Chapter 1 Earl Kelfield's Troubles

Could Earl Kelfield’s troubles, just an ordinary task, have some connection to Nie Yan’s task?

In his past life, Nie Yan had taken on Earl Kelfield’s troubles, wanting to earn some money, but suddenly, an accident happened. He was hunted down by people from the Victorious Return Empire, and in the end, he had no choice but to abandon the task. Later, he never had the chance to do it.

Nie Yan could only speculate wildly as he rode his horse across the plains.

His magnificent Falkner warhorse ran swiftly, like a flash of lightning.

Passing by several leveling spots, Nie Yan noticed that *Faith* was even more lively than before. More and more players were entering *Faith*, becoming a part of it.

Based on Nie Yan's experience from his past life, *Faith* would attract more and more players, and it would continue to be popular for more than ten years.

The half-hour journey only took Nie Yan ten minutes. In the distance, an ancient castle came into view. It was entirely made of bricks and stones, perched on the hillside like an invincible fortress. Although it was dilapidated, the glory of the past was still faintly visible. At the top of the castle were some dark cannon muzzles, which were magic cannons made by the goblins, possessing powerful destructive force, but they were already too rusty to be used.

Surrounding the castle was a beautiful garden, with patches of purple flowers growing in abundance. When the wind blew, the sea of flowers undulated, and the fragrance of the flowers wafted far away, but the sea of flowers was a little messy, with many areas destroyed.

This sea of flowers was surrounded by iron railings, with a gate in the front and a narrow, winding path leading to the castle.

Nie Yan rode his Falkner warhorse to the outside of the iron railings and jumped off.

He looked around. There were no monsters active here, and it seemed very peaceful. He stepped forward.

System: You have discovered Earl Kelfield's Ancient Castle.

He received some new quest information.

Quest Progress: Talk to Earl Kelfield. There was some additional quest information below. Earl Kelfield's castle was full of dangers. Ever since the evil creatures appeared in the castle, the servants dared not stay there, and they bid farewell to Earl Kelfield and left. Earl Kelfield had to hire some militiamen, but recently, some strange things had happened in the castle. One night, Earl Kelfield suddenly walked out of the castle in the middle of the night. The next morning, someone found him sleeping in the flower bushes in the garden, covered in dust. From that day on, Earl Kelfield had been distraught, murmuring a name, Aina, Aina...

Seeing this quest message, Nie Yan raised an eyebrow. Princess Youhun (Wandering Soul) Aina!

It seemed that this was a series of related quests!

He needed to find Earl Kelfield to get the next quest clues. Nie Yan walked towards the distant castle with firm steps.

The walls of the castle were somewhat eroded, giving it an ancient and weathered feeling. A cold wind blew through the sea of flowers, carrying a hint of coldness, mixed with a putrid smell.

This smell made Nie Yan frown. It was the aura of the undead.

Usually, after receiving Earl Kelfield's quest, skeletons would start to spawn in this garden.

Walking to the side of the castle, it was somewhat gloomy here. In front of him was a grim iron gate. The paint on the iron gate was a bit peeled off. Nie Yan slowly pushed it open. Inside was a hall, the light dim. Outside, the sun was shining brightly, but it couldn't penetrate here.

Just then, two dark figures walked out of the shadows next to him.

Nie Yan was startled. He gripped his dagger, ready to fight at any moment.

He saw clearly the appearance of the two people in front of him. They were wearing thick leather armor, holding round wooden shields in their left hands, and slightly dilapidated battle axes in their right hands. Nie Yan realized that these two people were NPCs, so he did not attack.

He used Super Appraisal on these two NPCs.

Militiaman Breken: Level 45.

Militiaman Bernard: Level 46.

Breken was sturdier, like a bear, but he looked honest and did not have any murderous aura. Bernard was a bit shorter, a sincere young man.

"Greetings, respected Demon Hunter, Great Scholar, Grand Thief, sir." After seeing Nie Yan's title, Bernard was stunned and stammered.

"Hello." Breken obviously didn't talk much, and it took him a while to say two words.

Nie Yan nodded and said, "Hello, I would like to ask you to do me a favor. Could you take me to see Earl Kelfield? I think I can help him."

"Yes, we will take you there immediately. Please follow me," Bernard said respectfully.

The two militiamen led Nie Yan inside.

"The respected Earl Kelfield is a good person. He has been in this castle for more than sixty years. After those damn evil creatures came here, many people advised Earl Kelfield to leave, but he was unwilling to go. His servants have all left, leaving only the two of us." Bernard looked at Nie Yan and pleaded, "Respected Demon Hunter, Great Scholar, Grand Thief, sir, please, you must help him."

"God will bless every kind and upright person," Nie Yan nodded, organizing the information revealed by Militiaman Bernard. Earl Kelfield was unwilling to leave this castle; there must be a reason. He could ask Earl Kelfield and extract some clues.

Led by the two militiamen, Nie Yan passed through long corridors and entered a spacious hall. A long table was placed in the center of the hall, with candlesticks on it. A red carpet was laid on the floor, giving a very formal feeling.

Looking towards the window in the distance, in front of the somewhat old French windows, hung bright red curtains. A ray of sunlight shone in through the window, and a recliner was placed in front of the window. A decrepit old man was lying on the recliner, rocking and looking out the window. His eyes were lonely and desolate.

He was Earl Kelfield!

Nie Yan's gaze swept over Earl Kelfield and landed on the wall in the distance. Hanging on the wall was a slightly dilapidated photo frame, and the person inside was none other than Princess Youhun Aina, on whom Nie Yan had once used his Steal skill.

Earl Kelfield turned his head and looked towards Nie Yan.

Nie Yan saw his appearance clearly. He looked very old, wearing a grayish-white leather jacket. His hands were like dry, cracked bark, devoid of any vitality.

Through Earl Kelfield's eyes, Nie Yan seemed to see the sadness contained within them.

"You've come," Earl Kelfield revealed a childlike, brilliant smile, with a sense of relief.

Seeing Earl Kelfield's smile, Nie Yan was stunned. Earl Kelfield did not use a normal greeting when greeting him. There was definitely something profound about this.

"Respected Earl Kelfield, hello," Nie Yan greeted, walking towards Earl Kelfield.

The militiamen, Breken and Bernard, respectfully retreated.

Earl Kelfield looked into the distance, his eyes distant, as if drifting to the far reaches.

Nie Yan looked at the photo frame on the wall. Judging from the time, this photo frame should have been placed here for decades. He opened his mouth and said, "Is she your wife? She looks very beautiful." This was Nie Yan's guess. In any case, he had to find some topics to bring out the quest.

This photo frame placed here was a ready-made clue!

"Yes," Earl Kelfield glanced at the photo frame on the wall and sighed with emotion. "Young man, are you willing to listen to me tell a story?"

"I am willing to be a listener," Nie Yan nodded. Everything was as he expected. He had brought out Earl Kelfield's topic.

"When I was young, I was rich. All the fields around the castle belonged to me, and many villagers lived here, working for me. This castle was built during the Co-Governance Era. From the time my grandfather bought this castle, it has been passed down to me. Many people say that this castle was cursed by a wizard, but I didn't believe it. Until one year, a group of bandits broke into the castle. They killed my father and stole a lot of wealth, and I began to have doubts. Aina was my wife. She was once an orphan, growing up in the Grandor Orphanage. She and her friend Patience were good friends, and they were hired by me together to become my maids. Her sweet smile was as pure as an angel, and it could make people forget all their worries. The moment I saw her, I fell deeply in love with her, infatuated with her intoxicating smile. She was the most beautiful gift from heaven, and I was willing to die peacefully in this smile," Earl Kelfield said slowly, his eyes filled with endless memories.

Nie Yan listened quietly, without making a sound, as if sensing Earl Kelfield's deep love.

"Aina became my wife. I wanted to make her the happiest woman in the world. The sweetness of love made me forget the pain and sorrow of losing my father. Three years later, we had our first child, a daughter named Niya. She was as beautiful as Aina. I thought everything would continue like this, until Mount Morcos was flattened by the cold wind blowing from the Xisuo Plains, until this castle collapsed into fragments and turned into something as long and ancient as eternity. However, everything changed. As love slowly settled, I felt that there was a demon slowly growing in my heart. Patience, that enchanting woman, she was like a siren singing a lullaby, deeply bewitching me. I kept squandering money, and the family savings were squandered. Finally, one day, Aina discovered my affair with Patience. The sad look on her face when she cried tore at my heart, causing me excruciating pain. What have I, this scum, this trash, done!" Earl Kelfield closed his eyes in pain, and a cloudy tear fell from the corner of his eye.

~~This chapter was difficult to write and took a long time.