Whispering Verse

Watching Mr. Riddle eat, Shade was not worried that he would suddenly eat too much and have a bad stomach. [Full Food] has an excellent healing effect on gastrointestinal problems.

But Mr. Riddle did not eat all the food. Instead, after eating a third of it, he asked Shade for a wooden box. He put the remaining food on a plate and put it into the box. It looked like it was being saved for later.

After all, no one can stand the thought of eating biscuits for who knows how long.

And after tasting normal human food again, Mr. Riddle, who was on the verge of mental collapse, became much more energetic. Coupled with the appearance of Shade, he had another person to talk to, and the gentleman's mental state improved significantly.

Before starting the gambling game again, Shade asked Mr. Riddle about the origin of the gods summoned by this gambling table. The middle-aged man who stayed here for a long time actually gave the answer:

"This is the holy symbol of the gods."

He wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his robe. Although there was still blood in his eyes, at least he no longer trembled when he spoke.

Asking Shade for paper and pen, Mr. Riddle drew a complicated pattern on Shade's notebook. Probably because he hasn't written for a long time, his hands are shaking:

"Every time I fell into a deep sleep, I would dream about this symbol, and I would hear someone urging me to continue gambling, as if as soon as I closed my eyes, these corpses would whisper in my ears. I even had a premonition that even if it was me Find another way to leave the Dreadfort. As long as the gamble is not completed, I will continue to hear this voice throughout my life until I come back here and sit at the table again."

After finishing drawing the Holy Emblem, Mr. Riddle returned the pen to Shade, then lowered his head and closed his eyes to pray to [Mr. Ring]. Since he already knew that [Mr. Huan] was [Ouroboros], the circular holy symbol he finally drew on his chest was, as expected, an abstract representation of Ouroboros.

Shade looked at the "God of Gamblers" holy emblem on his notebook and smiled, thinking that with this, he would be able to find clues about this god at the time of the Sixth Age.

Ready for another gambling battle with the gods, Mr. Riddle took a few breaths and sat back on the chair on the side of the square table. With the swaying of the kerosene lamp and the glow of the candle that was lit again, the other half of the room was illuminated, allowing the figure in black robe to reappear.

Cracks appeared on the surface of Shade's body again, and Mr. Riddle groaned in pain. The air became a little thicker, and every breath required exhausting the strength of the lungs to obtain oxygen. It clearly looks like a human, but the space it occupies is much larger than it appears.

"I found your story."

Shade whispered behind Mr. Riddle and told the information he saw:

"When you were 32 years old, you went to sea with the fleet from the Eastern Continent to the Southern Continent. During the voyage, you encountered a storm at sea. During the storm, you encountered"

Shade paused for a moment, but Mr. Riddle covered his head and lowered his head, and actually continued:

"Kraken - eight-legged kraken!"

With the reminder, he also recalled this memory.

Mr. Riddle put his hand on the third slot in front of him. After taking his hand away, the third card appeared. In the pattern on the card, Mr. Riddle is grabbing a wooden board on the rough sea. Behind him, dense tentacles stretch out from under the sea level, entangling the ship and dragging it into the sea.

The name of the gilded card is [Deep Sea Troll].

"But how did you survive this time?"

Shade asked curiously. The information only said that this gentleman was one of the few survivors of the accident:

"Could it be that the sea monster is not interested in you?"

The middle-aged man in a brown robe covered his head in pain:

"At that time, I was carrying a wooden statue borrowed from a friend. It was the statue of the god [Lord of the Scarlet Spiral]. I think the sea monster probably let me go because he didn't want to offend the statue."

Hearing the familiar name, Shade raised his eyebrows:

"Your life is truly extraordinary."

"I just want to know more things and write down the secrets of the world."

Mr. Riddle shook his head violently, as if trying to drive away something he couldn't see. In the groove on the opposite side of the table, light flickered, and the third card representing the witch appeared.

Six grooves of different colors converge the light from the front of the six cards on the table to the center of the table. Three witches effectively fight against the undead, dragons and tentacled sea monsters.

With only four cards, it was unclear which side had the upper hand, but with six targets fighting, it was obvious that Mr. Riddle's side was at a disadvantage.

The real characters corresponding to those three witch cards are probably thirteenth-level witches like Miss Feliana.

"Sir, what else have I experienced?"

Mr. Riddle asked again. Seeing that the situation on the table was not good, Shade could only pick out the most powerful creature involved in the information provided by Luvia:

"You encountered a demon!"

"demon?"

"Yes, weird, an evil spirit left over from the third era. That was your experience when you were twenty-five years old. Think about it carefully, Mr. Riddle, reverse cross~"

"cross?"

"Think carefully about the reverse cross you brought from the ancient ruins. It's made of stone and wrapped in chains."

"Oh, I remembered!"

Mr. Del looked down at the table, and then slowly placed his hand on the fourth groove. While Shade showed a surprised expression, the gentleman added a lot of information that Shade didn't know:

"That was many years ago. I followed the ancient legend and got a stone reverse cross from the ancient ruins excavated deep in the mountains of the Western Continent. What happened next was really terrifying. I forced myself to I forgot about this, it turns out I still have this experience.”

The information that Shade saw still only had a few written records and a pencil sketch of a picture of an inverted cross:

"Mr. Riddle, if you encountered a demon, how did you survive?"

The answer might help Shade too.

The middle-aged man hesitated and thought for a moment, then took his hand away from the groove.

The fourth card appeared. On the card, Mr. Riddle was holding a suitcase and running out of an old house with a frightened expression. Behind the gate of the dilapidated mansion in the background, a pair of scarlet eyes were staring at him.

The name of the gilded card is [Shadow of the Devil]. Seeing that this record is also true, Shade has more doubts about the record that this gentleman died at the age of 62. It is actually a miracle that he can survive to this day. .

The middle-aged man in brown robe seemed to be stuck in some kind of thinking, and it took him a long time to say again:

"In the mansion, the reverse cross was inserted into the ground, awakening the sleeping terrifying demon. Yes! I once helped a witch search for ancient information. In return, she used a red-hot seal to leave an indelible mark on me. The mark, that mark helped me expel the devil! Seeing that it couldn't get close to me for the time being, it left."

As he spoke, he rolled up his right sleeve. On his right arm, a disgusting burn scar revealed itself to Shade.

At first glance, the mark looked like a scar, but upon closer inspection, it looked like several complex runes overlapped together. The dense lines and traces of burnt flesh made Shade feel a little nauseous.

After obtaining the other party's consent, Shade reached out and touched the scar. After the fingers came into contact, the sound in his ears immediately reminded Shade that he felt an extremely slight whisper element.

"Extremely humble? The brand seal used by that witch is a powerful anti-demon relic! Otherwise, it would be impossible for even the traces left by the seal to have such an effect!"

Xia De was shocked and hurriedly recorded this complex symbol in the notebook he carried with him. After returning to his own time, even if the relic seal corresponding to the brand cannot be found in the Sixth Age, by analyzing this symbol, he may be able to obtain effective means to fight against the devil.

This one gain alone is enough for this trip.

While the two were talking, a card also appeared in the fourth rectangular groove in front of the black-robed god across the table. Naturally, there is also a witch on the card. The fourth witch is standing in the temple, holding the holy symbol in both hands and praying.

Judging from the exposed pattern of about one-fifth of the Holy Emblem on the card, it is exactly what Mr. Riddle drew of the Holy Emblem in the dream.

The black light flows from the grooves of [Devil's Shadow] along the slender grooves of the tabletop. Through the overlapping grooves, it joins the other seven flowing beams of light in the center of the tabletop.

The brilliance of chaos became more powerful, and a strange darkness appeared in the sky above [Devil's Shadow]. The demon's form was that darkness, and the scarlet eyes that lit up made it look like a human.

Its body gradually overlapped with the surging undead tide, and with the roar of the demon, the two completely merged. The demon at least doubled in size, and together with the dragon and the sea monster, it rushed towards the area in the center of the table.

"The shadow of the devil interacts with the resurrection of the dead!"

Shade thought in his mind.

Although there were only three monsters left on Mr. Riddle's side, the demon in the form of darkness was still able to suppress the witch when one against two. It manipulated the darkness, and combined with the dragon's breath and the sea monster's tentacles, it defeated the witches with almost a single contact.

The battle that broke out above the table really opened Shade's eyes. The witches of the Fifth Age controlled the flying light bombs to create strange lights and shadows, and the roars of the monsters almost shattered the eardrums. Not only the light and shadow effects and sounds, but also the heat and even the air vibration caused by the burst of energy can be perfectly felt by Mr. Shade and Mr. Riddle at the table.

It seems that as the number of cards increases, the realism of these battles also increases. Now it only shocks Shade and Mr. Riddle. When all twenty cards are complete, Shade can hardly imagine what will happen.

Halfway through the journey, Mr. Riddle was lost in memories, and Shade refused to waste time. The addition of the devil shifted the advantage of the battle to Mr. Riddle's side. Shade took advantage of this opportunity to speak out the remaining two pieces of information together:

"Mr. Riddle, when you were thirty-five years old, during an exploration into an underground cave, you and your partners accidentally fell into the underground abyss, and found a locked door in the abyss. Behind the door was an absorbing weapon. The black one-handed sword of life force. Can you recall this?"

Mr. Riddle covered his head and shook it a few times. After groaning in pain, he put his hand on the fifth groove. After letting go of his hand, on the card was a terrifying black rune sword locked in a dark room with several silver chains connected to the wall. The old metal door on one side of the darkroom opened a crack, and outside the crack there was the light of the torch and Mr. Riddle's horrified face.

Card name-[Cursed Sword].

The shadow of the rune sword appeared in the sky above the card. The demonic shadow laughed wildly, raised the sword, and rushed towards the witch in front of him. A new witch has also joined the battle. Currently, Mr. Riddle's side is fighting three against five. The terrifying magic sword seems unable to offset the disadvantage brought by the number of people.

"What else? What else have I experienced?"

The man covering his head asked urgently. He also knew that the current situation was not good for him. But the only life experiences that Shade found about the other party were these, and he had no other choice:

"Mr. Riddle, when you were twenty-nine years old, when you were investigating the primitive tribes of the Northern Continent, you were chased by the cannibal tribe and got lost in the wilderness. You came across an inn in an uninhabited wilderness. , and finally discovered that the hotel itself was a huge and terrifying man-eating creature."

The sixth card shows an abandoned hotel. A frightened Mr. Riddle stood behind the second-floor window, knocking on the glass with his fist in his right hand. The name of the card is - [House of Cannibals].

This time, no new monsters appeared above the cards, but on the side of the square table near Mr. Riddle. The shadow of the big house enveloped all the monsters summoned because of Mr. Riddle's life experience.

This shadow brought new light, and in this light, the bodies of demons, sea monsters and dragons became larger. Not only that, their bodies can better resist the light bullets of the witches, and when they launch an attack, strange lights will emerge from the three monsters, bringing special impact.

The black-robed god remained motionless, the light shining in the sixth groove in front of him. But the card that appeared this time was not a witch, but a gray stone altar.

The shadow of the altar appeared behind the five witches, and the connected light and shadow provided them with new power. At the same time, the light and shadow of the altar were also confronting the shadow of the [Man-Eating Thing], consuming each other's strength.

The five witches stood together, and the light on their fingertips converged. Dragons, demons and sea monsters charge at the same time, the wriggling tentacles provide protection, the dragon's breath opens a path in the light, and the rune sword in the hands of the demon is the most powerful weapon.

Those lights finally collided with the bodies of the monsters, and the strong wind caused by the energy collision almost blew Mr. Riddle off his chair at the table.

Shade supported him behind him, looking at the temporarily stopped battle. Three monsters fight against five witches. In the current situation, the god's side has a clear upper hand.

"Ahem~"

Mr. Riddle coughed loudly. The tremendous mental and physical pressure caused by the gambling battle with the gods had caused blood to ooze from the corners of his mouth. Now, half of the gambling game was over, and looking at the strange light and shadow reflected on Mr. Riddle's frail face, Shade fully understood why he was called the "legendary prophet."

Seeing that his body couldn't hold on any longer, Shade whispered:

"Mr. Riddle, let's stop here this time. I'm leaving, and when I come back next time, I will bring you victory. If you really can't hold on, maybe I can find a way to win outside of the gambling game. "

"No, no, I must win."

The weak man held the table, his voice was weak, but his tone was extremely firm:

"Do you know why I go on so many adventures?"

There is already a pulling sensation in the body, which means that the time is coming.

"have no idea."

"In order to see more things, until my own death, so that I will not come to this world without achieving anything."

The middle-aged man answered without hesitation. Even though he lost part of his memory, he still remembered his true intentions.

Holding on to the table, he stood up with Shade's help. The candle on the other side of the table was extinguished, and darkness fell again.

"So if you died because of these adventures, would you regret it?"

Shade asked softly, trying to help him to the wall. Outsiders admire such people very much. Maybe some people think that people like Mr. Riddle are lunatics and are deliberately seeking death, but Shade knows that this world cannot live without such people.

"Of course I will regret it, but I will still do it. I don't want to boast that I am an adventurous person, I just want to see more and learn more. Even though I already know what this means to me."

After hesitating for a moment, Shade asked again:

"If you survive forever, but die of madness later in life, won't you regret it?"

Mr. Riddle turned to look at Shad, his face was pale and there was blood at the corners of his mouth, but his brown eyes had a very calm look:

"As long as I gain knowledge, even if I end my life in madness, I will not regret it. I am just an ordinary person and do not have the power of a witch. I will never face the opportunity of a god like this in my life. There is a second time. I want to challenge this great one. No matter what the outcome is, I will challenge Him fairly. With my life, with my adventure, with everything I have."

Shade nodded and asked him to slowly sit on the ground against the wall:

"Okay, I will help you win the bet, in the way you want. Mr. Riddle, do you know [Everything is impermanent]?"

He asked suddenly, and the white mist behind him had appeared.

"Sorry, I don't know. But if I can get out alive, I will help you investigate. Even if you may be just my illusion, even after leaving the Dreadfort, we may never meet again. But I will definitely help you investigate. Yes, this is my promise.”

Faced with Shade's departure, Mr. Riddle was obviously much more rational. He tried to stand up, but unfortunately failed:

"Sir, thank you for your help. May the father of the Infinite Tree and Mr. Huan protect you and me."

He said sincerely, and it seemed that experiencing Shade's second arrival had made him more determined.

"Aren't you curious about my origins?"

Shade turned around and walked into the white mist, and finally turned to look at him. Because he left on his own initiative this time, he was not forced to move backwards.

"curious."

Mr. Riddle's figure was already a little blurry in Shade's eyes:

"But it doesn't make sense, I'll figure it out one day"

Shade stumbled out of the bedroom door and walked backwards. He was clearly walking forward, but suddenly he turned backwards. The sense of dislocation made him unable to control his steps, and he almost stepped on the cat walking around the door.

After standing firm and bending down to pick up Mia, he turned to look at the moon outside the living room window:

"So, Sledge Riddle researched and found the [All Things Impermanent Card] because of my guidance? Did he really fulfill his promise?"

A month ago in St. Teresa Square, when he listened to Luvia telling the story of "The Impermanence of Everything", Shade had no idea that this was a promise that spanned five thousand years.

Although the third key has so far not brought more doubts to Shade about the world, but doing this kind of thing of communicating with the past and connecting with the present always makes Shade feel that what he is doing is actually Something that has already been determined.

The arrival of foreigners does not seem to bring the slightest change to the world.

【is that so? 】

She chuckled in her ear, she always did.

After sighing for a long time, I went to carry the [God's Gift Box] from the basement to the second floor. After washing my hands, I took out this week's gifts from it.

Perhaps last week's banknote printing was so exotic that this week's items were bland. It was a brand new metal screwdriver, and it looked pretty good. You could buy it for about 5 shillings in a shop in the city.

"Sure enough, we still can't expect to obtain special items through this method."

This week's requirement is a glass of milk for breakfast, which is not a requirement at all for Shade. He opened the window in the living room, intending to ventilate the room before going to bed. The night breeze in late summer is still slightly hot, but you can also feel the coolness that is different from that in midsummer.

"It's Monday, early morning, the 19th day of the Flower Moon."

He looked at the night scene and murmured to himself, summer is really coming to an end.