As Lynn stood by the roadside, lost in thought, a sudden harsh screech of brakes filled his ears!
He instinctively turned his head to look and found a luxuriously styled four-wheeled carriage had stopped at the curb.
Hanging from the carriage was a flag, embroidered with gold thread, displaying a noble and majestic Griffin.
That was the Tierus family's coat of arms.
Lynn slowly widened his eyes.
With the carriage door opened by a servant, a burly middle-aged man slowly alighted from the carriage.
He held his hands behind his back, his somewhat graying hair impeccably combed back, exuding an air of authority.
At this moment, the middle-aged man's expression was somber, as if he was contemplating some troubling matters, hence he had come to the area for a casual stroll, to clear his mind.
Given Lynn's current disheveled appearance, resembling a little beggar by the roadside, the middle-aged man did not immediately notice him.
It wasn't until he came to his senses that the middle-aged man vaguely felt someone watching him.
He looked around instinctively.
Their eyes met in mid-air.
At the moment of eye contact, upon seeing each other's features clearly, both the middle-aged man and the small beggar were simultaneously dumbstruck.
Then, as if they saw a ghost, they exclaimed in unison.
What the hell am I cursing about?
Lynn inwardly scoffed.
The next second, he felt his vision blur, and then saw Duke Tierus, who possessed the strength of a Fifth Rank Legend, appear before him as if he had teleported.
Those thick arms gripped his shoulders like iron clamps, making his body feel as if it was about to fall apart.
"Are... are you Lynn?!"
Clearly, Duke Tierus had not expected such a dramatic reunion to unfold before him.
Looking at the dusty, ill-fitted Lynn, he frisked him up and down like a maniac, as though he was checking if the boy was missing arms or legs.
At the same time, a look of excitement faintly emerged in his tiger-like eyes.
He truly did not expect this.
It was simply a whim to visit this area where the boy had once lived, to get some fresh air.
And remarkably, he had stumbled upon him by the roadside!
Could this be a divine revelation?!
If not for being so familiar with Lynn's appearance and demeanor, Duke Tierus might have doubted whether this was an imposter.
"Of course I'm Lynn."
Feeling his touch that was almost homosexual, Lynn's skin crawled and he pushed him away.
Duke Tierus was clearly still overwhelmed with the joy of having recovered what he had lost, standing dumbfounded, mumbling to himself.
"Yes, I haven't died," Lynn said warily, eyeing him, "By the way, Duke, you're not planning to perform a scene where two grown men cry and hug each other, are you? Because that would be utterly disgusting."
Hearing these words, the beginnings of teary eyes in Duke Tierus went cold, his face darkening immediately.
That confirms it's really him.
But even though he was taken aback by the remark, he still observed Lynn as if he were a rare animal.
"Something's wrong, why aren't you dead?"
Mumbling to himself, he paced back and forth, his gaze never leaving Lynn.
Though he didn't want Lynn to be dead, he, along with many others, had come to accept the inevitable.
To be infested by two Great Demons at once; even as a Fifth Rank Legend, he couldn't imagine surviving that.
How did this boy manage it?
After the excitement, countless doubts suddenly sprang up in Duke Tierus' mind.
Meanwhile, because of the commotion the two had caused, bystanders began to cast surprised glances their way.
Seeing this, Duke Tierus grabbed Lynn's wrist and hurried him towards the carriage.
"Get in the carriage first, we'll have a good chat!"
"Oh right, if His Highness finds out you're still alive, he'll be overjoyed!"
Inside the carriage, with a clean uniform on, Lynn leaned against the wall, his gaze fixed outside the window.
At this moment, the carriage sped through the streets towards Tierus Manor.
At a glance, he saw the entire city of Orn City, which had recently suffered a calamity, showing signs of decay with damaged buildings and marks of fire scorching everywhere.
Many homeless wanderers, with withered expressions, lay by the streetside, their numb gazes fixed on the passing carriage.
In their eyes, Lynn sensed a despair that could not be concealed.
The city they had relied upon for survival, the place deeply rooted in their ancestors, had turned into ruins because of an inexplicable disaster.
Not only that but their savings of decades and their homes had gone up in flames, and perhaps their families had perished in this disaster.
With a bleak future, it seemed there was no reason to keep living.
They could only numbly wander the streets, waiting for the day starvation would claim them.
Perhaps because the terrifying black sludge had once ravaged here, the entire city's vitality seemed sucked dry by the Creation Demon, showing a gray and decrepit outlook.
Even the sky was burdened with heavy leaden clouds, as if sunlight could no longer shine on this tainted city.
Perhaps after this, Orn City would follow the old path of those lawless areas.