As he drew closer, the three of them were all smiles.
Sean tried to recall if he had seen them somewhere before, but it seemed he never had.
They looked like a family... The man was probably in his forties, not tall, with a full beard. The slightly younger man also had a thick beard, but it looked neater. The two were quite similar—one was just a mature version, the other a younger one.
The third was a girl. Sean had been to the southeastern region before, and once camped out in the wild with a mercenary squad near a town to the north, so he had seen plenty of local girls. This one fit the mold.
The women of the Oro region almost all had that shimmering golden hair and well-proportioned figures, though they weren't tall—both were shorter than the two men standing nearby.
"Are you... Count Vigil?" As he approached, the leading man stepped forward and greeted him directly.
"And you are?"
"Orlando DiVara, my lord. We heard you were coming today, so we've been waiting here for you." A man in his forties showed great deference when meeting him. Sean had encountered this many times before, but most people either wanted something from him or sought to curry favor.
Just then, the local guide whispered in Sean's ear.
"The DiVara family is a prominent house in Oro City. The DiVara Merchant Guild was founded by them..."
So, they were a local power family.
"Hello! Sir DiVara." Sean put on a smile and proactively shook his hand.
This gesture clearly pleased the other man.
"Count Vigil." He glanced at the two younger people behind him.
"These are my son Charles and my daughter Philo. We live in this area, so we're neighbors with the Count..." He pointed to the large courtyard behind him.
It was already very close to the Count's mansion. From the hill next door, you could see the backyard of Sean's own home.
So they really were neighbors. He was neighbors with a wealthy local magnate!
"What a stroke of luck!" Sean learned to put on a stiff smile to show he was pleased.
"Indeed, indeed... If the Count ever encounters any problems, feel free to come to us. You're probably not very familiar with Oro City yet... We've lived here for decades and know all the ins and outs of the city."
At this point, Sean understood.
This wealthy local magnate was offering his services. He had just arrived in the city and didn't even have a helper to manage city affairs. Even if Luke came later, he wouldn't be familiar with the area. Besides, a big city was different from a small town—there were more things to consider here.
Moreover, the other party was a local celebrity!
"Of course, of course..." Sean said before continuing on his way with his people.
The man even specifically invited Sean to dine at the DiVara residence, but Sean declined, citing fatigue from the journey. It seemed the other party had noticed he was short on help and was banking on that.
On the way back, the oblivious Ross asked an extra question.
"Count Vigil, Sir DiVara is a man of standing here. Why not accept his invitation? You might hear some news about Oro City. As a newcomer, shouldn't you learn more about the local information?"
Sean turned to look at him.
This historian from the Empire seemed very learned, but every question he asked was from an outsider's perspective. Since he was only responsible for recording events in Oro City, any decision-making mistakes would only involve Sean, not him.
In short, he was just there to talk, not to bear the consequences...
But Sean was different now. Becoming a Count made him the local ruler. He could ignore anyone's advice, yet he also had to listen to everyone's advice...
It was contradictory, but necessary.
Because many people would profit from getting close to him, their advice often came with specific agendas.
And in the end, he would bear all the consequences of those suggestions. History would only record him... Count xxx revitalized a city, or Count xxx's tenure led to the city's decline.
Everything came back to him.
"Of course, I'm just tired. Let's go, Sir Ross." Sean smiled at him.
With a smile that Ross couldn't quite read, they walked toward the Oro City Count's mansion...
Compared to the Count's mansion in Koga City, his home was a bit smaller. But there were still a few courtyards yet to be built, so there was room for expansion.
The two hundred people he brought with him all had to be housed. They would become his personal guard, and he would need to build more space so that people from the town could also stay.
Since he had just arrived, there weren't enough servants.
As for a butler, Sean still hoped to have Kalibo manage the household, so he didn't hire anyone new. He just had a maid arrange the meal times.
Ross, as a guest, could dine at the same table as Sean, while Aslant had to eat with the other subordinates. Although Sean told him not to be too formal, the vast difference in status still made the guard captain uncomfortable.
So, Sean simply didn't call him for dinner.
In the dining hall, which spanned hundreds of square meters and had a table large enough for over a hundred people, only Sean and Ross were left eating.
It suddenly felt very lonely...
The lighting was dim, and the only sound in the entire hall was the clinking of plates.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Count Vigil. I still have chronicles to write, so I'll take my leave!" Ross probably wasn't used to this oppressive atmosphere either. He finished quickly and bid Sean farewell.
Sean nodded and continued eating alone in the vast dining hall.
The wine here was quite good—sweet, with a lingering fruity aftertaste, like a blend of several fruits...
Feeling the hall was too dark, he called for a servant to light the lamps.
His dinner alone lasted a long time. After finishing, he walked to the courtyard to look at the planted flowers.
The sky had darkened, but furniture from the merchant guild was still being delivered and arranged. The soldiers and servants had to unload them from the carriages and carry them into the rooms...
Even after nightfall, when the lamps were lit, they still hadn't finished moving everything. They would probably be busy for a long time.
He wandered back to his room.
The Count's room was much larger than the one in the town. The bed alone was probably five or six meters wide—enough for several people to sleep on!
He lay down on the bed...
The first day of being a Count.
He really wasn't used to it.