Though by the time he left the Earl's study room, his thoughts were still unsettled; nonetheless, he pushed all of this to the back of his mind to go meet his mother.
Speaking of the Rowling Household, his feelings towards it is special and complex.
As a mature young man, he was inexplicably thrown into this world without any forewarning. To make things worse, his body reverted to that of a baby and was forced to face the odd circumstance of calling some strangers his parents. For this reason, he just couldn't truly think of the countess as his real mother.
This is actually pretty normal. Imagine, a young man is suddenly forced to forget their parents and asked to go recognize some irrelevant person to take their place. In real life, no one could truly accept such a thing in their heart.
But with the passing of time in the Earl's mansion, his feelings towards this beautiful and kind hearted countess gradually grew. In particular, the major changing point for him was when the countess kneeled in the temple all night praying for his wellbeing. Not only did she spend countless sleepless nights caring for him, she never expected anything in return for all her sacrifice. How can Du Wei not possibly be emotionally "moved" by her actions?
Also, by the time he was three years old, Du Wei deliberately acted low-key without any talent to escape his responsibilities. For this, he was even ridiculed by others as an idiot. By the time his father expressed his dissatisfaction with him; the countess still loved him and remained by his side despite everyone else's cold treatment. Day by day, the countess would always come to his room at night and coax him to sleep….. Bit by bit, her motherly love gradually melted away the barrier in his heart to form the bond only a parent would have with their child.
It can be said that Du Wei really didn't hold much emotion towards his so called "father"….. But towards this countess, he really did develop some sort of filial love towards her.
After a year away from home, Du Wei returned to the inner court to see her lady-ship already waiting for him in front of the doorway. Donning a purple dress, she smiled the moment her eyes caught sight of him.
Taken aback by the heartwarming welcome from the countess, Du Wei fell into a sort of trance about his time with her when he was still young. Every night, she would embrace him in her arms and lull him to sleep. Eventually, he would even habitually hold onto her hair to sleep every night.
The soft and smooth feeling….
From appearances, the countess still looked as beautiful as ever with her pair of gentle caring eyes. Although the passing of time has left traces on her face, but she is still as bright and caring as ever.
Right now, Du Wei really felt emotionally moved inside his heart. Picking up his pace, he used both of his hands to hold onto hers and knelt down on one knee. Then using a soft voice, he said: "I'm back... Dear mother!"
The way he cried out "mother" was so natural that it cannot be compared to the way he called to his "father".
With glossy looking eyes, the Countess used both of her warm hands to slowly lift him from the ground. Then, with a gentle hug, she whispered into his ear: "After this time, I will never let him get rid of you again!"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was filled with unwavering determination!
Accompanying the countess into the room, they spent some much needed quality time between mother and son.
While inside, the countess looked at her eldest son that has lost the favor of her husband and was treated cruelly by all in the household. In her mind, the countess knew that beside her, none in this home truly cared for Du Wei.
For a moment, pain filled her heart at the mere thought of Du Wei spending the year in the Rowling castle. In a spur of the moment, she asked him about the situation back in the Rowling Plains. Although she knew that Du Wei would never be mistreated even if he fell out of favor, but as a mother, how can she not worry?
Emotionally moved by her concern, Du Wei raised his spirit and explained all the fun things that had happened in the Rowling Plains. In the end, Du Wei finally managed to close the last trace of sadness and concern in her.
Lost in their conversation, the two nearly forgot to have lunch even after the day have crossed noon. Du Wei may be fine even if he didn't eat, but he was worried about the countess's hunger. As such, he intentionally touched his belly and laughed: "Mother, I came out early today and still didn't have anything in my stomach yet."
At this, the Countess finally regained her thought and quickly laughed: "Alas... I forgot. After not seeing you for one year, I only remembered to talk to you.... I'll call the servants to bring food immediately."
Du Wei smiled: "Don't worry, let me arrange this meal…. When I was at the old home, I figured out a new way to eat, it is very interesting."
With that, Du Wei had someone summon Marde to him and instructed this trusted aid of his to bring out the metal grills and charcoal he brought along in the carriage…. Then he had some of the kitchen staffs bring out several dishes of: raw meat, internal organs, and some fresh vegetables.
With everything in order, he pulled the countess out of the room with him and had Marde set up the grill in the middle of the yard. Then cutting up the food into thin slices, he skewered the meat and vegetable onto the forks. With that set and done, he pulled out the special barbecue sauce he made before and began cooking the feast.
He had always been a bachelor in his previous life, so all his meals were prepared specifically by him. For this reason, his cooking isn't all that bad. Although he has servants to cater to him in this life, he would still sometimes out of boredom try to tinker with some cooking methods to mimic the foods in his previous world.
Let's take this roast lamb for example. Using the waist from a calf, he seasoned it with a bottle of spice that is similar to seasoning salt in his previous world. By grinding up a plant in this world not commonly used, he was able to mix the powder from it with salt to produce the flavor so commonly found in the street food stands back in China.
Once the first piece of meat is done, he handed it to his mother and smiled: "Taste this mother, the flavor is quite unique!"
The Countess is a woman, so she doesn't eat much meat to begin with; however, after separating from her beloved son for a year, how can she refuse? Seeing the barbeque smoke still sticking to Du Wei's face, the Countess nearly fell into tears at how emotionally moved she was feeling. So under the watchful gaze of her beloved son, the Countess finished every bite of the tender broiled lamb….. This astonishing amount of intake has been beyond her normal consumption already.
Seeing how joyful his mother was, Du Wei grilled up even more to present to everyone. In the end, even the servant maids around them managed to savor the delicious meat prepared by the young lord.
After Du Wei accompanied the countess for half a day, she was radiating with joy. So when Du Wei saw that the sun was beginning to set, he smiled and said: "On mother's last birthday, I wasn't able to make it and could only have Marde bring you the Firework present I made. But this time, I brought a lot more with me. Once the sky is dark, I'll show you!"
With a soft smile, the Countess replied, "No need... Let's first keep it for now. The summer festival is only a few days away, we can show it then and make it livelier."
After listening to her words, Du Wei conversed with his mother for a while longer until the sky was finally dark. Returning to the room with her, Du Wei suddenly realized something and asked: "I haven't seen brother Gabri all day, where did he go? Could it be that he made a mistake and father grounded him inside his room?"
When the subject of his brother came up, the Countess could not help but sigh: "Your brother went out this morning, I am afraid he won't be back until very late... Alas. Your father's expectation of him is very high. It's fine to have Alpha teach him martial arts on a regular basis, but your father actually went out of his way to ask the famous scholar Mr. Blue Ocean to be your brother's teacher. Because of Mr. Blue Ocean's identity, we can't have him come to our place to teach your brother. As such, Gabri needs to go visit him every other day to learn from him. Today is supposed to the first day for your brother, but Mr. Blue Ocean is already giving him a test. I'm afraid he won't be back so early..."
Du Wei could not help but sigh.
The difference is too big!
Since small, Gabri had always been exceptionally clever, but this dad of mine really is holding nothing back!
As for this Mr. Blue Ocean, even Du Wei had heard about his fame. Known as the leading scholar in the capital's university, this Blue Ocean's status would be even higher than the Mr. Rosia scholar his dad first invited to teach him! From rumors, it is said that even some of the royal family members could not invite him to be their teacher.
By night time, Du Wei returned to his original living quarters in the mansion before he was forced out of the capital. This place is very far from where the Earl and the Countess lived, so thinking about, it could be said that the Earl didn't want to see this son of his that didn't live up to expectation.
Upon seeing the familiar yard outside his room, Du Wei noticed how fresh and clean everything looked from appearance. It was obvious his mother had the servants tend to the place daily.
But even more surprising was the fact that when he entered his room, he could see the book he carelessly threw on the table before he left was still unmoved. Carefully inspecting everything, Du Wei couldn't even find a speck of dust anywhere!
Prior to coming here, he had already made sure every servant knew not to disturb him in this place. So closing the door behind him, he conjured up a noise silencing spell around the room and walked towards the mirror in the room.
First, he tidied his clothing in front of the mirror, and then he loosened his hair bun on top of his head. Seeing the horn, he couldn't help but sigh….. "This horn is a real hassle. When I met mother today, she almost touched it when she reached out her hands to embrace me." Fortunately Du Wei was smart and quietly avoided her attempt. "No matter what, this horn is not convenient…. I need to find a solution."
Subsequently, Du Wei opened a specially made box he had Marde bring into his room – under his order; Marde had already carried all of his belonging into his room earlier today. Then from inside the box came the grievance cry of QQ: "My god, you finally came! Spending a day like this nearly bored me to death!"
With that, penguin jumped out alone and began stretching his body. Following close behind, Gargamel quickly jumped out while panting. Then, with a discontent glare, the mouse said: "I say, can you prepare a different place for us? Staying in such a small little box is way too boring!"
"Bored?" Du Wei smiled: "Shouldn't it be a few air holes instead?"
Infuriated, Gargamel said: "Do you really think of me as a pet! Don't forget, I Gargamel is a magician! To be locked in this box for the day…. Aiya... Don't you know, even if you give us something to eat... We still need to go to the washroom!"
With that, Gargamel was already looking around in all directions, and then he quickly ran towards the general direction of the washroom.
Once QQ is comfortable enough, the bird completely disregarded Du Wei and jumped in front of the mirror to fix up his feathers. After a long time, the bird finally breathed out a sigh of relief: "Dashing! So dashing! From now on, you mustn't put me and that mouse together! Such beautiful plumage of mine is stained with that ugly gray fur of his! It is so embarrassing!"
Du Wei gave this heavenly beast a look and then sneered: "Looks bad eh? Although he is a mouse, but at the very least he still capable of teaching me magic….. What about you? Other than talking, you are just wasting my food. I really don't know why Aragon left you to me…. What the hell!"
QQ immediately protested: Nonsense! I am the world's most...
"Most elegant creature, right?" Du Wei curled his lip: "Can gracefulness be used to fill the belly? Even if you become even more graceful, you are still nothing but a bird. Other than always complaining to me, what else can you help me with?"
With that, Du Wei ignored this silly bird and turned around to go organize his luggage.
It's not that Du Wei hated QQ, but after the passing of the old magician, his outlook towards this Aragon fella has dropped a few points. Even if he didn't try, anything related to this founding emperor would unconditionally be looked upon by him in a negative light…..
Taking out his magic bag, he pulled out the things Aragon left him.
These things really didn't have much value. Other than that ancient King's sword – already broken – Aragon really didn't leave anything of value. Just looking at the things in front of him is starting to depress Du Wei.
A ragged and dirty piece of cloth is actually enchanted by some magic to make it unbreakable after a thousand years. But when Du Wei opened the thing, all he saw was some gibberish looking markings that he could not understand. After carefully looking it over, he confirmed in his mind that it is a picture. The main problem is that it was drawn in such a vague manner that he couldn't figure out what it was exactly.
No indication of text, the only thing written on the thing was some messed up patterns. So how can he figure it out?
In addition, there is a book... And this booklet was even more of a headache.
Originally stored inside an iron box, the moment he opened it, he saw that the booklet was covered in a layer of rust. Fortunately, the entire book was made out of thin sheets of gold! After Du clearing away the rust, he looked through every page of the booklet and saw that they were all inscribed with some square and circle patterns with some texts on top of it…..
Studying the pages for a long time, Du Wei was frustrated by the fact that he couldn't figure out what the texts above the diagrams meant. Since small, he had spent his childhood reading all those ancient and difficult to understand books in the library. As such, there wouldn't be that many things on the continent that he wouldn't know.
But yet, he had no clue regarding this text.
For this reason, this gold booklet is yet another useless garbage in his possession. Prior to leaving the Rowling Plains, he had already copied the symbols onto another piece of paper and asked around to see if there is anyone capable of deciphering the diagram. Unfortunately, every craftsman he asked could not make out what the pictures were.
Except for that damn picture and the strange Gold Booklet, Aragon also left him a few bottles of strange powder. Despite being quite knowledgeable in magic pharmacy, Du Wei could not figure out what exactly this powder is.
No matter what, these things are all left by Aragon, so even the bottle used to hold the powder was made from high quality materials. As such, he didn't throw any of the things in the trash and kept them hidden away.
Point one: A scroll of Aragon's most powerful martial skill set is not included.
Point two: A scroll of Aragon's most powerful magic skill set is not included.
Point three: a ragged looking picture, a gold booklet he couldn't figure out, and bottles of powder he couldn't identify…..
Humph
This is all what Aragon left him.
Of course... There are the ragged looking king's sword and the noisy talking penguin.
As for the King's sword in his possession – though tattered – but the seven gemstones embedded onto the scabbard is still not ordinary. Despite being drained of energy already, these gemstones are still from high leveled magical beasts, so there still many uses for them.
Taking these things out often to study and research them, Du Wei didn't make much progress after reading Aragon's will again. But Du Wei did follow what was written on the will and treated penguin kindly as instructed. To him, he just thought of it as keeping an extra pet around.
As for that oddly shaped crystal inside the sword handle, he spent a few days looking it over to find nothing special….
Generally speaking, everything in his possession at the moment has no value.
Letting out a sigh, Du Wei ultimately could not bear to throw these things away. Finding a secretive location in his room, he tucked them carefully away. It didn't matter to him if someone in the household found the things because if he couldn't figure out what they were, others definitely won't understand either.
As for what Gandalf left him, they were all precious things with immeasurable value! In the past two months, Du Wei had managed to make some progress after following the Druid learning manual.
By night time, Du Wei had managed to organize everything in his possession; but in the end, he couldn't sleep. Opening the window, he gazed up into the sky and pondered at the stars glittering in the nightly sky. Then closing his eyes, he began meditating to practice his magic.
Stars magic, even to this day, Du Wei wasn't able to get a good understanding of it. Though his energy pool and control over magic have increased significantly, but–but…..
Semel….. Since Gandalf's death, Du Wei couldn't get her to come out no matter how much he called for her! Without guidance from someone, Du Wei would of course be unable to proceed any further in Stars Magic.
By dawn, Du Wei opened his eyes and felt his spirit was bursting with strength. Not only was his perception extra sensitive, he could perceive the subtle movements of everything within his radius. Inwardly, he knew that if he tried, he could easily expand this sensory radius to hundreds of meters around him to the point of hearing even the vibration of insect wings!
Looking back at his bedroom, he could see both the mouse and the bird QQ had already invaded his bed. Such a scene is truly funny.
Du Wei was already used to this so he didn't bother to care about these minor details.
By morning, he drove the two off the bed and hid them away. Then he ordered several servants to serve breakfast.
Recalling his brother Gabri that he still haven't seen yet, he couldn't help but ask the servant serving him. Without delay, the servant said: "Her lady-ship knew the young master would definitely ask so she instructed me to tell you this. After taking the test last night, his teacher was exalted and asked him to stay the night. So, he still didn't come back yet."
Du Wei nodded, and asked his servant to go out: This little kid really is smart. It seems his effort back then is not in vain. To be able to win the favor of the number one scholar in the capital, this Mr. Blue Ocean will definitely teach him a lot.
With a bright future, this kid will carry the family burden… In his mind, Du Wei would of course be pleased to see such a sight.
Without incident in the morning, Du Wei went to see his mother again. After spending some time with her, he quickly found realized he was beginning to feel somewhat bored again. Back on the Rowling Plains, he was so busy delegating between: his subordinate, his business, and the magic testing with Solskjaer.
But when he returned to the capital, he found himself with nothing to do.
After contentedly grabbing a book to read, he found himself to be a bit bored. Then suddenly, he remembered the words from Clark before the guy left.
"Maybe a trip to magic union?" No matter what, the title of Gandalf's disciple is hanging over his head. Although he is still not a genuine magician, but when he was in the capital before, he had never been to the magic union. Maybe it would be good to go have a look.
And in the present, he is facing all these complicated matters. Perhaps he can get some news in the magic Union!
Du Wei is someone that does something the moment he thinks of it. Immediately, he put on his clothing and donned the black mage robe on top. Then closing the door shut, he left behind his two pets in the room and ordered the servants that none is allowed near his room.
After ordering Marde to ready the carriage, he walked towards the front gate. But to his surprise, this Captain Alpha character suddenly came out of nowhere!
Didn't this guy go with his father to the military high command?
With a slight frown, Du Wei looked at this loyal follower of his family. Then, with a smile, he greeted Alpha.
Alpha remained calm as he came up to Du Wei. Then, with a whispering voice, he said: "Young master, I advised you yesterday to stay inside, but it appears you may not have heard. What, you are going out today already?"
Du Wei smiled and said, "I'm going to take a trip to the magic Union."
Upon hearing this, Alpha had a strange light in his eyes. Then, with a sigh, he said: "In that case... Since the assassination situation is still not cleared yet, I'll accompany you on this trip."
Once he heard this, Du Wei's heart sank. Although he didn't give any of this away on his face, but a hint of dissatisfaction is unavoidable!
What is this? Is he under house arrest?
Du Wei may be thinking this, but he didn't show any of this. With a smile, he said: "No need right? I'm only a child; it should be fine if I bring a few bodyguards with me. You are the guard captain of the family, how can I have you follow a kid like me around?"
Alpha shook his head: "No, it is for the best that I follow along. I do not feel at ease with you going out alone."
Du Wei knew he can't refuse this, so he nodded. Then Alpha summoned several bodyguards to them and it just so happens that these guards were the same group he brought along from the Rowling Plains. But after having a quick look, Du Wei noticed the minor guard leader that had reminded him about the crossbow is missing. Somewhat shocked, he pretended to inadvertently look at one of the soldiers. Then, with a laugh, he asked: "Your Captain?"
Once Du Wei questioned him, the soldier paused for a moment, then immediately answered: "He was sent back to the Rowling Plain by Captain Alpha….."