Whispering Verse

At the same time that Shade saw Mr. Asmon, the other party also saw him and recognized this old acquaintance from Coldwater Port.

So he came over:

"I never expected to meet you again here. Meeting different people in different places during the journey always makes people feel the wonderful fate."

The man in a brown robe sat across from Shade, and the two shook hands above the table. Then the waiter came again and asked Mr. Asmon to order. After the waiter left, the long-faced man looked at Shade and said:

"Oh, Mr. Watson, I only found out who you are after I saw the news about Big City Players in the newspaper and heard about Shad Hamilton."

He must have noticed the devil card in the champion deck.

"Sorry, I'm actually a detective. Two months ago, I accepted a difficult commission and had to go under the pseudonym John Watson to carry out activities in Cold Water Port. This time, too, I came to Meade for another difficult commission. Fort Sill.”

Shade briefly explained his whereabouts, then raised his head slightly and asked with interest:

"Mr. Asmon, did you finally find the devil in Coldwater Harbor?"

There was a lot of people around, but no one noticed what the two people beside the wall were discussing.

"Of course not, there are only the rumored smelly mermaids there."

This "demonologist"'s Delarian language has a very distinctive accent. It's not that it's not standard, but it has a weird accent that doesn't affect understanding. Under the light of the yellowish kerosene lamp on the wall, his long face was half hidden in the darkness:

“But then I heard interesting things from folklorists in Coldwater Port, so I made the long journey here.”

"So, there are demons in Fort Midhill?"

Shade asked. Mr. Asmon made a long "Hmm~" sound from his nose and nodded slightly:

"Yes, it is said to be a demon related to fire. I have found out that Mount Sikal is an extinct volcano, and there is a local tradition of worshiping fire and many interesting rumors, such as evil spirits in fires, primordial fire, and immortality. Birds, old news about the Fire Festival, and so on...so I thought maybe the devil was on this mountain."

He may have mistaken the target again. The origin of the local fire worship tradition is actually the phoenix, not a demon.

"That sounds like fun, so good luck on your trip."

"You are so polite, Mr. Watson. Then why did you appear on this mountain? Is it a commission related to the Red Water Camp?"

Mr. Asmon put his right arm on his right leg and leaned forward slightly and asked.

"No, no, I have an officer friend locally. I happened to come to this city, so I thought of paying him a visit."

Shade pointed in the direction of the military camp, and then while eating, he told Mr. Asmon about the murder case at the Fort Midhill Mechanical College a few days ago. Of course, the protagonist of the story changes from a detective who can see blood stains to a very wise captain.

Although this "demon scholar" has been living in the hotel in the Windy Trail Traveler Camp, he also knew about the serial murders in the city through newspapers. As expected, he was attracted by Shade's story and expressed his own opinions while listening.

Mr. Asmon, who studies demonology, has a strong say in what ordinary people think of as "occult" knowledge. Even when Shade mentioned the bronze pot and the disgusting things boiled in it, Mr. Asmon was able to tell it in a clear and logical manner. There was a similar practice in the ritual of summoning demons.

After finishing the meal, Captain Rades still didn't show up. Mr. Asmon did not leave. Instead, he invited Shade to play Rhodes again and listened to him continue to tell the story about the devil. This time he had no special cards in his hand, but Shade didn't mind playing cards to pass the time.

But before the two of them could finish shuffling their decks, another stranger came up to them.

He was a young man who looked dusty but still well-dressed. It was just that he probably hadn't washed his hair for a long time and his short yellow hair was a little messy. He was about three or four years older than Shade's body. He was wearing a pair of leather boots, a shirt and a black leather jacket that were convenient for movement.

He pulled his stool to the table and asked the two of them:

"Do you two want to play Rhodes?"

The accent sounds like he's from Kasenlik.

"Yes sir, what's the matter?"

Shade asked. Seeing that Shade didn't mind his approach, the dusty traveler introduced himself:

"I am William Shelley, a poet from Carsonlik. I planned to walk from the southernmost tip of the Old World to the northernmost tip of the Old World. Unfortunately, there were some mistakes in the travel expenses."

He placed the chair next to the table facing the wall and sat down.

"Are you trying to make some money by playing Rhodes with us? Oh, sir, I'm sorry, we're not planning on gambling."

Shade shook his head, actually worried that he would win the poet's last meal fee.

"No, gambling is no fun. Interested in betting on a special card?"

He asked seriously, and then looked at the young detective and Mr. Asmon with a long, sallow face. Seeing that both of them looked very interested, he reached out and took out his deck of cards from his pocket, and then showed the top card to the two of them:

[Legend of the Brave·Fletcher the Bard], color: Flower nine.

When this card is drawn, if it is the first card, it has no effect. If it is not the first card, when the previous card is of a flower suit and the number is plural, this card can be adjusted between the numbers 9 and 10.

The card shows a long-eared poet wearing a long-feathered hat and holding a wood-grained lyre, presumably to depict the legendary elf. But Shade, who was fairly proficient in elf knowledge, could point out at least five details on the card that were contrary to elf customs. But considering that this is just a Rhodes card, there is no need to be so serious.

"Let's play cards together. If I win, each of you will give me five pounds. If I lose, then you can choose to buy this card for 30 pounds. No matter what, I can get the next one. travel expenses.”

suggested the young poet.

"Are you sure this card is authentic?"

The price of this card should be more than 60 pounds. The Legend of the Brave series of cards includes fifteen brave men of different professions in ancient stories (thirteen points and kings and queens). This set of cards was released about 90 years ago and has been reprinted. After two passes, the card in the poet's hand was the first edition judging from the lines on the edge of the card.

"Of course, I won this in the city of Mordi in Kasenlik before I entered the mountains. There is also an appraisal certificate, which is in the room where I live."

The poet said with certainty.

"Did you get here by playing Rhodes?"

Shade asked curiously.

"Sometimes I am unlucky and lose, but I can make money by playing and singing in pubs. I am still very confident in my voice."

Shade nodded and glanced at the demon scholar Mr. Asmon sitting opposite him. The latter's black eyes seemed to have been looking at Shade:

"Then Mr. Watson, I will not participate. Although I like playing cards, I can't afford so much cash at once."

"Last question, it's only a day's journey from Fort Midhill. Why don't you go to the city and sell this card? There will be no shortage of buyers in the Prophet's Association."

Shade asked again.

"I never sell Rhodes cards. I am a Rhodes card player, not a businessman."

The poet said matter-of-factly, and Shade nodded in agreement:

"Okay, I'll play cards with you. However, I was just talking about the legend of the devil with Mr. Sean Asmon. You shouldn't mind that we are playing cards while I talk to Mr. Asmon." ?”

"Of course I don't mind. I'm also very interested in your story."

The poet nodded, but asked curiously:

"I see that this gentleman is well-dressed and well-spoken. I wonder what your occupation is?"

He saw that Shade was rich, so he came over and suggested playing cards.

"The local writer I came to draw from was John Watson. This is a demonologist who pursues knowledge about demons, Sean Asmon."

Shade introduced, and the young poet nodded enthusiastically to Mr. Asmon:

"It's really interesting. Are demonologists considered folklorists? Maybe your stories can give me more inspiration for poetry."

"Probably."

Shade said, and the long-faced man sitting opposite him was ready to tell a story. This is a continuation of the story told in Coldwater Port City last time. It is a story about the demon who was born in a disaster and took away all human beings based on the premise of realizing human wishes.

The card game between Shade and the young traveling poet Mr. Shelley was played based on the simple basic rules of a draw not counting, and a best-of-three game.

"I don't know how to call the devil who fulfills people's wishes."

The demonologist's voice was hoarse but powerful. When he mentioned demons, his black eyes narrowed slightly, and a charming smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Sean Asmon is the kind of person who can easily scare children at night.

Shade and the young poet have also begun the first round of competition. Shade didn't add any special cards to his deck, but he still wasn't too worried about the outcome of this game.

Shade's first hidden card was Star 13. The poet Mr. Shelley carefully opened the card and took a look at the number, and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

"It has experienced failure because he met a person who had no wishes. But the devil, unwilling to fail, hid in that person's soul and followed him to spread his malice and lies."

"That sounds terrible."

The poet commented simply.

"Aren't the ancient evil spirits in those stories all like this?"

Shade said, and then the two drew a second card. Xia De is Sun 6, which adds up to 19 points. He thought for a moment and knocked on the table to indicate that he should stop trading. The poet Shelley was the Moon 3, and he continued to draw the third card:

"Mr. Watson, you are really lucky."

"The devil and the person without a wish have traveled a long way, and malice, lies, wars, and plagues have accompanied them. The person without a wish has been regarded by his companions as the incarnation of disaster, and has been expelled by all who meet him. Even his flesh and blood relatives. But he didn't care, he just moved forward, moved forward."

"He may have realized that he was possessed by a demon."

Shade said, and the young poet sighed and took out the third card, Moon 11. Unfortunately, his hole card was Flower 10, 10+3+11=24 points, and he busted. Shade, on the other hand, won the first round.