Shade has participated in charity auctions before, such as the one before Iluna's selection ceremony.
The auction process of this charity auction is the same as those he has participated in in the North. Different auctions will be held in different rooms, and guests can enter and exit any auction at will with their wine glasses, and take a fancy to themselves.
Bid on something.
Therefore, time is left before the auction officially begins so that guests attending the auction can walk around the rooms in the manor to determine the location and auction time of the items they are interested in.
The voices of people talking to each other standing in front of the glass in the corridor will even be obscured by the sound of rain. This is really the best social occasion.
As expected, Prince William of Anjou also appeared in the manor as rumored, but Shade only glanced at him from a distance and had no intention of contacting him. Instead, he held his arm with him before the auction started.
When Miss Denister checked on the second floor, she saw Mr. and Mrs. Bennet also appearing here.
The Kant family and the Bennet family are distantly related, so the appearance of their family is not too surprising. It's just that this time there are no children around the Bennets, which is different from before.
"Their third daughter has just experienced something like this. Acquaintances will definitely gossip in private, so it is the right choice not to take the children out at this time."
Miss Denister said.
Shade also did not pay too much attention to the Bennets. They would not be the protagonists tonight. He and the red-haired girl continued to wander around the first and second floors of the manor that were open this time, while their eyes kept observing the structure of the house.
The fire that year burned this place almost to a white ground, so there is not much black smoke on the second floor of the rebuilt house, but the first floor is different:
"Compared to the daytime, the power of the devil is more obvious now. But if it is only to this extent, I still can't be sure whether this is the remnant of the fire three hundred years ago, or whether the devil has reappeared here."
"So do you think there's going to be a second fire here?"
The red-haired girl asked lightly, but Shade couldn't answer.
Some of the items auctioned in this charity auction were obtained from previous donations, and some were from Director Kant's own collection. Among them were not only antiques, but also some modern artworks and musical score manuscripts by celebrities.
Of course, the origin of each piece is legal and clear.
When Shade and the two were wandering around before the auction started, they also paid attention to the situation of the auction items. Shade originally thought that there would be nothing of interest to him, and the Rhodes cards in the auction could not be taken out for "Shade Hamilton"
"This identity did not arouse his curiosity, but he was eventually attracted by a book:
""Ximu Town and World Tree"?"
The yellowed book was placed in a glass cabinet in the same room together with other ancient books. Hearing Shade read out the title, he turned to look at the set of knight armor on display on the side shelf.
The red-haired girl also looked over and read out the label under the book:
"Donated by Professor Euke Wood, majoring in folklore at the University of Vista, this book was printed in 1621 and was written by an unknown folklorist. It is in good condition."
Although the surname "Wood" is one of the seven major families in Moon Bay, it is a very common common surname in Vista Woodland, such as Baron Cumming's mother, little Cumming's lover Erica.
Wood's surname was "Wood" before he got married. The word "Wood" also means wood, which in lumberjack towns generally represents a family originating from lumberjacks.
"A total of 100 copies of this book were printed that year."
Suddenly a voice came from behind, a gray-haired old man wearing reading glasses and outdated formal clothes smiled at Shade and nodded:
"I am Professor Uke Wood who donated this book. Are you interested in it?"
"certainly."
Shade shook hands with him, and then was reminded that the other person was a first-level warlock. He only has a first-level level at such an old age. Either he, like Priest Augustus, only awakens his talent in old age, or this old man is
The professor's talents are quite different.
"I am travel writer John Watson, and this is my assistant. We came to this forest city because of the Moondance Festival. It is very interesting here."
Shade smiled and said:
"Can you tell us the general content of this book? Or is there any story behind this book?"
Professor Wood seems to be very talkative and willing to share his knowledge:
"The prosperity that Ximu Town has become today is a modern thing. In the era of Ximu Town, there were very few outsiders here, and even people passing by by train rarely stayed here.
Back then, an unknown traveler came here alone and wrote this book and published it at his own expense. However, although there was a bookstore in the town at that time, you also know the sales volume of this kind of book. Later, the backlog of more than 60 books was about 50.
It was donated to the local library by the bookstore many years ago. After the fire in 1821, only the last three copies were left in the library.
I bought this copy from a used bookstore, and it is one of the few copies left."
Usually people who sell antiquities will package their products with stories. Shade doesn't know whether the old professor's story is true. However, looking at the starting price of this book, it is only 1 crown, which belongs to this auction.
One of the items with the lowest starting price:
"So what is the relationship between Ximu Town and the legend of World Tree? Or, I have to buy this book to find out?"
"There is nothing that cannot be said. The unknown folklorist who wrote the book believes that the ancient local belief in the forest does not originate from the woodcutter's dependence on the forest for food, but the local belief in the legendary world.
Worship of the tree.”
Mr. Wood touched the white beard on his chin. This long white beard can easily make people look knowledgeable:
"According to him, the Church of Nature belongs to outsiders. Although they have integrated the local people's worship of trees and absorbed this part of their beliefs into the nature worship system of the Church of Nature, they actually believe in the world tree.
Expand to forests and nature itself.
In the book, he said that he had investigated the forest and found a lot of interesting evidence here. He even claimed to have discovered a complete temple related to the worship of the World Tree, and described the architectural details in detail.
It’s just a pity that this book was written too early, and human activities have greatly changed the terrain around Ximu Town, so now it is impossible to find the temple he saw based on the author’s description.”
"Is there a detailed description of the temple in the book?"
The key thing that Shade heard was this. After Professor Wood nodded again, he looked at the book again in surprise. Miss Daniste could see that Shade was determined to buy it.
The price of "Ximu Town and World Tree" is very low, so it is also among the first batch of warm-up lots in the auction. It will be sold in the first round after the auction starts in half an hour.
So Shade wrote down the time and location, and then chatted a few words with Professor Wood.
The so-called "Vista City University" was actually also known as "Carson Ridge Forestry College" more than 20 years ago. It was only upgraded to a university in recent years.
However, compared with the "Ximu Town Conservatory of Music" which is also in this city but is famous throughout the Old Continent, the reputation of Vista City University is not as good, or because there are many schools in the royal capital next door, Vista City University
Probably not many people know about City University outside this city.
Vista City University inherited the structure of the Forestry College. Today, it still focuses on forestry research, with majors such as literature, history, and folklore in a rather marginalized position.
Therefore, Professor Wood's research is limited to the local area of Vista City, that is, the local anecdotes and legends that began to circulate in the Ximu Town era.
Now that this topic was brought up, Xia De took the initiative to ask:
"So Professor, do you know about the fire in this manor?"
This does not seem to belong to the category of "folklore", but Professor Uke Wood still nodded:
"Of course, the fire in Hoy Manor three hundred years ago was an important node in the history of this city. In the era of Ximu Town, the four positions of mayor, bishop, president of the Lumberjacks Association and sheriff constituted
The center of power in the town.
At that time, the Hoy family almost monopolized all the upper-level positions in the Lumberjacks Association. They were able to influence the economic lifeline of the town, so they almost controlled most of the town. If it hadn't been for the fire, the Hoy family might have been directly involved in this.
By controlling Ximu Town at that time, the history of Ximu Town will probably be rewritten as a result."
Shade had never heard of this statement, and the neighbors around Hoy Manor obviously didn't understand this kind of thing:
"So, you think they were set on fire because they blocked too many people's way in the town?"
The professor immediately shook his head:
"I didn't say this, but if a tree can be ignited, then the tree must be at least dry enough, or flammable. That fire was obviously not simple. I don't believe it was just an accidental fire. If it was just
Unexpectedly, almost the entire Hoy family was burned to death.
From the perspective of whoever benefits is the murderer, other families in the town at that time, such as the Bennet, Bronte, Wood, etc., are all suspects. Oh, the Wood family I mentioned has been eliminated because there is no male.
It's totally irrelevant, it has nothing to do with my last name.
But there is also a theory that a group of robbers ransacked this place, and because of this theory, the theory that the Hoy family's treasure is still buried under our feet."
Miss Denister had been acting as Shade's "assistant" just now, so she didn't say anything, but now she asked again:
"Professor Wood, Mr. Watson and I heard from the old residents of the old city that when the fire broke out, it rushed directly into the sky like a fire tornado. Is this correct?"