Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 5

A rich aroma of plants and earth filled Dwight’s nostrils as he entered a scene he had never witnessed before: towering ancient trees with smaller bushes and moss-covered stones between them. The dense canopy obscured the sky, making it scarcely brighter than the mine they had just left.

He looked back to find that the mine’s exit was inconspicuously nestled under a small earthen mound, with the dark bronze door blending seamlessly into the soil. Many unnamed vines and wildflowers enveloped the entire door, explaining why Charlie had struggled to fully open it.

A brightly colored beetle busily climbed to the tip of Dwight’s boot before hurriedly burrowing into the mud beside his foot.

“This way,” Charlie said, stepping effortlessly over a fallen pine tree.

Long green vines hung from the trees. Dwight frowned, pulling his cloak tighter…

…He always felt countless sticky insects hidden within these plants, making his skin crawl.

For a forest, the Greenwoods was unnervingly quiet.

No bear roars, wolf howls, bird calls, or insect sounds, and even the rustling of leaves in the wind was barely audible. In contrast, the sound of their footsteps on the soft layer of fallen leaves was especially conspicuous here, so much so that even the little tin soldier instinctively kept its mouth shut.

In this extreme quiet, Dwight almost felt an illusion: the silence was just a façade of this vast forest, as if the trees were whispering to each other about these unwelcome guests, something enormous slept beneath their feet, and the occasional breeze hinted at its breathing—even the scattered sunlight through the leaves had a strange rhythm.

Charlie seemed to sense something, turning his head to give the young Duke an amused look.

His handsome face was once again hidden under his cloak’s hood, his sharp jawline somewhat aloof.

Despite rumors, Charlie didn’t see any resemblance between the Duke and an angel; fine features didn’t soften his sharp, sword-like demeanor, as if ready to burst from its scabbard at any moment.

But just when Charlie thought he was merely a cold, hard crystal sculpture, the Duke exhibited a perception usually only seen in creatures like elves.

It was quite intriguing.

The towering trees made it impossible to discern directions, and Dwight noticed that his compass had long since stopped functioning. Under these circumstances, he had every reason to doubt whether the rabbit actually knew the way.

Though rabbits were typically denizens of the forest, heaven knows how much of their instincts they retained.

“I assure you, we are close,” Charlie said softly.

“We passed a place just like this half an hour ago,” Dwight responded coldly.

If it weren’t for his regular physical training, a typical noble would have collapsed long ago from the effort required in the mine.

“Just a bit further ahead… shh,” Charlie’s long ears twitched alertly, stopping in his tracks.

Dwight and the little tin soldier also stopped.

Silence ensued, with no sound whatsoever.

Dwight, growing impatient, furrowed his brow about to speak, but Charlie quickly placed a hand on his shoulder to silence him.

He reflexively stepped back, but Charlie pointed forward before him.

Out of nowhere, a faint mist had begun to fill the forest, and through the white vapor, the figure of a graceful creature flitted by.

Dwight’s pupils dilated slightly.

His eyesight was excellent, and even from a distance, he saw clearly.

It was a stunningly beautiful white doe. If it appeared anywhere outside of Greenwoods, it would ignite a hunting frenzy among the continent’s nobility.

Only when the mist dissipated did Charlie lower his hand.

“That is the Heart of the Greenwoods,” Charlie took the initiative to explain. “Humans also call her the Forest Goddess—sometimes she takes the form of a fairy, sometimes a bird, but most often, she appears as a doe. Kurt has her permission to live here. Not too deep, far from the Heart of the Greenwoods, but it’s enough to keep away from humans and other creatures…”

They rounded a few lush beech trees, and a vast swampy area in the forest appeared before them.

A bark boat quietly sat at the edge of the swamp.

The little tin soldier at the bow relit its lamp, but the small circle of light couldn’t penetrate the damp mist. Dwight could barely make out a large shadow through the sparse tree trunks not far ahead.

The swamp had no waves, yet the small boat automatically drifted towards the shadow. Dwight’s face remained expressionless, but under his cloak, his hand quietly gripped the cane he never parted with.

Only when they got close enough did he realize the shadow was an astonishingly large old tree with a treehouse awkwardly perched upon it. Seeming to know guests had arrived, a trapdoor on the treehouse’s viewing deck creaked open, and a flimsy rope ladder was let down.

The Duke, who had been pampered since childhood, felt that in the short span of a day, he had been forced to engage in every demeaning activity possible: walking for a long time, scurrying around in the cave like a rat, and climbing this damn rope ladder.

He had never been so embarrassed in his life, and even the presence of the famous Astrologer Kurt, whom countless people dreamed of meeting, couldn’t quell his irritation.

This renowned astrologer appeared quite young. His complexion was pale from a lack of sunlight, was of medium stature and somewhat frail. His neatly buttoned shirt gave him the air of a mathematics teacher from some rural villa.

But Kurt was delighted. Strictly speaking, from the moment he saw Dwight, the exaggerated smile on his face never waned.

“My old friend!” He exaggeratedly embraced Charlie and quickly assessed the situation. Knowing that the handsome Duke was unlikely to engage in any physical contact, he still led them into the living room with a smile on his face.

Yes, this seemingly rickety treehouse not only had a living room but also a warm, steaming fireplace.

Even by the standards of the Empire’s most discerning nobles, this treehouse couldn’t be considered uncomfortable. The walls were smooth, adorned with exquisite wallpaper that showed no signs of mold from the damp environment. A soft carpet lay underfoot, many delicate handcrafted books were scattered on the floor, and the wall cabinet was filled with gleaming, gem-encrusted silverware. The table by the fireplace was covered with damask, loaded with ham, wine, and canapes.

“I must say, receiving your letter gave me quite a fright,” Kurt said warmly. “I thought I wouldn’t see you until next summer, at the earliest. It gets too quiet here. It’s nice to get a greeting once in a while… though Alpha isn’t too happy about delivering messages in winter.”

“It was sudden,” Charlie said, taking Dwight’s cloak off him and hanging it on a low table before unbuttoning his coat and sitting down. “The journey was quite tough, with the snow still falling.”

“I understand.” Kurt’s gaze shifted to Dwight. “Charlie mentioned some things in his letter… Ah, the matters you wanted to know about.”

Dwight nodded reservedly.

Kurt pulled out a roll of paper from the drawer of a low table, spreading it out. It was covered with complex star charts and trajectories.

Dwight sat opposite him, watching as he finally stopped smiling and began sketching on the rough paper, occasionally asking him questions in a low voice without looking up.

Charlie also sat to one side, casually pouring himself a glass of wine, seemingly familiar with this scene.

Honestly, Dwight had expected the astrologer to be—more mysterious. No one had ever systematically explained astrology, and few had seen its process firsthand. He had imagined that the other might wear a white robe, ignite some mysterious herbs under the midnight stars, chant spells, or at least manipulate some arcane instruments that no one else could understand.

At least not like now, sitting so ordinarily in a room, calculating on rough paper.

But Kurt was quite focused, and Dwight, watching the paper under his hands for a while, realized that the formulas and symbols used were unheard of.

It was almost like a civilization from another world.

After some time, Kurt finally put down his pen.

Dwight, who had been sitting upright, shifted slightly.

Kurt turned the paper towards his guest.

“The moon has moved away from its proper position, Miss… Mrs. Priscilla is surrounded by malevolent stars. Her spirit is weakening; her body can hardly support her thoughts anymore.”

Dwight said nothing as Kurt’s pen paused on the side. “She faces choices, but each step makes her situation more difficult, isolated and unsupported. However, when the moon returns, she will have another chance at rebirth.”

The astrologer leaned back in his chair. “Your sister is in great danger now.”

“Can the star chart tell you why her husband hasn’t protected her?” Dwight asked coldly.

“The stars can’t detail every aspect. I can only tell you that there are two extremely dangerous people around her.” Kurt now looked nothing like a staid country teacher. “These two people will have an irreversible impact on her, including her life. Mrs. Priscilla, having married far away, I can only make the closest guesses based on hints from the constellations.”

Dwight’s already unemotional eyes grew colder.

A woman far from home and family, married off to a distant place—besides her husband, who else could be by her side?

He was the only family she had left.

Charlie didn’t stay in the warm indoors. He and Kurt left the living room, considerately leaving the Duke alone.

He leaned against the railing of the viewing platform, holding an elegant, long smoking pipe, and exhaled a flippant ring of smoke.

“The contract lasts until this spring,” Charlie noted. “Once the snow melts, the Greenwoods’ protection will fade.”

“Thank you for reminding me.” Kurt sighed. “Time flies, doesn’t it? I still remember the afternoon I pushed open the doors to your shop, as if it was just yesterday.”

“Yes.” Charlie also smiled, his age-worn smile oddly out of place on a fluffy rabbit face. “Staggering in, dragging a large suitcase, not a silver coin on you, yet you asked for the most demanding hiding place.”

“And starving.” Kurt spread his hands. “I ate all your apple pies in one go.”

“If you want, you can stay on,” Charlie suddenly said. “Apart from me, no one can find the dwarf’s entrance.”

What Charlie left unsaid was that even if the mine were exposed, creatures not accepted by the Heart of the Greenwoods would find it nearly impossible to navigate this forest wilderness. Even if they made another deal right now, he probably couldn’t offer a safer place than this.

“It’s alright,” Kurt said softly. “I can observe the continent through the stars. ‘They’ can also find me through the stars. There’s no absolutely safe place for me.”

The astrologer looked up at the rabbit smoking contentedly, his gentle eyes showing a hint of concern. “The same goes for you.”

Charlie put down his smoking pipe, but before he could respond, the door to the viewing platform was opened from the inside.

The young Duke stood upright.

“I should go,” he said.

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