Super Righteous Player
Chapter 468 - 9 Arrival in the Duchy of Winter_1

Chapter 468: Chapter 9 Arrival in the Duchy of Winter_1

The Roth Fort Citadel was approaching, and it was time for Nigel to get off.

"So everyone, I must be going..."

The somewhat hunched middle-aged painter nodded to the other four, and especially said to Annan with respect, "I wish you a pleasant journey as well."

Although Nigel still didn’t know what the true identity of "Lord Annan" was... he could see that there was definitely an extraordinary connection between Annan and the Paper Princess.

——Perhaps Lord Annan was likely a descendant of the Paper Princess.

Nigel believed he should hold Annan in greater respect.

Even now, he hadn’t realized... Annan was actually the future Duke of Winter.

As an ordinary person, he had never even considered that possibility.

After all, as a painter who had never left the country and who focused solely on his art, unlike his mother who was a Ritualist, or Amos, who had connections with the Transcendents as an unorthodox painter, Nigel didn’t even know the name of the Duke of Winter, let alone the name "Annan."

He didn’t even know how many children the King of Noah had... only that the King had passed away.

On the train, Nigel also mentioned to Annan and the others that part of the reason he chose to leave Noah at this time was because His Majesty the King had passed away.

He predicted that, from now until close to the Silver Baron’s holy day, the Royal Capital would probably become more and more chaotic. Even painters like himself might be asked to take sides or die in unwarranted tragedies... Not wanting to get involved in such troubles, Nigel had made his escape early.

How did the King die? Who would be the new King? What would the future of Noah be like?

——I don’t know, I’m not clear, I don’t understand, but it’s better to slip away first.

That was what Nigel thought.

This was the political common sense of ordinary people.

After Viscount of Roth Fort, Annan had hardly encountered anyone who was completely unrelated to the Transcendent world and the higher echelons of the kingdom.

Although Nigel was quite a famous painter in Noah, he was, after all, someone even the newspapers could casually interview. He was neither very wealthy nor had any connections with the upper class...

Such a level of celebrity was, to the real personages, just a "slightly famous commoner" at best. They might not even count as a pawn.

Hence, even towards Lin Yiyi and her two other companions who were able to ride the subway, Nigel’s attitude was respectful and warm, for fear that he might have offended the child of some important figure...

"It truly was a delightful journey, Mr. Nigel."

Lin Yiyi smiled and said, "I also wish you a smooth trip."

Annan remained seated, closed the book he had open, and nodded slightly to Nigel, saying naturally, "May Grandmother watch over you on the Winter land."

"Yes, and may the Silver Baron... Oh, here I should invoke the name of Grandmother."

Nigel laughed, then added one more thing to Annan, "And may Grandmother bless you as well."

After that, he picked up his luggage with a certain weariness.

For ordinary people, a journey that starts in the morning and doesn’t reach the destination until eight or nine in the evening is still somewhat laborious and taxing.

As the train slowed down and came to a stop, a loud release of air could be heard.

The carriage door opened, and the biting cold wind blew in from outside, causing the Four Dark Decks to shiver.

Embarrassingly, among the three players, he was the only male, but he was also the only player whose constitution attribute was below 5...

After Nigel disembarked, Four Dark Decks quickly moved back across the aisle and sat down next to Annan.

Although it was already 8:30 in the evening, six or seven people still boarded the train.

Now that it was February, Noah was warming up early, and the Royal Capital was no longer as cold as before.

The players had switched to trench coats and cloaks, underneath which they wore woolen waistcoats or shirts—this was a batch of "player standard equipment" that Annan had Dragon Well Tea negotiate for at wholesale prices, one for each player.

At Roth Fort, a set of rooms for each player, and eight sets of clothes for all seasons were all bought in advance, to be delivered in due time. Annan planned to make this a benefit for veteran players.

It wouldn’t cost much money or effort. But it would enable the players to feel distinctly remembered by Annan.

In the future, when new players arrive, the veterans could also feel a sense of superiority—not at the expense of the new players’ gaming experience, which is the best part.

"I thought Mr. Nigel would give each of us a painting as a gift," Jiu’er sighed softly and mumbled.

Si Anke also smacked his lips, obviously feeling a bit regretful, "At the very least, he could’ve drawn us a quick sketch or something... If he becomes famous later, they would definitely sell for a good price."

"Sell what? This has memorial value," Jiu’er countered, "This is something not just anyone can get, a memento from traveling with a famous painter. Isn’t that more meaningful than the money we could get from selling it?"

"He won’t paint it, because he’s not in that mood."

Annan narrowed his eyes slightly and answered, "Lord Nigel is probably not here entirely for traveling, or for sanctuary... He might be in some trouble."

"Trouble?"

Lin Yiyi showed a curious expression, "How did you figure that out?"

"It’s quite simple. When we arrived, the hydraulic platform had already returned to the top. There were no workers around either, which means Nigel must have gone down quite early. And here lies a question..."

As Annan flipped through a book, he continued softly, "Doesn’t he know any friends?

"Even if no one else but him could enter the subway layer, they could’ve just talked above ground and waited for time to pass. Waiting for a train alone isn’t a pleasant experience.

"Nigel, as a distinguished painter, wouldn’t lack people wanting to curry favor with him, and with his cautious nature in dealing with others, he wouldn’t have offended any friends. Yet, he came to take the subway alone, and waited directly in the subway layer..."

"...does this mean that he snuck out?" Lin Yiyi speculated, following Annan’s thoughts.

Si Anke shook his head, dismissing his sister’s suggestion, "More accurately, he probably didn’t want others to worry about him.

"The reason he came to the Winter Principality is likely not just for tourism. It could be something dangerous..."

He trailed off at this point.

What kind of dangerous activities could a real ordinary person be involved in?

Seeing them fall into silence, deeply pondering, Annan couldn’t help but smile, "Why didn’t he paint us a picture? The answer is quite simple.

"Inside his suitcase, which a more than fifty-year-old man can lift with one hand, it’s impossible to have frames, easels, and canvases. Canvases can’t be folded, and easels and frames are too bulky. If one were to say that it contained brushes, palettes, blending oils, and paints... there wouldn’t be enough room left to fit several sets of spare clothes, let alone daily necessities."

These are issues that players living in modern life would not think about.

In a world where the progress of technology is roughly comparable to that of the sixteenth century, traveling is no simple matter.

There aren’t convenience stores everywhere to buy water and food; clothes, shoes, and tools aren’t easy to purchase; and there’s no cell phone, a handy device that combines a wallet with an ID holder. Medicines, drinking water, food, clothes, and most importantly... the silver coins and copper plates used for daily transactions are all quite heavy.

With all the preparations for his work, how could he possibly only bring so little?

"The answer is straightforward. From the beginning, Nigel knew where he was going and what items were unnecessary to take. His trip was not an aimless ’vacation,’ but a purposeful ’business trip.’

Annan answered calmly, "So the situation is quite clear. He must have been summoned here by someone. He’s willing to risk traveling to a foreign country, and this matter must be kept secret from his friends—so it naturally involves some danger."

Espionage? Elopement? Smuggling? Treasure hunting?

Or something else?

Hearing Annan’s reasoning, the players immediately came up with various speculations in their minds.

Annan glanced at them, his lips curling up, "Alright, stop guessing. If it’s meant to be, we’ll certainly meet again... Lord Nigel is not the type to do anything dangerous. Let’s wish him luck, maybe we’ll run into him again soon.

"Let’s get something to eat first to fill our stomachs, there’s less than an hour before we have to get off.

"When we get there, I’ll treat you to a late-night snack."

Meanwhile, in the Storm Tower, enshrouded by the never-ending storm,

Maria slowly opened her eyes and frowned slightly as she looked into the distance.

"Has Annan... returned?"

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