now to the "Hunter"!