"So, ma'am, do you love him? I heard that you and Mr. and Mrs. Enriquez were childhood sweethearts. At that time, Mr. Oxenfurt had not yet made a fortune and was still just a sailor on the ship, while your father was a well-known local businessman."
Hearing Xia De's question, she closed her eyes behind the veil and continued for a long time:
"Yes, I love him very much. Sometimes, I don't even know how I should love him."
That was a strange thing to say, but then Hela Oxenfurt was strange in her own right.
"Come to think of it, I don't know your maiden name. Oh, no offense, I'm just curious."
"Watson."
Shade thought for a moment and didn't remember hearing this last name in the Randall Valley. Hela Osenfurt probably saw his confusion and explained softly:
"Three years ago, my father and mother passed away unexpectedly, and the family has fallen into decline."
The wedding of the woman in front of me and Stone Oxenfurt took place two years ago.
"I'm so sorry."
Xia De apologized immediately, but the woman didn't care:
"The Watson family is a distant relative of the Granger family. After my parents passed away, Earl Granger helped me a lot, but Stone didn't like him."
"Earl Granger? What a coincidence, I also know this gentleman."
"It's no coincidence. The Granger family is the oldest family in the Randall Valley. Most of the ancient surnames in the area can be related to the Granger family. My father once told me that in the entire United Kingdom of Carsenrick, the surnames with butterfly patterns in their family emblems can all be traced back to the ancestors of the Granger family in the Randall Valley."
"oh?"
Xia De looked at her with some surprise. He didn't expect to have such a harvest today. Most of the ancient surnames in the Randall River Valley have butterflies in their family emblems. Therefore, the search for the descendants of Mr. Leiman, whom he met at the Fifth Epoch Butterfly God Banquet, has been quite unsuccessful.
I originally thought that the Granger family was special only because of Mr. Thomas Granger who disappeared 70 years ago. I didn't expect that this family could be related to Mr. Leman who married the Butterfly Girl.
After finishing afternoon tea, Xia De had no reason to stay any longer, so he stood up and said goodbye. But it was already 4:30 in the afternoon, so Xia De, who was still thinking about the nearby Luna Ruins, was not in a hurry to return to the city, but was ready to wait until the sun completely set to try his luck in the ruins.
Of course, Shade did not waste the two hours before night fell completely. He rode his horse through the nearby river valleys and streams, with Oxenfurt Manor as the center, searching for unusual places nearby.
The temperature has risen rapidly this week, but the snow in the wild has not yet melted. About half an hour away from Oxenfurt Manor, Shade found a small forest farm. There is a small yard in the forest farm, which is a warehouse for storing wood and a row of wooden houses for lumberjacks to rest. However, because it is winter now, there is only an old guard in the forest farm.
When Shade dismounted his horse in front of the forest farm along the forest path, he was almost mistaken for a robber by the old guard. Fortunately, with just a small bottle of rum, he was qualified to enter the old man's house to keep warm. The old guard, who only went to the city to purchase goods once every two weeks, was also happy to have someone talk to him.
There was a coal stove in the wooden house, and hot water was being boiled on the stove. When the old guard heard that Shad was interested in the nearby Oxenfurt Manor, he also expressed his opinion:
"You'd better not get close to that manor. It is said that the manor is cursed and anyone who gets close will be unlucky."
This was a rumor that existed before Stone Oxenfurt bought the estate.
"But isn't it normal for the family living there now?"
Xia De asked, and the old guard shook his head while holding the wine glass:
"Normal? The bride's family is dead, and the house they originally lived in has become a haunted house that people don't want to go near. Is this normal?"
"But the death in the bride's family happened a year before their wedding."
"But at that time, the bride's father was strongly opposed to his daughter marrying Ossenfurt. Ossenfurt had a bad reputation in the local area, and no one was willing to marry their daughter to him. Later, the merchant died, so the wedding could take place."
Xia De didn't know about this, and he was very interested in it:
"The bride is unlucky, but isn't Oxenfurt very lucky? Old sir, don't be fooled by my northern appearance, but I know this city very well. I know Oxenfurt's history of prosperity. He always wins."
The old guard smiled and asked:
"Then have you seen the rest of Ossenfurt's family? His brother, his father, and the others? Outsiders may not know, and even city dwellers probably don't know, after all, people only focus on Ossenfurt's success. But in fact, before Ossenfurt became rich, his family was poor but had many people. After Ossenfurt became rich and bought this manor, his family members gradually died. Oh, although I haven't seen it with my own eyes, this is definitely not nonsense, and people in the nearby villages also know it."
The "nearby" village refers to a small village about 20 minutes walk eastwards into the mountains.
The old guard talked to Xia De enthusiastically, and when the yellow sunset almost disappeared in the forest, he even invited Xia De to stay for dinner. But Xia De politely refused and gave the old guard a bottle of wine before leaving.
This information was enough for Shade to confirm that it was Stone Osenfurt himself who signed the contract with the devil. He just didn't know what role Hela Osenfurt played in it.
Riding a horse through the stream, when the stars twinkled overhead and March hung quietly in the deep night sky, Xia De also arrived at this destination, the moon worship ruins that had been preserved from an unknown point in time.
Coming here at night is indeed very different from coming here at noon, for example, it is really cold at night. Still tying the horse to the tree, Shade climbed over the crooked fences around and stepped into the ruins.
He walked very slowly, and when he reached the center of the ruins, he bent down and placed his palms directly on the soil.
He closed his eyes and felt it carefully. Gradually, Xia De heard the sound of his heartbeat, but then he realized that it was actually the sound of drums. He just let go of his hand and the drums disappeared immediately.
“I did feel something.”
What you feel is not only the moon, but also the memories of this land.
she said softly.
"What should I do to 'see' the memory of the earth? Go and ask Miss Lathers for help?"
I think the power of the earth should be able to help you.
Now Xia De understood. He bent down and grabbed a handful of soil, and with his other hand he took out a small flower from his pocket.
The ground beneath his feet was perfectly normal, and theoretically it was impossible to repair it using the power of the earth or healing aura. But this was also Shade's first attempt to use two different spellcasting materials together to cast a spell, and the spell enhanced by the Butterfly God was actively activated at this time:
"Power of the Earth, Healing Aura!"
The soil was shaped in the air into the shape of the Holy Grail, and the small flower floated into the mouth of the cup. Because there was actually no need for purification, the Holy Grail did not sink into the ground, nor was spiritual energy sprayed.
Xia De held the Holy Grail with both hands and felt more touched. But there seemed to be a thin layer of ice between him and the memory of this land.
This time, Xia De knew what to do without asking "her".
He took out the materials for learning the magic of the moon dream that Miss Danister had given him in the morning. The holy silver powder outlined the trajectory of the ritual array on the snow, the expensive spices were lit in the incense burner, and the potion that aided sleep was drunk directly by Shade.
The Holy Grail collapsed because it did not purify the earth, so Shade used another spell. This time, he lay down in the ritual formation on the snow, holding the clay Holy Grail in both hands. He activated the ritual and prepared to learn the magic. He emptied his mind, closed his eyes and looked up, letting the moonlight in the woods shine directly on his face.
The wind blew through the pine forest, making a rustling sound. The moonlight almost melted Shad who was lying on the forest floor. He listened to the sound of the night and the pulse of the earth, but the Moon Dream was indeed a high-level magic. The moon did not lead Shad into a dream. The first attempt to learn magic failed. This was also the first time that Shad failed to successfully learn a magic in one go.
But the ceremony played another role. As time passed, the sound of the drums became clearer and clearer. The night wind made the winter cedars rustle, and the crackling of the campfire was almost next to my ears.
Lying on his back, Shade squinted his eyes and looked around. He didn't know when a bunch of bonfires were lit in the ruins, and the forest in the night was full of people wearing white robes. People knelt down and prayed to Shade, who was holding the Holy Grail in the center of the ruins. The three moons, which were not full moons tonight, turned into round shapes at this time, as if they were about to hit the ground, floating in the night sky in the clearing in the forest above the ruins.
The light of March illuminated Shad, making his face appear colorful and making him feel as if he were about to turn into light.
"It seems that I do have a sense of this relic, but something seems to be wrong..."
What's wrong
"She" whispered in Shad's ear, and Shad could only feel that his body seemed to be rising. As his vision rose, he could see a larger area around him, and more people in white robes kneeling in the woods, until it spread to the end of the night.
Fires burned in the dark night, and devout people prayed to the moon, showing their most sincere feelings. These prayers from ancient times were passed to the ears of Shade in the Sixth Age, and he seemed to have risen to the same height as the silver moon in these prayers.
The silver moon enveloped him, or rather, Shad himself became part of the moon.