Chapter 32: The Bright Side of Rules, The Shadow of Order

Chapter 32: The Bright Side of Rules, The Shadow of Order

After successfully angering Instructor Folen, Hastur consoled him, "Perhaps it's as you said, Professor Wayne didn't say goodbye to us simply because he ran out of time."

Folen didn't respond.

The two chatted at the door for a while, and then Hugh came out of her room.

"Is it true that Professor Wayne has been found?"

"Yes, thanks to Miss Hugh's help along the way," Folen recovered from his anger.

"Hmm, well, even though I didn't personally rescue Professor Wayne, the necessary hiring fee cannot be omitted."

"20 pounds is a reasonable price," Hastur offered a fair compensation.

"Agreed." Hugh had no objections, after all, it was 10 gold pounds more than she had expected.

Hastur took out two 10-pound notes and handed them to Hugh, planning to get reimbursed by Professor Wayne later.

Folen shared the same thought and gave Hastur a supportive look.

After receiving her due payment, Hugh didn't linger and hurried towards the direction of the basement.

To uncover the secret passage in the basement, the officers decided to use explosives to blow open the lounge, preparing to proceed.

Hastur had no interest in the commotion. Now that Professor Wayne's safety was confirmed, he didn't want to stay at the poorhouse any longer.

Folen agreed, and after a quick wash, they both left the poorhouse.

Boom! Boom! Thick gunpowder smoke filled the air as the lounge hiding the secret passage was blown open, revealing a hidden room blocked by a stone door.

Inside, Dean Darn was dead, clutching a wooden chest filled with gold coins.

…

Finally back home, Hastur's first task was to take a comfortable bath.

The sticky feeling was unbearable, and thankfully the weather wasn't too hot, otherwise, he would have smelled the sour stench of sweat.

After bathing and enjoying a carefully prepared dessert, Hastur felt revived.

"Lord Baron, Lord Greck has sent an invitation, asking you to attend tonight's banquet," the butler Neil reported at the perfect time.

"Yes, I will attend on time."

"You should handwrite a reply to show your anticipation and regard for the banquet."

"Alright, I'll take a nap later, wake me up at lunch."

"As you command."

Hastur got up and returned to his bedroom, missing the large bed and soft blankets after two days away.

He fell asleep within minutes of laying his head on the pillow.

In the eastern district, at Professor Wayne's house.

After Folen went home and cleaned up, he immediately rushed to his teacher's house.

"Ah, Folen, my good student, I was so afraid I wouldn't see you again!"

Professor Wayne warmly embraced Folen.

Folen still looked upset.

"Folen, are you blaming your teacher?"

"I wouldn't dare."

Professor Wayne sighed, "Alas, that night after we parted, I happened to find a key dropped by a guard. It was such a perfect opportunity, how could I miss it?"

"I left the poorhouse in a hurry without saying goodbye or explaining the truth, to avoid being discovered. I purposely went up the mountain, taking a long detour until dawn when I left the vicinity of the docks."

"To ensure the plan didn't fail, I stayed in the mountains for a day and a night, and only left the mountains to return home the following night."

To convince Folen of his story, Professor Wayne rolled up his sleeves to show his arms scratched by vines and branches.

"Is that really what happened?" Folen was persuaded.

"Of course, my goodness, Folen, do I seem so untrustworthy to you now?"

Folen's anger dissipated, and after a moment of thought, he frowned and said, "Mr. Hastur won't be as easy to convince as I am."

"For this matter, I've already prepared a gift last night."

"Teacher, what about my gift?"

"Ah, Folen, have you also become so greedy now?"

Folen gave Professor Wayne a resentful look, thinking he was too soft-hearted; otherwise, he would have had a share of the gift.

At two in the afternoon, Hastur arrived at Professor Wayne's house, while Folen had already gone back to rest.

Professor Wayne repeated the same story, and Hastur listened quietly.

"Professor Wayne, I have a few questions that I need you to clarify for me."

"I am an open book, a virtue I've always adhered to."

Professor Wayne smiled, inviting Hastur to sit down and brewed him a cup of Earl Grey tea.

"Did you really make a new decision because you were lucky to find a key dropped by a guard?"

"No, that night after hearing your plan, I had already made up my mind. You are a promising noble, and you shouldn't waste your credit on such matters."

"How did you manage to sneak past everyone at the poorhouse and hide in the mountains overnight?"

"The poorhouse's patrol arrangements are quite good, but I have acquaintances who helped me at a critical moment."

"Vice Dean Bard?"

"Yes, he is more suitable to be the new dean of the poorhouse than Darn."

"Did you really hide in the mountains for a day and a night?"

"Of course not, I left the docks area via the mountains overnight and spent that time at a friend's house."

Hastur paused his questioning, looked at Professor Wayne, and said in a relaxed tone, "So, what gift have you prepared to compensate for the hurt in my fragile heart?"

"You truly are a student I taught."

Professor Wayne stood up, walked to a bookshelf, and took out a thin deed from a book.

"This is a deed to your Campbell family's estate."

Professor Wayne handed the deed to Hastur, adding, "Don't look so surprised; your father is a gambler who has squandered much wealth, and this is just a small part of it."

Hastur examined the deed, which was for an estate dedicated to growing various flowers. Although not large, it was worth at least ten thousand gold pounds.

The value wasn't the most important aspect; the deed was the ancestral property of the Campbell family, marking their rise from obscurity to glory.

This history, perhaps forgotten by Voltaire Campbell, was always remembered by Hastur, taught by the old butler.

"This gift is too valuable; I cannot accept it."

"It is rightfully your family's."

"Once it's been given away, it's no longer part of the Campbell family."

Professor Wayne laughed, sipped his tea, and slowly said, "Because you have a good butler."

Hastur trembled, "Did the old butler arrange this?"

"He knew your father was a gambler and would eventually squander the family fortune. To leave you some assets, he devised many methods."

"I have a decent relationship with him. He asked for my help, then arranged for me to gamble with your father. I didn't disappoint him and won this deed in one night."

"Speaking of which, Voltaire's gambling skills and luck are terrible. That night, I did nothing but flip and look at cards, and I won."

Professor Wayne's thoughts drifted back to that night's gambling, shaking his head with a laugh, "I've never seen anyone as unlucky as him. Emperor Roselle described such people as 'bad at playing but still loves to play'."

Hastur remained silent, sharing the same opinion.

After a moment of silence, Hastur returned the deed to Professor Wayne.

"I think the old butler's agreement with you was to keep it for me temporarily until I have enough money to redeem it from you."

He understood Robert, the old butler, a wise man who wouldn't rely on empty sentiments to ensure Professor Wayne would unconditionally return the deed.

Keeping part of the Campbell family's legacy for Hastur to redeem when he was capable was the arrangement he would make.

"Such affection between you two is enviable."

Professor Wayne sighed. As a renowned law professor at Beckland University and a wealthy man with a good butler, he was sure his butler wouldn't be as loyal as Robert.

Robert had dedicated his life to the Campbell family, and the family's glory was his will.

Such a butler could only be cultivated by a noble family with a long heritage.

"If that's the case, then when you graduate from my tutelage, I'll return this deed to you as a graduation gift," Professor Wayne said with a smile, taking back the deed.

Hastur chuckled, "Isn't that condition a bit too lenient?"

"Heh, so far, only Folen has truly graduated from my guidance."

"I feel I've already learned some of your essence."

"Oh? Do tell."

"A flexible bottom line and a shameless attitude."

Hastur spoke cheerfully, adding in his mind, "The shadow of order."

Professor Wayne, a talented and ambitious law professor, had given Hastur and Instructor Folen two different kinds of teachings.

One was the bright side of rules, and the other was the shadow of order.

Instructor Folen was actually quite naive and clumsy. Without the protection of noble status, learning to use the law to serve mainstream elites would ensure a good future for him.

The knowledge the professor imparted to Hastur involved many darker aspects, allowing him to understand the overall structure of society and the essence of the law.

Learning to exploit the law for personal gain and then waiting for the opportunity to change the law was probably Professor Wayne's greatest hope for him.

(End of Chapter)