Dominic woke up exactly according to the biological clock he developed during his school days, but it seemed a bit too early here. The daylight in the mountainous area was still looking for a way out among the mountains, and only a layer of misty light highlighted the giant shadows of the undulating rocks.
Unexpectedly, when they arrived at the mason's house, they found that the other party had prepared to leave earlier, sitting on the stone slab at the door, wearing a local-style straw hat, with a backpack containing groceries beside him.
It was indeed necessary to start early. By the time the three of them walked along the river bank, through the large wheat fields, and into the shade of trees at the foot of the rarely visited mountain, the fiery celestial body above their heads had already begun to move towards its highest point.
They had to temporarily repair themselves, drink some water and eat some food they had brought, and prepare for the next climb.
To be honest, the two of them have begun to regret agreeing to the on-site inspection. It seems that there is still a long way to go, but the actual distance is often further than the visual distance, so far that the presence of the villages and towns behind them begins to become thin.
They never realized that those abandoned farmhouses and desolate fields were the source of security cues.
When reaching the edge of human activity, there is only an intermittent trail. The grass blades on both sides seem to be tilted towards the road under the pull of some invisible force, making it difficult to distinguish from the background, like a cotton thread that can be torn at any time.
.
"We don't come here often, so I wonder why old John had to come here to pick plantains. Thanks to his foresight, otherwise my poor grandfather would have suffered."
The stonemason talked about what happened at that time again. He should have had some prejudice against the old John, otherwise he would not have suspected the tomb robber just because he came here.
However, this is indeed not a treasure land suitable for picking wild vegetables. The soil mixed with rocks adheres to the mountain, making it difficult to retain water and soil.
The hardy tree species occupy the main ecological niche and are shorter and more dispersed than their counterparts elsewhere, providing space for shrubs and weeds.
The gray-brown hawthorn branches and thorn leaves are sparse and coiled, stingily protecting the shriveled and sour fruits with heavy spikes, making it almost impossible to reach into the bush where they exist, let alone pick the young plantain leaves.
It seems that even birds are not interested in visiting this place, and the poor-looking vegetation is not in line with the aesthetics of living, whether living or dead.
The only commendable thing about him is probably that he does look taller, and his skinny frame would appear more rugged and slender than a normal person.
At least most of the middle-aged priests in the church would not like this place. There is always an illusion that their hairstyle is being targeted.
Even with someone leading the way, the climbing process was still not smooth. Even the stonemason himself occasionally needed to stop for a moment. Dominic guessed that he was thinking about where to jump to the next section of this semi-abandoned road.
The long and endless consumption almost makes people forget their purpose and just follow upward blindly.
After taking an unexpected turn, they ran into several rough-looking stone tablets.
The front calmed down, as if it was a hint of the end. The vegetation was the same as before, but more desolate and dry. The unobstructed airflow from high places tore the trees into messy and skewed shapes. The bark seemed to have been eroded and polished, and the smooth gray surface was dotted with tiny
The cracks remind people of skinny finger bones protruding from the ground.
There is no higher point after the gentle slope, leading to the open and empty sky.
The sky here feels a little different from the ground, but with Dominic's mediocre color vision and language skills, he cannot translate it into words.
The clouds rolled and floated silently, layer upon layer, but there was no longer a sense of crowding, replaced by an almost empty emptiness.
There are no birdsong or wind, the void itself occupies endless space, so there is no longer anything other than silence.
It wasn't until the stonemason tried to greet him that Dominic realized that those stone tablets were the destination of his trip.
This is no wonder for them. This place does not look like a cemetery, and the size of the tombstones is much smaller than normal. It may be to make it easier to carry them up, or it may simply be hewn from the rocks on the top of the mountain.
The tombstone of the stonemason's grandfather is one of the older ones. He did not receive much preferential treatment because of his craftsmanship. He only had a simple emblem more than his neighbors, indicating his experience in serving the monastery.
Pointing to the plot of land behind the tombstone that had been re-covered with weeds and shrubs, the mason tearfully described how the scene was in a mess at that time. The layer of soil now covered by the tombstone was completely different from that next to it. The guy with no moral bottom line even left a mark on the tombstone.
Leaves traces of destruction
The two people who came to investigate did not absorb much effective information from it. They listened to the description awkwardly and politely, wondering whether they should nod in agreement.
As I thought before, too much time has passed and there is no evidence to directly determine who did this.
Field finally couldn't bear it anymore and walked away on the pretext of inspecting the scene.
Dominic, who was left behind, tried to take the initiative to ask questions, hoping to transfer the initiative to himself, persuade the other party to give up hatred, and live a normal life.
"Excuse me, are there any burial objects left in the tomb?"
After all, given the economic conditions of the Priory Territory, few important items are usually buried with the deceased. The church itself does not support extravagant and wasteful funeral customs, preferring a simple but well-connected form.
As for the typical case of corpse theft in Dunling, there are no basic conditions for it to happen here. After all, there is no medical school nearby.
If it was really Old John who did it, he should be pretty sure that there was something worth risking in the tomb, but this raises other questions - how did he know, and where did he sell the stolen goods.
"this……"
The stonemason hesitated, but Dominic keenly discovered the unspeakable secret and used it as a breakthrough, "Heavenly Father teaches us not to store up treasures for ourselves on the earth. The earth is full of insects and rust, and there are also thieves who break through and steal."
"You are all believers in the Lord, so you should understand this truth and confess everything to me, because the soul's ascension to heaven does not depend on the amount of wealth."
"No, no, no, you misunderstood." The stonemason quickly explained, "Because my grandfather was a devout believer in Heavenly Father during his lifetime, we followed his instructions and put a few personal belongings that he never left behind."
"What is it?"
"According to what my father said, there is a bronze holy emblem and a gift in return for helping to repair the monastery."
It didn't sound like they were particularly valuable items. Dominic understood that these gifts in return were mostly handmade holy emblems, holy water bottles, one or two pages of handwritten scriptures and other gadgets of limited economic value made by the monks in their spare time, as a token of appreciation.
To convey faith and blessings, it is normal to put someone in a coffin and pray for blessings.
If the stonemason had told the story, then Old John didn't even have a motive for committing the crime.
The young monk hissed in confusion, feeling that there were logical contradictions everywhere, and maybe the whole thing was a misunderstanding.
"Why are you so sure that it was Old John who robbed your grandfather's tomb?"
"I only saw him come here during that time, and he always looked very panicked after I returned. He didn't say anything to me when I asked him. He fell to his death soon after. It must be a punishment from Heavenly Father!"
"You slipped and fell to death?" It was a pretty reasonable way to die. He had already deeply understood the consequences of walking on mountainous roads when he was in a bad state of mind. "Then where is Old John's tomb?"
"That one over there belongs to him." The mason pointed at a location that didn't even have a stone monument. Only the slight undulations of the land showed that it was different from the surroundings. "But there is no one inside at all, otherwise I would have dug it for him..."
"There's no body in there?"
"Yes, I couldn't find it. It happens sometimes. It was probably dragged away by wild animals."