Whispering Verse

Shade waved to the back of the sofa. Among his pile of spellcasting materials and relics, a badge with the emblem of the Duchess, surrounded by a bone white border, and that could detect witches flew over:

"I am indeed Miss Carina's person."

He showed the emblem to Miss Benenice, who recognized that the emblem on it was the hand of another great witch.

"Yesterday you invited me to meet. I was considering the possibility of misunderstanding, so I refused temporarily. I agreed to meet today because I brought letters from other witches."

The letter also flew over, and Shade handed it to Miss Bernice, then hugged the cat again and sat back on the sofa next to her.

The blonde witch frowned slightly and opened it. The letter was only one page and was not too long. She quickly read all the contents. And when I saw the autographs and seals of the four great witches at the bottom, my confusion became even more:

"If you can seduce Carina and the immature Sylvia with your beauty, doesn't Xivi only like women? And Granny Cassandra, the oldest witch actually treats a being like you "

She handed the letter to the curious Miss Lassers, put her puppet on the table, and looked at Shade seriously:

"Anyway, you did save me just now, and you also helped me get this, so I won't do anything to you. Now, follow me back to the manor. This is not a good place to talk. Let's keep a low profile and move quickly. , it would be bad if the church found out.”

"What's the matter with the church?"

Shade asked while teasing Mia, who had helped a lot just now, and Miss Benanis made a very complicated expression:

"The crazy puppet theater is a genuine sage-level relic. You don't think it can only hold puppet shows, do you?"

"so."

"You were riding a cat to fight with it just now. Probably all the ring warlocks in the city could see it."

As the baron of the Kingdom of Kasenlik and the leader of the prestigious Golden Dawn Opera Company, Miss Bernanice naturally has her own manor locally. That was also in town, not far from Cherry Leaf Street where the Church of the Forgotten was located.

After entering the manor in a carriage, the Witch's followers also appeared one by one. Shade felt that it was a bit incredible that he had been active in Randall Valley City for more than half a week and only bumped into the Witch now.

The manor was not particularly large. After arranging the follow-up treatment of the opera house incident, Miss Benanis and Miss Lassus continued their conversation with Shade in the study on the third floor. As for the main content of the conversation, Miss Benanis further confirmed what "Shad Hamilton" was. It is not easy to explain this point in detail. Fortunately, we have discussed the explanation with the other four great witches last night.

He talked about his story with Miss Carina starting from his first meeting with the Duchess at the Lucky Southern Cross Club in Tobesk last summer. The affairs of Miss Aurora and Mother-in-law Cassandra were briefly mentioned. The acquaintance of Miss Sylvia was in Tobesk City, so they were also discussed in detail.

In order to prevent the witch in front of him from associating himself with the "God Caller", Shade only mentioned those things that happened in Tobesk, and of course did not mention any sensitive information such as Helen and Grace. But even so, these stories were quite long, so much so that Shade stayed in the manor for dinner, and continued talking with the Witch and Miss Lassers after dinner.

From Shade's story, Miss Benenice also roughly understood the relationship between Shade and the other four great witches.

"They are really bold."

After all the stories were over and Miss Benanis asked about the details she wanted to know, the witch sat on the sofa and commented with some arrogance. It was already dark outside at this time, and the not-so-bright gas street lamps were lit in the courtyard of the manor. The lights outside the manor could be seen in the distance. On winter nights, the city was not noisy at all.

"Your existence carries the risk of splitting the parliament. It is impossible for them not to know this. Since recorded history, there has never been a man that the witch can contact. If I didn't know that Granny Cassandra doesn't like to joke, I still wouldn't dare Believe everything you say.”

Shade smiled and nodded, knowing that Miss Benenice had accepted his presence. Miss Lassus, who was sitting next to the big witch, winked at him, obviously telling Shade not to pay attention to what Miss Benanis said at the moment.

"However, since they don't tell other witches about your existence, of course I won't be the bad guy."

The blonde witch said, sighing slightly, then tilted her head and looked at the reflection of the study on the window glass;

"During your activities in the Randall Valley, if you need my help, whether it is secular help or other aspects, I am willing to lend a helping hand as a reward for saving me and Siris today. But I want to remind you , although I have the same eleventh ring as Carina, I am not good at fighting. Besides, I have had some physical problems recently. If you need high-end combat power, I can only provide the help that I can."

"However, the Golden Dawn is willing to help you, Mr. Hamilton. Vanessa's followers are all local now. Although there are not many ladies in the High Circle, they should be enough to cope with ordinary situations."

Miss Lassers said with a smile that the woman was friendly to Shade. Regarding Shade's appearance and the influence of the Witch Council, she took it much lightly than the witches.

"Actually, I was just curious. I wonder what happened to Miss Benanis? Is it a curse?"

Shade asked tentatively, and the witch shook her head helplessly:

"It's not like a curse, otherwise it would have been removed long ago. This is a bit like a precursor to losing control, but it's not that serious, otherwise I would ask the council for help. This afternoon, I suddenly felt dizzy and was affected by that puppet. This It is indeed a sign that the problem is changing in a serious direction. I will report to the Speaker tomorrow and hope to find out the reason."

"Actually, I have a very unique ability to perceive issues such as curses."

Shade pointed at himself:

"Miss Benenice, would you mind holding my hand?"

In the afternoon, the contact with the wrist lasted only ten seconds, but it took Shade longer to feel it.

The witch only hesitated for a moment before agreeing, so Shade stood up and sat on her left side. Miss Benenice's hand, painted with red nail polish, held Shade's hand, and it was warm.

The three of them all looked at the two clasped hands. Miss Lassers was very curious. Miss Benanis had never experienced this before and blushed slightly. Shade did not feel embarrassed, but asked in her heart:

"How about it?"

【Hold on. 】

After half a minute of silence:

[There is indeed a problem, it is not a curse in the strict sense, it is very similar to the land you purified in Randall Valley. 】

"What's the meaning?"

[Like that land, her soul is polluted. It's a very minor condition, but I'm afraid your spell has no effect, it only works on the land. 】

"But doesn't that strange phenomenon only happen on land?"

He frowned slightly and loosened his hold on the witch's hand. I organized the language and started the explanation with a question:

"Miss Benanis, are you the witch who represents the seat of 'Earth'?"

"Yes."

The blonde witch nodded.

"Have you recently used thaumaturgy, rituals or spells to deeply perceive the land in the Randall Valley?"

Miss Benenice nodded again:

"Yes, about half a month ago, I used a large-scale ceremony to let the soul listen to the pulse of the earth. The Randall River Valley is the center of the earth in legend. Feeling the earth here can strengthen your connection with the earth. This kind of ritual is used by the witches of the earth, so there is nothing wrong with the ritual itself."

"Could it be that Vanessa's soul was contaminated with something unclean during this process?"

Miss Lassers, who also has beautiful blond hair, immediately thought of the answer, but then she had another question:

"But many other rituals can have similar effects. The Church of the Sun has many ring warlocks who, like Vanessa, like to use this way to sense the earth. I haven't heard that there are other people who have encountered this kind of trouble."

"I'm afraid this has something to do with my identity as a witch. The witch of the earth allows me to feel the pulse of the earth more deeply than any magician."

The blonde witch said with a solemn expression.

Shade nodded. He already had a lot of relevant information. It seems that the problem on the earth is more serious than imagined:

"I don't know about the ceremony, but I know that there is something wrong with the land itself in the Randall Valley. Miss Lassers, you come with me to deal with that crazy land, and you know how weird that phenomenon is. I want Benanis The trouble with the young lady is related to that strange phenomenon. But I'm sorry, my purification spell cannot be effective on humans."

"But half a month ago, the manor outside the city was not within the range of my perception that allowed my soul to resonate with the earth."

The witch obviously thought of more things:

"Is there something wrong with the entire land in the Randall Valley? It's just that the problems in the manor outside the city have shown up. If this is the case, this problem may soon spread to the entire material world."

"The guess is correct. I encountered a similar problem in Tobesk City. It's the same crazy land, but the external manifestation is different."

Shade said, Miss Benanis closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead:

"I'm afraid the problem will be very troublesome. I will find out what happened as soon as possible. I hope it is just some kind of relic that is out of control, or an evil thing has broken out of the seal."

Shade learns that "Crazy Land" is the man from the Emerald Dream. He also told the two ladies the information he got in his dream, and Miss Benanis looked even more serious:

"I don't know the man you are talking about, but if the madness of the earth is the natural phenomenon he mentioned, doesn't it mean that there is something wrong with the world itself? How is this possible?"

Judging from the doomsday view of the "Guiding Light Monastery" and the information revealed by "The Other Luvia", this is probably correct.

"Vanessa, please contact the council as soon as possible tomorrow to confirm whether this information is correct."

Miss Lassers said softly from the side. Shade held Mia and looked at them. Suddenly, he realized that the Randall River Valley had been involved in a disaster that might cause big trouble.

At this time, it was less than a week since he first set foot on the land of Randall Valley.

"Hamilton, I don't know if you have heard about the narrow space between life and death from Carina. Although the accident at Fort Midhill was also a problem in the city itself, the greatest damage caused was just the destruction of the Old World. The central and eastern regions have turned into ghosts. But if there is a problem with the land in the Randall Valley, the center of the earth in a mystical sense, the entire physical world will be in trouble."

Miss Benenice said to Shade, she knew better than Shade what this meant:

"The information and intelligence you provided is very valuable. I am not a stingy person. Please make some requests to me."

She said to Shade seriously, and Shade naturally thought of the most important thing:

"I'm looking for a very special relic. A black key made of dead wood."

"No problem, Golden Dawn's local news channels are very sensitive. This is just a small matter, what else do you need?"

The witch then asked, and this time Shade thought of Mr. Granger's silver cube:

“I’m interested in local folklore and urban legends, especially stories that have been passed down through time.”

"I'll have someone sort it out and give you the files directly."

Miss Lassers on the side said that she had a very good impression of Shade:

"This is just a small matter. Mr. Hamilton, please don't worry about anything. Since Vanessa said she would give you some reward, she really wants to thank you. Relics? Cherished thaumaturgy? Although you can get these from Miss Carina. , but Vanessa herself also has a proud relic and thaumaturgy system."

She encouraged Shade, but she probably misunderstood, thinking that Shade was embarrassed to make excessive requests.

"That's it"

He scratched little Mia's chin with his right hand. When the satiated cat squinted its eyes and purred comfortably, Shade said what he needed to do most so far:

"Then, can you please Miss Bernice, sing a song for me? I know the prayer of a wonderful ritual. Please turn it into a song. It is a song that praises the earth and butterflies."

"Prayer" refers to the poem when the middle-aged witch Bretchett, Sister Perry and Mr. Lyman call upon the old gods.

He stretched his head forward slightly and looked at the witch quite excitedly:

"Yes, a song, and I hope you can sing it to me at your best."

After all, tasks involving the key to time must be perfect.

"Using this opportunity, do you just want to hear me sing a song?"

The witch was a little embarrassed by Shade's eager gaze. Before Miss Lassus could say that this was a trivial matter, she held out her hand to stop her from speaking:

"No problem, I appreciate your taste, Mr. Hamilton. It makes sense for Carina to fall in love with you."

As he spoke, he gave the time and place:

"Today is Friday. Then the day after tomorrow, that is, Sunday night, the Golden Dawn Opera Company will perform for the descendants of the Kasenrik royal family at the Wilde Opera House, which we left in the afternoon. I will not go on stage, but at the end of the performance Finally, I can perform a show for you by myself."

Her golden eyes with a hint of green stared at Shade:

"Is this okay?"

Although her attitude is a bit strange, of course it's okay. Although Shade used the time key on Sunday morning, he didn't care if it was only delayed by less than a day:

"Then I'll trouble you."

The witch shook her head slightly:

"I don't know how you got here, but if you still stay in the Randall Valley, I may need your help in the next step of the investigation. Singing for you is just a piece of cake, I allow you to I can make a wish at any time. But before that, I want to talk to Carina alone."

After finishing speaking, he hesitated for a moment and asked hesitantly:

"How far has your relationship with Carina reached?"

"Oh, Vanessa!"

Miss Lassus blushed and patted her arm, as if scolding her for prying into other people's privacy. But it seems that the woman is also quite curious about the answer to this question.

"Well, it's just a relationship between lovers. We've had some close contact, but it's not the most intimate kind."

Miss Benanis smiled, and Miss Lassus blushed slightly, and she probably understood.

But no matter what, the first contact and acquaintance with the great witch of Randall Valley was quite smooth in Shade's opinion. Of course, this is thanks to the puppet.

"The Blood Spirit School, the Crazy Earth. Although I got a promise from the witch, there are more things to do."

"Meow~"

The cat meowed lazily, enjoying the comfort of life at the moment.

Although Miss Benenice still wanted Shad to stay a little longer and talk to him more about the witch. But Shade didn't want to expose more things, so he declined Miss Bernice's invitation, left the red wine as a visiting gift, and left the manor with the cat.

It was now 7:30 in the evening, and Shade did not go home immediately. Instead, he went to the "Plenty of Land Hotel" next to the local Prophet Association, wanting to talk to Luvia about the information he had obtained today.

Of course Luvia was in the hotel room at such a late hour, but when Shade opened the door with the key and closed the door after entering, the purple-eyed girl immediately "pounced" on her:

"Oh, Shade, what did you do this afternoon?"

She looked at Xiao Mia again:

"What did you do with your cat?"

This statement seems to have some problems, but Luvia is more worried about Shade's safety. After all, the relic in the afternoon has been determined to be a sage-level relic.

The two sat down in the room, and Shade briefly explained what happened in the afternoon, but the focus was on more speculation about "Crazy Land".

"This disaster will definitely affect the entire world, and since the Blood Spirit School has appeared, the chosen ones should also appear."

"The Chosen One of the Earth?"

The girl with purple eyes frowned slightly. Shade still had two eye coins at this time, but he didn't think about what he wanted to divine for the time being, so he didn't take them out:

"I will investigate these matters, Luvia, please don't interfere for the time being."

After saying that, he took out the telescopic magic dagger again:

"Come on, stab me twice more."

Luvia originally had a serious face, but now she couldn't help laughing:

"That's not a prophetic dream, don't be nervous. Besides, the Mia in your dream has thirteen rings on her tail, and there is only one ring on her tail this afternoon."

"Safety first, don't let fate control me!"

Shade insisted, so she could only poke Shade twice casually. After throwing down the dagger, he said worriedly:

"Then be careful Shade. I'll always be by your side."

PS: This chapter has a lot of dialogue and a large amount of information. In order to prevent it from being thought of as watery, it is a 5K chapter.