Knight Road is located in Iggwente Upper City, a residential area with an excellent environment. It is quiet and secluded, with terraced houses lining both sides of the road, tall trees standing on the sidewalk, and only a small number of carriages moving on the cobblestone-paved driveway.
In the afternoon, the carriage Dorothy was riding in stopped by the side of Knight Road. After paying the driver the fare, Dorothy, wearing a sun hat, carrying a small bag, and in a light purple dress, stepped onto the ground and began looking around.
"The environment is good..."
After commenting, Dorothy started walking on the sidewalk, looking at the terraced houses beside her as she walked, slowly counting the house numbers.
"24... 25... 26, this is it."
Nodding, Dorothy walked up the stairs before the wooden door and began ringing the doorbell. The ringing sound didn't last long before the small window on the door was opened, revealing a pair of eyes and a questioning female voice.
"Who is it?"
"I am Anna Field's volunteer teacher from Cien Orphanage. I was invited by the orphanage to visit her here," Dorothy replied unhurriedly, and the other party immediately responded.
"An invitation from the orphanage? Please wait a moment, I'll confirm."
After the voice inside finished speaking, the small window closed quickly. After Dorothy waited quietly outside for a while, the door before her opened, and a maid in her twenties with slightly curly yellow hair, wearing a black and white maid outfit, appeared before her.
"Come in. Miss Anna is on the second floor. Other visitors are also there now," the maid said to Dorothy, her tone not particularly humble, seeming unlike the attitude a servant should have. Dorothy had no dissatisfaction with this, as she noticed the maid's unusually upright posture and wary eyes.
"Thank you..."
After a brief thank you, Dorothy entered the richly decorated house and went up the stairs. Not long after, she arrived on the second floor. In a living room more than twice the size of her own, she saw Anna, wearing pajamas, sitting on the sofa, surrounded by a circle of people.
Among them were several men in suits holding pens and documents, two old Sisters, several other simply dressed children playing around, and a few people dressed like household servants standing nearby.
Several men holding documents were sitting beside Anna, asking her something, while Anna responded somewhat vaguely. The old Sisters on the side occasionally added a sentence or two. When Anna inadvertently saw Dorothy, a smile appeared on her face.
"You've finally arrived! Teacher Mayshouse!"
"Mm, visiting little Anna, how could I not come?" Smiling, Dorothy also stepped forward and chatted with Anna and the people around her, trying to gather some information during the process.
Soon after, Dorothy roughly figured out Anna's current situation.
Anna's mental state had now been confirmed by the doctor to be completely fine and she was allowed to be discharged. Because Anna was now the heir to the Field family, she came here instead of going to the orphanage. This was one of Viscount Field's many properties within Igwinte city. Although Anna had not yet formally inherited the estate, she could still use it.
As for who arranged for Anna to live here, Dorothy had a guess: it was likely the An Yin Bureau's arrangement. The sudden disappearance of Anna's Spirit Sight could not have failed to attract the An Yin Bureau's attention, so surveillance would definitely be required after her discharge. And Anna suddenly becoming the Field family heir would certainly infringe upon the interests of certain people, so protection was needed.
With the dual needs of surveillance and protection, sending Anna back to the orphanage was no longer suitable. She was a noble Viscount's heir, with many public eyes focused on her, and locking her up at the Bureau was even more inappropriate.
So the An Yin Bureau likely chose one of Viscount Field's properties and had her temporarily move in here, and carry out preparations related to the inheritance here. For example, the men in suits holding documents were civil servants from relevant court departments and specially hired legal advisors.
'This... I didn't expect the An Yin Bureau to take Anna's inheritance work so seriously. Not only helping Anna with government court matters, but also helping to hire legal advisors. It seems the An Yin Bureau is very inclined towards Anna successfully completing the inheritance.'
Watching this scene, Dorothy thought this, and couldn't help but feel a little favorable towards the decision-makers of the Iggwente Secret Agency.
Even though Anna had strong inheritance rights, she was still a ten-something orphan with no relatives. If no one overtly spoke up for her and fought for her rights, it would be quite difficult. But if the An Yin Bureau intervened, it would be different.
Having dealt with the An Yin Bureau several times, Dorothy knew very well that the An Yin Bureau should have a considerably high status in the power system of the Preet Kingdom, at least above the police system. With such a powerful agency operating behind the scenes, coupled with Anna's own strong legal basis, there were no legal obstacles to Anna inheriting the Field family's estate and title.
'They are quite thoughtful. Not only cleaning up after me all day, but now doing this work too...'
Dorothy, who was talking to Anna, glanced at the servants around her. Like the maid at the door earlier, they were all alert and wary, clearly Hunters in disguise. Looking at these Hunters, Dorothy thought.
'Heh heh... I wonder if Grego is involved in protecting Anna. A Hunter Captain acting as a bodyguard for my student? Haha...'
...
"Achoo!!"
Directly across from Knight Road 26, on the second floor of another house, Grego suddenly sneezed.
"Phew... Is this a cold?"
Wiping his nose, Grego couldn't help but murmur, then he continued to peek across from the window and saw the familiar young girl talking to his protection target in building 26.
"She really came... Fortunately, I don't have to hide inside myself, otherwise it would be terrible," Grego said. As a Captain, he naturally didn't need to disguise himself as a servant like his subordinates. He couldn't imagine what Dorothy's expression would be if she recognized him acting as a servant in her student's home.
Secretly watching the scene in the opposite house, Grego wished his old sister would hurry back.
At this moment, hundreds of meters away, on a section of Knight Road, a slightly shorter man in a trench coat with a full beard sat on a bench by the sidewalk, holding a briefcase and looking into the distance.
"Let me see what secrets you have..."
Murmuring, the man named Geffrey opened his briefcase, fumbled inside for a moment, and took something out.
That was a piece of bone, a hollow bone with clear signs of processing, its center hollowed out. Mysterious patterns were engraved on the bone, and in the center of these patterns were two distinct symbols.
One symbol was larger, a circle with an equilateral triangle carved inside. The other was slightly smaller and looked like a closed eye.
Then, Geffrey took out a small bone rod and tapped the hollow bone twice. After two hollow sounds, a wisp of translucent blur emerged from the hollow bone. This blur quickly expanded, instantly growing to the size of a person and beginning to solidify, forming a humanoid shape.
Soon after, a gaunt man in ragged clothes, with messy hair and a dazed expression, quietly floated in front of Geffrey. This... was a Ghost.
"Go... scout out building 26 and the surrounding area for me."
Geffrey spoke directly to the Ghost before him. The Ghost man nodded, turned, and flew away. During this process, its originally translucent form gradually became more transparent until it completely disappeared.