The main entrance to the catacombs is in the Purgatory Square near the Intis Observatory. The building containing the entrance is supported by pillars, and at the top is a dome covered with stone reliefs, like a miniature memorial hall or the above-ground part of a huge mausoleum.
When Lumian arrived, there were already twenty or thirty people gathered by the stairs leading down. They were dressed differently, but mostly formally, and there were both men and women.
Standing in the front of these people was a man in his thirties wearing a blue vest and yellow trousers. He had slightly curly brown hair, a thick beard, slightly upturned eyes, and in his hand was an iron-black calcium carbide lamp that had not yet been lit.
He said to the twenty or thirty people in a loud voice: "I am Kendall, one of the managers of the catacombs, and I will be responsible for leading you to visit the ossuaries today.
"Does everyone have a white candle ready? If not, please let me know immediately."
Tourists? Lumian cast his eyes toward the stone stairs behind Kendall.
It stretched down and disappeared into the thick darkness, with no end in sight.
Not far from Kendall, there was an open heavy door. It was made of thick wood, half of which was painted with the holy symbol of the sun in golden paint, and the other half had a solid triangle filled with symbols of steam, levers, gears, etc.
After receiving a confirmation, Kendall lit the carbide lamp and turned to walk underground, followed by the tourists, some of whom were holding lanterns. Lumian lagged behind them by four or five meters, holding the carbide lamp he got from Lamaye, and walked down the stone stairs at a leisurely pace.
With his super-enhanced ears, it was not difficult for him to hear the introduction made by the grave manager Kendall at the front: "After walking up 138 steps, 26 meters below the streets of Trier, you will see the bones of nearly 50 generations of Trier people." Forty-seven years ago, there was no land for burying the dead in the Cemetery of the Innocents and the Cemetery of the Priests. White bones were thrown everywhere. The stench made the surrounding residents protest on the streets every day, hoping that the city hall would move the cemetery outside the city...
"In the end, the city hall chose the underground. They connected some tombs of the Fourth Period with several nearby underground quarries to form a very, very, very large tomb... What you can visit today is only a part of it..." Kendall's voice echoed in the quiet and dark staircase with no end in sight, which made people feel a fear of the tomb and the underground.
Going down the steps one by one, Lumian finally saw a road separated by stone pillars and walls.
Unlike other places in the underground world, this road had obviously been repaired and maintained on a daily basis. There were no potholes at all. It was flat and spacious, but quite eerie, with gusts of cold wind blowing from time to time.
On this road, there is a gas lamp installed at regular intervals. They emit a yellowish light, making the light and darkness constantly interweave and extend into the distance.
Kendall, wearing a blue vest, reminded the visitors again: "You must follow me closely and cannot act alone!" There are too many areas underground that we don't know much about. Once you lose your way, it will be difficult to find you again.
"You can't walk around randomly once you enter the tomb. There are some roads that lead to deeper tombs. The evil spirits of the Fourth Epoch hidden in the darkness are sleeping in places like this. Praise the sun and praise the light. Only by walking on the routes confirmed by the priests can you avoid all dangers."
Some visitors opened their arms and praised the sun, while others drew triangles on their chests.
After following the tomb manager Kendall and his companions for nearly two hundred meters, Lumian saw the catacombs.
There stands a huge stone doorway that was naturally formed and later modified, with delicate reliefs such as skulls, skeletal arms, sunflowers, and steam symbols on both sides.
On the top of the door lintel are two inscriptions in Intis: "Stop!
"The Empire of Death is ahead!"
Kendall, the tomb manager, turned around again and said to the visitors: "You can turn off the lanterns and light white candles. Everyone must do this!" If you don't want to enter the tomb, you can walk around here, but don't go too far, otherwise it will be easy to get lost, and then it will be troublesome.
"After entering the tomb, if you accidentally leave the group, don't panic, look for the signpost. If there is no signpost, look up and follow the black line drawn on the top of the tomb. It continues to the main entrance..."
Soon, the light of the lantern went out, and orange candle flames jumped out in the darkness.
The visitors simultaneously held up white candles and followed Kendall into the catacombs.
Lumian watched from afar, as if seeing a little bit of yellowish firelight merge into a stream, slowly swimming into the depths of the darkness.
He did not go in, but holding a calcium carbide lamp, he walked around the tomb gate looking for the fake wizard Ostartrull.
A few minutes later, Lumian saw a bonfire.
It was located next to a pillar, and there was a lot of wet moss growing on the stone wall above it.
Sitting on a stone behind the campfire was a man. He was wearing a black robe with a hood, had a high nose bridge, dark brown eyes, and a flaxen beard covering his chin. He was staring at the dancing flames.
Lumian walked over and asked directly, "Are you Ostartrull?"
The hooded man raised his head and looked at Lumian. He said in a deliberately suppressed, magnetic and deep voice: "Lost soul, why did you come to me?"
The firelight and darkness alternately danced on Aosta Trull's face, making it impossible to tell his exact age. One could only guess that he was probably less than thirty, or perhaps closer to forty.
Aosta. Trull said in a low, hoarse voice with a hint of magnetism: "Witchcraft is taboo, witchcraft is a curse, I will not provide help casually."
"What do you need me to do?" Lumian asked urgently.
Osta said in a low voice: "The principle of witchcraft is equal exchange. Tell me what kind of help you want first."
Lumian resisted the urge to mock and provoke, his expression suddenly turned painful: "I lost all my loved ones, I feel abandoned by this world, I can't sleep every night, I want to forget these things and start my life again."
Aosta. Trurl observed Lumian's expression and did not find any falsehood.
He nodded slightly: "I have also lost a lot, that is the curse brought by witchcraft, I can understand your feelings and thoughts.
"But forgetting the pain is hard."
“Okay…” Lumian sighed deeply, turned around and prepared to leave.
Osta quickly stopped him and said, "Wait a minute. Just because it's difficult doesn't mean there's no way."
"Really?" Lumian turned around suddenly, his face full of excitement.
Osta nodded slightly and said, "No." Lumian shook his head.
Osta glanced at the burning bonfire and explained briefly: “In a ossuary in the catacombs, there is a turbid spring. It is called the Samaritan Woman’s Spring, also known as the Fountain of Forgetfulness. If you drink it, you will completely forget all your pain.
"There are many corpses singing, singing 'Drink the water of happy oblivion and forget the original pain'."
"I can help you get it, but the principle of equal exchange cannot be violated. You need to give me 100 Felkins."
Lumian had been listening attentively, but the misalignment in prices struck him as ridiculous.
Such precious spring water is not as much as the two-month salary of an apprentice waiter
Lumian's eyes widened, and he rushed to Osta, holding his shoulder and asked, "Really?"
Osta pushed his hand away and nodded calmly: "This is a wizard's promise."
"Okay, okay!" Lumian replied excitedly, "But I don't have that much money. I'll go back now and come find you here tomorrow?"
Osta nodded with satisfaction: "No problem."
Lumian thanked him repeatedly, picked up the calcium carbide lamp, and left the area excitedly.
When he was out of Osta's sight, he restrained his smile, raised his right palm, and lightly sniffed the not-so-obvious scent of perfume.
Before going to the observatory area, he sprayed some cheap perfume on his right hand, deliberately touching Osta's body just now.
After returning to the ground, Lumian sat behind a pillar, hid his body, and waited patiently.
As the sky gradually darkened and dusk approached, he smelled a faint but familiar scent of perfume.
Lumian was in no hurry to follow, and only came out of his hiding place after a while, following the slight scent left by Osta, and following behind him from so far away that he could hardly see his figure.
Carriages passed by him one after another, and sometimes exaggerated mechanical creations appeared.