Black Sail

It was nearing seven in the evening.

Liszt and his companions had already set off on foot towards the Earl’s Manor. Taking a cab would have drawn too much attention, they preferred not to leave any trails for the Earl.

As the saying goes, courtesy demands reciprocity, so they brought along a small gift. It wasn’t that the Lord needed the money, but it was the thought that counted. When visiting someone’s home for a meal, it was customary to bring along a bottle of wine.

Therefore, Liszt spent the grand sum of two copper coins to buy a bottle of poor-quality sugar cane honey-fermented beverage, also known as rum. No one on the ship drank the stuff.

Londen City covered a vast area and was not all flat land. In the foothills along the mountains of the Inner City, lay the manors of nobility.

The night was quiet, stars scattered sparsely in the sky.

Here, there wasn’t just one moon. On cloudless nights, one could witness an incredibly magnificent scene: a composition of crimson, silver, azure, and purplish-blue celestial bodies adorned with a brilliant milky way.

In Morison’s words, such a view would damn one to Hell.

The road leading up to the Earl’s Manor was pieced together with square kiln-fired bricks, fitting snugly together. Although the group had come on foot, the standard of the roadway was such that carriages could ride over it without a jolt.

After walking through the woods for a while, avoiding attention, they neared the manor and merged onto the main road.

From a distance, they could see the brightly lit Count’s Manor.