The man in the old robe had lived in this shabby inn for many days. He wanted to have lunch as usual, but when he went down the stairs, he unexpectedly saw a very familiar figure leaning against the wall.
"Long time no see, Mr. Watson."
Xia De, who was looking down at the news, heard someone greeting him in the strangely accented Kasenric language. As soon as he looked up, he saw the man pull up a wooden chair opposite the table and sit down under the light of the kerosene lamp on the wall.
He had very short eyelashes, extremely bright black eyes, an old brown desert robe, and a green stubble that was probably longer than his hair.
"Mr. Sean Asmon?"
Xia De was startled. He didn't expect to meet him again.
"Yes, Mr. Watson, I'm glad to meet you again in a strange city."
The demonologist put down his notebook and gave Shade his signature, weird smile.
Although this expression was very strange, it was not the first time that Shade had seen it. Besides, he was very happy to meet his old friends in Carsenrick:
"Mr. Asmon, how did you get here? First you went to Coldwater Harbor, then headed southeast to Midhill Castle, and then turned back southwest and came here."
"To continue searching for the devil's legend, of course."
He still maintained that "smiling face but not real face" look, his scalp almost glowing under the dim kerosene lamp:
"Besides, Mr. Watson, aren't you here too?"
"Yes, yes, to celebrate this unusual reunion, let me buy you a drink."
He called over the fat waiter who seemed to be absent-minded. The waiter was twice the size of Shad. Mr. Sean Asmon did not exchange pleasantries with Shad. After ordering a glass of ale for himself, he propped his knees with his left hand, tilted his body and stretched his head, and started chatting with Shad again.
"There are demons in Huntington, right? Oh, Mr. Asmon, I often hear urban legends about vampires in this area."
Shade said with a smile, and the demonologist's voice was as slippery as in summer and autumn, with the feeling of a snake crawling:
"Yes, a demon. But not Huntington, but the Great Swamp. I've heard many legends here, such as interconnected caves and snake-like vines that eat people."
While Shade subconsciously looked towards the west, Mr. Asmon's black eyes were still staring at him:
"There are some very interesting legends, and there are quite a few demonic relics within the Great Swamp. I'm sure I can find something of value that will make this journey interesting."
In fact, if he had gone to Tobesk some time ago, the probability of finding the demon would be higher.
"But it seems to me that it is not a good idea to go deep into the Everglades at this time of year."
The two of them drank from their glasses, and the candlelight on one side of the table made their shadows sway slightly. This hotel was so shabby that there was no gas pipeline, and of course no steam pipeline, so even the heating was done by burning wood. The only fireplace was quite old, and it was the brightest light source in the room.
But this makes this shabby little hotel feel surprisingly old and time-honored.
Shade knew that something big was going to happen inside the Pantanal Swamp, so he tried to persuade them. The demonologist let out a strange laugh, but there was no smile in his eyes:
"I just want to take a look around the periphery and not go deep into the swamp. Those series of lakes are the target of my investigation."
But in this way, he would have a much higher chance of finding an angel than a demon. After all, there really was an angel living in the lake.
"But it's really interesting to talk about it."
Xia De placed the wine glass on the wooden table with slight chopping marks and decades of wine stains:
"Mr. Asmon, it seems that every time we see you, we are at a place with the name of 'Rose'. The Pink Rose Tavern in Coldwater Harbor, the Blue Rose Inn on the Windy Trail in Mount Sikar, and now the Scarlet Rose Inn in Huntington City."
"No, no, no, Mr. Watson, I did not choose to live in a place like this on purpose. It's just that my pockets are tight."
He leaned his head forward slightly, but his expression did not show any embarrassment at all.
Xia De smiled and nodded:
"Do you need me to sponsor your research? Maybe when we meet again in a corner of the next unfamiliar city, you can tell me the stories you encountered there."
As he said this, he was about to take out his wallet. Although he had only met this demonologist twice, Shade had a good impression of him.
Probably because the first time he met you, he gave you an ancient demon, Soul Stealer Bishop.
"She" whispered in Shade's ear, but Mr. Asmon pursed his lips, made a "tsk tsk" sound and shook his head:
"That won't do. I study demonology, and my knowledge tells me that it's not a good habit to casually accept other people's kindness or make random wishes. However, I do have a good thing here."
He opened his dog-eared notebook and displayed half a sheet of cards.
The problem with the card was not only that it was only half a card, the remaining half was also severely discolored and damaged, but it was still possible to tell that it was the upper half of a Rhodes card.
Shade took the card and looked at it, but he couldn't tell what it was from the remaining card surface, so the demonologist explained to Shade:
"Some time ago, I explored a group of ownerless tombs in the wild with a group of people."
In other words, a group of people were working together to rob tombs, and the demonologist in front of him looked like someone who could do something similar.
"That place is very dangerous, but there aren't many valuable burial objects. This is what I brought out of the tomb. It was lying in the dirt of the tomb passage. I don't know if it's a burial object or something left by the last group of patrons. It's a pity that the power of time has destroyed too many things.
I have researched this card before. If I am not mistaken, it should be the Natural Disaster Blizzard of Star 8 (Note). The rule recorded by the Prophet Association is: When this card is drawn, if the opponent has not stopped and the number of cards in his hand is even, you can remove the smallest card in the opponent's hand that has been exposed, and the special effects of the removed card will still work. "
Mr. Asmon explained with a strange smile, while Shade was a little surprised:
"The Natural Disasters series is very famous and has been reprinted many times. Judging from the appearance and printing technology of this card, it is probably the first edition. It's a pity that it has been damaged like this, otherwise it would be very valuable."
"Yes, but as far as I know, the Prophet Association provides a service for owners of Rhodes cards to exchange old cards for new ones."
The demonologist continued, and Shade nodded.
After all, except for the 13 cards in the founding series, the other cards are just ordinary items and will be damaged sooner or later (note). The Prophet Association provides a thoughtful replacement service for the holders of Rhodes cards, that is, if you bring old cards with a completeness exceeding a certain level and related documents, you can exchange the old cards for new cards by paying coins.
There are complete regulations on the integrity of the old cards and the relevant documents required. However, if you have enough reputation in the Prophet Association, or can come up with a suitable reason to convince the association, you can pay a higher price to exchange for a new one even if the necessary conditions are missing.
“Very interesting.”
Shade commented, pulling out his notebook and inserting the old cards into it:
"Mr. Asmon, since you are unwilling to accept my kindness for nothing, why not sell this old card to me?"
He rummaged through his wallet and handed over a 3-kroner note:
“This is what I paid for the goods.”
This amount of money was actually too much, after all, 11 to 12 gold pounds were needed to exchange for one crown. Shade simply wanted to support the man in front of him, at least so that he didn't have to live in such a shabby place.
"In that case."
Mr. Asmon took the three green notes:
"Why don't we continue telling the story we didn't finish last time."
"Demon stories? Of course."
The demonologist narrowed his eyes slightly, and Shad felt that the light of the kerosene lamp and the candle dripping wax on the table were a little dim at this moment.
"Mr. Watson, do you still remember the story we told you the last two times?"
"Yes, yes."
Shade held the handle of the wine glass and answered:
"A strange being who, because of people's perception, actually possessed the power of the legendary devil. He traveled to many places and brought countless disasters, but he failed only once when he met a person who had no wishes.
The devil hid in the soul of the man without desires, walked with him, brought disaster, and made the man without desires expelled by his friends, partners, and even everyone. But at the moment of death, the human smiled and said that he had sealed the devil with his life, and the devil smiled and said that the man still had desires after all. It devoured the man's soul and went to where they came from. "
Shade shook his head:
“That is, the hometown of men.”
"Yes, and the story is obviously still going on."
The long-faced man picked up his wine glass and talked about this topic with acquaintances he occasionally met under the dim light in the shabby tavern, which created a lot of atmosphere.
"I have a feeling this isn't going to be a story with a happy ending."
Xia De said softly, and then laughed at himself:
"How can a story about the devil have a happy ending?"
The demon scholar's greasy voice has already sounded:
"A man without any wishes spent his entire life traveling with the demon in his soul, hoping that it would stay away from his family and friends. But the demon returned to the man's hometown and the place where he traveled in just one night. This story takes place there."
“Tsk tsk.”
Xia De sighed softly, but the sound of wine glasses being placed roughly on the table around him covered up his astonishment.
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