On Thursday morning, the same scene as yesterday was staged outside the Smith Manor. Smith looked at Lidia, Eve and Kepler at the door of the manor with a complicated expression as they got into Laura's car.
"I also asked my brother to take care of my Flanders today." Lidia deliberately emphasized the word "thank you" behind the car window, and then rolled up the window.
Halfway through the shaking, Smith stopped it with one hand. It seemed that he didn't want to repeat yesterday's situation of silently watching the car drive away. "Lidya. You can't have a good relationship with your parents..." But Smith still had to maintain his image in front of the children, his voice was low and low. The seriousness made the third-generation people in the car lower their heads and twiddle their fingers consciously, "Sit down and talk."
"I have taken a step back." Lidia's hand was still on the window handle, looking at her brother through the gap in the car window, "I am willing to restore Smith's surname, and even let Flanders change his surname to Smith. , even Eve has changed, what else can she do?"
"Uh..." Smith frowned, "These are not the essence of the problem at all, okay..." The essence is that Lidia married an unknown, ugly man from out of town, and she also had an extra daughter!
"Flanders is my husband, and Eve is my daughter." Lidia's face also became serious, "If father and mother don't accept this, we have nothing to talk about." She opened Smith's window and blocked the car window. With his hand, he successfully closed the window and isolated the outside world. His face instantly turned into a smile, and he looked at Laura, "Okay, you can go."
Laura quickly patted her driver, and the young man got the order to start the car.
Leaving the confines of Smith Manor, the route repeated yesterday's, passing through the original Grand Cemetery to Paisin. It's nice that Lidia, as Kepler's favorite aunt, has something to say about Grande. Let’s talk about it while these West End kids are around.
Why? After returning from Parker Elementary School yesterday, this aunt shamefully eavesdropped on the phone calls of her niece and her friends. Lidia discovered that if she hadn't suddenly taken Eve with her and Kepler yesterday, these children would have gone to the Grand Funeral Home. While the owner of Grande seems to be traveling for something, he wants to find a friend named Alice to, um, chat. Even when Kepler was on the phone, his conversation with Laura was very careful to avoid anything that Lidia was curious about.
Lidia was therefore very sure that this was the secret shared by Kepler's children. And based on Lidia’s understanding of Barton, this is still a very, very bad secret!
Don’t you understand, Lidia is an adult, or someone who might have jointly controlled the Smith family industry with Smith. Of course, she knew what Grande was - a 'liquidator' business run by two old men!
"By the way." Lidia said as if casually, "When will our Grand Cemetery in the West District be re-planned? Has it been decided what to build?"
Sure enough, the children's hearts beat faster when Grande was mentioned.
"Qiu, Qiu." Laura answered. She was the one who succeeded in making herself look the calmest. "I don't know the details yet, but I heard from my grandmother that it seems like it will be some kind of project by Liszt." There is no need to be surprised. The public bidding has not even started, but for people like the West District, there is really no need to make a fuss about the default decision.
"Oh." Lidia nodded indifferently. "Yesterday I looked through Liszt's shopping guide magazine. Did they cooperate with Kozier? Is Liszt getting better and better?" Lidya wanted to change the topic herself, "I hope it won't be another boring shopping trip." A plaza or a hotel, whatever is available in the North District is enough."
of course not. Lidia just expressed her opinion on Liszt and immediately continued the topic she wanted to talk about more. "Speaking of which, I still remember the old Grand. What happened to those two weird old men now? Where did they move to? Is there only the Ford Allen Funeral Home in Barton now? What a pity, I remember the one named Han Ke is a very good carpenter. In addition to coffins, he also makes very good furniture. If you give him enough money, you can let him customize the furniture."
What Lidia remembered more clearly was that these two old men could make certain things disappear in the middle of the night that were not suitable for discovery by judicial agencies. However, there was no rush and the topic could be guided slowly.
"In the South District." Laura answered quickly, with a strange look on her face, "The south side near the border. Well, you are talking about the old Grande being gone, and now they have a new owner..." The volume automatically Lower until it disappears. Accompanied by the heartbeat is getting faster and faster.
Laura pursed her lips, forced herself to calm down, and put on a forced smile, "They are now the only traditional funeral business in Barton. Now, in Barton, they are the only family that has preserved the cemetery for burials." Hope, Laura hoped, the picture would only look like she was there. Introduce Barton's new changes to Lidia, who has been away from home for many years.
"Oh." Lidya blinked, tilted her head, and asked very curiously, "In a rural place like the South District? Laura, how do you know so clearly?"
Laura's heart skipped a beat, and Kepler came to the rescue, "Oh Lidia! Just look at the newspaper at the beginning of the year and you will know! Who told you that you would only look at the clothes on the Liszt shopping guide when you come back! Please take care of me How is our Barton!" The girl deliberately shouted loudly to cover up her rapid heartbeat.
With this kind of bluff cover, Lidia’s next question will make them collapse, but—
"Quin, Grandpa Quinn is buried there..." the youngest child in the car, the Falcon family's younger brother Sherlock, said tenderly.
Sister Charlotte took the place, "Brother Jackson is buried there too!" As if she was afraid that Lidia would forget who Jackson was, "Jackson Bishop."
It was Cody Fisher who saved the little fat man who was nervous all over. He suppressed his blushing face and said, "Uh... Well, Kang, Connor, Connor Herman is also buried there."
Laura cheered up and said, "Yeah!" She used her voice to cover up her nervousness, "We all attended their funeral, so, we count as frequent visitors..." The automatic silence this time was because the topic was about attending funerals...
Lidia opened her mouth. Every funeral that was suddenly proposed at this time was more worthy of her attention as a person who had just been pointed out that she didn't care about Barton's return! Alas, it was no longer possible for her to continue to explore the terrible secrets of these five children.
Lidya pursed her lips, okay, let’s change the topic. Lidia turned her head slightly and glanced at Eve, who had been quiet all this time, searching. Which funeral is more interesting to Eve
Eve looked back at Lidia with a matter-of-fact look.
Do you need to ask, of course it’s Bishop! That Toledo appeared in Bishop Manor, which is already the territory of evil spirits, was witnessed by Eve with her own eyes. It would be good if the topic could be moved a little closer to that, and even a little bit of information could be obtained!
Lidia accepted it. Although she really couldn't understand Eve's complicated emotions towards that Toledo, she had missed an opportunity to ask about Bishop's situation yesterday (Kepler told Lidia about the death of Jackson in the room. Lidia At that time, Dia just had a feeling that the other person seemed to be a good boy.) Lidia felt that if she missed it again, she would be taught a lesson by Eve.
Okay, Lidia thought about her words, "Jackson of the Bishops..."
"Go straight here." Laura's instructions to the driver interrupted Lidia. She found an address from her bag, "Don't go to Parker Elementary School yet, go here."
The driver who had already entered Paisying took over the address. Oh.
"Teacher Trisha gave it to me yesterday." Laura looked at Lidia, her heartbeat gradually calmed down, and then she looked at Hungry Eve, "Eve, aren't you going to hold a handicraft class to help everyone make trophies? Cui? Teacher Sha said that if we can get the materials directly, we don’t need to spend money to buy them, so we went to the trophy workshop to see if we can get some materials.”
Maybe we should see Lola grow up. Remember, the former Laura said to Matthew. "Why do you want to make it yourself? Why don't you buy it directly." Now, Laura knew how to save money on even these materials.
"Uh." Kepler rolled his eyes, "Didn't there be an accident in that workshop and things were burned down, so we couldn't complete our order? Will they not give me the materials?"
"The accident was his workshop's fault. He failed to meet our orders according to the contract, so why don't he need to compensate us!" The first reaction was naturally that of Kepler's opposite Charlotte, "We didn't ask for compensation. That’s right, I’m just asking him for some compensation, why shouldn’t he give it!”
Laura pursed her lips. "'He' has a name, he is Boone Herman." There was a strange look on his face, "That trophy workshop is his industry."
"Herman's brother?" Lidia, whose original intention was interrupted, actually interrupted at this time. She still knew the relationship between these adults in the West District.
"Yeah." Laura curled her lips, "We're not familiar with it, so we're just going to give it a try. Teacher Cuisha also said that if you can get the best, forget it if it doesn't work, and we won't pursue any breach of contract."
"There's nothing wrong with pursuing it." Kepler continued to roll his eyes, "An explosion as big as the Hermann factory..."
"Kepler!" Laura pushed her to stop her friend's sarcastic remarks.
Kepler curled his lips and didn't bother to mention it.
The car returned to the usual relaxed atmosphere of the third generation in the West End. Lidia felt that it was not appropriate to mention Jackson's funeral. She made a helpless expression towards Eve and waited quietly for the car to arrive at its destination.
The western boundary of Paisying is adjacent to the isolation forest that separates the two districts. There is also the Paisin River in the middle, which leads directly to the convergence of Port Marsa and the Charles River and enters the sea. Laura’s car was driving beside the woods.
Different from the casual chatting of others in the car, Eve stared out the window seriously, looking at the receding trees.
Eve is observing something that interests her—the barrier that changes the rules of the world. The people in the car didn't know it, but Eve knew that they were now driving close to the border of this magical witchcraft barrier.
The porcelain doll-like Eve's eyes sparkled with excitement, and if she could, she wanted to express—to express the right choice made by someone four centuries ago (the man in Eve's crayon drawing yesterday). It was the right thing to cross the ocean and come to this continent!
During the colonial war, Papa Midnight changed the rules of the world against vampires (referring to the fact that vampires must be invited to enter Indian territory), which allowed Rimmer, a group of half-human and half-vampire mages who were obsessed with magic, to see a glimmer of The hope of letting the eternal blood (the vampire half of Rimmer) and the soul (the human half of Rimmer) coexist - the laws of the world can be changed. The Holy Lord has done this, creating an immortal but disabled soul. Vampire; Papa Midnight went on to do this and came up with the 'invitation' law that restricted the actions of vampires.
This shows that everything vampire blood represents, its definition, its abilities, and the meaning of its existence can be modified, added, or even deleted! Not to mention vampires, everything in this world exists. Things and laws can all be modified!
But for the Rimmers, Holy Lord and Papa Midnight are looking down at the world from too high a position, and it is simply impossible to try to analyze and understand their power.
Now, in front of Eve, open the car window. In the invisible barrier that can be touched with tentacles, Eve can feel that such a small law change does not come from such a lofty existence as the Holy Lord and Papa Midnight! It’s man-made! Eve can figure this out!
Rimmer, this group of 'scientists' who became half-vampires in order to study all strange things and phenomena, in words we can understand - this group of magicians who became members of the thirteen vampire clans in order to live forever, can understand!
"We're here." The car stopped and Laura reminded everyone. Opened the car door.
Eve grabbed Lidya, who seemed not to want to move, and said in a very low voice, "I want to go down and take a look."
This is a perfect place, a clearing with the blackened remains of the fire, just divided into two by the barrier that changes the laws of the world!
"I'm wearing new shoes!" Kepler blocked the car door and looked outside, "I don't want to get out!"
"Kepler!" Laura pushed Kepler away helplessly, "I can go!"
"I'll accompany you." Lidia could only smile. In Laura's grateful eyes, she pulled up Eve, whom Laura should really be grateful for.
How to describe a scene after a fire? It should sum up everything by making people instinctively want to stay away. but. Laura came down with a mission. She looked at the dilapidated and charred front door of the workshop. The workshop where the guard should have been was half collapsed, and no one could be seen.
Laura frowned, and said uncertainly, "Well... let's go look inside. See if there is someone in charge or something like that."
Lidia nodded, she could already feel Eve pulling her in a certain direction. Lidia looked in that direction, and saw that the dark open space radiated with burn marks like thick ink around it, scattered protruding steel bars on the ground, and broken half-collapsed corners and eaves. It means that there used to be a building there, but it became what it is now in the accident.
"Then I'll go over there and have a look." Lidia could only say this.
"Oh." Laura glanced at the direction Lidia was pointing, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Lidia seemed to have chosen the most dangerous place, "Then, let me go to the room there and have a look. Maybe It's the office..." Don't expose this girl's little thoughts.
"Be careful." Lidia only had time to say, before being led by Eve to the place she liked.
"What's the rush?" Lidia pursed her lips and complained softly to Eve, who was leading her steps.
"There is something here." Eve replied in the same low voice, staring at the thickest black spot on the ground, walking deeper and deeper.
"have what?"
Eve was silent for a while, then raised her head and looked at the barrier in front of the tip of her nose that no one except her could see, "There is something here, right here, where I stand." The place was punished by the laws of the world and burned into nothingness.”
Before Lidia could respond, Eve's voice trembled with excitement, "I want to find out what it is? What is the thing that was burned as punishment! I want to know what the changed world law is for in the North and South Districts of Barton. Yes!" Eve looked at Lidia with sparkling eyes, "I'm one step closer to understanding this enchantment!"
Well, we can answer this question for all creations of Papa Midnight. Don't tell her, let this Rimmer enjoy solving the puzzle on his own.
We should pay more attention to our vampires. At this time, Zach was in Grande's backyard, holding Riley's car door, with no intention of helping Riley stuff the full blood can into the trunk.
Of course, this is to show loyalty to Louise. Zach smiled and told Louise, who was folding her arms on the back porch and watching Riley doing hard work, "Lois, if Wes and James call, oh, and Jason, let them Call directly to Bishop Manor, or wait for me to come back, soon, I promise."
Louise curled her lips and turned around to help Alice prepare breakfast. (..)