After all, such structures were usually built on one's own fief; having a castle on your territory was equivalent to being a king there.
That was the mark of true nobility, something the current Campbell family was still far from achieving.
-------------------------------
When the Duke Negan family was mentioned, Maric's expression also stiffened. For this top-tier aristocratic family, whether ordinary people or Beyonders, it was difficult to remain calm while thinking about them.
The other party's family might not have high-sequence Beyonders, but as long as they were willing, they could summon powerful Beyonders at any time.
In a place like Backlund, it wouldn't be surprising even if they managed to invite an Angel.
Maric sighed and said, "You nobles are so rich, no wonder the workers below live worse and worse. They work hard for a whole year but can't even match the expenses of one of your evening banquets."
This question was hard for Hastur to answer. No matter what era it was, as long as someone enjoyed life at the top, there would inevitably be people trudging painfully at the bottom.
The people above others, weren't they just the ones stepping on others' heads?
He was a noble, and he would become a great noble. Facing such harsh social structural issues, unless the tide of the era had already arrived, it was difficult for him to stand in opposition to his own class.
"Don't worry, I'm not that resentful of the powerful. I just think your life is too good, it makes people jealous, that's all."
Maric smiled, brushing past the earlier topic, and instead started talking about his recent discoveries deep within the dense forest.
The Spirit Cult, Death Pathway!
Hastur's first thought was of the Spirit Cult from the Southern Continent.
The Death Pathway naturally restrained undead creatures like living corpses. They didn't even need a high sequence to easily take over Maric's painstakingly cultivated living zombie squad.
Fortunately, Maric hadn't taken any rash actions; otherwise, he would have suffered a big loss.
"Is it far from here?" Hastur asked the crucial question.
"Pretty far, closer to that earl's manor. If anything happens, they'll be the ones to suffer first."
"That's good."
Hastur let out a sigh of relief. With no immediate threat to this area, he didn't need to rush to deal with it.
After collecting conclusive evidence, he could directly report it to the Church of the Evernight Goddess and let them handle it.
"Don't you want to go take a look?"
"A noble shouldn't put himself in danger," Hastur said seriously.
"Is that something Emperor Roselle said?"
"…Perhaps."
Hastur didn't want to discuss Emperor Roselle's famous quotes with Maric, so he instead asked if he needed a room prepared for him in the manor.
"No need, I can't leave my companions unattended."
Faced with an unknown situation, Maric didn't dare stay too far from his zombies.
After chatting a bit more, Hastur returned to the manor.
It was time for him to start living a barbarian's life for a while.
Tomorrow, under the pretext of hunting, he would go into the mountains, find an excuse, and camp alone in the forest.
With Maric nearby, security should be relatively ensured.
Late at night, Hastur entered the Hall of Stars on his newly prepared large bed.
After testing the Mother Tree of Desire last time, he had stopped such dangerous acts. He always felt that the Mother Tree of Desire had already laid its trap, just waiting for him to jump in.
He decided to wait until he finished formulating the second rule before trying again.
A Sequence 8 daring to test an Outer God, he himself thought he was crazy.
But without some testing, he didn't dare casually invite the Mother Tree of Desire to a meeting, even if it was only a fragment of its consciousness.
After thinking for a while, Hastur focused on the second rule.
During this period, he had already decided on the general content of the second rule, essentially allowing himself, amid chaotic and disorderly fate, to always peer into the most correct fate.
What is the correct fate? The fate most beneficial to himself.
It was equivalent to always being able to choose the answer that best suited his needs in multiple-choice questions.
Of course, the fate most beneficial to himself wasn't necessarily the best fate. He still needed to add wording to avoid and refine potential loopholes.
In the end, he wrote the following rule:
"Under the gaze of the stars, Hastur Campbell, a transmigrator from another world, last heir of the Campbell family.
He is fortune's favored child, blessed with luck throughout his life; he is an exception to fate, beyond the arrangement of any existence; he is the child of fate, always able to foresee the fates that significantly impact him.
This rule is fair and reasonable, unchanged by any external factors!"
When this fate-related rule was imprinted onto the Chain of Order, the starlight in the Hall of Stars converged like an ocean, surging into the Chain of Order.
As those pale-blue starry patterns spread, Hastur knew his rule had successfully taken effect.
When the patterns were completed and the ocean of starlight gradually dissipated, the entire Hall of Stars seemed to be shrouded by an indescribable aura of fate.
Hastur quietly felt the changes in the Hall of Stars, gaining a new understanding of the word "stars."
Perhaps the stars could indeed encompass everything.
A new rule allowed him to touch the domain of the Fate Pathway, becoming fortune's favored child, an exception, and a child of fate.
Then, when he formulated the next rule, could he touch the Sun Pathway or the Death Pathway?
This is somewhat similar to the authority of the Visionary, yet different.
The Visionary transforms imagination into reality through dreaming, akin to creating something out of nothing.
The Hall of Stars' ability is essentially still a type of rule manipulation, but these rules are more advanced, seemingly encompassing everything.
To give a simple example: water is poisonous.
The Visionary's authority would imagine poisonous water, replacing non-poisonous water, thus making the truth "water is poisonous" accepted by people.
The Hall of Stars, however, directly establishes a rule that water is poisonous.
From then on, non-poisonous water becomes deadly, and everyone complies with and acknowledges this rule.
Similarly, it could also establish rules that defy common sense, such as: stones are soft, sugar is bitter, children are born from men…
Hastur silently contemplated all the possibilities of the Hall of Stars.
Although these speculations were based only on his current knowledge, and might not necessarily be correct, perhaps even completely wrong, they still broadened his thinking, lifting a tiny corner of the fog.
While Hastur was deep in thought, the second Chain of Order floated before him, its tip touching his brow. That familiar sensation surged up once again, making him involuntarily sigh.
This time, instead of piercing straight from his brow to the back of his head, it flowed into his eyes.
He seemed to see a Chain of Order merging into his eyes, which began to emit a glow identical to starlight.
Was this going to form eyes that could peer into fate?
Hastur speculated in his heart. Among all organs, undoubtedly, eyes matched fate the best.
When he formulated the new rule earlier, he had emphasized the ability to peer into fate. Only eyes were suitable to bear such a change.
Last time it had merged into his spine; this time it was his eyes. Where would it integrate next time?
If he formulated a rule related to the Apothecary pathway, would it then… Ahem, he couldn't think like that, he wasn't that guy, Glaint.
Hastur put away his distracting thoughts and gradually adapted to this change.
Soon, everything in the Hall of Stars returned to normal, and the second Chain of Order quietly hung at his right side.
Dong, dong, dong.
Hastur lightly tapped the table with his fingers, gazing at the star representing the Mother Tree of Desire, lost in thought.
After thinking for a while, he decided to give it a try, to see if he could peer into the corresponding fate.
"What will happen in the future if I summon the Mother Tree of Desire into the Hall of Stars for a meeting right now?"
Hastur silently recited this question three times in his heart and then slowly closed his eyes.
At first, darkness filled his vision, followed by eternal stillness, as if everything had been frozen at that moment.
Suddenly, a flash of imagery sped by, shattering the dark silence.
Hastur's eyes snapped open, and an overwhelming headache struck him, his brain felt like it was being pricked by needles. This was the sign of massive spiritual power consumption.
If this had happened in the real world, his brain would have been directly burst apart. Peering into fate came with a heavy price.
Inside the Hall of Stars, thanks to the effect of the rules, he could largely avoid such damage.
After resting briefly, Hastur recalled the fleeting image he had seen earlier.
Though it had only lasted for an instant, he still managed to make out its general content.
The Hall of Stars, himself, the Mother Tree of Desire, and the Son of Chaos were sitting together for a meeting.
The Son of Chaos sat at the farthest end, while the Mother Tree of Desire sat closest to his left side.
The scene looked quite harmonious, though he had no idea what might have happened before or after it.
It was equivalent to a snapshot capturing one corner of future fate.
The cause was unknown; the result, also unknown.
All he could do was interpret and ponder it himself.
Hastur pondered seriously for a while, concluding that the scene represented harmony and friendliness, a sign of a positive trend in fate.
"No rush. Next time I summon the Son of Chaos for a meeting, I'll subtly test Its reaction. Maybe I can even directly summon the Mother Tree of Desire in Its presence."
Hastur quietly considered various possibilities until the pain in his head became unbearable, forcing him to leave the Hall of Stars.
The next day, Hastur followed his original plan to go hunting and relax in the forest behind the manor.
As night approached, he said he would camp in the forest with his friends and had Maric send two zombies to act as his camping companions, easing Butler Neil's concerns.
Once no outsiders were around, Hastur exhaled softly, looking far more relaxed. Disregarding his noble's graceful image, he took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, removed his shoes, and hitched up his trousers, preparing to catch some fish from the lake for roasting.
Maric emerged from deep within the forest, saw the scene, froze for a moment, then teased: "Had enough of being a noble? Planning to be a savage for once?"
"In nature, one should free their heart and blend with it. Only then can you experience the beauty of nature."
Without looking back, Hastur grabbed a stick with a fairly sharp tip and thrust it toward a big fish blowing bubbles.
His strike was strong, ripples spreading across the lake, but his aim was slightly off.
Hastur didn't rush, waiting for a bit before targeting the next fish.
"Free your heart? You're just playing around, aren't you?"
"Shh, you scared my fish away again."
"Clearly it's because your fishing skills are terrible!"
"Tsk, if you can do better, then stop yapping and show me."
"…"
In that moment, Maric felt the elegant noble image he had of Hastur completely shatter.