Whispering Poems

Chapter 3871 Rose Garden
Major Rades spoke, then turned slightly to look at the somewhat empty tavern:
"It's really hard to imagine that if the edge of the battlefield is so terrifying, what kind of terrible scene you people are facing must be."

Shade shook his head:

"Major, don't imagine it, it's dangerous."

Major Rades breathed a sigh of relief:

"Yes, even just imagining it is so dangerous, this world. But at least we won in the end, and for me, that's the best consolation."

I heard from my superiors that once the replacement sailors arrive, the surviving naval officers will be given a short leave after psychological treatment to allow us to adjust before rejoining the unit. I might go back to Tobesk for a while; that would conveniently avoid the outbreak of war, which is a good thing.”

"Remember to visit me then, I'm always happy to have friends come to visit. I'll probably be leaving the island next week too. I haven't had a moment's rest since the year-end holidays, so I'm going to have a proper vacation now."

Do you really have time for a vacation?

Knowing about Xia De's many plans, "she" inquired, while Xia De believed that anything other than the major events of "Whispering Verses" could be considered a vacation.

The two friends then talked about many things, about the war that had just ended, about the war that was about to begin, and about everything in the present and the past.

Despite his anxieties about the future, Major Raders had no intention of leaving the army. When Shad asked him if he would be willing to participate in similar tasks again, the major answered decisively:
“I am a soldier, this is my duty. And I know the significance of participating in this battle, which is more valuable than fighting against humans, and more praiseworthy than pouring bullets and artillery fire on my fellow human beings. If there is a next time, I will still be willing to join the ranks.”

"Then let's toast you, Major Rades."

"No, it's a tribute to you, Mr. Watson."

They clinked glasses, then stood up together, shook hands, and said goodbye. After this parting, they didn't know when they would meet again, but Xia De wasn't worried about his friend. Even ordinary people change after experiencing setbacks and hardships.

Just as Shad said, even ordinary people have their own significance in this era, and Major Raders is undoubtedly one of the most capable among ordinary people. The story of "Captain Eight Guns" will continue.

Shad sent two letters to the docks in the morning. The other letter was, of course, for the "demon scholar" who was staying at the tavern, since Shad had promised to come and see him again when he had time.

Since Mr. Asmon had not replied, after saying goodbye to Major Raders, Shad went to the counter to inquire about the gentleman.

The bartender immediately said:
“Mr. Asmon went out early this morning with his cat and dog. The letter you sent is still with me. But you are Mr. Watson, aren’t you? He said if you come to the tavern, you can find him in the north of the city.”

Where exactly is it?

“At Earl Red’s estate, Mr. Asmond said that you can just mention his name when you visit.”

The so-called "Earl of Reid" is a nobleman of the Duchy of Lagson, which is incomparable to the nobles of the two great kingdoms. However, this earl is still very powerful within the Duchy of Lagson. His family mainly lives in Lomarei City, and their local manor is only used when they are on vacation.

Shad wasn't quite sure how Mr. Asmon got involved with the count, but considering the count's profession, it was highly likely that the count wanted to ask him about something related to demons.

"Wait a minute, does this mean I'm about to run into trouble again right after the battle of destiny just ended?"

Xia De's heart skipped a beat, but then he felt that this was impossible:

"If there were still demons in this area, they wouldn't have waited until now to make their move."

Afterwards, Shad took a carriage at the dock to the Earl's manor located in the north of the city. The manor was not very large. When the elderly butler heard Shad say that he was looking for Mr. Asmon, he led him directly into the manor and then led him around the manor house to the greenhouse at the back of the manor.

“Mr. Asmon is here.”

The old housekeeper didn't follow them in but went to arrange tea. When Xia De entered the greenhouse, he found that it was filled with roses of all different colors: red, pink, white, yellow, orange, blue, purple, and black. Roses of various varieties filled every corner of the greenhouse.

Meanwhile, Mr. Asmon, Shad's friend, was sitting at a white round table in the center of the greenhouse, with a cat and a dog crouching on either side of him in white armchairs.

There were only them here; no counts were to be seen. Shad admired the roses and remarked to Mr. Asmon, who had turned to look at him:

"During my travels throughout the Old World, I visited many noble private gardens, but I rarely saw one with such a large collection of rose varieties. Could this yellow rose have been cultivated by the Earl himself?"

Mr. Asmon was still the same as before, wearing that somewhat worn brown robe, his black eyes exceptionally bright.

The demonologist seemed completely out of place in the surroundings, or rather, when he saw the demonologist turn to look at him, Shad suddenly felt as if he had been drawn into the beginning of some bizarre story. Fortunately, there were no unusual elements reacting inside or outside the manor.

"Yes, many of the roses here were cultivated by the Earl himself; he's an expert in this field. If you're interested, you can pick a few to take with you later."

Mr. Asmon looked at Shad and nodded slightly:
"Please have a seat, Mr. Watson. You've come at just the right time."

Besides the chairs for the scholars, cats, and dogs, there was just one chair left directly opposite the round table, as if it were waiting specifically for Shad's arrival.

Shad then sat down and glanced at the top of Mr. Asmon's head. [Destiny Manual - True Name Recognition] was successfully activated, and the other party's name was indeed "Sean Asmon".

On the table was a very old wooden box.

"Mr. Asmon, are you working?"

"Yes, I came to Fatummst Island this time because of this box. Earl Reed is also an old friend of mine. He likes to collect strange things, but he is always afraid of getting into trouble for it."

I have no intention of judging the Earl's actions, but it is precisely because of his existence that I have been able to continue my research.

He placed his hand on the wooden box. The demon scholar's hand had rough skin, and the knuckles beneath were exceptionally clear.

"Compared to our unfinished demon tale, the Earl's story is rather dull. But this dull story is just right to be told on this equally dull afternoon."

Someone sold the count a mysterious ritual artifact, claiming it contained demonic power capable of bringing the dead back to life. The seller said he had already paid a price for its use, so the count only needed to give him 500 crowns to buy it without any cost.

Xia De couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement:
"500 crowns? That's not a cheap price. So the count bought it?"

“Yes, the seller demonstrated ‘resurrection’ on the spot using a dead dog. The count believed it and bought it, and also obtained a very complicated procedure for using the ritual items. But he didn’t dare to use it directly, and instead asked me to authenticate it.”

Mr. Asmon opened the wooden box and found a short bone dagger inside, engraved with a skull pattern. The dagger's design was quite unsettling and indeed resembled a so-called "demon object."

Fortunately, it was just an ordinary item, and one that Dorothy and Lacey could turn into "Red Butterfly Cards".

According to the seller, this is a weapon that the swordsmen took from the demons in the classic story of the Duchy of Lagersen, "The Three Swordsmen," when they stormed into hell to rescue their sister.

Of course, after two weeks of examination, I concluded that the Earl had probably been deceived again. But I think this is a good thing; if the dagger were truly connected to the demons, that would be a bad thing.”

Xia De nodded slightly:

"But if the dagger doesn't work, what about the 'resurrection' the seller showed off?"

The man with only stubble on his scalp stared into Shad's eyes:
"Perhaps the count has simply encountered a dog that has been trained to play dead."

Shad laughed, but since the "Red Butterfly Solitaire" sealed items related to ancient enlightenment stories, it could not only become the power of the princess and the writer, but also prevent their souls from merging further, so this bone dagger was very useful to him.

So Shad probed the Earl's attitude toward the dagger from Mr. Asmon, only to learn that the Earl had fallen ill in a fit of anger after discovering he had been tricked, and had left the island an hour earlier to return to Lomari City.

The Count entrusted the dagger to Mr. Asmon to dispose of, while the "demon scholar" noticed that Shad was interested in it:

"There's no use for me keeping it, since I don't make a living by selling counterfeit demonic items. And you don't need to thank me either; this dagger belongs to Earl Reid, not me."

The cat and dog watched as Sean Asmon pushed the wooden box toward Shad, who did not refuse.
"Then thank you, Earl Reid. May he recover soon. Mr. Asmon, the weather is so lovely today, why don't we borrow the Earl's rose garden and continue our story?"

Then Xia De laughed and said:
"Or perhaps, do you still have some precious special rule Rhodes cards in your possession this time? Every time I've seen you before, you've always been able to produce cards."

But Mr. Asmon shook his head:

"With this dagger worth 500 crowns, there will be no more Rhodes."

He paused slightly, then asked Shad in the rose-filled greenhouse:
"Mr. Watson, do you remember where we left off in our story?"

The black cat and the black dog stared intently at Xia De.

(End of this chapter)