"Yes, there are many people from Kasenrick doing business here. They brought the traditional beliefs from the south of the Rommel Mountains with them. This is very complicated and I can't explain it clearly. If you need to, you can go to the Kasenrick merchants' chamber of commerce to find out more."
"For those who worship Zoroastrianism, ask the innkeeper Thales. For those who believe in the South, ask the Chamber of Commerce..."
Shade wrote these things down, and the poet was not surprised that he took out his notebook to record them:
"Also, although the legendary cult of the Great Old Ones, the Twin Gods, no longer exists, there should be some local experts in this area. You can ask professional folklore professors. There is also a university in Midhill Castle."
Xia De nodded:
"So is there anything else? Like, worship of death?"
As if reminded, the poet clenched his left fist and hit the palm of his right hand:
"Yes, but it's not accurate to say that we worship death. We should say that we respect death. Our city is particularly concerned about death. I have always believed that death is the beginning of another great adventure. Maybe the world after death will be very exciting."
Sadly, the world after death is just a body of water and the soul can only keep moving forward.
"So, there's no local group that worships death?"
"If there was, it would have been banned by the Orthodox Church long ago. Hasn't the Church of Nature been promoting it? The great Lord of Nature controls the power of death."
The poet drew the holy emblem on his chest, and Shade understood that he was a believer of the God of Nature. The holy emblem of the God of Nature was two leaves put together, and the corpse carrier who transported Mr. Sparrow's body was also a believer.
Xia De nodded and continued to record. He originally thought that in a city located on the largest narrow gap between life and death in the material world, at least similar groups could be born...
"Wait, for a group that worships death, wouldn't that be a spiritual cult?"
The two waiters who had been called upstairs for questioning came back, and the people who stayed on the first floor immediately gathered around, wanting to know what happened. Xia De saw that the poet was also concerned, so he asked him to find out what was going on.
After a while, the poet came back again, looking dejected:
"Someone's really dead. A Southerner was killed."
The "Southerners" that the people of Fort Midhill refer to are generally the Carsonrick people, which is a slightly discriminatory term.
"Was he killed by the first gunshot just now?"
Shade asked curiously.
"Yes, they said the upstairs has been covered with white cloth."
"Who fired the shot? We just heard two gunshots."
"The first shot was fired by the murderer, and the second shot was also fired by him. When the two officers went upstairs, he fired a shot at the staircase and then hid on the fourth floor. The police believe that the other party failed to escape, so they are now trying to find the shooter among the tenants and servants on the fourth floor."
The poet told the news he had heard, but Xia De clearly heard that the second gunshot was different from the first:
"That murderer had two guns? What kind of person would carry two guns with him?"
you.
Xia De really couldn't refute this statement.
The bard sitting across the table took another sip of ale and continued his previous conversation under the gaslight:
“Finally, the local beliefs worth mentioning should also include the tradition of moon worship.”
A smile appeared on Shade's face, which aroused his greater interest. Not long ago, Grandma Cassandra said that there were blood-sucking groups in the local area, but they were hiding as ordinary citizens. Maybe the moon worshipers were referring to that group of creatures:
"This sounds interesting. The emergence of localized worship should be related to the local history and natural environment. But as far as I know, there are no good places to watch the moon in Midhill Castle and Mount Sikar, and there are not many legends related to the moon here. How can there be a tradition of moon worship?"
"No, no, no, it's just that outsiders don't understand. In fact, there is a moon-viewing spot on Mount Xikar, but even some locals don't know about it."
"Where?"
"By the lake at the top of the mountain."
“There’s a lake on top of Mount Sikar?”
Xia De was slightly surprised, but considering that this was a dead volcano, it seemed normal.
"The ancient tradition of moon worship has long been lost, and we can only glimpse it through those poems and stories."
As he spoke, the poet hummed a short verse, then patted his head after finishing it:
"However, there were rumors a few years ago that someone saw a group of women wearing gauze skirts like ghosts, with silver eye masks and veils on their faces, walking towards the top of the mountain on the full moon night in March."
This sounds like a spiritual group, but they are probably not going to worship the moon. Instead, they are holding some ceremony in the mountains during the special time of the full moon in March.
However, after the poet's reminder, Shade thought of another thing. Father Augustus mentioned that there are actually three passages in the narrow space between life and death that lead directly to real death, located at the top of the mountain, the middle of the mountain, and the city of Midhill Castle at the foot of the mountain.
The place on the top of the mountain, according to priest Augustus, was sealed by an ancient being. Combined with the Prophet Association's belief that the "volcanic eruption" might not be magma, Shade speculated that the location of the passage on the top of the mountain is around the mountaintop lake in the narrow space between life and death.
"That is to say, there are still some indigenous beliefs in Fort Midhill today, and the only ones left are the Gemini cult, the beliefs brought by the southerners, and the Zoroastrian tradition."
Shade concluded, and the poet nodded:
"At least it seems to me. Oh, may I have another glass of ale? This batch is much better than the one we had in the summer."
Shade called the waiter over and bought another glass of ale for the bard who had provided a lot of information. He drank the glass of cider or apple juice in front of him, then stood up and said goodbye to the bard.
He was interested in understanding the local traditional beliefs, but the southern beliefs were formed too late and could be ignored for the time being. It was now two o'clock in the afternoon, and there were only two hours left before the meeting with Father Augustus. It would definitely be too late to go to the university to inquire about the Gemini worship.
So, he wanted to talk to the innkeeper.
But now the innkeeper is involved in the murder on the fourth floor, so Shade has to find a way to solve the investigation of this murder case as soon as possible.
For example, helping the police find the gunman hiding on the fourth floor.
Dorothy once gave Shad a pendant with a royal crest, which could help Shad get help from the police department in Midhill Castle. But the person he was seeking help from was the local deputy chief, and ordinary police officers, sheriffs, and even inspectors would not recognize the pendant, so he had to use the identity of MI6 this time.
After bidding farewell to the poet, Xia De straightened his clothes, walked towards the policeman guarding the door of the hotel, and waved his ID:
"I want to talk to the sheriff about something."
The ID shows the last name "Hamilton", but fortunately Hamilton is not a rare last name.
In Delarion, only a madman would dare to pretend to be from MI6. The police officer recognized the MI6 ID, stood at attention and greeted him, then immediately led Shad upstairs to find the police chief on the fourth floor.
The bard holding the beer looked curiously at Shade's figure disappearing at the stairs:
"Could it be that I have met one of those extremely powerful people mentioned in stories and legends?"
He placed one arm on the table, took a sip of wine, and continued to look at the people on the first floor of Xikar Hotel boredly:
"How is it possible..."