When Xia De saw Mr. Asmond, the other party also saw him, and recognized this old acquaintance in Lengshuigang.
So he came over:
"I didn't expect to meet you again here. It's always a wonderful fate to meet different people in different places during the journey."
The man in a brown robe sat opposite Shad, and the two shook hands above the table. Then the waiter came again and asked Mr. Asmond to order. After the waiter left, the long-faced man looked at Xia De and said:
"Oh, Mr. Watson, I didn't know who you are until I saw the news about the big city players in the newspaper and heard about Shade Hamilton."
He should have noticed the demon card in the champion deck.
"Sorry, I'm actually a detective. Two months ago, I accepted a difficult commission and had to use the pseudonym John Watson to carry out activities in Coldwater Harbor. This time, too, I came to Meade for another difficult commission Fort Hill..."
Xia De briefly explained his whereabouts, then raised his head slightly, and asked with great interest:
"Mr. Asmond, did you finally find the demon in Coldwater Harbor?"
There was a lot of people around, but no one noticed what was being discussed between the two by the wall.
"Of course not, there are only rumored stinky mermaids there."
This "demon scholar" has a very accent in Delarion, 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 learned interesting things from the folklorists in Coldwater Harbor, so I made the long journey here."
"So there are demons in Castle Midhill?"
Xia De asked, Mr. Asmond made a long "hmm~" sound from his nose, and nodded slightly:
"Yes, it is said that it is a demon related to flames. I have already found out that Mount Xikar is an extinct volcano, and there is a local tradition of worshiping fire and many interesting rumors, such as evil spirits in the fire, the original fire, and immortality. Birds, old smells of worship festivals, and so on. So I think, maybe the demon is on this mountain. "
He probably mistook the target again. The origin of the local tradition of worshiping fire is actually a phoenix, not a demon.
"That sounds interesting, so good luck with your trip."
"You are very polite, Mr. Watson. Then why did you appear on this mountain? Is it a commission related to the Red Water Camp?"
Mr. Asmond put his right arm on his right leg and asked while leaning forward slightly.
"No, I have an officer friend locally. I happened to come to this city, so I wanted to visit him."
Shad pointed in the direction of the barracks, and while eating, he told Mr. Asmond about the murder at Fort Midhill Mechanic College a few days ago. Of course, the protagonist of the story has changed from a detective who can see blood to a very wise captain.
Although this "demon scholar" has been living in the hotel in the traveler's camp on the Wind Rising Trail, he also knows about the serial murders in the urban area through the newspapers. He was really attracted by Xia De's story, and he expressed his opinion while listening.
Mr. Asmond, who studies demonology, has a great say in what ordinary people think of as "mystery". Even when Shad mentioned the bronze pot and the disgusting things boiled in it, Mr. Asmond could still tell it clearly. There was a similar practice in the ritual of summoning demons.
After the meal, Captain Lades still didn't show up. Mr. Asmond didn't leave either. Instead, he invited Shad to play the Rhodes card again, and listened to him continue telling the story about the demon. This time he didn't have any special cards in his hand, but Xia De didn't mind playing cards to pass the time.
But before the two of them had finished shuffling their decks, another stranger approached them.
It was a young man who looked dusty, but still well-dressed, but he hadn't washed his hair for a long time, and his short yellow hair was a bit messy. He was about three or four years older than Shad's body, wearing a pair of leather boots, a shirt and a black leather jacket for easy movement.
Pulling his stool to the table, he asked the two of them:
"Do you two want to play Rhodes?"
The accent should be Carson Riker.
"Yes, sir, what's the matter?"
Xia De asked, seeing that Xia De didn't mind his approach, so the dusty traveler introduced himself:
"I'm William Shelley, a poet from Carson Rik. I plan to walk from the southernmost tip of the Old Continent to the northernmost tip of the Old Continent. Unfortunately, some travel expenses have gone wrong."
He moved the chair to the table facing the wall and sat down.
"You want to play Rhodes with us and make some money? Oh, sir, sorry, we don't intend to gamble."
Xia De shook his head, in fact, he was worried that he would win the poet's last meal money.
"No, gambling isn't fun. Interested in betting on a special card?"
He asked seriously, and then looked at the young detective and Mr. Asmond with a long sallow face. Seeing that both of them looked very interested, they reached out and took out their own deck of cards from their pockets, and then showed the top card to the two of them:
[Legend of the Brave Bard Fletcher], color: nine flowers.
The face of the card is a long-eared poet wearing a hat decorated with long feathers and holding a wood-grained lyre, probably trying to depict the legendary elves. But Xia De, who is still proficient in elf knowledge, can point out at least five details on the card that are contrary to elf customs. But considering that this is just the face of the Rhodes card, it doesn't have to be so serious.
Gu "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 with 30 pounds. No matter what, I can get the receiving card." down travel expenses."
The young poet suggested.
"Are you sure this card is genuine?"
The price of this card should be more than 60 pounds. The Legend of the Brave series of cards contains 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 is reprinted. After two times, the one in the poet's hand, judging from the texture on the edge of the card, is the first edition.
"Of course, this was won in the city of Mordi in Kasenlik before I entered the mountains, and there is also a certificate of appraisal, which is in the room where I live."
The poet said with certainty.
"You got here all the way by playing Rhodes cards?"
Xia De asked curiously.
"Sometimes I am unlucky and lose, but I can make money by playing and singing in taverns, and I am still very confident in my voice."
Xia De nodded, and glanced at Mr. Asmond, a demon scholar sitting opposite him, whose black eyes seemed to be looking at Xia De all the time:
"Then Mr. Watson, I will not participate. Although I like to play cards, I can't afford so much cash at once."
"The last question, here is only one day away from Fort Midhill, why not go to the city and sell this card? There will be no shortage of buyers in the Prophet Association."
Xia De asked again.
"I never sell Rhodes cards. I am a Rhodes player, not a businessman."
The poet said it as a matter of course, and Xia De nodded in agreement:
"Well, I'll play cards with you. However, I was talking about the legend of demons with this Mr. Sean Asmond just now. You don't mind if we play cards while I talk to Mr. Asmonds." ?”
"Of course I don't mind, I am also very interested in your stories."
The poet nodded, but asked curiously:
"I see that this gentleman is well-dressed and well-spoken. I don't know what your profession is..."
He saw that Xia De was rich, so he came to propose to play cards.
"The writer John Watson, who I came to collect locally, is Sean Asmond, a demon scholar who pursues demon knowledge."
Xia De introduced that the young poet nodded enthusiastically to Mr. Asmond:
"It's really interesting, is a demon scholar a folklorist? Perhaps, your stories can give me more inspiration for poetry."
"Probably."
Xia De said, and the long-faced man sitting opposite him was ready to tell a story. This is the continuation of the story told in Lengshuigang City last time. It is the story about the demon who was born from the disaster and took away all human beings on the premise of fulfilling human wishes.
The card game between Xia De and the young traveling poet Mr. Shelley is played according to the basic rules of simple draw and two wins out of three.
"I don't know what way to call the devil who fulfills people's wishes."
The Demon Scholar's voice was hoarse but powerful. When he mentioned demons, his black eyes narrowed slightly, and the corners of his mouth curled into a piercing smile. Sean Asmond, who belongs to the kind of person who can easily scare children at night~www.mtlnovel.com~Shad and the young poet, have also started the first round of the match. Shad didn't add any special cards to his deck, but he was still not very worried about the outcome of this game.
Shade's first hidden card was Star 13, and the poet Mr. Shelley carefully lifted the card to look at the number, and couldn't help raising his eyebrows.
"It has experienced failure, because he met a person who had no desire. But the demon who was not willing to fail hid in the soul of that person, and with him, scattered
Spread your own malice and lies. "
"That sounds scary."
The poet simply commented.
"Aren't all the ancient evil spirits in those stories like this?"
Shad said, and then the two drew a second card. Xia De is Sun 6, which adds up to 19 o'clock. He thought for a while, and knocked on the table to signal himself to stop trading. The poet Shelley is Moon 3, and he goes on to draw the third card:
"Mr. Watson, your luck is really good."
"The devil has traveled a long way with those who have no wishes. Malice, lies, wars, and plagues accompany them. Those who have no wishes are regarded by their companions as the embodiment of disaster, and are expelled by everyone who encounters him. Even his blood relatives. But he doesn't care, just move on, move on."
"He may have realized that he is possessed by a demon."
Xia De said, and the young poet let out a long sigh, and took out the third card, Moon 11. Unfortunately, his hole card was a flower 10, 10+3+11=24 points, and he busted. Shad, on the other hand, won the first round.