Now that the police have found the murderer and think they have discovered the truth, the case has come to an end. According to the general rules, the hotel owner still needs to go to the police station to make a record, but when Shade said that he needed to talk to
When the boss talked, the police chief immediately said that the transcript could be done tomorrow.
"That's right, I want to know something about the local fire worship tradition."
After the police and the murderer were sent away, the body was also put on a stretcher and carried away. The anxious hotel owner Mr. Thales called Shade to the backyard of the hotel. Now there was no one here. The two had a conversation by the chicken coop.
.
"Well~ I thought it was a tax inspection. Ahem, I mean it's no problem."
Mr. Taylor was visibly relieved:
"What I believe in is my Lord [the Lord of All Things]. This is the belief of my fathers. As for worshiping fire, I think this can also be regarded as part of the belief in the Lord of All Things. After all, fire is also a part of nature."
"But I would like to know if there are any strange local legends about fire worship? I am actually a writer."
The bearded shop owner obviously didn't believe it. He thought for a while before hesitatingly said:
"Indeed, I heard my parents mention this when I was a child. It is said that there is a huge creature that can spit fire under the Sikal Mountain. A long time ago, it protected the ancestors living on this land.
"
"How many messy things are there under Xikal Mountain? Couldn't this be the ancient one who sealed the passage to the top of the mountain? The dragon that breathed fire?"
Xia De thought in his mind, and then asked hesitantly:
"What is that giant creature?"
"I don't know about this."
Mr. Thales shook his head, but then said:
"Father mentioned that before the Church of Nature came to Fort Midhill, our ancestors believed in and worshiped flames. Later, our ancestors accepted the beliefs of the Church of Nature and recognized that flames are part of our Lord. But even so, then
This primitive flame worship period also left some symbols and records, which were accepted by the Natural Church as part of itself. Now in the Fort Midhill area, some aborigines whose ancestors lived in the local area will write on the walls of the kitchen
Specific symbols are used to pray against fire, which is also part of the local architectural style and folk customs."
What Mr. Thales tells about is the process of faith integration in the Sikal Mountains. If you study it carefully, it can even be enough to write a good paper such as "An Examination of the Primitive Flame Worship and Faith Fusion at Fort Midhill".
Unfortunately, Schade is not a folklorist:
"Can I see the hotel kitchen?"
"Of course, please come this way."
He took Shade into the kitchen, and Shade found some ancient or modern writings related to "flame" on the walls, but these were of little significance.
He also wanted to ask Mr. Thales something, but the hotel owner suddenly slapped his head:
"I remembered that my father also left a red stone for me to bury under the kitchen floor. He thought it could withstand fire."
"No, no, there's no need to dig it out."
"No need to dig. I don't believe in such superstition, so I didn't bury it at all."
Mr. Thales said with a smile, and then he rummaged through the warehouse alone and found an irregular, almost round red stone. It didn't look like a ruby, but rather like some kind of crystal:
"I gave this to you. Thank you for helping to solve the police's troubles."
Mr. Taylor said, but Shade still insisted on paying.
"Looking at the sunlight, you can sometimes see beautiful patterns inside. This is probably some kind of optical phenomenon."
Mr. Thales reminded again, so Shade picked up the stone and pointed it at the sun. He kept trying to adjust the position of the stone, and finally saw the scene in the red stone——
It was a huge flying bird with spread wings.
He put down the stone slightly surprised:
"This doesn't look like a pure-blooded dragon, could it be - a phoenix?!"
It was already half past three in the afternoon when he left the hotel. Shade was going to wait for Priest Augustus at the intersection of Oak Street and Punjab Street. He put his hands in his pockets and looked left and right at the empty carriage parked on the street, and then turned to look again.
Toward the Sikal Mountains in the distance:
"Is there a phoenix in this mountain? In the local traditional fire worship belief, it is actually the worshiped flame?"
That shouldn't be a god, just an extremely powerful ancient being.
"It's really interesting. How many secrets can this mountain and this city hold?"
At 4:20 in the afternoon, Shade successfully waited for Priest Augustus at the street corner. He was also worried that the church would send someone to follow the priest, so after seeing the priest from a distance, Shade nodded to him cautiously, and then took the lead.
Turn around and walk towards the first alley on the left side of Oak Street.
Unexpectedly, the old priest immediately caught up with him:
"Oh, why are you walking so fast? Do you really think I am a young man of the same age as you?"
The priest asked. After Shade expressed his worries, he immediately shook his head:
"Don't worry, I didn't arouse any suspicion. After all, am I any different from other missing persons?"
Now that the priest said this, Shade felt relieved.
The two of them first went to the tavern facing the street and sat for a while. The priest told Shade what happened after he led the missing people to escape from the [Chamber of Life and Death] yesterday. Then it was dinner time, and Shade made an unceremonious request.
Priest Augustus went to a restaurant in the city to treat him to a meal.
Shade took great risks and went deep into the "Challenge of Life and Death" to rescue the priest, which moved Priest August very much. Of course, it was no problem to treat him to a meal.
The old priest, who was relatively familiar with the city, finally chose the Mendungus restaurant located at the foot of the mountain in the south of the city. This restaurant is located in the southern suburbs of the city, in a somewhat remote location, and is built against a cliff. The restaurant uses a pure wooden structure.
A staircase and dining space are built on the rock wall. Except for the relatively spacious first floor, each floor is a small room. The protrusion of the rock wall affects the size of the room. At the other end of the room are several
The large windows made of glass can barely overlook half of the city from the rooms on the top third floor.
The terrain here is very high, and it is not in the urban area. In addition, the prices are a bit high, so the people who eat at the Mendungus restaurant are rich people. People in formal suits and dresses shuttle in the restaurant under the light of gas lamps.
In comparison, Priest Augustus, who had changed into casual clothes, and Shade, who had no clothes to change into, looked very inconspicuous.
The cuisine style of Fort Midhill City incorporates the characteristics of the North, South and mountains at the same time, forming a style that is different from the typical North cuisine of Tobesk and the seafood dishes of Coldwater Port. In the current autumn,
The price of mountain products is extremely low. Game that is expensive in Tobesk is still not cheap here, but at least Shard and the August priests can afford it.
This may also be because the royal capital area itself has a premium.
During the meal, Shade told the priest what he had seen in the afternoon, and lamented that there were so many people from Kasenlik in Fort Midhill.
"Actually, there are a lot of foreigners in Tobesk, but most of them are outside your scope of activities. As for Fort Midhill, most of the foreigners who come here are businessmen, so we usually see a lot of them."
The old priest said cheerfully:
"I heard the bishop of the local church mentioned that at least 20% of the permanent residents of Fort Midhill are not natives."
"Oh, this number is really exaggerated."
"After all, it is one of the largest cities on the eastern border."
The old man stirred the thick soup in front of him with a spoon.
"If these people knew what was under our feet, Fort Midhill probably wouldn't be as lively as it is now."
Shade stamped his foot. Priest Augustus shook his head and lowered his voice:
"Regarding the [Chasm of Life and Death] and the possible death shock, it is currently impossible to evacuate the citizens of this city in advance."
"Why? For the possible political impact and economic impact?"
"Of course not. Because. Let there be a prosperous big city above the [Challenge of Life and Death], which itself is part of the seal. The Chasm of Life and Death is connected to the real death, so there must be enough living people on the other end to form it."
"balance."
Shade said, finally understanding what the priest said.
"So, is that really the unknown level?"
He asked again, after all, the non-Orthodox Church’s [Spiritual Cultivation Group] was just a guess.
The priest nodded cautiously:
"The narrow room itself contains three passages, which is considered a complete agnostic level."
The [Desire] that Shade once encountered underground at the Aurora Mansion in Coldwater Port was also at the Unknown level. At that time, [Desire] did not show any combat effectiveness. Now think about it, even if it has been sealed by divine power for hundreds of years,
There is absolutely no way that the other party's abilities are as simple as what Shade saw.
“What does the church plan to do now?”
Shade also lowered his voice and used a knife to handle the steak on the plate:
"Behind that door, in the open space before the water, a red-gold bonfire is burning. Before the bonfire goes out, there will be no problem with the door at the bottom of the mountain. And when the bonfire goes out, I will feel it."
The bonfire is the external manifestation of the "Kiss of the Tree" sealing the Door of Death. Because it is Shade's secret lock, even if the two are in different worlds, Shade can vaguely understand the general situation. Moreover, his thaumaturgy [
[Death Door] can open a gap at any time, allowing Shade to take a look "over there" to confirm the burning status of the bonfire, so he can know the information about the passage at the foot of Hazama Mountain at any time.