Whispering Verse

Shade lowered his head and looked at the coins:

"What about negative traits? Causing thunderstorms in an area?"

"Of course not. Throwing this coin into the ocean will trigger an ocean storm that lasts for at least a week in an entire area. Moreover, ships trapped in the area cannot leave the area in any way. Don't read what I'm describing. Lightweight, which is actually a scary thing.”

As he said that, the purple-eyed girl asked:

"How about spending a coin to divine where the last gem that symbolizes spring is?"

"Today is already Tuesday, and I still have one [Emperor's Banquet Copper Coin] in my hand. Okay, I can't wait any longer."

"As I said a long time ago, even if fate gives you the gravitational pull to meet that cemetery, sometimes we have to find ways to speed up the process of fate."

As she spoke, one of the [Thunder's Wrath] was thrown high into the sky, and traces of rust appeared on the highest point. After the coins turned into ash and dissipated, Luvia opened her eyes and looked at Shade hesitantly:

"Maybe you're right this time, and keeping the coins and not using them is the right choice."

"Huh? You're not going to tell me that I've got that green gem but haven't discovered it yet, right?"

Shade asked hesitantly:

"Inside the Silver Cube that still needs the last story to be opened? Oh, I knew that the Silver Cube caused a major earthquake in the Randall Valley. The things inside must be extraordinary."

Luvia shook her head slightly:

"Of course not. I mean, that gem is now in the warehouse of the local Cassandra Auction House."

There is no need for Shade to go to the warehouse to get the gems himself. His friendship with Granny Cassandra and Miss Swift is high enough that Miss Swift can do such a small thing, and there is a high chance that Shade will not even be asked to pay for the gem.

But the most important thing this evening was not to get the gem, but to meet Stone Oxenfurt. Luvia originally planned to accompany Shade, but Shade refused. He was still quite resistant to any relationship between Luvia and the devil.

At about half past four, Shade left the witch's manor in a carriage and spent more than an hour walking through the city, reaching the northeastern border of the city and entering a small village outside the city.

It was already dinner time, and smoke was rising from the chimneys above the low adobe and straw houses. Children and domestic puppies ran towards their homes through the muddy paths of melting snow, while country women in aprons shouted loudly to their children who had not yet returned. The men were either returning from the tavern, the fields, or the river, carrying hoes and fishing rods. Only the blacksmiths and apprentices in the blacksmith shop were still tinkering with something by the high-temperature furnace.

It seems that the turmoil in the Randall River Valley cannot affect this small village, or the hardship of life has left them no time to worry about other things.

Although this village, known as "Sturgeon Village", is quite backward compared to the city, it is, after all, on the only way into the city. Therefore, there are not only blacksmiths and merchants in the village, but also a tavern with only one floor.

The name of the tavern is "Sturgeon Tavern" and it is located on the southwest side of the village close to the city. In front of the tavern is a road sign indicating the direction of the city. There is a dried salted fish nailed under the road sign. This is probably because the tavern is promoting itself.

As soon as Shade reached the road sign, he heard the lively sounds coming from inside. And not only inside the tavern, but also on the bench outside the tavern, there were three country farmers with cigarettes and hats sitting on them. On the other side, next to the stables, two drunk villagers were discussing drunkenly in slang. Which mare looks better.

The shape of the pub is very strange. The main body is rectangular, with two short sides sloping outward, and then together with the fence, barn and stables, it forms a small courtyard.

Shade stepped on the mud after the melted snow, pushed the door open and entered. While squinting his eyes to adapt to the bright light, he almost coughed due to the smell of wine.

The small village near the city has gas pipelines. Not only are there gas lamps behind the counter, but also the oldest gas lamps are hung in other areas. But it was obvious that the shopkeeper was unwilling to waste gas money, so even though the tavern was bustling and full of people, the gas lights were still not turned on to the maximum power, which made some corners outside the bright area look dark.

The owner of the tavern is a woman in her fifties with half-white hair and a string of garlic hanging around her neck for some reason. She greeted Xia De, who was obviously a stranger passing by, warmly, and Xia De asked curiously:

"Are you preventing vampires?"

There are also rumors in this world that garlic can resist vampires, but Shade's friend Mr. Bernhardt said that is just superstition. Although he doesn't like eating garlic, he is not afraid of it.

"There was an outbreak of malaria in a nearby village some time ago, and the village doctor said garlic can prevent and cure it. Do you want one too?"

She asked in slang quite enthusiastically, and Shade shook his head hastily:

"I made an appointment with a friend, and he's probably already here. He's a strong guy who looks like a bandit. Even in winter, he likes to roll up his sleeves."

"there."

So the female shopkeeper pointed out the direction for Shade. After Shade ordered a glass of rye beer, he walked over. The tavern is also an adobe house, with wooden beams, straw and tiles forming the roof. As for the walls that are not even plastered, debris such as garlic, bones, herbs, and chili peppers are hung as decorations.

Stone Oxenfurt was sitting in the deepest part of the tavern, at the corner table on the short side of the east side of the tavern building.

He bent slightly and sat on the east side of the obviously low table. From this angle, he could see half of the tavern. He held a beer in his right hand and pressed the newspaper on the table with his left hand. The oil lamp for supplementary lighting was placed on the wooden table that looked soaked in wine stains. Next to the oil lamp were peanuts and a pile of side dishes that Shade couldn't see:

"I would never eat here if I were you."

Shade said, sitting down opposite him, and then felt that the bench and table were a little short. He looked at Oxenfurt's raised head. Under the light of the oil lamp, his face still had a slightly fierce look:

"The shop owner said there is malaria in the nearby village, which is not good news."

A young bartender, probably the landlady's nephew or something, brought Shade his rye beer, but Shade didn't touch it.

"To me, this disease is nothing."

Oxenfurt took a long gulp of wine and wiped his mouth with his sleeve rolled up to his elbow. It is rare to see a big businessman do this. Although he has made money, his living habits remain the same.

"Malaria is nothing to you, right?"

Oxenfurt asked Shade again, and Shade shook his head slightly:

"I had a high fever all night last week. Even I can't be immune to all diseases, let alone this."

Shade took out two small paper packets from his pocket, which contained the "Kasenrik Third Class Combat Hero Medal" and the sapphire earring with a drop of Oxenfurt's blood.

"Let's see if it's what you're looking for."

Shade asked, and Oxenfurt put down his wine glass and examined it under the light of the kerosene lamp on the table:

"No problem, it's indeed what I'm looking for."

He nodded and asked Xiang Xia De:

"I thought you would put it in a box and send it back. Putting it in a paper bag is indeed a rare behavior."

"Doesn't the jewelry box cost money?"

Oxenfurt smiled:

"Although when I entrusted you with the task, I thought you could succeed, but I didn't expect you actually did it."

As he said that, he wanted to put the two items into his pocket, but Shade reached out and held his hand:

"Wait, I have fulfilled my promise, now it's your turn. You said that you have clues to [Original Land], and you know who holds that card."

Behind Shade is a lively tavern. The villagers who have been busy for a day are sitting together and bragging about their new experiences. The village’s police chief and the village chief are sitting together, complaining that people at the entrance of the village have lost firewood again. No one knows what is happening in the corner. The two of them were talking about something.

"Don't tell me."

Shade spoke slowly, looking at the man opposite him:

"That card is in the hands of the guy behind you."

"Of course not, it's a pity, that thing has no intention of appreciating the Rhodes cards."

Oxenfurt said, taking his hand out of Shade's hand:

"I really know the whereabouts of that card. I'm not lying to you. I rarely lie - [Original Land] is in my hand."

"You fool me?"

Shade frowned slightly.

"Are you kidding? You helped me get what I wanted, and I told you the whereabouts of [Creation Earth]. Isn't this our agreement from the beginning?"

"But when we met in front of the burning warehouse, you said that [Original Land] is not in your hands (Chapter 1253)."

"Yeah, it wasn't in my hand then, it was in my drawer. And now, it's in my pocket."

Oxenfurt smiled, picked up the wine glass again, and saluted Shade:

"I also said at the time that I was confident in persuading the holder of [Original Land] to give you that card. This was not a lie. I was very good at convincing myself. Do you really want that card? Yes, No one doesn’t want it. For all Rhodes players, this is a treasure worth giving up all their belongings to exchange for. And now you have the opportunity, promise me one thing, and that card will belong to you."

"Again?"

Shade crossed the oil lamp in the middle of the table, held the handle of his wine glass with one hand, and looked at him with narrowed eyes:

"I'm not going to help you find anything anymore. I don't know if you're good at judging people's moods through their expressions. But I can tell you, I'm pretty annoyed right now."

PS: I checked last year’s records and found that there were 10,000 more updates during the Spring Festival last year. The same is true this year, with additional updates on the first day of the new year.