Whispering Verse

Since there was nothing to do at Fort Midhill, after saying goodbye to the nun, Shade returned to Tobesk, put the long sword at home that he could not carry with him, and had lunch with Mia.

In the afternoon, I first went to the Prophet's Association and informed Luvia of the whereabouts of the blood money. Then I went to Coldwater Port to meet the old tower guard, Mr. Edmond, and paid him to help find some information about the book. The guardian of the museum, the old god [Grey-robed Sage].

Although the current key does not seem to require Shade to find important mission items in the current time and space, he still wants to be just in case. He believes that the mission given by the tree father should not be so easy for him to complete.

Buying daily necessities for the witches is too challenging.

The steam airship that Iluna was on arrived at Fort Midhill around four o'clock this afternoon. So after leaving Coldwater Port, Shade turned the clothes he was going to wear for the banquet tonight into toys and put them away, arranged cat food for Mia for dinner, and headed to the mountain city again.

Fort Midhill has a landing place for steam airships in the local area. Shade didn't know the specific location. Even if he knew it, he wouldn't be able to go with the local church to greet Tobesk's group.

Therefore, he chose to wait at the door of the local Sun Church. It took until 4:30 in the afternoon to see the motorcade slowly approaching from the other side of the street.

Shade, who was reading the evening newspaper under the low wall, immediately put down the newspaper, took off his hat, and looked at the carriage in the center of the motorcade. However, when the carriage passed by Shade, Shade did not open the window.

Just when Shade was a little disappointed, the sound of horse hooves came from behind the motorcade. The seventeen-year-old girl riding the horse was wearing a hunting suit and looked heroic. Under the autumn afternoon sunshine, she smiled brightly, as if all the light in the world was converging on her.

After smiling and nodding to Shade, and mouthing "Good afternoon", Iluna, who was riding a horse, followed the convoy in front. .

"Good afternoon, Iluna."

Shade also said in his heart, folded the newspaper with a smile, and then walked away along the low wall on the street.

Meeting Iluna at Fort Midhill meant that he had a completely trustworthy companion, and the next adventure would probably become more interesting.

After meeting Iluna, the only important thing today is to attend tonight's charity dinner. Because food would be provided at the dinner, Shade did not eat in advance. He just rented a room at the Sikal Hotel, changed his clothes into decent formal clothes, and then stayed in the hotel until half past six in the evening before setting off.

Before Shade left, he did not forget to ask about the vampire Bernhardt's uncle and nephew who lived on the fourth floor of the hotel. Sure enough, they had moved on the day Shade got the suitcase last week.

Fire Worship is a traditional local festival in Fort Midhill. The origin of the festival is unknown, but the local and surrounding areas still celebrate this festival under various names every autumn.

Therefore, since it is a charity dinner held on the first day of the week-long Fire Festival, the setting of the venue is naturally related to fire.

When the sun completely set and the three moons fully appeared in the night sky, Shade walked into the Middleburg Mechanical College. He immediately saw a bonfire burning in the courtyard between the zigzag castles.

The weather today is not bad and the temperature is quite suitable, so this grand banquet involving local nobles and wealthy businessmen will be held both indoors and outdoors. This is also the tradition of the Fire Worship Festival. Around the bonfires, long tables are already filled with food. In a few hours, men and women will dance around the bonfires under the moonlit night, and at the end of the banquet, Huddle together and perform a group dance together.

Because it is an autumn festival, Fire Worship Festival also means celebrating the harvest. In recent centuries, before the steam industry began to surge, this festival was integrated with the "Moon Dance Festival" tradition of Kasenlik on the other side of the mountain. This moonlight bonfire dance also has courtship and The meaning of praying for peace.

The above is all the knowledge that Shade knew when he was conducting the "Folklore Examination of Fort Midhill". This diverse city, while retaining some traditions, has integrated the exotic customs brought by foreign merchants and adapted to this city. In the era of change, traditional festivals with localized characteristics have emerged.

Of course, the customs of Fort Midhill have little to do with Shade. He attended this banquet purely to meet Miss Sivi Avora, who had just arrived in Fort Midhill.

As a heavyweight guest, Miss Aurora should not arrive too early. Therefore, although the bonfire had already been lit when Shade arrived at the Middleburg Mechanical College at seven o'clock, the well-dressed guests were chatting and greetings around the long table. , but this banquet has not officially begun yet.

Shade, who came over without eating, first handed out his invitation outside the venue. After learning that the invitation given by Grandma Cassandra was a special invitation, I was curious and asked what the special invitation meant.

"When paying at the auction, you can get a 10% discount and can enter and leave any area of ​​the banquet."

The waiter in a white shirt and black vest replied politely, which disappointed Shade, who had expected special treatment.

He came alone and had no intention of looking for companions, so he walked to the long table by the campfire to fill his stomach.

Unlike the western cuisine of Delrayon, which is known for its "elegant" and "refined" cuisine, the mountain cuisine represented by Fort Miguel has a higher meat content. Because Miss Carina's eye shadow was smeared on his face, people here couldn't recognize him. While Shade was standing by the bonfire in the southeast corner with a plate, looking at more and more people, no one knew this. Who is the young man standing alone by the campfire?

I don’t know who Shade is, but that doesn’t stop the enthusiastic local girls from coming to chat with him. After devouring [Desire] flesh and blood, Shade's appearance became more and more handsome. Later, as he once again used the divine cleansing spirit rune to advance to the third ring, his appearance was even more rare and handsome - at least in bed. This is what Tifa said when she was teaching Shad how to ride a horse.

But Shade thought he had provoked enough girls, so after the shy flaxen-haired girl gave him a silk scarf, he left the bonfire, thinking about finding a place to play Rhodes during the banquet.

Even if you don't play, you can still see how local players play. There are more nobles and wealthy businessmen with special cards than common people.

However, before Shade could find the Rhodes venue, he actually saw an acquaintance in the courtyard.

It was Captain Rades. Compared with the men and women in formal suits and formal skirts, he stood out in his military uniform. And Captain Rades did not come alone. There was another man standing next to him who was also wearing a Royal Army uniform. Looking at the medal on his shoulder, he turned out to be a brigadier general. This should be what Captain Rades had mentioned. Passed by, the highest military commander of the Red Water Camp.

The two were talking to a fat man wearing a wig, who was wearing a dark red formal suit. Shade thought for a long time before he realized that it was the mayor of Fort Midhill. He had seen this person in the newspaper.

At the same time that Shade noticed Captain Rades, the Captain also noticed him. The effect of the eyeshadow is just that people who are not familiar with it will definitely not recognize it, but people who are familiar with it can still distinguish Shade's appearance.

So Captain Shade blinked, whispered a few words in Brigadier General Carter's ear, and then walked over:

"Mr. Watson, I thought you had left the city."

Captain Rades still remembered Shade's disguised identity and greeted him warmly.

"There's still a little bit of stuff to deal with, but I think it's not too far away from ending this."

Shade said with a smile. The two of them stood talking by the bonfire in the courtyard. There was a ginkgo tree next to the bonfire, and the shadow of the tree trunk looked particularly weird under the jumping firelight.