Whispering Verse

“Although I am not a local, I have lived in the Randall Valley for more than ten years, so I have certainly heard of this urban legend.

The location of the tomb of the nun who was rumored to be canonized by the Sun Church of the Fifth Age cannot even be found by the church itself. According to rumors, travelers who are lost or in danger in the Eldron Creek outside the city at night can be protected by the 'Saint Perry'. And in her tomb, there is a secret treasure of the sun and gold hidden. If you find it, you can rule the entire Randall Valley."

The blond witch in a red dress smiled and stretched out two slender fingers:

"A very interesting legend. But there are two contradictions in this legend."

Shade expressed his opinion

"The Church of the Sun does not have the habit of building complex underground mausoleums or maze-like tombs for church members. Even saints who are not buried in the Holy See cannot build mausoleums extravagantly, let alone place secret treasures in the mausoleums."

The witch nodded:

"Second, according to local stories, the location of the tomb of the church saint is in the Eldron Creek in the northeast of the city. The Eldron Creek is an area where the river flowing from the mountains passes through the forest, where the Church of the Sun has been After a complete exploration, no trace of the so-called saint’s tomb was found.”

She also picked up her porcelain tea cup:

"Why, just based on these stories, you are going to find a cemetery that even the church can't find?"

"But I'm almost certain that St. Pelli's tomb is really local."

Shade said, and the witch looked at him curiously:

"So, you came to me this morning, hoping that I could go look for it with you? I said that I owe you a wish and a promise."

"No, no, how can I trouble you? I just want to find you a guide who is familiar with the Eldron Creek. You also know that this is my first time here and I am not familiar with the situation here."

If you are in the city, you can use the map to find various destinations. But there were no road signs outside the city, and the place he wanted to go was not near a country road. Shade didn't want to waste time looking for a way, so he came to the witch for help.

"To celebrate Golden Dawn's acquisition of the Wilde Opera House, the troupe has decided to launch a week-long performance next week, and now the girls are rehearsing. Lasse doesn't have time either, she is busy moving and decorating."

The witch made a troubled expression. When Shade thought she couldn't help here, so he thought about going to Luvia to find a solution, Miss Benanis pointed at herself:

"So, how about I go with you? No need to use the promise I gave you, I'm just curious about what you can find."

Shade asked hesitantly:

"Won't this delay you?"

"If it's just a day, it's not a waste of time."

The witch stood up and prepared to change clothes:

"Carina and Miss Aurora both said in the parliament that you are a very capable man. Although I have seen you dealing with that puppet, it is also related to the special venue. It just so happens that I have an opportunity today, Mr. Hamilton, Let me see what you’re capable of.”

Because of its special geographical location and suitable climate, the Randall Valley area has been a gathering area for human communities since ancient times. Therefore, there are large and small ancient ruins surrounding the Randall River Valley, most of which are from the early Sixth Period, but a small number are from the older past. Those ruins are the focus of Shade's exploration today.

Starting from the Wilde Opera House, the carriage carried the Witch and Shade through the city to the "Green Grass Farm" under the Witch's name. She owns a large area of ​​land outside the city. The coachman rested in the Green Grass Farm waiting for the two to return. The Witch, wearing brown low-heeled lace-up boots, led a horse and Shade out of the farm, and asked Shade somewhat provocatively:

"Hamilton of Rejed, you should know how to ride a horse, right?"

"certainly."

If it had been before winter, Shade would not have had such a confident answer, but he had already practiced his horseback riding skills quite skillfully while traveling between the White River Valley vineyards and the city in Huntington.

"We now head to Elderlon Creek and take this road."

She wore a cold-proof cloak with a hood, and a strand of slightly curly blond hair peeked out from the side of the hood, fluttering in the cold winter wind.

The country road pointed by the witch's slender white finger was lined with dense pine trees covered with silver frost, and the road itself was also covered with snow:

"We'll start from here on horseback and stop at the end of the road, at the river valley wharf that's unused in winter. Do you want to compete with me in a horse race?"

She climbed onto her horse skillfully and seemed to be in a good mood because she came out of the city to breathe fresh air:

"Riding horses on snow-covered trails is not the same as riding horses on professional racetracks and pastures. Rider, are you interested in competing with me? If I win, I hope you can tell me more about your relationship with me." Things between other witches.”

"Her" smile came to my ears:

[This can be classified as gambling, and the blessing of the God of Gamblers is in effect. 】

"Sure, no problem, but what if I win?"

Shade patted the head of his brown horse, which was very docile and did not move.

The witch on the horse looked at him condescendingly, her head slightly raised, her cheeks flushed in the cold wind, which matched so well with the snowy scene behind her:

"And what do you want, knight?"

"I want to hear your story too."

Shade didn't make too many demands.

"No problem, get on the horse."

Shade also got on the horse, and the two held the reins and moved forward together in the snow until the horses were almost level:

"Knight, get ready."

The witch's fingertips popped up a ball of light that emitted colorful light like fireworks. The ball of light flew into the air and then fell freely, as if it had its own weight.

Shade held the reins with both hands and lowered his body slightly.

With a soft bang, the ball of light exploded on the snow after falling to the ground, and the two horses shot forward like arrows off the string.

"Then we'll see you later, knight!"

The maroon horse that Miss Bernanise was riding jumped up and crossed the big tree that had fallen due to the blizzard that swept the entire western part of the Old World last month. While Shade was riding around, it had already left him behind. Not far away.

Riding in the woods in the snow is indeed very different from riding in an ordinary venue. Not only is the snow slippery, but many conditions in the forest are unpredictable.

The trees that fell on the path were just one of the situations. While chasing the cloaked witch, Shade even encountered a squirrel jumping out of the forest and a wild wolf chasing the squirrel.

Although Miss Benenice's riding skills were indeed superb, she did not rely on her familiarity with the terrain to keep her distance from Shadra. Not long after setting off, Shade even caught up with her, but then he had to slow down due to a short uphill road, allowing the Witch to overtake her again.

Two figures in the snow ran forward one after another, and the pine trees covered with snowflakes and silver frost flew behind them one by one. The sounds of horse hooves intertwined with each other, seeming to form a wonderful forest movement.

It was obvious that Miss Benanis was in a better mood after going out to ride horses in the snow in the countryside for a long time. Her character was far from as calm as she seemed. As she kept moving forward, Shade could occasionally see a natural smile on her face.

This horse riding competition, which was not far away, soon came to the end. At the end of the snow-covered country road, which turns slightly, is the dock beside the Ellon River. The Ellon River and the Yifa River are the main rivers that flow out of the mountainous areas and form the plain terrain of the Randall Valley. But during the winter ice period, the dock has long been out of use.

At the bend, Miss Bernice, who was one step ahead of Shade, loudly reminded him that the end was ahead, so Shade took the risk and did not slow down when turning the corner. Fortunately, the horse was very stable and there was no accident. ACCIDENT.

After the turn, there is a straight road less than twenty meters long, which is only a few seconds for the fast-running horses. Shade made a small turn, and Miss Bernanise turned a big turn. The two horses rushed out of the curve almost at the same time. In the end, it was Shade who entered the dock area first with a very slight advantage.

Several wooden boxes without goods were piled in the snow. The rabbit living inside was disturbed by the sound of horse hooves and hurried into the woods. Shade jumped off the horse, smiled and said to Miss Bernice, who also jumped off the horse:

"It seems I have better luck."

"I'm willing to admit defeat, but let's tell the story after we return to the city."

The witch was not worried, but admitted her defeat generously:

"We continue to the east, yes, along the river ice, but it's best to hold the horses, the distance is not long."

The area known as "Elderon Creek" is located between the city and the mountains, with Lake Elderron at its core. It was a large lake as large as the Pantanal, providing a docking place for sailing ships.

Miss Benenice planned to take Shad along the river into Lake Eldron, and then go ashore and go deep into the creek to explore the saint's tomb.

"Wait a minute, is there an island in Lake Eldron?"

Walking side by side with the witch holding the horse, Xia Dehu asked worriedly. He would encounter an accident when he touched the island in the middle of the lake some time ago.

"Are you guessing that the tomb is in the middle of the lake? No, there is no island in the middle of the lake."

The blonde witch shook her head slightly. She had already taken off the hood of her cloak, and looked at Shade with her beautiful face as she walked:

"But if we really can't find the target, we can also go down to the lake and have a look. Although it's a little more troublesome, it's possible for the tomb to be underwater."

After saying that, he looked back at the two horses behind him:

"It's a pity that we only have horses as mounts. If we have chocobos, we can ride them on the ice."

Chocobos are very common creatures in the Fifth Era, but in the Sixth Era, only a few areas of churches and colleges are suitable for breeding. The population is very small. It may be seen in Academy Cities such as St. Byrons. But you cannot see it in the civilized world of ordinary people. The witches who have not yet become famous in the fifth season like to ride chocobos, while the witches who have become famous pursue more beautiful and powerful mounts.