Super Righteous Player
Chapter 357 - 354 The Three-Eyed Crow_1

Chapter 357: Chapter 354 The Three-Eyed Crow_1

"We’ve arrived, my lord,"

the deep and respectful voice outside the carriage gently woke Annan from his dozing state.

There was only him inside the carriage, Kafney and the cat were not there.

So we’ve arrived, huh...

Annan hadn’t expected the journey to be so swift, cutting a whole day off the anticipated travel time.

It wasn’t that the horses were exceptionally fast, or that there were any secret passageways unknown to others... The main reason was that there had been no stops at all.

From one city to another, from one station to the next, fresh horses and coachmen were always ready. Only the man who guarded Annan, donning the Crow mask and squatting outside the door, remained unchanged.

He took care of all needs, from eating and drinking to other necessities, and Annan had not once left the carriage—departing from a "carriage shrouded in black cloth" was not permitted.

The black cloth resembled the soft yet heavy texture of coral fleece.

Printed with countless "eyeball" patterns that seemed almost too real, the cloth could induce dizziness simply by staring at it while the carriage was moving. Even when stationary, from any angle, it felt like many eyes were watching—one truly odd canvas.

To the commonfolk, a carriage draped with such black cloth would be utterly invisible; it also had a strong resistance to Prophet spells, preventing Prophets and wizards from seeing what was inside easily.

And for other Transcendents with heightened senses, the mere sight of such a carriage compelled them to steer clear... Not only would they never attack, they wouldn’t even dare be seen.

For it signified that "The Crow is transporting intelligence for the King."

Upon closer inspection, each opened eye on the black cloth had discernible variations. Behind every embroidered eye pattern was a connection to a "Crow’s" vision.

—Their original two eyes, plus an external, moveable "camera."

This was the so-called "Crow."

Without having to be scattered across the entirety of Noah, they could silently, closely monitor a nation’s intelligence network.

Not just on the black cloth of the carriage. It could even be stitched into the collar or cuff of someone’s clothing, or even on the back of living hands or foreheads and so on.

Through a simple ritual, control over the opening and closing of the eye pattern was possible—although only one eye could be opened at a time, each Crow could monitor a vast territory through timely switching.

To attempt attacking or observing the carriage shrouded in black cloth would be akin to committing theft or robbery while the police are merely a few meters away, watching.

"The carriage is quite high, please be careful,"

the man in the Crow mask said respectfully, reaching out to steady Annan’s arm as he descended from the carriage.

The carriage was indeed difficult to dismount from at over half a meter high.

...Even so, Annan was not some fragile noble young master.

But Annan did not push the man away; instead, he leaned his weight on him and carefully descended to the ground with the man’s assistance.

Then Annan looked down, smiled faintly, and bowed slightly, "Thank you."

"It is my duty,"

the young man with the Crow mask immediately took half a step back, returning the gesture and responding in a deep voice.

Of course, he knew this was Annan giving him face...

He had offered his help, which was a sign of goodwill towards Annan.

If Annan completely refused the gesture, insisting upon declining his help and dismounting on his own; or if Annan politely maintained distance, allowing for a hollow act of assistance without relying on his aid to stand firmly—either way would have been fine.

They were, of course, aware that Annan was a Transcendent and was unlikely to trip in such circumstances. Not to mention that a male servant, his face unseen and his hat left on, going directly up to help a stranger, a son of a grand duke, was undoubtedly a breach of etiquette.

In fact, it was just a simple test.

Annan easily discerned the Crow family’s intent and responded amicably—

—I indeed require your assistance.

Although he did not speak, that is what Annan’s gaze conveyed.

"Please, come with me."

The man wearing the crow mask nodded slightly and replied in a soft voice.

Annan quietly followed behind him, surveying the environment around them.

After stepping out of the carriage, he felt a moist cold wind brush against his cheeks.

...It really is different from Frostwater Harbor.

Annan silently mused.

It was a bit different from what had been arranged with the Silver Baron.

Annan had not waited for the spring hunt to enter the Royal Capital... which meant that the rot believers in the capital had not been completely cleared out yet.

In other words, it was still winter.

But winter in Noah wasn’t really considered cold.

Unlike the weather in Frostwater Harbor and Roth Fort, although Noah was overcast all year round, even on January nights and early mornings, the temperature generally hovered around five or six degrees Celsius.

For Annan, this hardly counted as cold.

It was just a penetrating damp chill that made him uncomfortable enough to roll his shoulders and neck.

Even in a "sleeper," sitting for more than a day still made Annan’s bones sore.

The Geraint family estate was not particularly large.

Perhaps because of the high value of land within the Royal Capital, its size and scale were not much different from the Viscount’s manor in Roth Fort.

But whether it was the decorative style or the arrangement of the courtyard, one could clearly see a difference in taste.

And then there was...

Annan glanced at the edge of the courtyard.

...This was the first time he had seen a noble courtyard guarded so heavily.

Just in terms of lookout towers, Annan had spotted six. Outside the courtyard was a ring of thick, soundproofed marble walls—and scanning from his angle, Annan could see more than three hundred armed guards.

Moreover, the temperament of these guards was distinctly different from those at Roth Fort.

Even the soldiers from Roth Fort did not stand as straight and steady as the Geraint family’s "guards."

This kind of guard force, which stood at their posts expressionless and without wandering eyes, was enough to prove the foundation of the Geraint family.

At the moment, Annan was in the large path of the backyard.

Behind him was a huge fountain, and on both sides stood statues three to four meters tall.

Beneath each statue was a square monument made of obsidian, inscribed with the names of the statues’ subjects, their families, and their achievements.

Yes... although this was in the Geraint family’s backyard, the majority of these statues were not people from the Geraint family.

The young man waiting to greet Annan at the door stood about one meter seventy-eight tall, with a well-proportioned figure, black hair, and black eyes.

His appearance was ordinary, neither ugly nor handsome. But his posture was upright and relaxed, not hunched over, with shoulders that inspired a sense of reliability.

Annan could tell at a glance that the young man bore some resemblance to Tan Juan.

When the young man saw Annan’s face, he was momentarily stunned—especially upon seeing Annan’s heterochromatic blue and green eyes, he even looked somewhat transfixed.

But he quickly recovered and politely extended his hand to Annan.

"Welcome, Your Highness Annan,"

the man said in a deep, magnetic voice, "Allow me to introduce myself...

"I am Eugene Geraint."