Talking about his family's past, the Earl sighed slightly:
"I have only heard about this elder through the words and letters of these elders. He is not a traditional nobleman who follows the rules, but he is not particularly unruly. He just likes to associate with some very special people. He is the second son of the family and will not inherit the title, but the family has prepared a farm and a factory for him. My great-grandfather has a very good relationship with him. But one day in 1780, he left a letter at home and ran away from home."
Xia De nodded:
"You took these two medals?"
"Yes. He didn't mention in the letter why he took the two medals, but he made it clear that he wanted to find the freedom he wanted. According to the elders, my great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother almost went crazy at the time. They sent people to various places to look for my great-uncle's whereabouts. This search lasted for more than ten years until everyone gave up hope and finally stopped completely."
The Count said, looking particularly sad:
"I have brothers and children of my own, so I understand what this means to the family when it happens."
"And no trace of Mr. Thomas Granger was ever found?"
Shade asked again, and the Count shook his head:
"No, my elders suspected that he went on an expedition to the sea and met with an accident."
The discovery of the New World happened more than fifty years ago, so people at that time would not doubt that Thomas Granger had gone to the New World.
"That's a pity."
"Mr. Watson, when you found these two medals, did you find anything else? Like a letter or something like that?"
The Earl asked with some anticipation:
"The elders left a will, hoping that if his remains could be found, he could be buried in the family cemetery."
This time it was Xia De's turn to shake his head:
"When I saw these two medals, I knew there must be a story behind them, so I went to the thrift store to look for other similar items. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything else. As for the antique clock, the owner of the thrift store bought it from a poor pregnant woman on a rainy night more than 20 years ago. It's impossible to find the original owner now."
The Count sighed again, and from the experience that Shade had made up, he thought of more tragic stories:
"If the pregnant woman knew what was inside the clock, she would probably live a happy life. These two medals are very valuable... I don't know whether the child was born safely."
He probably thought that they were also descendants of the Granger family.
"If I can find more clues in the future, or even find the burial place of Mr. Thomas Granger, I will bring the news to you."
Shade promised, and then made a new request:
"I actually have another request. I wonder if Mr. Thomas Granger left any relics? I would really like to see them."
Mr. Granger disappeared more than seventy years ago, and even if he were still alive, he would have been over a hundred years old, so it is not an exaggeration for Shad to call it a "relic."
"Mr. Watson, do you want to read that letter? Of course, I'll ask someone to pick it up. But after all, it's from more than 70 years ago, and the ink has faded. The last time I read it was more than 10 years ago..."
He called the servant at the door, but after thinking carefully:
"My great uncle seems to have left something behind... Oh, Mr. Watson, would you mind having lunch with me? I want to search the warehouse, which may take some time."
To thank "Mr. Watson", the Earl treated him to a sumptuous lunch. During the meal, the Earl wanted to talk to Shad about the city of Willendel, but Shad, who had never been to Willendel, cleverly changed the subject. He claimed that he would travel around the Old World for most of the year to find new sources of inspiration for his stories. When talking about the scenery of the Old World, he could talk about the cities he had visited, which increased the authenticity of the identity of "John Watson".
After lunch, Shade also saw the letter that Thomas Granger left behind after he "ran away from home". Just as the Earl said, the letter had been carefully preserved but had also been eroded by time. Unfortunately, there was nothing special about the letter.
The other object the Earl showed to Shade was a bit surprising. It was a copper-colored metal block. It was a cube, and although it was a bit rusty, it didn't feel very rough. Probably to prevent injuries, the twelve sides and eight corners were all rounded, and the surface area of each face was about the size of a palm.
"It's a handicraft. It seems to be made by my great uncle himself. When the elders found out that he had run away from home, they used it to press down the letter on the desk to prevent it from being blown to the ground by the wind."
The Earl introduced it, and after getting permission, Shade picked up the metal block and examined it:
"It's really interesting that the second son of a missing noble family actually knows the skills of a blacksmith. I think after polishing it, it should be a nice desktop ornament."
He suddenly looked up at the Earl and said rather embarrassedly:
"I have another request, this..."
The count understood what he meant and nodded:
"Then I will give it to you, Mr. Watson. The medal has returned to the family, and the past story has come to an imperfect end. Please accept this inexpensive but valuable souvenir. I hope it can add luster to your story."
"Thank you for your generosity. This is a wonderful souvenir."
Shade did not stay long with the count. After receiving 10 crowns in cash, he quickly left. The count gave Shade his business card, sent the old butler to take Shade to the gate of the manor, and promised that if Shade encountered any trouble in the local area, he could come here to find him at any time.
Xia De passed by a four-wheeled rental carriage on the downhill road outside the manor gate. The old butler saw the carriage coming and waited at the door for a while.
A young girl dressed as a maid got off the carriage. She took out a letter and handed it to the old butler:
"Madam has agreed to meet with the Earl in the afternoon."
“Oh, that’s great.”
So the old butler quickly returned to the study with the letter and saw the earl who was wiping the medal:
"Lady Vanessa Benanis of the Golden Dawn Opera Company sent a reply letter from her servant. Regarding the joint acquisition of the local opera house, the lady agreed to discuss it in the afternoon."
The old butler placed the letter on the desk. The Earl put down the medal, opened the letter and took a look:
"I didn't expect that she actually agreed. I heard a rumor a while ago that she had hooked up with Her Highness Margaret. I originally thought that she would look down on my business."
(Little Mia is running...)
After leaving the Earl's Manor, Shad found the "Elf Poetry Inn" he had seen on the way here - the name of this inn was very good. Then he rented a house on the third floor of the inn and entered the room with the metal block.
Unlike Tobesk, where every inch of land is valuable, the housing prices in Randall Valley are relatively normal, and the rooms in the inn are much larger than those in the Three Cats Inn in Anthem Square that Shad is familiar with.
After entering the room, he closed the windows and drew the curtains, checked the closet and under the bed, then sat down at the table and picked up the piece of metal.
Although it was not very obvious, this piece of metal did have an elemental reaction and should be considered an alchemical item. Shade's guess was correct. Since Mr. Thomas Granger left a letter asking the strange ring wizard to return the medal, he would naturally leave something at home for the kind stranger.
"So, how do you use this thing?"
The heavy block of metal seemed to be completely solid. Shade believed that the elders of the Earl's family must have checked this thing more than once, so the clues must not be found by ordinary people.
“Could it be a spiritual light?”
He summoned his life ring and let the light of the spirit rune shine on the metal block, but unfortunately there was no reaction. Shade frowned slightly and thought for a moment. Since the gentleman left this thing, he should not deliberately embarrass the "kind ring wizard". Therefore, the solution to the puzzle should not be difficult for the ring wizard, and it should be easy to think of.
"Could it be that there is a note in the middle of the metal block that is going to destroy this thing?"
He possessed the Breath of Time, which could reverse time. Even if it was an alchemical item, it would only consume more spirit. So Xia De did not hesitate:
"Feliana's Witch Light!"
His right hand glowed with a golden light, and Shade pressed his palm on the top of the metal block. As he applied a little force, the metal began to melt.
It went very smoothly at the beginning, but when the height of the metal block was reduced by one third, Xia De felt that his hand could not go any further down.
The Witch's Light could not melt any substance, so he was not surprised. After raising his hand, he saw a small silver metal block embedded in the copper metal block. This thing was not affected by Felianna's Witch's Light:
"A small piece of metal inside a big piece of metal..."
After melting all six sides of the large metal, Shade not only took out the silver cube, but also got a small rolled-up paper roll.
Because it was tightly sealed in metal, the words on the paper were still legible even after so many years. The cursive letters on it were exactly the same as those in Mr. Thomas Granger's letter, so it was confirmed that he had left them.
The area of the six faces of the silver cube was less than a quarter of the size of a palm, and it was extremely light compared to metal. The traces of elements that Shade noticed from the large metal block actually came entirely from this small silver cube.
There was only one sentence written on the scroll:
"Given to the newcomers - thank you for returning the family medal. I hope you like my hometown. I left a gift for you in the silver cube. Only with enough stories can you open it. This silver cube records the story of Randall Valley City. Please tell it the story you want to know."