At 13 Golden Champagne Avenue, the black iron gate opened outwards, pushed by two footmen, and an open carriage waiting by the gate drove out, proceeding along the wide and clean street.
The weather was clear, and Lex chose to travel by open carriage; his original intention was to ride directly to the logging camp.
However, the coachman, Old Cook, told him that his father Bison needed the sedan carriage that morning, which required two purebred horses to pull.
Unless Lex wanted to go to the logging camp by himself, the open carriage, which only needed one horse to pull, became the only option.
The carriage left Golden Champagne Avenue, circled Memorial Square, passed through the mixed Kingston Road, and headed towards Eberly Mountain behind Enki Town.
As he passed through the main area of the Town, Lex noticed that apart from Golden Champagne Avenue and the area around Memorial Square, which had paved roads, all other places in Enki Town were dirt roads.
Such roads were fine on clear days, but on rainy days, the ground would become muddy.
Even if one chose to travel after the rain, without a carriage, one's trouser legs would get dirty.
When I have the chance, I should suggest to my father to make a municipal donation to pave the other parts of the Town with hard roads; this would help establish a positive image.
Moreover, it would gain the support of the common people, which would also help improve my own image. Sitting in the carriage, Lex let his thoughts wander.
Soon, the carriage left Enki Town, and in the suburbs outside the Town, there were more trees and fewer houses.
A road paved with dirt and stones extended towards the Eberly Mountain range, and as they passed a fork in the Path, Lex saw that at the end of the fork was a dilapidated farmhouse, which looked like it hadn't been repaired in many years.
Wild roses climbed all over the farmhouse's stone wall, and the dense surrounding trees made the sunlight reluctant to visit, hiding the farmhouse in a dim shade.
Near the farmhouse was an empty plot of land enclosed by wooden stakes, apparently intended for building a pasture, and some timber was still piled on the empty land, but it seemed that construction had been delayed.
As the carriage passed the fork, two black-skinned Dogs tied at the farmhouse door suddenly jumped up and roared fiercely at the carriage.
Throughout the entire process, no one from inside the farmhouse came out to reprimand them, as if it had been abandoned.
"That's Ayn's home; his farm never got off the ground, and the livestock he bought, who knows where they went."
In the carriage, Matthew, the footman sitting next to him, pointed to the gloomy farmhouse not far away and said.
Lex remembered that this was one of the 'anecdotes' Matthew had mentioned a few days ago in Memorial Square.
"That old fellow Ayn doesn't have time to fix the farm recently."
Old Cook, controlling the horses, interjected, and he continued in a joking tone, "Two months ago, I heard him boasting to us that he already had two healthy grandsons."
"He firmly believes his grandsons will be important figures in the future, but he didn't make us laugh."
"You know, his daughter Sera has always been crazy, with some intellectual problems; what man would be willing to marry such a wife?"
"But last month, Ayn, drunk, held a child for us to see, saying that was one of his grandsons."
"Goddess above, that was clearly a deformed child; ugly isn't enough to describe the child's appearance.
He had a face like a goat's, very dark skin, a chin full of stiff hair, and his cries were even more terrifying."
"And that child was too big; he didn't look like an infant just one month old."
Amidst Old Cook's rambling, the logging camp arrived, and Lex had long since forgotten the coachman's words, focusing his attention on the logging camp.
In an open clearing, many logs were laid out, and workers were processing them.
This timber would be shipped to steel mills or other places where it was needed.
This logging camp alone brought Lex's family an annual income of no less than twenty thousand pounds.
On the other side of the clearing, there was a row of wooden houses, which were for the workers.
However, now, some of them had become the temporary residences of the 'Hunter'.
As the carriage entered the clearing, Lex saw that there were several tables in front of the wooden houses, and seven or eight men were sitting around them.
They looked like they had just finished breakfast, but the plates had not been cleared and were left on the tables.
Among them, a brown-haired middle-aged man stood up; he had deep features, strong lines, and a pair of brown eyes reflecting the carriage stopped not far away.
He put on a wide-brimmed felt hat and walked over.
"He is the 'Hunter' Leon."
In the carriage, the footman dutifully introduced him to Lex.
Lex nodded slightly, jumped out of the carriage, and said with a smile, "Good morning, Mr. Leon."
Leon placed his hand on his chest, bowed slightly, and narrowed his eyes: "Good morning, Mr. Lex, may I ask your purpose in coming?"
Lex said generously, "I know that at my father's request, you have been working hard these past few days dealing with the wild wolves in the mountains."
"I want to thank you for your efforts, so I brought a small gift."
Lex cast a glance at Matthew, who understood and took two bottles of white wine from the carriage, placing them on the wooden table.
A Big Beard exclaimed, "Wow, I've seen this in restaurants; each bottle of this wine costs 2 pounds!"
Leon was slightly stunned, then smiled: "Thank you for your generosity, but the Baron has already paid us commission; we cannot accept such a valuable gift."
"You can."
Lex smiled and stated his true purpose: "I heard you will be going hunting in the mountains again today, and I also want to contribute to this matter."
Leon immediately frowned, wanting his companions to return the wine, but he saw that the Big Beard had already taken out the cork and was pouring the wine.
This 'Hunter' could only say, "Mr. Lex, this is not quite the same as your usual hunting.
Wolves are pack animals; they are very dangerous, and the environment of Eberly Mountain is complex; I cannot guarantee your safety."
Lex had anticipated such a response and did not rush to persuade the 'Hunter', but instead looked at the table, at the plates on the table: "Do you still want these things?"
Leon looked at him in confusion.
"Matthew."
Lex winked at the footman, and Matthew collected the plates from the table, then threw them one by one into the air, in different directions.
Bang!
The gunshot came from the Snake Scale Revolver in Lex's hand; with a precise shot, he shattered a plate in mid-air.
Bang, bang, bang—
Lex's arm was steady and constantly moving, shattering each plate in the air.
What the 'Hunter' improved the most, although it was mostly in combat.
However, it made Lex's senses more acute, and his flexibility and concentration also significantly improved.
Coupled with Lex's original foundation in marksmanship, which was already good, after taking the potion, his shooting ability also indirectly improved.
Just like now, he easily hit multiple flying discs located in different directions and moving at high speed.
Such marksmanship was enough to overpower the surrounding 'Hunter'.
The Big Beard, who was pouring wine, was so engrossed that he didn't notice his cup was full.
He only realized it when the white wine flowed onto the table; he cursed 'Dog shit' and simply leaned on the table to slurp it up.
Lex lowered his arm, put away his revolver, faced Leon, and said with a smile, "I am responsible for my own safety."