82: Night Fog

Chapter 82: Night Fog

This hunting excursion, with ladies present, would naturally not be as intense as a true wilderness hunt.

The servants were well-prepared, having arranged plenty of rabbits and wild ducks in advance.

This was solely to allow the young masters and ladies to fully enjoy the pleasure of hunting.

Besides Arthur, there were seven other participants, all friends of either Molly or Forni.

What Arthur hadn't expected was that the noble lady of the Bull Family, unlike the other ladies, didn't stay under the awning drinking and chatting, but instead threw herself into the hunt.

Dressed in a neat riding habit, holding a bow and arrow, and riding a swift horse, she chased a rabbit alongside the men.

Unfortunately, the rabbit was ultimately caught by a son of a Calimshan noble.

As everyone celebrated, the noble lady rode her horse over to Arthur.

She glanced at Arthur's quiver and teased, "Your arrows haven't diminished at all, Baron."

Arthur shrugged and said, "Archery isn't my strong suit."

"Then you must be very bored."

"No, it's quite nice to be able to ride out and enjoy the scenery. But you, miss, are truly surprising."

"People from our Bull Family have been dealing with horses since childhood."

"So even for women, riding and hunting is no problem."

"It's just that my father doesn't allow me to participate in such activities."

"I can only secretly indulge when he's not around."

With that, Molly turned her horse around. "Come on, let's go back. I've had enough fun."

The two rode back to the awning, and servants immediately brought them drinks.

Molly looked at the ladies around who kept secretly glancing at Arthur and quipped, "You're very popular, Baron."

Arthur smiled slightly and asked, "So, what exactly are you and Sir Forni planning?"

The noble lady was visibly startled, but quickly covered her embarrassment with a smile.

"You're very direct too."

"You know, I still have a lot of people to look after, and my time is very limited."

"Why would you think Forni and I have something to ask of you?"

"It's simple. Although I helped you find your ring,"

"it's not enough to warrant you going to such great lengths to win me over."

Molly pointed to the other side and suggested, "How about a walk with me?"

Arthur nodded and gestured for her to lead the way.

"We do have something we'd like your help with," Molly said in a low voice as they walked. "Forni and I want to go to Lookout Keep."

"Lookout Keep is..."

"I know what Lookout Keep is."

"Your father has already explained it to me very carefully. I don't think it's a good place for a honeymoon."

The noble lady covered her mouth and chuckled, "Don't make me laugh, Baron.

"Forni and I have been investigating a very strange matter recently."

Just as the two were talking, Forni also rode back.

He quickly dismounted, took the drink offered by a servant, and hurried towards his fiancée.

Arthur pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is it related to the frequent strange occurrences on the border?"

"Exactly. The priests of the Whispering Place call it 'Night Fog,'" Molly replied.

Arthur was about to press further when Forni arrived.

He wrapped his arms around his fiancée's waist, gave her a light kiss on the cheek, and asked playfully, "Do you mind if I join your conversation?"

Molly affectionately hugged her fiancé back, "Of course not."

Then, she whispered a reminder, "You're too eager, my dear. It's easy to attract attention this way."

"Sorry. Where were you two just now?"

"Night Fog," Arthur said.

Forni nodded and explained, "A few months ago, in a border village, all the villagers suddenly disappeared.

"That village was very remote; if not for some rural tinkers discovering it by chance, this matter might not have been found out.

"We sent people to investigate but found nothing.

"The only suspicious thing was that some graves in the village seemed to have been dug up.

"Later, my father dispatched some Sharice priests to check the situation.

"They claimed that an evil force had taken away the living and resurrected the dead."

At this point, Forni paused.

He greeted a portly official, saying loudly, "Uncle, are you really not going to participate in the hunt?

"I still remember, you were the one who taught me how to use a bow and arrow for the first time."

The official replied with a laugh, "Look at me, can I still draw a bow?

"It's all your father's fault, child. He made me become some Minister of Finance.

"It has made me deal with those merchants for most of my life."

Forni also laughed along, taking his uncle's hand and walking aside, "Then you can have a drink with me."

The official glanced at Arthur, seeming a bit reluctant, but still followed Forni to the side.

Once they were out of earshot, Arthur asked in a low voice, "Why do I feel increasingly unwelcome since I agreed to officiate your wedding?"

"I—I must admit, this matter has indeed had some impact on you."

"But more of the reason is that many people don't want to see Forni get too close to you."

"Why?"

"He's excellent, but he's still the third child in the family after all."

A simple sentence explained a lot.

Molly stopped, looked around, and then said, "But we sincerely hope you can officiate our wedding."

Arthur nodded, "I understand. Let's get back to business."

"Alright. Three months ago, the same strange thing happened again, and this time, it was even deeper.

"In a small village within my family's territory, the situation was exactly the same as last time.

"The priests of Mother Earth, after investigation, came to the exact same conclusion as the Sharice priests.

"Initially, we suspected the Calimshan people were behind it, and even arranged a meeting specifically for that.

"However, during the meeting, we learned that they were facing the same problem.

"This is also one of the reasons for our two families' alliance through marriage.

"Forni and I met during a trip a year ago.

"At the time, neither of us knew the other's identity, and we just fell deeply in love.

"Later, we never thought we'd have a day where we could be together again.

"It seems the Fire Haired Lady is blessing us."

Molly took a sip of wine to clear her throat.

She continued, "However, compared to our love and marriage, there is a more important matter that needs to be resolved urgently.

"As the investigation deepened, we discovered that it was that strange mist that took away those villagers.

"Those mists seem to possess life; they appear at night, envelop the entire village, infect the living,

"turning them into undead creatures, and can also resurrect the dead from their graves.

"A while ago, Forni and I, under the guise of traveling, visited a hermit.

"He was once one of the few people able to enter and exit Qingfeng Valley.

"We hoped he could give us some answers, but he refused to say anything.

"He said he was cursed, and if he revealed any information about Qingfeng Valley, monsters from the night would come for him."

Hearing this, Arthur interrupted and asked, "What does all this have to do with you going to Lookout Keep?"

Molly explained, "We've been cooperating with the priests of the Whispering Place, and they've recently made a discovery and want to meet with us.

"And the Whispering Place is near Lookout Keep."

"They could totally report this to higher authorities."

"That's the problem, Baron," the noble lady sighed. "These priests living in the countryside are very unwelcome here.

"The situation is even worse on the Calimshan side, and they also deeply dislike us city dwellers.

"Forni and I are among the few people they are willing to communicate with.

"But even so, it's full of risks.

"If anyone knew that Forni and I were in contact with these priests, they would likely make a big deal out of it."

Arthur finally understood that they needed a cover, and his pioneering group was clearly the best choice.

He gave his answer, "No, I can't."