"Newcomer?"
The lead young man stared at Cyril and asked.
This young man had striking golden hair, not the understated elegance of Mr. Scott's platinum hair, but a very vibrant and high-saturation golden color.
Cyril felt the scrutiny from the young man but chose not to speak cautiously.
He noticed the young man gently fiddling with the pocket watch he held in his hand.
"Who are you?"
Paris Gray raised his voice and asked.
"We are new students brought by Master Oberley's wizards, three days ahead of you."
The golden-haired youth revealed a somewhat friendly smile.
He waved the map in his hand and said, "In five days, we'll all be taking a boat to Whalefall Island."
The golden-haired youth paused for a moment, seemingly casually glancing at Cyril's expression, and continued, "You don't have much time left, I advise you to explore the manor quickly and see if there's anything good left."
Paris Gray was somewhat puzzled by his words and wanted to ask more, but the golden-haired youth had already waved to them and left downstairs.
When the young man's figure disappeared from sight, Cyril withdrew his gaze.
He had a feeling that the words just spoken by the golden-haired youth were deliberately conveyed to him.
During the moment Cyril felt the young man's gaze, he had the system detect the other's physical qualities.
When he saw "Mental Power: 16; Magic Power: 4" on the other's information, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
-
Even if the newcomers were unfriendly, at least he could hold his own.
The golden-haired youth and his three companions had now reached the first-floor hall.
"James, why did you specifically tell those people?"
One of his companions asked with some confusion.
"That black-haired boy has some powerful magical equipment on him."
James shrugged and waved the brass pocket watch he held.
This was something he had discovered while exploring Rose Manor the day before, a device that could detect whether someone had magical equipment.
It took him quite some time to figure out how to use it.
Judging the range based on the position of the hour hand on the dial and the power of the magical equipment based on the size of the minute hand's number.
The reason he could use it so accurately was thanks to the various conflicts that had erupted in Rose Manor these past few days.
James thought to himself, "Sure enough, this group of apprentice wizards had some hidden talents."
"Let's just consider it a favor to that black-haired boy. In the upcoming ranking trial, we might show some mercy."
James continued to explain, "We're the first ones to give him information, so if he discovers anything in the next few days, he can communicate with us during meal times."
"True."
His companion nodded thoughtfully.
"We need to make the most of our time and find some good things before the ranking trial."
The group quickened their pace and passed through the luxurious archway in the hall on the first floor, heading outside.
-
Cyril found his room, with a copper plaque labeled "601" on the white wooden door.
He turned the circular brass door lock clockwise, and with a soft click, the door opened.
The switch for the hallway light was right at the entrance, and Cyril pressed the lever gently. Warm yellow light emanated from the hallway lamp.
The furnishings inside the room were simple, elegant, and quite conventional.
There was a small living room, and pushing the door to the right revealed the bedroom.
On one side of the bedroom, there was a desk for reading and writing, and a delicate brass kerosene lamp was placed on the tabletop.
Cyril pushed open the window in the bedroom.
The window sill was adorned with blooming light pink roses.
By now, the night had completely fallen.
A crescent moon and scattered stars floated in the silent night sky.
In the distance, you could see a lake and the ups and downs of shrubs in the moonlight, with three or four faint silhouettes visible.
From further away in the woods, there came the faint sound of birds flapping their wings.
Cyril surveyed the outside scenery for a moment, intending to close the window, when a round, plump snowy owl flew toward him with an envelope larger than its own body clutched in its beak.
Then, with a thud, it collided with Cyril's chest.
Huh?
This snowy owl didn't seem very bright...
Seeing the snowy owl about to tumble to the floor, Cyril quickly reached out and caught the chubby bird, while his other hand deftly grabbed the fallen letter.
The palm-sized snowy owl tilted its little head and looked at him, seemingly urging him to open the letter.
Alright, even though it's not very clever, it's still diligent.
Cyril placed the plump snowy owl on the desk and then looked at the letter in his hand.
The envelope was a rich black color, exuding a faint cold fragrance.
The seal on the envelope bore a deep red, exquisitely detailed wax seal that oozed a sense of nobility.
The pattern on the seal depicted two intertwined roses, with even the veins of the leaves clearly visible.
Cyril found a brand-new small knife in the desk drawer.
He inclined the small knife and carefully cut away the wax seal.
After finishing, Cyril gently opened the envelope and took out a smooth invitation letter.
[To the Honored Guest,
Rose Manor welcomes your arrival and wishes you an unforgettable time before your departure.
Sincerely,
The Manor's Host
Remember: Every sunset is the time for treasures to appear. All consequences of conflicts within the manor are at your own risk!]
"Every sunset is the time for treasures to appear."
Cyril's gaze lingered on this sentence.
He thought of the words spoken by the golden-haired boy he had just met upstairs, as well as what Mr. Scott had said before leaving, his eyes narrowing slightly.
It seemed that there was definitely something worth looking forward to in this manor.
Cyril quickly read through the letter and carefully searched the envelope again, but he didn't find any other information.
He neatly placed the letter back into the envelope and, to his surprise, a cluster of bright blue flames quickly spread from the wax seal.
The flames rapidly licked the edges of the envelope, yet Cyril's fingers holding the envelope didn't feel the warmth of the flames at all.
In no time, the entire envelope, along with the invitation letter, burned to ashes in his hand, leaving no trace of residue.
On the side, the snowy owl saw that its mission was complete and fluttered its wings, flying out of the window. Its round body disappeared into the night sky in an instant.
Cyril blinked in slight astonishment, then carefully closed the window, secured it with a latch, and drew the curtains.
Exploration was definitely on the agenda.
He glanced at the brass kerosene lamp on the table and felt that it was probably prepared by the manor owner for this purpose.
But before exploring, he needed to fill his stomach.
Cyril took out the map and tried to find the location of the dining room.
However, after zooming in and out repeatedly and searching, he couldn't find the word "dining room" or any signage on the map.
Just as Cyril was guessing whether he should just go to the first-floor hall, he suddenly remembered the scene when Mr. Scott had signed his name with his finger on the parchment.
So Cyril also used his index finger to write the word "dining room" in an empty space.
Soon, the small red dot on the map that marked Cyril's location began to move. It bounced down the stairs rapidly, and the scenery on the map changed accordingly until the red dot stopped at a location on the first floor labeled "dining room."
"Done!"
Cyril smiled.
He folded the map and put it in his pocket, then picked up the small kerosene lamp on the desk and followed the map's instructions to go downstairs to the dining room.