Bones rotting?’ Ian thought, his eyes widening. "Wait, did you just say his bones are rotting?" Ian asked, unable to hide the sudden spark of intense interest in his voice.
"Yeah..." Jacob said slowly. He stopped walking and turned to look at Ian, a desperate, panicking expression suddenly washing over his face. "Do you know sothing about it? If you know sothing, please tell !" Jacob grabbed both of Ian’s shoulders, his grip tight as tears imdiately welled up in his piercing golden eyes.
"Uncle, actually, I don’t know of any normal way that can..." Ian started slowly, hesitating as he thought about his system.
But before he could even finish his sentence, the desperate hope in Jacob’s eyes vanished. The frantic panic drained away, replaced by a hollow, crushing sadness as tears spilled over and stread down his chin.
"I am sorry. I just thought that... maybe, just maybe, you might have heard of a cure. Or at least a way to slow it down," Jacob choked out, staring down at the dirt path. "He is the only truly close family I have left. When his mother was murdered... we got so close. I have tried everything in my power to save him, but nothing works."
Jacob’s broad shoulders shook. "Sotis I wonder if being a Family Head is like this in other noble houses. Do they all watch their loved ones die until they are left completely alone? Or is it only our family that suffers like this because we are just too weak and easy to bully? If this endless suffering is what my father was looking for when he bought a nobility title... then maybe we should have just stayed commoners. At least then we wouldn’t be slaughtered like pigs."
Jacob wiped his face, letting out a hollow, bitter chuckle. "Listen to . I sound like a crazy person right now." His eyes remained completely devoid of happiness. "Let’s separate here. I will have a servant show you to your quarters. You can et Adam tomorrow morning; he should already be asleep by now. I am sorry for ruining the mood on your first night here."
With a tired wave of his hand, Jacob called over a passing estate maid and instructed her to show Ian and Tracy to their respective guest rooms.
Ian followed the estate maid quietly down the lavish halls. Tracy was incredibly thankful that their rooms were located right next to each other; she was visibly nervous in such a massive, unfamiliar environnt.
Once they arrived, Ian went straight into his assigned room without saying a word to anyone, not even Tracy. He collapsed face-first onto the large, plush bed, his mind racing with everything he had just experienced.
’If Adam actually dies, Uncle Jacob will completely break down,’ Ian thought, rolling over to stare at the ceiling. ’I originally wanted to wait and observe the Main House to see if they could truly be trusted with my secrets. But that reaction... that was the genuine despair of a father who would give up absolutely anything to save his son.’ Ian narrowed his eyes in thought. ’Maybe I shouldn’t wait. That wood-attribute technique I saw in the System Shop last night—the Evergreen World-Tree Bone Refinent—is specifically designed to heal bones and generate massive life force. It could definitely slow the rotting, or maybe even cure him completely! I should talk to Uncle about it tomorrow after the Family eting.’
Ding! A familiar chi suddenly echoed in his mind.
’I guess soone broke through back ho,’ Ian thought, sitting up. "System."
A glowing blue panel instantly materialized in front of him.
[Notice: Detected that Emma Thorne has broken through to the Late Stage of Skin Cultivation. Rewarded: 50 Prosperity Points.]
’Emma finally broke through! And with those 50 points... I now have exactly 180 points!’ Ian realized, his heart skipping a beat. ’That is exactly enough to buy the Abyssal Dragon Jaw Forging technique! But... wait. If I spend all 180 points just to buy the manual, I won’t have any points left over to actually jumpstart my cultivation level with it. I should hold off on buying it until I farm a few more points.’ Satisfied with his progress, Ian swiped his hand and closed the system panel.
Knock, knock. Ian frowned. ’Who could that be at this hour?’ he wondered. He had just been about to change into his sleepwear.
"Who is it?" Ian called out.
"..."
There was only a tense silence from the hallway. ’Are they not going to answer?’ Ian thought, his guard going up.
"Young Master... it’s ," a small, nervous feminine voice finally whispered through the heavy wood.
’Tracy? What does she want right now?’ "Co in," Ian said, sitting on the edge of the bed.
The door slowly creaked open. Tracy shuffled into the room wearing a thin, white sleeping gown. She was hugging a plush pillow tightly against her chest and shaking like a leaf, looking absolutely terrified. Ian frowned when he saw her trembling.
"What’s wrong? What do you want?" Ian asked directly.
Hearing his blunt tone, she started shaking even harder, her face turning as red as a tomato. "W-well... y-you see... I t-thought I would war—warm the b-bed for you," she stuttered out, slowly raising the pillow to hide her flushed face because she was so incredibly shy.
"What?!" Ian blurted out, completely shocked by her words.
’What the hell is she talking about?! I’ve only known her for less than a day! I didn’t think a shy girl like her would be this incredibly forward. Is this just sothing normal that nobles do with their maids in this world?!’ Ian thought, sweating slightly.
He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ahem. I don’t think that will be necessary, Tracy. You can just go back to your room and get so sleep."
"No, My Lord, the Mada—" Tracy started to protest, but she instantly slapped a hand over her own mouth.
Ian’s eyes narrowed. "Wait... did my mother put you up to this?"
"N-No," Tracy squeaked.
"Tracy," Ian said, giving her a sharp, intimidating look.
"Y-Yes..." she imdiately admitted, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
Ian buried his face in his hands and let out a massive sigh. "Tracy, please don’t lie to anymore in the future, okay? How am I supposed to trust you as my personal maid if you are secretly taking orders from soone else?" Ian scolded gently. "You can go back to your room and sleep comfortably. I will never force you to do anything like that."
Tracy felt a sudden, fluttering warmth in her chest when she heard Ian’s reassuring and respectful words. She lowered the pillow slightly, looking at him with big, innocent eyes.
"I understand, Young Master... but what if I want you to do that to ?" she asked playfully.
"Get out! Right now!" Ian shouted, his face exploding in flustered embarrassnt.
"Okay, Young Master!" Tracy giggled, quickly turning around and running out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
"Huh... when did that shy girl beco so bold all of a sudden?" Ian muttered to himself, rubbing his burning temples. "And Mom... setting up this entire trap behind my back... when does she even find the ti for all this scheming?!"
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