Whispering Verse

"You are in a good mood. What does it have to do with Margaret?"

Shade still didn't understand, so the flaxen-haired girl said a little embarrassedly:

"I was always unsure of myself before. After all, among all the great witch apprentices, I was the one who got started last and had the least talent. But now, Margaret Anjou has appeared."

She did not continue speaking to avoid insulting Her Highness the Princess, and then she stood on tiptoe and kissed Shade:

"I can't help you directly like other ladies, I can only do some logistical work in the city. Before departure, my mother-in-law told me that you can take anything from the local auction house as long as you need it. Shade, I wish you the best. smoothly."

With that said, he put his hands behind his back, said goodbye to Shade in a good mood, and walked downstairs.

Shade felt that he might never be able to understand the thoughts of young girls.

After lunch, Margaret hurried to the manor and was disappointed that she missed the "luncheon" of the witches. However, she also spoke to Shade alone.

Her Highness the Princess seemed to be in a good mood today, and was not affected by being petrified a few days ago.

She also gave Shade something, but it was not a gem, but an invitation:

"Remember what I said? I need a banquet, one to which most of the city's nobility and celebrities are invited, and a public reconciliation with the Masons at that banquet."

"It's tomorrow, Thursday night?"

Shade asked hesitantly:

"Why are you so anxious? Moreover, Stone Oxenfurt's business has just begun to be investigated, and it will take time to realize it, right? What about the compensation from the Stonemasons Association?"

"Plans can never keep up with changes."

Margaret shook her head and threw the newspaper on the coffee table in the study:

“William and I went to Stonemason Street in the Old City in order to reconcile with the Masons’ Guild, so we were attacked by cultists. This has become front-page news across the entire kingdom in recent days.

Now the entire kingdom is praising and caring about us. I will take advantage of this situation to complete the negotiations with the Stonemasons Association in one go, even if it is only a preliminary agreement. While this would give my brother the credit, I get more. Moreover, because of his business with Oxenfurt, he will be in big trouble after returning to Willendale. "

"Are you forcing the Masons to agree to peace talks with you?"

"No, no, I wouldn't use the word force. Should I say that I'm following the trend? After all, I won't put forward any harsh conditions. In terms of compensation, my bottom line is very high."

She gestured a number to Shade:

"But compensation has never been the key. My father does not agree to a public apology and insists on letting the Masons repair the mausoleum, which has not been repaired so far. Therefore, there are some important things to talk about at the banquet. However, I am confident that this matter can be resolved , Otherwise, how can you become a witch's apprentice?"

She smiled and winked at Shade:

"I'm sorry, I know you've been very busy recently, and the busy things are far more important than trivial things like mine. But on Thursday night, can you spare some time."

"No problem, I won't do my work until Friday. It would be good to relax at the banquet before starting the big thing."

Shade asked again:

"Is anyone else attending?"

"Except for Miss Carina, who is unable to show up, I have invited everyone else and I am still waiting for a reply."

"Then I'll see you at the banquet. I hope everything goes well."

Shade put away the invitation, and Margaret asked again:

"If the final peace talks don't go well, I may offer the gold mine as a bargaining chip. It's the one you and Miss Benanis found when you went to the Temple of the Night."

"But it doesn't matter that we didn't find it at all. You can use it as a bargaining chip."

Shade said.

"I won't forget your share."

She smiled sweetly, looked at the door of the study, and then hugged Shade's neck very affectionately:

"Teachers Sylvia and Bernice are both downstairs now. Knight, do you want to try something exciting?"

After saying that, he didn't give Shade a chance to answer, and kissed him passionately.

Shade is not without things to do this Wednesday. Before the decisive battle begins, there is only one last thing left in his hand that needs to be confirmed, which is what he got from demonologist Mr. Sean Asmon last night. Rumors of a sealed location.

He himself was skeptical about this clue, but since he had time and didn't have anything more important at hand, it didn't matter to take a look.

Because everyone had their own things to do, Shade did not invite anyone but went alone. But because Margaret was "delayed" for some time, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon when we set off from the city.

The location provided by Mr. Asmon is outside the city, not in the mountains to the east of the city, but to the west of the city, far from the river valley, downstream of the Elrond River.

It is actually not far from the city. After reaching the edge of the city, you enter the villages and towns near the city. Walking along the country road towards the village cemetery, after crossing the cemetery and walking for less than ten minutes, I saw the large lake with mist in the distance.

This lake is called "Lake Nederland". Although its area is much smaller than Lake Eldron in the upper reaches of the Elrond River, it is still important for inland shipping.

On the east bank of the lake stands a watchtower built in an unknown era. This was an important commanding height during the war years, but now it generally functions as a lighthouse. And Shade's destination was the old watchtower.

I thought that this short trip would end with a casual walk, but when I passed the small village, I discovered that there were many ruts on the muddy country road. While passing by the cemetery, I chatted with the old tombkeeper who was repairing the cemetery and learned that a carriage from the Dawn Church passed by here in the morning.

And when Shade saw the watchtower from a distance, he found traces of the church's ring magicians using reconnaissance magic nearby.

I was a little surprised at first, but then I thought that since even an ordinary person, Mr. Sean Asmon, could find the clues here, the Zhengshen Church, which had fully confirmed the existence of demons in the local area, would naturally be able to find out as well.

Fortunately, just like Shade, the church obviously didn't pay much attention to the clues here. Therefore, judging from the villagers' descriptions and nearby traces, the local Dawn Church probably just sent a full team of ring warlocks to investigate.

This team of ring warlocks came in the morning, so when Shade appeared near the watchtower in the evening, their search mission should have been almost over, and they had gained nothing.

Otherwise, these people shouldn't be the only ones here now.

Shade had no intention of meeting the church's ring warlock, so he decided that there was someone in the tower and planned to take a walk in the nearby forest.

"However, if the devil was really suppressed under this tower, why didn't it knock the tower down when it broke free from the seal?"

Shade thought suspiciously, standing by the lake and looking at the brilliant sunset, and "she" asked gently:

[Why must the tower collapse? 】

"I know a story in my hometown: a big white snake that was proficient in human transformation, when it broke free from the sealed tower, it knocked down the tower."

[A fairy tale again? 】

Shade immediately denied:

“This is not a fairy tale, this is a very adult story.

do you know? In that story, a doctor who opened a hospital actually made the white snake pregnant. This story should be more suitable for Mr. Lyman and Professor Manning. I wonder if Professor Manning will help me publish that article. Mr. Erfurt, who wrote my article, has gone back, but he left his pocket watch to me. Although he let me dispose of it as I pleased, I still have to deliver it to his fiancée in Willendale City when I have time. The tiger doesn’t know How are you doing? Are you starving to death now?"

His thoughts are diverging infinitely.

When the dim sunset turned the entire Lake Netherlands, which had begun to thaw, into a brilliant golden color, the team of ring warlocks in the tower finally left the watchtower in a carriage.

Shade watched them leave, and after waiting for a while to make sure that the group would not come back, he finally walked towards the tower.

Although it now serves as a lighthouse, there is not even a tower keeper arranged here during the winter. The door under the tower was locked by the team just now when they left, but ordinary locks couldn't stop Shade.

However, this watchtower is too small, much smaller than the old lighthouse guarded by Mr. Edmond in Coldwater Port City where Shade often went, the city lighthouse in Tobesk City where he performed the "Time Perception Enhancement Ceremony" with the help of a doctor, and the city lighthouse last year. The lighthouse on the Pantanal island during the decisive battle.

This tower has no basement and is divided into four floors. Except for the first floor which is made of dirt, the other three floors are made of wooden boards. Because the area is small, each floor is connected to each other by simple wooden vertical ladders, which makes climbing up and down quite troublesome.

Instead of being lazy and turning into a butterfly and flying up, Shade climbed from the bottom to the top. He saw the traces of the church inspecting the place through various methods, and also saw the tattered quilts and other daily necessities left behind by the tower keepers who left in early winter.

When we get to the top floor, there is only the tall big brazier in the center. There is still some warmth in the brazier. It is probably because the church's magicians want to try to see if lighting the brazier will result in different findings.

"I knew it was a complete waste of time."

Shade murmured and stood at the top of the observation tower, putting his hands in his pockets and looking at the scenery of the lake.

Away from the city, it's really peaceful here, as if the disaster in the Randall Valley hasn't affected it yet. The setting sun reflected the cracked ice into a golden color, and the evening wind blew through the woodland on the shore of the lake, making the forest make rhythmic natural sounds.