Chapter 64: Finlay

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Finlay

The lockdown of Diamond Town continued into the morning of the fourth day. During this period, the residents could not leave, and outsiders could not enter. Almost every citizen in the town was interrogated at least twice.

The unprecedented oppressive atmosphere left the commoners in a state of panic. Everyone was guessing the reason, but no one dared to discuss it in public, fearing they would be arrested by the Guards.

While the commoners enjoyed no peace, the bigwigs in Diamond Town’s core departments were equally anxious. They knew the cause and effect of the situation, so they were even more afraid of being implicated than the commoners. Over the past few days, several Civil Servants and Guard captains who could not clear themselves of suspicion had been arrested and imprisoned. Others with lighter suspicions were dismissed and sent home.

From top to bottom in Diamond Town, very few people could relax.

Vili was one of them.

For the first two days, Vili studied under Hudier during the day and practiced Fencing by himself in the afternoon. Although practicing Fencing wasn’t of much use to him, he had to keep up appearances for Olay.

However, starting from yesterday afternoon, Vili no longer needed to hide anything from Olay. Count Lumbar was paying close attention to the assassination attempt on Baron Kels, and some sensitive intelligence had been extracted from the female assassin. As a result, Olay had been dispatched to Count Lumbar’s estate to report the situation in person.

During this time, Sopps and his group of recruits, who were undergoing field training at the border defense line, were recalled early to assist with the investigation.

Vili secretly visited Sopps once, but his brother was too pressed for time, busy screening various suspects. He couldn’t even squeeze out enough time for a meal. Seeing this, Vili offered to find Sopps’s captain and ask for a favor to make things easier for him. Sopps rejected the idea on the spot. As the older brother, he felt he was already less successful than his younger sibling; he absolutely could not allow himself to become mentally lazy or opportunistic.

Vili knew this was Sopps’s usual character, so he didn’t insist. He could only bid his brother farewell, promising to pass on his greetings to the family.

Another morning arrived.

After eating breakfast, Vili headed toward the Personal Guard Bureau’s office building and his exclusive classroom. His leisurely demeanor formed a stark contrast with the hurried footsteps of the other Personal Guards.

"Sir Vili?"

As soon as Vili pushed the door open, he saw a young man in exquisite, luxurious clothes waiting for him. Vili slightly furrowed his brow. It should have been Mr. Hudier here. Why was it a stranger?

"Who are you?" Vili asked.

"I am Teacher Hudier’s student. My name is Finlay," the young man immediately stated his identity. "Lacas of the Divar Family is my father, and I am his eldest son."

"The Divar Family..." Vili narrowed his eyes slightly.

The Divar Family was a prominent clan in Storm Town, another town not far from Diamond Town. The entire family ran a medicinal herb business, making them major herb merchants spanning several Baronial domains. Lacas was the number two figure in the Divar Family, maintaining relatively close ties even with Baron Kels. Since Finlay was Lacas’s eldest son, his status within the Divar Family was definitely not low.

What Vili found strange, however, was that Lacas was an old man in his fifties, yet his eldest son was only in his teens. In a world where it was common to marry at sixteen, this was quite rare.

"Hello, I’m Vili," he replied, briefly introducing himself.

Finlay looked at the calm and composed Vili. For some unknown reason, he suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of pressure radiating from this peer.

The name Vili had recently become a hot topic among the major families around Diamond Town. It was said that he was Olay’s only student and the core team member personally selected by Baron Kels for his successor, Bamos. Although the Divar Family was also a prominent clan and Lacas had a personal relationship with Baron Kels, their statuses were completely unequal.

A noble facing a merchant possessed a crushing superiority in status.

As someone favored by Baron Kels, Vili was naturally a primary target of their attention. The Divar Family had a considerable amount of business in Diamond Town, making it a crucial market for their income. Therefore, the Divar Family had always maintained close friendships with the bigwigs of the town.

Now that Vili had appeared out of nowhere in the Divar Family’s sights, he was instantly treated as a target for developing a friendship. Barring any accidents, Vili would become the next Olay. Only by building a good relationship with such a person could the Divar Family’s medicinal herb business continue to operate stably in Diamond Town.

"Mr. Vili, it’s like this: Teacher Hudier suddenly fell ill last night and cannot come to teach you. He specifically asked me to come and let you know," Finlay said to Vili.

"What happened to him?" Although Hudier seemed quite old, his constitution still appeared rather tough.

"It’s a headache ailment he contracted in his early years. It always acts up once or twice a year. Every time it flares up, he stays home alone and refuses to see anyone. It takes about half a month for him to get better."

Finlay obviously had known Hudier for a long time. He was different from Vili; Vili was only Hudier’s temporary teaching assignment, while Finlay was his true student. Their relationship was just like the one between Vili and Olay.

"I see..." Vili originally wanted to visit, but hearing that Hudier didn’t like seeing outsiders during his illness, he gave up the idea. "Thank you for making this trip specifically to tell me."

Vili replied politely, but he didn’t immediately leave. He felt that Finlay still had more to say.

"It’s my duty..." Finlay smiled, pausing for a moment. "Sir Vili, I heard that you used to be a Hunter and have some knowledge about flora and herbs?"

Hearing this, Vili was a bit surprised. Although he knew the outside world was already paying attention to him, he didn’t expect the Divar Family to have investigated him so deeply. He hadn’t revealed his botanical knowledge in public very often.

"You’re very well-informed," Vili smiled.

Finlay scratched his head, clearly lacking the effortless conversational grace of his elders. "Our Divar Family runs a medicinal herb business. We have many precious herbs stored in our collection. I wonder if you would be interested in taking a look?"

Finlay finally stated his ultimate purpose. Originally, they could have just sent a random servant to inform Vili about the canceled class. Yet Finlay, a young master, had made a special trip. His intention was obvious.

Vili wasn’t surprised. Hearing the offer, he pondered for a moment. When he first joined the Personal Guard Bureau, Olay had specifically reminded him to slowly build connections with the surrounding upper-class figures and families. This was an essential Ability for Upper-Rankers.

Vili also thought of his plan to plant herbs in Fandou Village, so he nodded in agreement. "In that case, I will impose on you."