All those present were startled by this outcry. Even Ravel ceased his weeping, and the atmosphere instantly grew hushed.

After pondering with a solemn countenance for a while, Charnes once again addressed Ravel,"What is the full name of that commoner?"

"Glen Nibankru," Ravel replied in a low voice.

"Glen Nibankru... Glen Nibankru..." Charnes closed his eyes, as if trying to recall something.

Half an hour later, he finally opened his eyes. His expression had improved somewhat, yet there was still a hint of apprehension."I must... I must write a letter. Yes, write a letter."

Under the bewildered gazes of everyone present, Lord Charnes abandoned the chaotic scene and made his way towards the study on his own.

Lady Sophia was the first to regain her composure. She cast a glance at her son and then said to Barber, who was standing nearby,"Barber, go and conduct an investigation into this Bayek Town."

"Yes, my lady."

Barber bowed and took his leave.

Ravel was utterly confused. He couldn't fathom why his father had reacted in such a manner. So, he turned to his mother and said,"Mother, aren't we going to avenge me?"

"Let's wait for a while. It will surely meet your satisfaction, my poor child," Lady Sophia soothed, stroking Ravel's swollen face.

As time passed gradually, the sky outside had completely darkened.

Just when Ravel was on the verge of falling asleep, his father, Lord Charnes, finally emerged. He held a letter in his hand and handed it to a footman.

"Take this letter to the eastern district of the main city and deliver it to the postman there."

"Right now?"

"Yes, this very moment. Hurry up!" Charnes raised his voice.

The footman did not hesitate any longer and left the manor under the cover of darkness.

Lady Sophia stepped forward softly and hesitated before asking,"What on earth is going on?"

Charnes met her gaze briefly, then turned his head to glance at Ravel before saying in a solemn tone,"Let's talk inside."

With that, he entered the adjacent room.

Naturally, Lady Sophia followed him in.

"Almost all the inhabitants of Bayek Town are lunatics and monsters. They pose an extreme danger."

As soon as Lady Sophia closed the door, Charnes began to speak.

"Lunatics? Monsters?" Lady Sophia was terrified.

"Yes." Charnes took a deep breath."Ordinarily, I shouldn't be privy to this information. Only the upper - echelon nobles are aware of it. However, I happen to know a friend who is well - informed about this matter. During one of our casual conversations, he mentioned that there is a peculiar place within the realm of the Zeen Kingdom called Bayek. The residents there are mostly terrifying creatures. Even a dragon would be reduced to a lifeless carcass if it dared to cause trouble in there. I'm not sure if this is an exaggeration, but it suffices to illustrate the peril posed by the inhabitants."

Lady Sophia covered her mouth in shock. There was such a dangerous place near their manor, and she had been completely unaware of it.

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"What about that commoner named Glen?"

"Don't worry for the time being," Charnes said in a composed voice."My friend once mentioned the monsters and individuals in Bayek that one should be wary of, and this Glen is not among them. There are also some relatively weak residents in the town. Some of them sell their houses, and some ordinary people move in. This Glen might well be one of those fools."

Upon hearing these words, Lady Sophia felt much more at ease."So, what shall we do now?"

"I have already written to that friend. We will make a decision once we receive his reply."

...

Owing to Glen's warm and enthusiastic service towards customers, coupled with the delicious taste of the black pork, his business was also booming when he brought the black pigs to the town for the second time.

However, there were still very few families in the town with the means to purchase meat. Therefore, the second time was not as frenzied as the first, which was exactly what Glen had anticipated.

Nonetheless, fortunately, he managed to sell all the meat in the end.

Eim, who was selling meat not far away, stared enviously with a look of irritation in his eyes, yet he dared not pick a fight.

In contrast to Glen, his business was worse than ever. Hardly anyone patronized his stall, even when he lowered the price to match Glen's.

The two black pigs had brought Glen a considerable amount of wealth, and he had now become a small - scale affluent person.

Consequently, for several consecutive days, he ceased selling pork. Instead, he used the money he had earned to carry out a thorough renovation of his home. He repainted the walls and replaced the furniture.

In addition to these, he also erected a makeshift pigpen in the forest beyond Bayek Town. After all, that expanse of land was ownerless.

Everything progressed without a hitch, and no untoward incidents occurred. Nevertheless, this very lack of incident left Glen somewhat confounded.

Why hasn't that young nobleman come to pester me yet? Has something amiss transpired? Nearly a week has elapsed already... Glen brandished a kitchen knife, mincing the pigweed gathered from the forest, his thoughts meandering aimlessly.

With practiced ease, he emptied the prepared pig feed into the trough, and several black pigs promptly crowded forward, grunting contentedly.

It was morning, and Glen intended to transport yet another black pig to Dude Town for sale that day. Once he had amassed a sufficient sum of savings, he hoped to ascertain whether he might enroll in the Mage Tower to study the arcane arts.

He had heard that the pursuit of an apprenticeship in magic was exorbitantly costly, a privilege reserved for the wealthy merchants and the nobility. It was patently clear that Glen's aspiration to earn enough money solely through pig trading was rather unrealistic.

One wonders whether a werewolf constitution might impede the study of magic. Glen dispatched a robust black pig and subsequently hoisted it onto the cart.

"Keep a vigilant eye on the pigpen and refrain from wandering off," he admonished the beast that watched him depart, casting a backward glance.

The creature responded with a howl, tilting its head skyward, signaling its comprehension.

...

Two figures emerged in the distance, advancing leisurely along the road, seemingly engaged in animated conversation.

Could it be them again? Glen, who was pulling the cart, halted abruptly, a look of bewilderment crossing his visage.

Approaching from ahead were two puppets. One was garbed in a blue waistcoat, its head round and unremarkable, bearing a striking resemblance to a stick figure.

The other was a female puppet of astonishing lifelikeness. Her features were exquisitely sculpted, with a three-dimensional quality. She held a parasol aloft, and was attired in a spotless and charming light pink dress. One would be hard-pressed to discern that she was, in fact, a puppet without a closer inspection.

This was not Glen's first encounter with these two. In the days that he had been traversing between his abode and the pigpen, he had frequently chanced upon them, and he could not fathom what they were doing loitering about the vicinity.

Despite their multiple encounters, neither party had ever exchanged a greeting. This was a shared understanding among the denizens of Bayek Town.

Of course, were they more familiar with one another, greetings would not be amiss, as was the case with Glen and the black raven, as well as the old man.

The moment the two puppets caught sight of Glen, they ceased their conversation. As they passed each other, they each stole a sidelong glance at the other.

Once they had distanced themselves, Aina, her eyes brimming with curiosity, inquired, "Pallindus, where is he taking that thing?"

"Evidently, he is a butcher, and he is most likely on his way to sell the meat," Pallindus replied nonchalantly.

"Where to sell it?"

"How should I know?" Pallindus retorted dismissively.

Aina cast a backward glance at the receding figure, now on the verge of disappearing, and proposed, "Shall we follow him and find out?"

"Out of the question!" Pallindus exclaimed, his tone grave. "We must not expose ourselves to more people. Doing so would place us in grave peril!"

Aina opened her mouth to protest, but upon beholding the earnestness in her brother's eyes, or what passed for earnestness in a puppet's countenance, she reluctantly acquiesced.