The Earl was a lord, and the Duke was also a lord, but he was a "great" lord. However, Gray had no concept of just how "great," and he had even been quite confused at one point why Miss Yilin, whose figure was obviously smaller than Count Caspar's, was regarded as a "great" lord.
After all, in the underground, the difference between a "great" Lich and a "small" Lich was the strength of their magic power, which Gray could sense. But humans seemed to judge solely based on physical size.
As for the so-called super great lord "the King," Gray had initially imagined him to be a giant...
For most straightforward concepts, such as father, daughter, or only child, Gray had managed to figure them out in the past ten days, but for things that needed relative references, he had no clue at all.
*He didn't understand and didn't dare to ask… That was his daily portrayal. The key was that the Black Cat, who he could casually ask, often spoke in reverse, to the point that he didn't know whether he should believe it or not.*
*Humans truly were complex creatures, even turning into ghosts that possess cats didn't make them any less complicated.*
*It had to be said, for a Lich to integrate into human society, there was an incredible amount to learn, and worse still, these things often fell under what humans "naturally understand," so there was no way he could find a corresponding book in the bookstore to learn step by step.*
*Of course, even given the current situation, his progress was very rapid. After all, he was a smart Lich.*
*Actually, are there any dumb Liches?*
Accompanying Miss Yilin walking into the mansion, they were met by fifty to sixty servants dressed in uniform attire, lined up in two rows. Gray was stunned by the grandeur.
Turning around, Miss Yilin spread her arms and said, "Everyone has worked hard, go and rest now. Tonight, a ballroom dance will be held here. Be sure to attend."
While she talked, a large group of maids hurriedly started bustling around.
Some took her cloak, some unfastened her wrist guards, some took her longsword from her waist, some helped dust off the dirt on her body. A new pair of shoes was placed in front of Yilin, and as soon as she lifted her leg, someone helped her put them on.
Everything was done with such coordination that, if these people didn't lack any magic fluctuations, Gray might have suspected that Yilin was using magic to manipulate them.
Of course, a general Lich would prefer to directly control cloaks, wrist guards, longswords, shoes rather than manipulate a group of Skeleton Soldiers to do these tasks.
The Knights, except for Gray, saluted uniformly and then turned to leave.
"So… Does 'great lord' mean having many subordinates?" Gray suddenly asked.
"No, it might also mean having a large territory, a strong army, or a high status. 'Great' is a comprehensive concept," the Black Cat responded softly.
"So many factors? No specific standards? Like, how large a territory counts as big or how many troops count as many?"
'None.'
"That's really difficult, humans must make judgments daily without a unified standard? Won't they fight because of differing opinions?" Gray exclaimed.
Regarding this new question, the Black Cat felt very distressed.
*Liches are magical beings, everything necessitates precision, every question is examined thoroughly. They might even take out a ruler and measure every corner of the castle. Such a way of living would drive humans insane. At the very least, it seemed to be driving the Black Cat, who was once human, to madness.*
In the splendorous hall, aside from the servants, only Gray, Yilin, and Abi Robbs remained.
Yilin, with the help of the servants, arranged her clothes while Gray stood dumbfounded.
A maid approached Gray, respectfully bowed, and said, "Baron, please hand over your cat to me. We will take good care of it."
"Alright." Gray untied the rope binding the Black Cat behind him and handed it over to the maid, gripping its nape.
The Black Cat lazily yawned, looking like it was ready to be at anyone's mercy.
"Miss Yilin, the Baron's guest room is already prepared."
"Lead the way." Saying this, Miss Yilin turned to Gray with a smile, "Come, let me show you your room."
Gray nodded heavily.
Following the maid's guidance, Yilin led Gray up to the second floor along the circular staircase. Abi Robbs followed them, along with the maid holding the Black Cat, and a large group of other maids.
From the high location, the more refined and delicate the guest room of Yilin's mansion looked, the more it shocked Gray.
Red carpets, deer head ornaments, golden candlesticks, curtains with exquisite embroidery, floor-to-ceiling windows two stories high facing the backyard… All seemed meticulously thought out and carefully designed.
If this were a Lich's castle, it would probably just be rough stones piled onto floors and walls, possibly with water leaking from the walls. There wouldn't even be chairs because Liches didn't need chairs.
*In fact, Lich castles wouldn't even have guest rooms because they never had visitors except for heroes seeking treasures. And dealing with human heroes obviously didn't require guest rooms.*
Walls adorned with famous paintings, hallways covered with carpets, sculptures displayed every few steps. Gray couldn't believe his eyes. Looking at the mud on his boots, he hesitated about whether to use magic to clean the mud off. Glancing back, he saw the long trail of footprints he had left and felt slightly apologetic towards the carpet.
"No worries, Mr. Gray." Abi Robbs seemed to detect Gray's inner conflict and said softly, "Someone will come to clean it shortly."
"Oh... alright."
Gray continued walking forward in a daze.
Gently pushing open the room door, what appeared in front of Gray was a spacious room of fifty square meters. There were desks, bookshelves, a fireplace, a bed, beautiful decorations, intricate carvings, and frescoes. Tall floor-to-ceiling windows, a spacious balcony. On the balcony, there was even a table and two rocking chairs, with delicate patterned tea sets on the table.
Being a Lich, Gray probably never dreamed of living in such a room, not having to worry about being hunted down by Bruto, nor being chased by humans to live here.
Everything was prepared by others, every corner was a surprise.
"How is it, do you like it?" Yilin asked.
Turning his head, Gray stared blankly at Yilin for a while until Yilin thought he was dissatisfied with the arrangement, then he said softly, "It's great."
"Hm?"
"It's great! I love it here!" Gray jumped up in joy.
A large number of servants stared dumbfoundedly at the jubilant Gray.
The Black Cat couldn't bear to watch anymore, sighed, and muttered softly, "What a disgrace…"
Yilin, however, covered her lips and chuckled. "As long as you like it."
The Black Cat broke free from the maid's grip and jumped onto the soft bed.
The maid was startled, wanting to catch it, but seeing Gray and Yilin didn't seem to object, she could only retreat and say, "Shall we send over the cat food and litter box later?"
After nodding in approval, Yilin turned her face towards Gray and said, "Then I'll take my leave. Someone will bring lunch soon. I have matters to attend to this afternoon, so you'll have to eat on your own. Perhaps, you'll have to dine alone for dinner too."
"Uh… okay."
Yilin and her servants left. As soon as the door closed, Gray jumped up happily again.
"Can you stop jumping!" The Black Cat flared up.
"Why?" Gray asked.
"Don't you realize you're wearing armor? It's noisy, you know?"
"That's easy!" Gray swiftly pulled all the curtains shut. Instantly, the entire room turned pitch black, only a few rays of light seeped through the gaps. Then Gray, in a flurry of motion, removed his armor and resumed jumping...
"Do you have to do this?"
"I just want to jump a bit."
The Black Cat looked speechless.
*What unseeing holy spirit would grant powerful magic to such a foolish Lich?*
*Alright, Liches aren't actually under the jurisdiction of holy spirits. In this case, the situation is somewhat comprehensible.*
After treating the bed like a trampoline and jumping fervently, Gray finally settled down, lying on the bed and giggling. It was a standard Lich laugh, though unfortunately, the Lich's actions couldn't scare anyone.
"Miss Yilin is so kind to me! Good heavens, such a nice room! And she even asked if I was satisfied? Could anyone be dissatisfied?"
"Haven't you wondered why she treats you so well?"
"Why?"
The Black Cat pretended to be profound, "Everything in this world comes with a price, there's no free lunch. Her kindness indicates the challenges she's facing are severe. You understand fighting the King, right? How many troops the King has? They are far stronger than the Knightly Order that chased you. So, I suggest you… Are you even listening to me—!"
Gray turned around suddenly, his body covered in cotton after tearing apart the bed sheet and wearing it.
"Did you hear what I just said?"
"Um… you mentioned the King, right? I didn't catch the rest."
"Oh."
"This fabric is nice, really nice, I like these patterns. Do these patterns symbolize something? They look like some ancient script. I want to make a robe out of them… Okay, maybe not, since I have to wear armor every day. But what do you think about draping it over the armor?" Gray thoughtfully pondered.
The Black Cat took a deep breath and exhaled, shuddering. It originally wanted to mention, "Didn't you forget they're coming to measure your armor soon?" to strike a blow at Gray. Now it didn't want to talk.
*Wouldn't it be more entertaining when they suddenly arrive?* the Black Cat thought maliciously.
However…
The arrival of the blacksmith indeed startled Gray, but it wasn't the kind of shock the Black Cat anticipated.
The blacksmith arrived to forge new armor for Gray shortly after he "finished" lunch.
Unexpectedly, he showed immense respect towards Gray, acquiescing to Gray's request to measure only the outer shell of the armor without any objections. To be more precise, he proactively asked Gray how to measure it…
The Black Cat was dumbfounded.
"This must be Miss Yilin's instructions! Miss Yilin is such a great lord! I like her so much!" Gray cheered.
*"Insanity! They're allowing a Lich to stay in the human world! This is ignorance! Soon more Liches will arrive! The whole world will be overrun with Liches, carrying Bibles and Knight Character Development Guides during services! Then they'll realize their mistake!"* the Black Cat grumbled out loud, almost unsure which side it was on.
Gray selectively ignored its dissatisfaction.
Within an hour after the blacksmith left, a brand new suit of armor that closely matched Gray's current armor's dimensions was delivered. Of course, this wasn't newly forged but found in the warehouse after comparisons. The new armor would still take a month to forge.
After all, while Gray had almost no requirements, Miss Yilin's standards were quite high.
Regardless, even this temporary armor was far superior to Gray's current one.
It was made of better steel, employing more advanced forging techniques. The number of plates was four times higher than the current armor. This meant greater flexibility and comfort. The inner layer even had padded cushions for shock absorption, and the outer shell featured delicate carvings.
Standing upright, the armor gleamed with a magical luster in the sunlight.
"At tonight's ballroom dance, please wear this armor, Baron."
"Alright."
After the maid left, Gray put on the armor and turned around to ask the Black Cat, "What is a ballroom dance?"
"It's a party where everyone dances together," the Black Cat replied numbly.
Gray's mind recalled the seductive dancing girls in the tavern, "Oh, I know that. I can't remember the moves clearly, but that's okay, I can learn on the spot!"
Helpless, the Black Cat let out a long sigh.