Ten o'clock in the evening, Woodpecker Consulting Office, second floor of the hotel.
The reception lobby is paved with red carpet, old sofas and coffee tables.
A negotiation room behind the corridor.
In a room of more than ten square meters, several gas lamps were turned on, illuminating the four walls covered with dark green diagonal patterned wallpaper, and there were almost no shadows on the objects.
Fanning was sitting on a soft armchair covered with light purple velvet. Opposite the dark mahogany table was Sir Viadrin.
He looked at the plates in front of each of them.
A large piece of Nippon Western Ranch thick-cut steak that is steaming hot and drizzled with black pepper sauce; cold mashed potatoes garnished with raspberries, strawberries and black grape pieces; squeezed with cream shreds and sprinkled with mushroom powder
Fried mullet meatballs; and a small glass of amber-colored Pioteau red wine.
"I made it casually." Viadlin cut off a small piece of juicy steak, stuffed it into his mouth, and continued while chewing, "I'll eat before I eat."
Even if his voice is lowered, it still makes his eardrums ring.
"Oh? Oh." Fan Ning responded, his hunger overriding his surprise, and he started to use the tableware.
The steak was so tender that I almost bit off my tongue; the fruit mashed potatoes were cool and soft, sweet, sour and salty; the meatballs were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, fragrant inside and out, with a wonderful compound taste; finally, drink up the sourness and lightness
Pioteau red wine with a mixed taste, rich fruity aroma and throat impact.
It only took Fan Ning ten minutes to sweep them all away, then he slumped down in the armchair and watched the dinner plates being cleared away.
Was it because after time traveling, the first few meals were too casual and too easy to deal with?
It was the first time he experienced such a strong appetite and sense of satisfaction.
It even feels like the inspiration for the continuation of the "First Symphony" came out.
Should I say something nice first about how delicious the food is...
"If I hadn't heard about Anton's death and I had rushed back early, you wouldn't have seen me." Viadlin on the opposite side wiped his mouth and spoke.
"..." Fan Ning's unprepared polite words died prematurely, and he didn't know how to answer.
"How much does this meal cost?" finally changed to this sentence.
"If it's cooked by the young man downstairs, it's not expensive, just a few shillings per pound."
A black shop...
Fan Ning was so scared that he shut his mouth.
"It might be the best choice for Anton to ask you to complete his last symphony." Viadlin suddenly brought up this topic.
"Yes...really? Why?"
"I received a letter from him when I was out. When I learned that he was going to let a student of his who had not yet graduated to continue writing and publish it, I thought it was too much. It wasn't until I rushed back to Uvranser overnight that I happened to listen to your impromptu performance.
."
Fan Ning was a little surprised: "Were you there this morning?"
"So do you want to talk about your teacher first, or do you want to talk about the 'knowledgeable person' first?"
"Ah?" Fan Ning was a little surprised. He sat up straight, "Aren't you a piano teacher?"
The parallel words that popped up in his mind were actually: "Aren't you a chef?"
"Shouldn't those two be the first thing you want to know?" Viadlin's thick voice spoke deep in his heart.
Fan Ning nodded: "Indeed, let's talk about Teacher Anton first."
"Sheeran once had a sister."
"Eh?"
Fan Ning really doesn't know this.
Naturally, he only met Teacher Anton after entering the University of St. Lenia. In less than four years, he had indeed never heard the teacher or Xilan mention it.
And according to this statement, Teacher Anton’s eldest daughter has been dead for a long time.
"Sheeran's sister used to be a civil servant here. If she were still alive, she would be two or three years older than you."
"Then is she a 'knowing person'?" Fan Ning asked.
Viadrin shook his head.
"I watched her grow up as her first piano teacher. When she was about sixteen or seventeen years old, she was involved in a mysterious incident at school. Several other classmates she encountered at the same time died one after another a few days later.
"
"Fortunately, her piano teacher was me. On the second day of class, I noticed something was wrong and saved her from death."
"The initiator behind the mysterious incident is a secret organization that worships evil gods. We cooperated with the guys from the Special Patrol Office to destroy all the strongholds we found, investigated and dealt with all the evil people involved in the case, and tried our best to eliminate the consequences of the incident.
Impact."
"For the purpose of continuous protection, it was also a good job. Soon after, she joined our civilian staff to assist us in handling auxiliary daily tasks that were relatively less dangerous. Her father trusted me, so he was naturally happy.
Seeing this, of course she also signed a confidentiality agreement regarding the specific content of the matter."
"What happened next?" Fan Ning couldn't help but ask.
"Later? A few years later, she was still 'lost'..." Viadlin's voice was deeper than the bass range of the piano. "She ended her life in an incomprehensible way... This was the most tragic thing for her father.
Memories that he didn’t even want to mention in any way.”
In incomprehensible way…
Just like what the police officer said about the death of the two classmates?
Fan Ning felt a little chilled, and he couldn't help asking more doubtful questions:
“Are you an organization of ‘people who know’?”
“Is the Orthodox Church we know so well an organization of ‘people with knowledge’?”
"What is your relationship with the Special Patrol Office?"
"What does 'lost' mean?"
…
"So let's talk about the second topic, about the 'knowing person'." Viadlin said seriously.
Fan Ning sat upright.
Viadlin stood up, opened the dark-lacquered oak wood cabinet against the wall, and took out a strange-looking combination candlestick. It had as many as seven layers. The number of small candles on each layer was different, showing a mysterious and staggered appearance.
feel.
Light the yellow phosphorus match, and after all the candles are lit, turn off all the gas lights.
The room became dark and mysterious.
"Our souls long to be illuminated by the 'candle'." Viadrin said to himself in a low voice as the light and shadow flickered.
Place the candlestick on the table, attach the small glass incense evaporator to the metal ring on the largest candle, and drip in the red mixed essential oil in the small brown bottle.
“The ‘pool’ of secret atmosphere dispels the sense of disharmony.”
There was a strange sweet fragrance wafting in the room, and Fan Ning couldn't understand it.
Mix coarse salt with some kind of purple dye and sprinkle it on the outer edge of the table to form a closed curve.
“The ‘key’ is our refuge as we dismantle inspiration.”
Finally, Viadlin took out a disk-shaped black and purple lac bug resin record, put it into the shiny black cabinet gramophone in the corner, and pressed the switch.
The music from the speaker sounded.
"Art beyond words symbolizes prayers that stabilize the mind."
"Requiem in A minor, a large-scale church music piece by Master Calatani in his later years?" This was the only thing Fan Ning could recognize, although he didn't understand it all.
The candle shadows swayed in the room, and the incense diffused. Against the background of the heavy rhythm of strings and the sound of bells, the woodwind instrumentation and horns played a gloomy and melancholy prelude, and then the choir sang a gloomy, frightening, and trembling hymn.
theme.
He suddenly felt that his senses had become sharper and his mouth was a little thirsty, but his consciousness was thinly wrapped by some "film" or "structure", giving him a strange sense of protection.
"Sir Viadrin, I...I want to ask, why are we discussing this topic like this?" Fan Ning finally asked.
"Because most of what we are going to talk about will involve 'hidden knowledge'." Viadlin's answer made him even more confused.