Whispering Verse

"This is my friend Sister Devlyn."

Shade needs to complete the four tests of the Lady of the Lake in order to gain divinity, so his business is over for the time being. But the "Lady of the Lake" promised that after Shade completed the first three tests, he could get a gift or let his friends ask some questions, so Shade introduced Sister Devlin at this time.

The nun nodded again. Her temperament was somewhat similar to that of the lady in white robe holding the staff in front of her.

Sister Devlin didn't want to speak on her own, so Shade spoke her request on her behalf:

"Madam, Sister Devlin is the nun who guards the original fire. She wants to recollect the divided first fire so that the fire of civilization will last forever. We have got some clues. The division of the original fire seems to be related to yours. Legend has it, so we want to know where those dividing flames are now."

After Shade finished speaking, Sister Devlin raised her hands, and slender red flames appeared. This not only attracted the attention of Shade and the white-robed lady, but also Mia, who was looking around, looked over with wide eyes.

This is the first time it has seen this flame.

"Yes, the split of the First Fire is indeed related to me, but I can't tell you what happened at that time."

The lady in white robe said softly:

"Someone has made a wish. I will not use your wish to destroy other people's wishes. But I can tell you the whereabouts of one of the first flames of division."

"Thank you for your kindness."

the nun said softly.

"In the large lake in the center of the Pantanal, there is a small island in the middle of the lake that is shrouded in clouds and fog all year round. A wisp of the first fire is on the top of the old lighthouse in the center of the island."

The Lady of the Lake gave a clue, and Shade knew the location she pointed out. The interior of the Pantanal is dotted with wetlands and lakes. The central lake is located on the dividing line between the two countries, and the islands on it belong to the historically disputed area of ​​​​Dela Rayon and Carson Rico.

Around 700 in the Sixth Age, the island was bought by a noble at that time, but something happened later, and all the living people originally stationed on the island died. As of now, although the island is in dispute, neither Delarion nor Kasonrik has sent anyone to station on the island.

The reason is simple. No matter which direction you start from, it is quite difficult to pass through half of the Everglades and reach the island in the center of the swamp. Even if an army could be stationed on it, the supply problem would be difficult to solve. Coupled with the miasma, poisonous insects, and the strange things inside the swamp, so although the island in the middle of the lake is famous, at least it is now an uninhabited area.

"But you have to know that the first flame was placed there to stabilize the balance of the Pantanal. If you want to take it away, be prepared."

The lady in white robe reminded, the nun nodded slightly:

"I see."

This also means that the cluster of flames may have a "seal" effect. But this does not mean that the nun cannot touch it. Various methods such as Shade's Mystery Lock [Tree Kiss] can also have the same sealing effect. And once the first fire is collected by the nun, the remaining first fire in Shade will become stronger.

"Are you willing to be the agent of wisdom?"

While Shade was thinking in his mind, the lady in white robe holding the staff suddenly said to Sister Devlin again.

Shade looked at the two of them in surprise, and then realized that Sister Devlin seemed to be favored by the "Lady of the Lake", which was a treatment that he did not have.

Maybe what Miss Pavo said by Lake Schluch the night before yesterday was right. His wisdom was not enough to compete with the top heroes of this era.

[Or, you have been selected by someone else. 】

"I'm sorry, I have decided to spend my whole life looking after Chu Huo."

Sister Devlin shook her head in refusal, her long silver-gray hair swaying slightly as she shook her head. When she became Death's chosen one, it was because she wanted to earn Shade to touch the First Fire. Of course, she would not inexplicably add new responsibilities to herself at this time.

"It's such a shame."

The lady in white robe said softly, and then looked at Shade:

"Then go away to complete your second trial and explore what happened in the past. I will always be here waiting for you, waiting for you to complete the final trial. May wisdom bless you, Shad Hamilton, Knowledge is with you.”

The scenery of the island in the center of the Lake of Cherubim gradually became more like a lake, and everything around it faded like an oil painting splashed with water, and then became colored again.

When they came back to their senses, Shade and Sister Devlin were still standing on the path by the lake, while the two horses lowered their heads and looked for edible weeds by the lake. The lake in the distance was calm and even without ripples. In a few weeks it would be frozen and then covered with snow. Winter had really arrived.

The nun's boots were next to her feet, and Shade looked down at them, then noticed Sister Devlin "looking" at him. Say "sorry" softly and turn around:

"Sister, the exploration of the Pantanal still needs to be solved by the Spiritual Order and the Witches' Council."

Shade looked at the lake in the distance and said, Sister Devlin said behind him:

"This is a very time-consuming and manpower-consuming matter. I will also test it with the church."

This kind of large-scale investigation activity far away from human settlements is not Sha De's strength. Besides, Sha De also has a lot of things in his hands, so he can only wait for the results. But that's okay, after all, he can't solve everything he encounters.

At this point, the second test of the "Lady of the Lake" trial has officially begun.

Shade took the reins and first sent Sister Devlin back to the White River Valley Vineyard, then took little Mia home and had lunch in Tobesk. After lunch, I left the cat at home, which took a nap on time, and then returned to Huntington alone again to visit Kansas Drake, a retired folklore professor who lived in the old city in the west.

The sky in Huntington has been gloomy today, so the old professor with handicapped legs did not go out. When Shade rang the bell on the fence door at two o'clock in the afternoon, the fat maid quickly opened the door for him.

Professor Drake, still sitting in a wheelchair, greeted Shade in his study. He seemed to have anticipated Shade's arrival, but when Shade said that he had already seen the Lady of the Lake, the professor's hand holding the tea cup shook:

"so"

The professor looked at Shade with expectant and uneasy eyes. He sat there with his back bent, as if he was a prisoner on the trial bench waiting for sentencing.

"The lady told me that if I wanted to find what I had lost, I would have to pass her trial."

"Yes, there will definitely be a price to pay."

The professor immediately said that he was looking forward to getting an answer, but he was afraid of getting an answer. Both Shade and the professor understood that the professor's lost memory was most likely given up voluntarily, and retrieving it at this time may not necessarily lead to the results he wanted.

"The test I have to go through is to find out why you went to find the Lady of the Lake, what wishes you made, and what price you paid."

Omitting that he was with his companions at the time, Shade briefly explained his experience this morning, and described that when he saw Professor Drake on the water, the news in the newspaper he was reading was, Huntington Liquor Association Recruiting members to attend the Winter Wine Expo.

"this"

The professor was shocked. He believed Xia De's words, but he didn't expect this result:

"I didn't expect that our experiences would be intertwined. But I really don't remember anything about what happened back then."

He inhaled sharply:

"I wish I could still remember it. This is the only regret in my life. What happened back then?"

"Actually, the trial itself contains information. First of all, when you set out to find the Lady of the Lake, it must have been because of something you encountered, not just because of academic research. Otherwise, my trial would be meaningless."

Shade analyzed that this is to infer the answer from the question itself, and outsiders are very good at this.

Professor Drake nodded immediately. Although this retired old gentleman was physically disabled, his mind was still flexible:

"Yes, that is indeed the case. Moreover, it should be an event related to surrealism and occultism, otherwise there would be no need for it to be a test."

"Thinking again about your career, maybe something terrible happened to you while doing folklore research."

Shade said, and considering that the professor's private collection before retirement actually contained relics and derivatives such as the "Swamp Witch" photo, the old professor must have been exposed to more than one danger in his career.

"Did you retire immediately after that accident?"

Shade asked. The wrinkles on Professor Drake's brows gathered together. He held the tea cup and sighed:

"Yes, I was about to reach retirement age at that time. After my legs became like this, I was indeed depressed for a period of time. The school did not treat me badly and kept paying me while I was recuperating. I waited until the accident Four months later, I took the initiative to apply for early retirement, and then lived on my retirement salary and money sent by my son.”

"Where are all the research materials you had before retirement?"

Professor Drake knew what Shad meant:

"Most of them are left in the school. They are the assets of the school. But there should be no problem with the information. There has been nothing wrong with the school for so many years. I can write and ask later. A few of them are at my home. If you are interested, you can look around in my study."

The professor is old and knows that he has only a few more years to live, so he is unusually persistent in finding the truth.

"Before you set out to find the Lady of the Lake, what were you studying in school?"

Shade asked again, but the old professor couldn't recall what happened so far back.

“So was there anything else noteworthy that happened in Huntington that year?”

Shade wanted to start from this aspect again, but the professor still shook his head:

"That was more than ten years ago. Although I have always had a good memory, I have never doubted the purpose of my going out that year, so I didn't pay attention to what happened back then. Now that I think about it, maybe what I lost is not necessarily just going to Jilu. The memory of Hashiro Lake.”

Shade agrees with this, but precisely because of this lack of memory, he has no clues at all now.

But fortunately, after finding the right idea, Shade and Professor Drake spent an entire afternoon searching for clues from the professor's old materials, and finally gained something.

These gains can be simply summarized into three, namely diaries, letters and a worn-out book.