Old-time musicians

"There is no such place!?"

Fan Ning had a very strange look on his face: "When was the last time you returned to your ancestral home in the small town of Watznay?"

"Every summer I go back with my parents for vacation." Joan recalled briefly, "From childhood to adulthood, including the years in junior grammar school, including the summer after being admitted to the University of St. Lenia, and now It’s been a year”

"Didn't you find a few more people to confirm?"

"My parents said I was joking, and the housekeeper and coachman also said no. I called several relatives, and they all said that there had never been such a place name. I also asked a neighbor nearby. Although they did not deliberately remember the past years, details, but said that at least last summer our family did not go on vacation.”

"Then...have you brought anything from here or brought anything back from there in the past?" Fan Ning tried to ask.

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"The manor's living facilities and surrounding supplies are complete. Every time the family only takes banknotes, clothes and a few carriages back and forth."

"Then...why did you suddenly talk to Lord Nehemiah about the town of Watznai yesterday?" Fan Ning continued to ask, "Is it because you mentioned it because you learned some information after regaining your memory? Or was it because you had mentioned it before? We’ve been talking about this topic a lot, but suddenly yesterday they said they don’t have this place anymore?”

"I got some information, but it has nothing to do with this. This is purely accidental, or maybe it's summer vacation again." Qiong's face was still pale, "I usually don't ask about something out of the blue and assume that everyone in my family knows it." place, so I can’t remember the last time we talked about this kind of topic, but at least before and after our vacation last summer, we all agreed in our communication that the town of Vatznay existed. But if my memory really has all If it’s a question, it doesn’t make sense!”

"Caron, I feel like I'm about to fall into complete nihilism." The girl's usually lively and cheerful face is now full of confusion, "I feel that everyone's personality, talents, emotions, and views on everything are all It is based on past experiences, and past experiences cannot be reflected intuitively. Even if there are individual external objects to corroborate them, they are fragmented. Only memory can prove their complete existence. If my own memories are all false, wouldn’t it be who I am now? Is ‘personality’ also fake?”

"You have provided me with so much radiant spiritual fluid, and I have found some valuable memory fragments. I was originally going to share them with you, but now I think they may also be fake, and 'Purple Bean Cake''s response to me is also fake. , it was originally a dream. Maybe you were right that night. My memory was just polluted by hidden knowledge. On the surface, it seemed that I was using the secret ritual to awaken the memory. In fact, I was just using a pinch of pollutants with another pinch of pollutants. Instead?"

Fan Ning took in Qiong's experience in this matter and also felt chilled all over.

Imagine a former home that I went back to every year during the holidays when I was a student. Every memory there lasted almost throughout my entire life journey. Then one day I suddenly discovered that everyone around me said that they were joking and there was no such place.

Fan Ning's eyes flickered for a long time: "Which direction did you say it was in before?"

"Southwest, a small town on the southwest outskirts of Ufranser."

Without waiting for Fan Ning to respond further, Joan took out a bunch of crumpled maps from her pocket. It could be seen that she had flipped through them countless times last night.

Fan Ning stood up and sat next to the girl. After she spread it on her lap, the two of them focused their eyes on the lower left corner.

"There is no such place name." The girl's finger traced the direction, her tone was very confused, "Carolen, if I had noticed that there was no such name on the map before chatting with my father yesterday, then I would have What reaction? If I had noticed it earlier, earlier than I remember going on vacation last summer, how would things have developed? Would my understanding be more or less clearer than it is now? "

"Maybe, but who knows how to hold a map and look at it?" Fan Ning also found it difficult to understand this kind of question, "How about you try to recall the past? Although normal people will not deliberately look at it all day long. , but if you stretch the timeline forward, will you have the memory of looking at the map individually? "

The girl murmured: "I used to go to every corner of the city to search for ancient books, but I only looked at city maps more often. This kind of large-scale map... maybe there is one, maybe not, maybe I didn't pay attention, maybe I saw it a long time ago, Then it disappeared from the map...it's possible, I can't remember, I'm really not sure..."

She huddled up helplessly.

Fan Ning lowered his head and looked carefully, then asked, "Do you know the way?"

"Recognize the way?" Qiong tilted her head at him in confusion.

"That is to say, regardless of the map, if you start from here and find the way with your eyes alone, do you know how to get there?"

"It's too far, too far." The girl pouted again, "Caron, I think I should be more familiar with the streets of Ufranser than you are. Sometimes I can move off the map, but I don't know if I leave the city. In my memory, when I went on vacation, the coachman would drive with a map and I would sleep in the carriage. We would start early in the morning and arrive close to midnight. "

Fan Ning was stunned. He thought Qiong was right.

Even if I traveled far away by car in my previous life, I would not deliberately remember the route with my eyes, and the main reason was that I couldn’t remember it.

There is no electronic map in this world, and there are no favorites or other marks for distant places that have been visited. Moreover, the urban area of ​​​​Uvranser alone is already very complicated. There are streets, abandoned areas or wilderness areas that are not often visited. , he is really not as familiar as Qiong.

"Then can you roughly confirm where the 'Waznai Town' in your memory is located on the map? It's just that the southeast area is too wide."

The last time he went to the Metraun area of ​​Eagles to create in March, although Fan Ning also relied on a driver to travel for various parts of the trip, he could at least draw a smaller circle on the map for his location.

"Let me think about it...it's very far there. Although it still falls within the administrative scope of the county of Ufranser, the actual spatial distance is closer to the imperial capital of Saint Taranburg..."

While recalling, Qiong used her fingers to outline a smaller area: "There is a river in the town. Well, this one is not very recognizable. There are too many rivers on the map. There are also quite a few mountain peaks in that area, and the middle area is relatively flat. It should be possible to rule out..."

This is a map of the entire county of Uvranser. The situation in the urban area is relatively detailed, while the place names in other places are sparse. It is only marked to the level of the town. One quarter of the southwest edge can see the Holy Land. The boundary between Taranburg and Eagles.

The two of them couldn't even find a small town with a similar pronunciation to "Vatsnay". In the end, they only identified a few possible areas, but the scope was still very large. The total area could be converted into at least more than 30 kilometers in length and width. More than 1000 square kilometers.

Half an hour later, the three of them met in the small room of Woodpecker Consulting Office. After Joan told Sheeran about her sudden confusion, there was a brief silence in the air. The three of them looked at me and I looked at you.

"Would you like to go take a look?" Fan Ning was the first to break the silence, but his tone obviously had a hint of absurdity.

"What...can you tell from this?" Qiong was still confused.

Fan Ning said: "It sounds difficult to understand, but there are only two situations. Either there is a problem with your memory, or there is a problem with the memory of the people around you. It's just that the minority is against the majority. Now it is more likely to be the former. Sex... If after our on-site investigation, we can conclude that this town does not exist, at least you don’t have to think so widely..."

"But what if this town really exists?" Joan asked again.

"Uh..." Fan Ning was confused by this question, "Let's go take a look around and see if there is your ancestral home or manor?"

The two little girls looked at each other again, and each found that the absurdity in the other's eyes was even stronger.

Joan thought for a while and said: "...The main reason is that the scope is too large. Aimless search will consume a lot of time. With such vast mountains, plains, and lakes, I even doubt that we can't draw a conclusion even if we find the school...Carolne, The rehearsal tasks of the orchestra are very tight now, and the investigation of the secret door of the Turner Art Museum is also more important. It is better not to study this issue that has no practical significance..."

"I think it has practical significance...for example, maybe the two sides can be connected." Fan Ning tried to joke and liven up the atmosphere. "If it doesn't work, we will choose a conservative strategy and directly sell this manor that we picked up for free, so that you can make money." Made a fortune."

Sheeran was amused by Fan Ning: "Actually, the search does not have to be completely aimless, and the time-consuming does not have to be so exaggerated. We can adapt to circumstances while walking, such as asking local people everywhere, especially the elderly, it is possible This place name already exists, but it is smaller and more partial. It was omitted from the map, or it may have gone through some evolutionary changes. If you ask about it, you will have clues... Well, but I have been really busy recently, and I have not been able to travel far in consecutive days. , the clues to trace the original location of the Turner Art Museum still need to be traced..."

Joan took over the conversation at this time: "Caron, let's not talk about this, actually... I think we can go down behind the secret door and take a look."

"Do you think so too?" Fan Ning glanced at her, "Actually, I've been thinking the same thing recently. After all, it's an art museum left by my father, so I shouldn't encounter anything particularly outrageous."

Qiong nodded repeatedly. When talking about this matter, her previous confusion seemed to have diverted her attention: "We can prepare equipment, and even use the school's channels to find a few ritual vessels that are useful for archaeological expeditions..."

Fan Ning took the calendar on his desk and flipped it twice, with a thoughtful look in his eyes: "If it takes another week until the renovation project is fully rolled out, and there are so many people, it won't be so convenient... It can indeed be done these days. Then let your plasterers break the wall open..."

Joan said: "You can ask them for help at any time... Don't go too deep the first time. If there is anything wrong or uncomfortable, we will get out in time..."

"Are you two crazy!?"

Xilan listened more and more and felt that something was wrong, and finally couldn't help interrupting the conversation between the two.

The little girl said very puzzledly: "Didn't I say to be cautious before? Caroln, don't listen to Joan. Her reckless behavior is not acceptable. We should have a sufficient understanding before exploring. ”

Fan Ning explained: "Mainly, I am also worried that the guys in the Special Inspection Office may suddenly have a seizure and increase their attention to this place again... and everyone has always expressed curiosity about what is under the secret door. The artistic experience of the old organist in Vienne also makes me fall into memories from time to time. We may find rich gifts, precious historical materials or hidden knowledge there..."

Sheeran frowned and persuaded: "At least wait until we investigate the name of the workhouse and understand the reason why the hospital where Ms. Hamilton once worked hastily closed down. Otherwise, what is the difference between entering now and going in directly that day? Among you? Hasn’t the investigation of more than twenty days basically had no effect?”

"Okay, what you said makes sense." Fan Ning took a deep breath, "Let me share some progress of the previous investigation first. I was in a hurry yesterday and only gave you a rough idea. Joan hasn't heard of it yet."

He stood up, took out the candlestick, secret atmosphere and coarse salt mineral mixture, and arranged the secret ritual in the room that could stabilize his sanity.

To the sound of Tarakani's "Requiem in A minor" on the gramophone, Fanning re-explained the identity of the opera singer Banjois in the "phantom man" occult literature, and then elaborated on his own experience from the miracle drama "The Great Terror" Some clues deduced from it.

Sheeran listened with interest. As a history buff, she was surprised that the opera singer Benchois turned out to be the famous bishop Lenia. Fanning's conjecture about the "door" and "key" also fascinated her.

"Caron, what a coincidence, it turns out that you also gained some hidden knowledge about the door." Joan said after listening.

"Could it be that the memory fragments you picked up are also related to this?" Fan Ning noticed her statement, "To be honest, after I told you so much, I don't even understand what the key is, okay, In fact, I don’t know what the door is exactly. In the lyrics of "The Great Terror", Benchois just repeatedly and implicitly hinted that the key is the key to passing through the door. However, I think the form and concept of the key are elusive and not Like a key in a concrete sense... It seems that you have come into contact with a deeper hidden knowledge? "

"The memory fragments I got are only a little deeper than yours." Qiong said.

"The key used to pass through a certain door can theoretically exist in many forms, such as self, other self, secret ceremony, ritual vessel, secret transmission, or a certain feat, a certain moment, a certain experience, a certain There are many forms of emotions that we cannot understand, and they may all become keys, but in fact it is extremely difficult to find just one. The key system mastered by major knowledgeable organizations is their most core secret. ”

Fan Ning thought: "So, after recovering some memory fragments, you mastered a key?"

Joan nodded and shook her head, organized her words, and then said:

"No, I became a key."