"You're interested in this?"
Sean Asmon laughed.
"Of course, the reason I came here is actually related to this. I'm planning a story about demons, contracts, and love, and the local rumors are very interesting. I also know something about it, so why don't we exchange information?"
Shade suggested that he didn't know whether Mr. Asmon knew something that he didn't know, but he wanted to remind the gentleman that this place was very dangerous and it would be best not to investigate casually.
"Well, let's exchange information."
The demonologist lowered his head slightly, looking upward, staring at Shade across the gas lamp:
"First, I found out that a thousand years ago, there was a prosperous ancient kingdom called the 'Kingdom of Stonewell' in the Randall Valley. This kingdom was destroyed because of the contract between the king and the devil."
Although this information is secret, it is actually available to many folklorists. Mr. Asmon can say it, which means he has indeed started investigating. Compared with Coldwater Harbor, Midhill Castle and Huntington City, this scholar is closer to his goal this time.
Xia De nodded:
"According to rumors, there is an evil being with a 'petrified rose' as its symbol in this area. But no matter how scary that being is, it is still afraid of the Orthodox Church. Therefore, rumors about that demon only appear in the countryside and forests of the Randall River Valley. On the contrary, city dwellers rarely hear stories about demons and think that they are superstitions spread by country women."
Mr. Sean Asmon nodded slightly, recorded a few lines in his tattered notebook, and then continued;
"There are all kinds of bizarre legends and stories about the demise of the ancient Kingdom of Stonewell. I heard a very interesting version from the locals: In order to maintain the prosperity and stability of the kingdom, the king made a deal with the devil and obtained a heart of stone, but the price was that he lost all his emotions and the ability to love and be loved."
Mr. Asmon raised his lips and smiled:
"The king, who didn't know how to love, sealed off the entire country, plunging the kingdom into a winter from which it would never wake up, hoping to avoid the devil's 'debt collector' taking his soul. But the devil posted a notice and commissioned a demon hunter who was passing through the area to collect the debt. In the end, the demon hunter helped the demon complete the contract and took the king's soul, but he also banished and sealed the demon through the commission contract with the demon. It was not until modern times, nearly four hundred years ago, that the evil demon returned because of the Randall Valley earthquake in 1498."
"A rather interesting story, though not as moralistic as the long story we have been discussing, this one is more like a chivalric novel."
Shade commented that he didn't know whether the demonologist's version of the story was true or not. However, he still gave the information he knew:
"In the barbaric era before the universal calendar, a 'saint' appeared in the local Sun Church, that is, 'Sister Saint Perry'. The story of this nun is still circulating in the Randall River Valley today. The cemetery of Saint Perry once became a local force to check the devil. I heard that at the beginning of this year, the local church made a great archaeological discovery, which confirmed that the cemetery of Saint Perry does exist, in Tahiti near the Innis Forest."
"oh?"
Mr. Asmon showed an interested expression, and Shade told him the approximate location of the church. He was not afraid that Mr. Asmon could really find it in the forest, because there was a lot of information about the Fifth Age in the cemetery, and the rituals arranged by the church outside could prevent anyone from finding it.
In return to Shad, Mr. Asmon also gave Shad the exact location where the rumored demon was sealed.
Compared with the location of Mo Lake given by Shade, the location given by Mr. Asmon is much more detailed.
The two of them expressed their opinions on the local demon rumors, and during the conversation, Shade also advised Mr. Sean Asmon not to leave the city casually recently:
"The situation in the Randall Valley has been turbulent recently. It's not just the plague. Have you heard about the Stonemasons Guild? There have been cultists in the city recently, and the local demon legends are really frightening. Maybe it will be safe to wait until the situation in the city stabilizes before exploring those legends."
Mr. Asmon raised his lips and looked at Shade:
"Remember what I said when we first met? I have always avoided direct contact with and keeping any items related to demons. Although the rumors about the demons in the Randall Valley are very interesting, a brief taste of them is enough for me. What you said makes sense. I plan to stay here until spring. When the weather gets a little warmer, I will consider whether to continue my local investigation or go to a new city."
"That's a good plan. I look forward to our next meeting. Oh, I'm really looking forward to the sequel to that devil story."
As Shad spoke, he began to collect his belongings on the table, including the hilt of the sword and Rhodes deck. It was getting late, so he planned to go back.
"Yes, I look forward to meeting you next time, my friend."
The demonologist said, and when he saw Shade packing up his things, he looked back at the withered black rose:
"Can you give this to me?"
"Of course, it's just a withered flower."
Shad nodded. Although this flower was brought by the devil, it was just to warn Shad. It knew every contact between Shad and Oxenfurt. Shad had also checked and found that the flower had no abnormal abilities.
After packing up his things, Shad reached out and shook hands with Mr. Sean Asmon's large but somewhat withered hand, then walked through the laughing crowd to the counter to pay.
When he collected the change and stood at the busy counter again, he turned to look at Mr. Asmon, who was sitting alone in the corner, wearing an old yellow robe and with only stubble in his hair. The latter raised his glass and shook it at Shad.
Xia De smiled and nodded, then walked to the side door of the tavern. He pushed the door open and entered the night of the countryside. The cold wind outside the door made his head suddenly clearer, and the closed door also shut out the noisy voices behind him.
With his hands in his pockets, he looked up at the clear night sky in the countryside and the stars. In the distance, he could hear a fierce woman yelling at her son, and the barking of dogs could be heard far away in the middle of the night.
"I have a feeling that Mr. Sean Asmon is more... um... suspicious than the Stone Mirror Demon who transformed into Stone Oxenfurt."
Xia De smiled and joked as he walked along the village path towards the city in the distance with bright lights and towering buildings.
Why do you say that
she asked gently.
"It's just a joke. After all, Mr. Asmon... Anyway, the devil's business will finally come to an end on Friday."
As he walked, he looked up at the moon in the night sky. The three moons tonight were all in the waning phase. According to the knowledge Shade had gained from the witch Zankyou Luvia, such nights were suitable for casting spells that could help people sleep, restore physical and mental vitality, reduce nightmares, and strengthen the spirit. The "Love Spell" recorded in the "Pink Book", the "Moon Dream" that Shade had not yet learned, and the secret method of maintaining the soul recorded in the "Secret Art of Immortality" were also suitable for casting tonight.
“Before I knew it, I understood more and more.”
He kicked the small stone at his feet, and the stone bounced through the gap in the crooked wooden fence and entered the yard of the roadside house. Then the barking of dogs immediately rang out. The black hound tied with an iron chain scratched the low fence and roared at Shade outside the fence. Then, because it smelled the scent of the mother dragon, it tucked its tail between its legs and barked one last time, then made a "woooo" sound from its throat and retreated back to its own nest.
“The story here ends.”
Shad's eyes moved away from the direction of the timid dog and looked towards the city of Randall Valley, which was covered by clouds and fog at night.
(Little Mia is running...)
After a comfortable sleep at home, Shade yawned and went downstairs to get goat milk on Wednesday morning. As soon as he opened the door, he saw the local post office carriage parked in front of his house. The young red-haired postman with freckles on his face was trying to move a heavy box from the carriage to Shade's door under the command of the old postman.
"This is... ... "
Shad, who was wearing pajamas and slippers, asked hesitantly, while Mia huddled behind Shad's feet, peeking out of curiosity but a little afraid of strangers.
"Mr. Shad Suren Hamilton?"
The old postman took the bill of lading and confirmed it. After Xia De nodded, he handed it to him for his signature:
"Miss Mia San Gold, I have sent you a letter and a package from a town in the east of the kingdom. Please check them and if everything is ok, please sign here."
"Oh, I remember now."
Xia De suddenly realized:
"She wrote to me last month saying that she was cleaning up the old house and wanted to send me some interesting things as souvenirs to thank me for taking care of Mia. I didn't expect her to really come. Oh, yes, sign here, right?"
Xia De signed his name with a fountain pen, and seeing the young postman struggling to put down the square wooden box, he took the box. As for the letter, he had already put it in his pocket:
"Thank you both for your hard work so early in the morning. I hope you have a good day."
He thanked the postmen politely, then turned back into the house and hooked the door with his foot to close it.
"What a polite gentleman."
The old postman sighed outside the door, while the young man looked hesitantly at the door, then at his own hands:
"He was able to lift that box so easily? I really should exercise more."