A Chimera armored transport pulled up to the main gates of the Winter Estate. Geth pushed the door open and stepped out. He straightened his collar, a gentle smile appearing on his face, looking for all the world like a nobleman coming to visit a friend.
He tilted his chin toward the servant at the gate. "Go and report: a friend has come to visit."
The servant dared not delay and hurried into the estate to relay the message. Soon, he returned and made a gesture of invitation. "Please come in, my Lord. The Master requests that you wait in the Grand Hall."
Geth nodded and followed the servant inside. Upon reaching the hall, he sat on the sofa with a composed posture. Refreshments were quickly served.
"Where is Lord Eddy?" Geth picked up a cup of black tea and took a light sip.
"The Master is still resting. He claims to be unwell and asks that you wait a moment," the servant answered respectfully.
Geth nodded without saying more, slowly savoring his tea. A few minutes later, slow footsteps echoed from the stairs. A white-haired but energetic old man, leaning on a cane, walked down. He wore a silk dressing gown, his complexion ruddy and healthy.
This was Old Winter, the father of Eddy Winter and the former patriarch of the family. He walked into the center of the hall and looked Geth up and down. "I heard a guest has arrived? Young man, what business do you have with Eddy?"
Geth stood up and gave a polite, appropriate salute. "I am a friend of his. I originally intended to invite him to the Governor's banquet yesterday, but I heard he fell ill, so I came specifically to check on him."
At the mention of "the Governor's banquet," Old Winter's eyes lit up. A look of disdain crossed his face, entirely failing to notice the flash of cold light in Geth's eyes.
"The banquet? That dog Governor's banquet?" Old Winter's voice was full of contempt.
Geth feigned confusion and arched an eyebrow. "Dog Governor?"
"That's right! A genuine dog Governor!"
"How so?"
"Oh, aren't all these Governors dogs?" Old Winter waved a hand dismissively and sat on the sofa opposite Geth, his tone becoming even more scornful. "They come up here, scrape a layer of wealth off us, and then leave. They don't care about the life or death of us nobles. That recent one, Kyrie Von, is a real bastard! A beast among beasts!"
Geth let out a laugh, took another sip of tea, and said playfully, "A beast among beasts? Do you have a grudge against him?" He deliberately played dumb to lead Old Winter on.
"A grudge? How could I not?" Old Winter slapped his thigh, his cane thumping heavily against the floor. "The Winter family has been in Brevis for four generations—diligent, steady, and never provoking anyone! Then Kyrie Von arrives and immediately thinks of gouging money from us. He demands donations of our assets. Does he think we're fat sheep?"
Geth nodded thoughtfully. "But I heard the Lord Governor is quite formidable. He held Brevis against the Greenskins and treats the commoners well. He opened the granaries and settled the refugees. His reputation is excellent."
"What use is being good to those peasants?" Old Winter snorted in derision. "What can those dregs do? Doesn't fighting the Greenskins still rely on us nobles providing the coin and grain? He doesn't show us any gratitude; instead, he thinks of killing us! Yesterday's banquet was clearly a 'Hongmen Banquet.' Luckily, Eddy was smart enough to fake an illness and dodge it, otherwise he'd probably be a corpse in the Governor's Mansion by now!"
He became more excited as he spoke, spittle flying, completely oblivious to the meaningful smile spreading across Geth's face.
At that moment, the back door of the hall was pushed open, and Eddy Winter rushed in. He was in loungewear, his face as pale as paper, his eyes filled with panic. When he saw Geth on the sofa, his body froze, and every last drop of color drained from his face.
"Father!" Eddy's voice trembled. He hurried forward, trying to interrupt. "Stop talking. I'll take care of the guest. You go back to your room and rest."
Old Winter saw Eddy and smiled. "Oh, you're just in time. I was having a delightful chat with this young man. He's your friend, isn't he? You know, I was just telling him what a complete bastard Kyrie Von is..."
"FATHER!!!" Eddy almost screamed, his voice thick with despair and terror.
Old Winter finally sensed something was wrong. He looked at his son's deathly pale face, then back at Geth's enigmatic smile. The excitement in his eyes faded, replaced by confusion and unease. He stood up, pointed a finger at Geth, and forced a fawning smile.
"Ah... let me make a bowl of noodles for you. Taste some authentic Snow-Beef Noodle Soup!"
Geth arched an eyebrow, his smile remaining unchanged.
"The broth is made from the most authentic wild snow-beef in Brevis. It's been simmered for three full hours. Add a handful of ice-plain wild onions, and the aroma is incredible!" Old Winter boasted, slapping his leg.
Geth nodded with a smile. "Fine. But I don't eat onions."
"Alright!" Old Winter agreed without a second thought and headed for the kitchen. "No onions! I'll give you extra meat! I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
He hurried off with his cane, unaware that his son had fallen into an abyss of despair.
As soon as Old Winter left, Eddy's legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the sofa next to Geth. He was shaking violently, his face covered in tears of desperation.
"Please, my Lord," his voice was hoarse and cracking. He gripped Geth's sleeve tightly. "Don't kill the others here. It's all my fault. I beg you to spare my family, spare my father..."
He knew who Geth was, and he knew Raynor's methods. Geth gently pushed his hand away, the smile on his face looking more demonic than any devil's to Eddy.
"Do I look like someone who kills the innocent indiscriminately?"
Eddy looked up at the portraits of the Winter family patriarchs on the wall—the dignity of his great-grandfather, the composure of his grandfather, the spirited look of his father in his youth. He closed his eyes in agony, shaking his head frantically.
Geth laughed even more cheerfully and patted him on the shoulder. "Then there's no problem." His expression suddenly turned cold, his tone sinister. "However, it wasn't very appropriate for your father to insult my leader like that, was it?"
Eddy shivered, unable to utter a single word.
"Tell you what, let's play a game," Geth said suddenly. "If you win, I'll let you all go. If you lose, everyone dies, and the Winter family will be erased from Brevis forever."
Eddy opened his eyes, terror filling his gaze.
"The bet is whether the noodles your father makes have wild onions in them," Geth's voice was icy. "I bet he put them in. He hates the Governor so much, he hates us so much... I'm certain that even though he says he won't, he'll secretly put in a lot of wild onions just to spite me."
Eddy opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He could only tremble. From the kitchen came the sound of boiling water—bubble, bubble. Soon, the sound stopped.
Old Winter emerged from the kitchen carrying a steaming bowl of noodles. He carefully placed the bowl in front of Geth. The bowl was large, covered in thin slices of snow-beef, and the rich broth was a milky white. A thin layer of oil glisened on the surface, and the aroma was mouth-watering.
On top of the soup was a layer of emerald-green herbs, finely chopped and beautiful to look at. They weren't wild onions; they were a specific herb native to Brevis.
Old Winter stood by, proud. "Try it! Authentic Snow-Beef Noodle Soup! I made sure not to put any wild onions in for you."
Geth looked down at the bowl and froze for a second. Eddy's heart almost stopped. He stared at the bowl, a flicker of hope rising like a flame in his heart.
Geth looked up at Eddy, then at Old Winter, his smile as bright as sunshine—yet it made one's blood run cold. He looked at Eddy, his grin becoming increasingly twisted.
"I don't eat beef."