My older sister is a villainous rich girl

After managing to get some basic information about the area, Wayne changed the subject with a hint of curiosity: "You just said that there's a wild vegetable in Perdonis that tastes good? Is that true?"

"That's just country food; I was just mentioning it casually, and I'm afraid it won't satisfy you..."

Bartók thought to himself, “This young master and his ladies-in-waiting are clearly from some illustrious noble family. Why would they condescend to come to such a barren place for a visit? Can they endure that hardship?”

After witnessing the locals' wild and unrefined cooking methods, would the lady who rarely appears in the background be like the noblewoman from the capital depicted in the street tales, shouting that the rude hospitality was beneath her aristocratic status, screaming and then fainting, or refusing to eat?

Wayne had no idea that Bartók was conjuring up absurd stories about the nobleman's outrageous words and deeds based on the ridiculous tales he heard in the marketplace.

What troubled him was how he should face those unbearable past events.

After several days of travel, the convoy finally arrived at its destination before sunset.

"This is the forest we bought." Bartók jumped down from the carriage and finally breathed a sigh of relief after his feet touched solid ground.

Wayne followed behind him, surveying the surrounding terrain.

The hills here are lower than those in the capital, barely reaching the level of small hills. The trees are dense, and there is a row of low wooden bungalows in a clearing not far away.

“As I mentioned to you, the accommodations here are quite limited… I’m truly sorry that you and your family are staying here unnecessarily.” Bartók gestured to his men to quickly clean the room.

“It’s alright, we’ve camped out in the wild quite a few times along the way.” Wayne didn’t seem to care about these minor issues.

He had a strange feeling.

"You're saying this land was bought from Carl Winche?"

That seemed to be the current head of the branch family; Wayne didn't recognize the name. However, Wayne was just a child back then, and he didn't remember many things.

But the hill in front of him felt strangely familiar to him.

“Yes,” Bartók nodded. “He was initially reluctant to sell, but he was in a hurry to raise funds, so he agreed after I raised my offer. Oh, and he also made a strange request: there’s a lonely grave on the other side of the hill, and he insisted that it not be demolished.”

"Because that area is not the growing area of ​​poplar trees, and I personally hope that the deceased can find peace, I agreed to this request, and that's how the deal was made."

Wayne's expression suddenly turned sour.

He first gestured for Bartók to wait a moment, then went back to the rear of the caravan and spoke to the people in another carriage. After that, he casually led two horses back.

Can you ride a horse?

Bartók didn't understand what he was going to do, but still replied, "Yes."

"—Mount up and take me there."

Amidst the whistling wind in his ears, Wayne was not quite sure why he couldn't calm down.

His mind was clear, clearer than ever before. But the pounding heart in his chest made him feel as if he were being scorched by flames.

After galloping along the mountain path for a while, it was getting dark, but the visibility was still good.

A solitary little mound sits in the middle of a thick patch of wild grass, with a few unidentified tiny wildflowers growing beside it.

Wayne tied his horse to a tree trunk and walked forward step by step, staring blankly at the scene before him.

The scene before him overlapped with the images in his memory. He seemed to see the soil being dug open and closed again, and a simple tombstone with the names Norman Wincher and Selma Wincher written side by side.

Once, a man and a little boy said goodbye to the mound of earth here, and then left without looking back.

He hadn't actually thought about coming back for another look. If Chris hadn't brought it up, he might never have returned to this place and stood in front of this tombstone.

On the way, he had many mixed thoughts about those memories, but when he actually stood here, his mind went blank.

After an unknown amount of time, a light appeared next to us.

Bartók, carrying a lamp, dared not disturb him and could only watch from afar.

Chapter 640 A Place That Is Already Unfamiliar

In the dim night, a solitary grave, a solitary lamp, and the occasional mournful cawing of crows coming from who-knows-where.

For ordinary people, suddenly entering this place would inevitably make them feel that the environment is quite gloomy.

However, Wayne was completely unaware.

After standing there stunned for a moment, he circled the unassuming little mound of earth. As he raised his hand, magical elements surged forth, uprooting the surrounding weeds and causing them to lie flat to the side.

It looks like it hasn't been taken care of in a long time.

That makes sense, since after his original parents "passed away," those who separated from the family were hardly relatives, so naturally they wouldn't care much about this lonely grave.

It's fortunate that nothing else went wrong.

After a long silence, he sighed.

"Let's go."

Bartók didn't understand what was going on with this young master, but he still obediently followed behind, only becoming a little more respectful without realizing it.

This is a magician! A living one!

No wonder he had the courage to act alone despite his noble status.

However, they hadn't gone far when Wayne stopped again. "You go first, I don't know the way."

……

That night, Wayne told Chris everything.

The room, which had been slightly cleaned, was fairly tidy, and all the necessary bedding and other necessities were provided. A pot of hot tea was placed on the table.

Thanks to the advance preparations and arrangements made by the executive butler, Joels, the two hardly had to worry about logistics along the way, even though the number of people traveling with them was not small.

Chris poured Wayne a cup of tea and sat down next to him.

"So, you just randomly met someone on the street, and that person happened to buy the place where your parents used to live? Isn't that a bit too much of a coincidence?" she asked, resting her chin on her hand.

Wayne remained silent for a moment.

He also felt it was all too coincidental, but several attempts to probe Bartók yielded no results; he genuinely had no idea what connection this place had to him. However, according to Bartók's account, he had been tricked into buying the land—could it be…?

A man with a tall hat, a short beard, and hawk-like eyes came to mind.

That person's name seemed to be... Homa?

“I’m not sure if someone is plotting something behind this, but it doesn’t seem like I’m losing anything,” he mused. “Bartók doesn’t mind transferring the land to me, and he seems to have some idea about our identities, so he’s being very ingratiating.”

"So, do you still want to go and take a look at the divided family property?"

“Go.” Chris’s words had inspired him, and Wayne now understood this point. “We are far from the capital, and if problems arise in the future, we may not be able to help each other in a timely manner. If we can support someone in the branch family who is willing to take care of this place for me, why not do it?”

With this squad of knights, he held absolute power in this place; even the local garrison could not match his high-level configuration.

With overwhelming military power at hand and the banner of his duke father at court, some troubles can be resolved in the most direct way.

"Moreover, Bartók told me that the current head of the branch family, Karl, seemed to be facing some problems and urgently needed to raise funds. In their eyes, I should be an unimaginable piece of fat meat."

Wayne is not afraid of them having desires, because having desires means having something lacking.

Even if someone is using him to set a trap, Wayne wouldn't mind staying to see what kind of show they're going to put on.

After listening to his opinion, Chris nodded.

"Don't worry. Whatever decision you make, I will support you."

He said it so quickly that Wayne couldn't help but joke, "Really? Then I guess I'll have to make some other decisions now?"

The topic, which had been serious, suddenly shifted, and Chris was visibly flustered for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.

"I'm tired and need to rest. Your room is next door, so please don't bother seeing me out."

Wayne hadn't intended to do anything, but he found her guilty reaction quite amusing.

"What are you thinking about? I said I've decided to gather some wild vegetables tomorrow, and maybe hunt some pheasants or rabbits for a barbecue—"

However, before he could finish speaking, Chris, enraged and embarrassed, kicked him out of the house.

With a loud "bang," the flimsy wooden door shook violently.

"Whatever! You don't need to tell me about such trivial matters!"

Wayne, who was locked out without a word, shook his head and glanced at the two maids standing guard at the door, pretending not to see what was happening.

Although efforts had been made to streamline the entourage before the trip, the necessary equipment was still brought along at Lady Ashville's insistence.

This includes the executive butler, Joels, and six capable maids, including Ms. Karen, who has been Wayne's personal maid since childhood.

Well, although Karen was nominally his personal maid, she was actually half of Chris's mole. She treated Chris's affairs with warmth and gentleness, but treated him with the same rigid formality as if it were a routine matter. Wayne was aware of the subtle difference, but he didn't care about such details.

He didn't have the peculiar fetish of having maids around him who had to worship him wholeheartedly.

Most importantly, Karen's loyalty and ability are beyond question.

“Thank you for taking care of Chris all the way.” Wayne smiled politely at them. “By the way, I’ll have someone repair these wooden houses. If you have any problems that need to be solved, you can tell me or ask Joels to handle them.”

These simple and dilapidated wooden buildings are of no value other than barely providing shelter from the wind and rain.

According to Bartók, these were all temporary structures built for convenience in order to take care of the forest farm.

As for Wayne's former belongings, they may have already been demolished and sold off, and there is no trace of them left now.

When he learned this, he couldn't say whether he felt heavy-hearted or relieved.

Having no extra worries is not necessarily a bad thing.

"Thank you for your concern, but no further assistance is needed at the moment. Also, your room has been tidied up, and Xiaobai has placed a dog mat at the foot of the bed as you requested, and is already asleep." Karen was as reliable as ever.

Wayne nodded slightly: "Okay, good night, ladies."

Before the two maids could bow in response again, Wayne turned and pushed open the door to the next room.

There's really no need for such complicated language, but lifestyle habits are clearly not something that can be changed overnight.

After carefully setting up a soundproof barrier, Wayne went straight to the foot of the bed and dug the dog out of the covers.

"Don't sleep, come with me to go out later."

He specifically instructed that it be placed in the room so that he could conscript men in the middle of the night.

Chapter 641 The Man Who Waits for a Rabbit to Fall into His Trap

Compared to the bustling capital, the night in the desolate wilderness was much deeper, and the sharp howls of unknown animals echoed from the depths of the mountains and forests from time to time, sending chills down one's spine.

For ordinary people unfamiliar with the terrain, the mountains and wilderness hold immense risks. If they were to encounter wild animals, thorns, pitfalls, or even other malicious individuals, accidents could happen at any moment.

But powerful mages are clearly not included in this category.

To avoid being noticed, Wayne did not carry any lamps. By the moonlight and relying on his magical senses, he retraced his steps, following the concealment marks he had left behind.

“I think Wayne’s birth mother would be very pleased to know that you were thinking of visiting her grave in the middle of the night.” Xiaobai’s tone sounded more sarcastic than complimentary.

Wayne, who was carrying the dog with one hand, glanced down at it.

"I just wanted to confirm a few things."

Previously, he felt it was inconvenient to do anything out of line in Bartók's presence.

"For example, digging up graves?"

Wayne looked surprised upon hearing this. "Who said I was going to dig up a grave? It's so impolite to disturb the rest of the deceased."

Hearing his resolute denial, the dog narrowed its eyes.

"So you do know it's impolite to disturb someone's sleep."

“Of course,” Wayne nodded shamelessly, “That’s why I brought you along—my most loyal friend!”

Although his biological parents were nominally buried together, Wayne knew that Norman was not dead at all, so the situation inside the cemetery might not be what he imagined.

"Someone as powerful as you must have a way to remotely investigate the situation in the cemetery and then relay it to me, right?" he said confidently.

Little White exploded in anger: "Woof woof woof!"

The deathly silence of the night was broken by a series of sharp barks from dogs, and the calls of various other animals echoed from the mountains, as if responding to it from afar.

Fortunately, Wayne pulled his hand back quickly, and it only bit a small part of his cuff.

He was trying to shake off the dog that was biting him when his expression suddenly changed, and he said softly, "Stop it, someone's coming."

There were other people sneaking around the cemetery just like me?

The rustling sound of the grass blades brushing against each other was so faint that it was hard to tell whether it was the melody of the night wind or the noise of the intruder. But it didn't escape Wayne's notice; he could sense that the flow of magic around him had become more active than before, and that the other party was also a mage.

Perhaps sensing something, the person stopped a few trees away.