Whispering Verse

Shade looked at the photo, and the vampire was still talking:

"The dragon language runes on it are very ancient, right? Although I can't recognize them, I think they are stone carvings from the end of the Fifth Era, recording the transactions between the ancestors of the seven major families and a certain powerful being. However, the church's research The reporter seems to think that this is the remains of an older era, a story from the end of the Fourth Era to the beginning of the Fifth Era. It has nothing to do with the seven major families, but involves some more unspeakable secrets. Ha, researchers of the church Their level is not very good either.”

Sir Donald said with some contempt, and Shade blinked, not pointing out that his research and speculation might actually be wrong.

Shade looked at the other photos, but unfortunately, the only one that could clearly distinguish the contents of the runes was the first photo he got.

He knew in his heart that the information mentioned in that ancient rune was most likely pointing to the ancient divine war mentioned by Miss Elisa, but when Shade tried to further ask Sir Donald about the legend of the divine war, this A vampire wearing glasses didn't understand those stories at all, and instead asked Shade where he heard the news.

Sir Donald seems to have identified all the legends related to "dragons" in this city as being related to the seven families. But when the ancient god war happened, Shade was very sure that the seven major families did not exist.

"May I ask where the excavation work corresponding to this photo was carried out? Where are the ruins located?"

Shade asked again, and Sir Donald recalled:

"The 'Toxic Swamp' in the northwest of Yuewan City is not easy to find, and there should be nothing of value left."

He told Shade the general location, and Shade asked about other researchers involved in the excavation, but the vampires did not think that they still retained things from the past like him.

However, he immediately thought of another thing:

"At that time, in addition to us local researchers and the personnel sent by the church of the parish, there were actually some outsiders who participated in the excavation work. At that time, the relationship between Kasenrik and Delarion was better than it is now. It seems that because of some academic exchange program at that time, some researchers from the North also participated in the exploration of the ruins. I remember that one of them was an old professor who was quite powerful. If you can find him, he might have some photos in his hand."

"Sir, do you remember that old professor's name?"

"Wait a minute, I remember that I recorded the professor's information in my notebook back then. But calculating his age, I'm afraid he has retired long ago. I don't know if he is still alive. The lives of ordinary people are always so fragile. I wish him good health. .”

A familiar name suddenly jumped into Shade's mind, but he did not rashly express his guess. Sir Donald spent some time and finally found an ancient business card from the cracks in his old notebook:

"Professor Tiris Manning from Tobesk City, this professor is really highly respected in the field of history. I remember that one of the textbooks I read when I was a student was co-edited by him."

He said cheerfully and pushed the business card in front of Shade. Shade touched the little Mia who was disguised as a dog on his shoulder. The cat was also looking down at the business card. Although the address on the yellowed paper was not "Cat Tail Lane", Shade was extremely convinced that Professor Manning was his old friend.

"Why do you feel like every time you meet a folklorist in the field, you end up getting involved with Professor Manning?"

Thinking in his mind, he asked the person across the table:

"Is that Professor Manning a ring warlock?"

"Of course not, he is just an ordinary person. But for an excellent historian like him, his life experience will not be boring than that of an ordinary ring warlock."

You can wait until the end of the day to find Professor Manning, or go there tomorrow, but Shade is not in a hurry. So after bidding farewell to Sir Donald, Shade went to Herring Street to visit Miss Lisa and the girl Maria.

Miss Lisa happened to be at home that morning, because Shade left a lot of money last time, and now Miss Lisa has started preparing for Maria to go to school.

The family was very enthusiastic about Shade and even wanted to invite Shade to stay for lunch. However, Xia De had other things to do at noon, so he politely declined. After saying goodbye to them at eleven o'clock in the morning, he took out the silver anchor and took a look at it, becoming more and more sure of his guess about Miss Elisa's identity.

The meeting with the porter Laurie Anderson and the boy Newman was still in the tavern yesterday evening. It was approaching noon, and the tavern was bustling with people. Shade, who arrived early, chose the same table as yesterday. The lively tavern atmosphere also reminded him of the "demon scholar" he always met in various taverns, but obviously Mr. Sean Asmon would not show up at noon that day.

【why? 】

"Because there are no roses here."

Shade smiled and touched the [Demon Hunting Seal] in his pocket. He has been wearing this ring since he first came to Moon Bay. The next time he sees Mr. Sean Asmon, he will wear the ring to shake hands with that gentleman.

"Meow~"

The cat on the chest made a faint meow. It was wondering why lunch hadn't started yet. Then, he noticed the cats squatting in front of the bar of the tavern. Those cats were looking over here. So the little cat raised his head and glanced at Shade. When he saw that he didn't notice the other cats, he retracted his head again.

I don’t know when the snow started, but it became heavier and heavier by noon. But the work at the dock did not stop. As for the porters and their son who came to the appointment despite the snow, the boy Newman was wearing warm clothes, while the porter was still wearing single clothes.

Shade did not express any opinion on this, but warmly invited them to sit down. While the father and son were holding bowls of hot soup to warm their bodies, Shade also started the conversation.

The boy seemed very interested in the dog squatting in Shade's hand. Unfortunately, little Mia was only interested in the food in Shade's hand. And Shade did not immediately talk about "Eternal Light" and the boy's not wanting to be a porter. Instead, he continued the topic from yesterday and talked about the life of a dock worker.

Mr. Anderson's ancestors have lived in the local area, so he is quite familiar with union-type organizations such as the Dock Workers Association, or official management organizations such as the Dock Office. He can even speak a few words about the complex local gangs.

Shade was curious about the reputation of "Princes Trading Partners" in the local area, so he vaguely mentioned Miss Anne Bonny's name. Mr. Anderson evaluated them as "although the number of personnel and large gangs such as the Black Hand Gang cannot But it is said that everyone has seen blood, and he is a ruthless person who cannot be easily provoked in the dock area."

It was only halfway through the meal that the topic about the wage increase of dock workers in the past ten years ended, and Xia De finally got to the point:

"The weather this year is really strange. It snows so heavily in the Thunder Moon. It's really hard for you to have to work in the snow."

"Compared with winter, only the date is different now, but we also work normally in winter, otherwise how can we make money to support our family?"

The porter said with a smile, reaching out and patting the boy beside him on the shoulder:

"Raising Newman is my most important task now. What does this little snow mean? My father and my father's father are like this, and Newman will be like me when he grows up. We use our own strength Making money to support a family is no worse than others in my opinion.”

The boy once again showed the expression of wanting to say something but not daring to say it, and Shade continued to praise:

"I'm afraid we have to work like this not only in snow but also in rainy weather, right?"

"Of course, sometimes the worse the weather, the more anxious ship owners are to unload their ships. Moreover, during the rainy season, it may be sunny one moment and pouring rain the next. Tarpaulins are sometimes unreliable, so we still have to rely on us. "

He seemed genuinely proud of his work.

"A man like you who supports a family alone is the hope of our time and this country. Come on, please let me toast you."

As they spoke, the two raised their glasses and clinked their glasses. Shade looked at the boy again and said softly to him:

"Isn't your father great? Although he works as a porter, he supports you all by doing this. You didn't grow up because of the wind or the rain. When you grow up, you have to treat yourself well. 's father."

Before the boy could speak, Mr. Anderson said with a smile from ear to ear:

"I will not force Newman to repay his mother and me when he grows up. He will have his own life, his own family, and his own children. If he is lucky, he will also meet his parents on a magical day. To have such an amazing, free, and I mean fun lunch with someone as amazing as you.”

Shade nodded and finally said:

"Making money by yourself is an important way for us to live with dignity. Although dreams are important, we must first have enough to eat. Live a down-to-earth life, and then you can look up to the sky."

"Yes, this is very important for men. What you said is really good, Newman. You must study hard in the future to become a person like this gentleman."

The two clinked glasses again. The boy glanced at his father in surprise, then lowered his head as if thinking about something.

"She" in my ear said softly:

[I thought you would persuade the porter to give up the idea of ​​letting the boy take over his job. 】

"But Mr. Anderson's idea seems to me right. For them, this kind of professional inheritance is the best way to maintain a stable life."

Shade continued to chat with Mr. Anderson while talking to the "her" in his heart:

"What Mr. Anderson longs for is not for his son to succeed him, but for him to live a better life. Just let the boy understand this. Moreover, I am not persuading the boy to accept his father's arrangement. I am just letting the boy see that he has always What is the significance of a future that we are unwilling to accept? What’s more, must all the children’s wishes come true?”