"Could it be..."
"I think about it, but I always can't remember it, and I always forget to mention it to others. Even the Speaker only remembered to ask me half a year later, what kind of cult was the Golden Dawn originally... Wait, the name of the cult is right on the tip of my tongue, what was it..."
The beautiful witch made a thoughtful expression. Xia De understood the anxiety that she had thought of but couldn't express.
"Is it... the Forsaken Order?"
He asked tentatively, and Miss Benanis showed an expression of sudden enlightenment:
"Yes, the Forgotten Cult! When I first met Sirius, the young girl called herself 'The Forgotten'. It's really nostalgic when I think about it...Shad, you actually know about this cult?"
"Not only do I know... ... they believe in the old god Forgotten Old Man?"
"Yes, you are familiar with this cult? Also from your experience in the past?"
"No, it's the experience of the present time. I want to ask you a question, is there a Forgotten Church in this area?"
"It does exist as rumored, but due to the interruption of the order's inheritance, the Golden Dawn lost the whereabouts of the church hundreds of years ago. Sirius's father had been committed to finding it, but he failed to achieve his goal until he disappeared."
Having said that, the witch looked down at the photo again:
"Statue... You don't want to say..."
"Yes, the place where this statue was found is the Forgotten Church."
He took out the mithril cube and softly repeated the rumor about the "invisible church". Dense information about the church appeared on the mithril:
"The first thing I encountered in the story of Randall Valley was the 'Invisible Church'. In fact, my ability to travel between Tobesk and Randall Valley City is also related to that church; the relics of Thomas Granger who gave me the power of the earth in the Emerald Dream were also found under that church... That's about it."
The witch was slightly surprised:
"Did you find the church? Sorry, I don't mean to disbelieve you, but can you let me see what the church looks like?"
"no problem."
Shade reached to the right and took out a book from the translucent bookshelf that was emitting the colors of the starry sky. When Miss Benanis opened the book, it contained pictures of the interior and exterior of the church. The appearance of the man sitting in the front row, Shi Die, was clearly visible in the colorful pictures.
“There really is such a thing.”
She stood up immediately, stretched out her hand to pull Xia De up as well, and said in a serious tone:
"There are indeed still a few followers of the old god Forgotten Old Man in the Golden Dawn, but don't tell them about this for now. Now, take me to that church, yes, now."
"Don't you have to tell Miss Lathers first?"
"Let me first confirm what that withered statue is...Shad, you have also seen the petrified bodies of the out-of-control earth, so you must understand my thoughts, and even more so the significance of that withered statue to Sirius."
Shade nodded slightly. The statue was most likely the body of Miss Sirius Lathers's father. This result was indeed too cruel for her.
It didn't take too long to get to Cherry Leaf Street from the Wilde Opera House. There were not many people on the street at night. Shad and Miss Benanis got off the carriage and came to the wall between No. 11 and No. 12. They put their fingers together, looked at the wall through their fingers, and prayed softly.
There is clearly no sign of spatial change, but the church courtyard, which occupies a relatively large area, has been "squeezed" out from between the brick joints.
Even though she had heard Shade say it once, Miss Benanis was still shocked:
“It’s actually hidden in the city.”
The two entered the yard through the courtyard gate. The witch even looked back to make sure that the scenery outside was still Cherry Leaf Street.
There was nothing to see in the deserted courtyard, so they walked up the steps along the sermon in the middle, pushed open the door and entered the church through the crack.
The moonlight poured down from the hole in the roof, forming an almost slanted column of moonlight in the center of the abandoned church hall. Miss Benanis pinched Shade's sleeve and stared at the scene in front of her with wide eyes:
"The appearance of the old temple is even more amazing than I thought."
"The stone statue is in the front."
Xia De reminded her, and the witch nodded slowly, still looking around in surprise:
"Shad, you don't understand the significance of this cathedral to Siris and the Golden Dawn. It's incredible. The old gods have been gone for an era, but the cathedral still has its own power. The power of the gods is so great and incredible."
As he spoke, he walked side by side with Shade along the aisle between the long seats and soon came to the front:
"That's it. My friend, Miss Luvia Anat, a fortune teller, tried to tell the fortune, but she could only confirm that this is a real stone."
"If it is due to the curse of the earth, then the secret cannot be revealed by divination alone. Let me do it. The witch's secret technique can be used at this time."
Although somewhat reluctant, she still bent down and placed her hand on the shoulder of the seated stone statue. A faint spiritual light floated in the witch's palm and spread to the stone statue itself.
After a long while, she finally let go of her hand, straightened up and looked at the statue:
"I tried to find where these stones had slept in the earth, but what I found was the earth itself. These are stones without a homeland, and the earth has no memory of them. I think it is correct that this stone statue was once a living person."
She did not say directly that it was the body of Miss Lathers's father.
Xia De sighed slightly and looked at it with the witch. Neither of them spoke. The moonlight shone obliquely in front of them and behind the stone statue. The moonlight sprinkled on the snow, as if the snow also emitted a quiet moonlight.
It took Xia De a while to confirm:
"It can't be restored to normal, right? Not even the almighty Earth Elixir can do it."
The witch nodded:
"The soul is completely separated from the body. Now, turning this stone statue into a living person is as difficult as recreating a life. There is no point in discussing whether it can be restored. He is already dead. Even if the soul is recovered, it is impossible to revive."
Xia De pursed his lips, and then a long sigh sounded in the empty church.
"You go and tell them."
She said simply.
"What do you mean I should go... No, this kind of thing shouldn't be done by me. You are more familiar with Miss Lathers, so go and talk to her."
Xia De immediately refused. He never liked to announce the death of others. Although he handled the funeral for his good friend before coming to this world, Zhan Jin had no relatives.
"I can't go. I can't bear to see her crying."
The witch shook her head and pointed a finger at Shade:
"I'll give you 20 pounds and commission you to do this. Aren't you a famous detective? This is the commission I'm giving you."
"This is not a matter of commission, Miss Benannis, and I don't have the heart to tell her this fact."
Xia De still refused. He turned around and saw the blonde witch looking at him. There seemed to be tears in her red-gold eyes:
"I... really can't tell her. Help me, Shad, help me."
Even though he knew that this plea might be a trick of the witch, he still hesitated, pursed his lips and nodded:
"...Okay, I'll go then. Give me the invitation and I'll go to the party to find her right now. But you owe me a favor."
"No problem. As part of the promise I owe you, you can ask for anything. Yes, anything."
After that, both of them were silent and avoided each other's sight. Shade believed that Vanessa Benanis was thinking of the night a week ago, just like him, when they were also in a deserted church and hugged each other because of the potion.
In short, the mystery of the stone statue in the church was unexpectedly solved, but new problems followed. For example, why did Miss Lathers's father die in the church and leave no message to anyone
Miss Benanis waited alone in the Forgotten Church for the two men to arrive, while Shad, holding the invitation, soon took a carriage to Earl Johnson's estate where the banquet was being held.
The rather exaggerated manor is located outside the city of the Randall River Valley, in the scenic river valley. Because it is adjacent to the main road, it is not desolate. Behind the manor are rolling hills, and next to the manor are the work places of beekeepers and flower farmers. Even in winter, it looks very good here.
The light in the manor even illuminated the dark sky. When the carriage came hurriedly, Xia De looked at the manor from the window and could feel the lively atmosphere.
After showing the invitation at the door, he hurried into the manor courtyard and then entered the house led by the servants.
Miss Lasers attended the banquet on behalf of Miss Benanis, accompanied by two Golden Dawn ring sorcerers. She came here not for socializing, but to trade some sensitive contraband with an agreed foreign merchant.
It was already half past eight in the evening. The party had started for an hour and a half, and the transaction had probably been completed, so Shad was not sure where Miss Lathers was at the ball.
He decided to ask Margaret first. Tonight, Her Royal Highness was wearing a golden dress and chatting with an old gentleman with gray hair in a prominent place in the banquet hall. That was Earl Johnson. Shad did not see Prince William of Anjou. Perhaps he was still a little upset after the assassination at the banquet last week.
Margaret didn't see Shad at first, until Shad walked past her with a cup in his hand, then she suddenly noticed Shad's arrival.
So ten minutes later, the two met in the lounge prepared for distinguished guests. Margaret gave Shad a passionate kiss, and didn't care even when she heard that he was looking for Miss Lathers:
"I saw that lady five minutes ago. It seems she was taking someone to the garden at the back."