The black-haired lady walked under the black umbrella held by Shade in the sound of rain. This umbrella was certainly not prepared for two people, so the distance between them was very close now.
Even the damp forest smell in the rain couldn't cover up the smell of her perfume. Shade was in a good mood at the moment:
"I would like to ask you to go to the city with me to find someone. No matter whether there is any result or not, I want to talk to you about Miss Daniste. Don't worry, I am not trying to persuade you to see her."
"Then let's go."
The black-haired lady held Shade's right hand holding the umbrella handle with her left hand, and the two walked into the rain together.
On the contrary, I visited No. 8, Herb Garden Alley again after thirty years. This low-rise building, which is a standard slum in today's era, actually looks more shabby in the gray sky than it did thirty years ago.
But at least today's alleys and blocks are full of life. Today, as the city of Vista is still expanding, every house in the Herb Garden alley is full of people. Even on rainy days, you can still see
From the smoke coming out of the chimney, you can hear a couple quarreling on a rainy day, and you can also smell the dirty smell of decayed domestic garbage.
The two of them were no longer holding the same umbrella. According to the memory of the old lady of the landlady, Shade asked Ms. Carter to knock on the door. After the door was opened, the "old lady" who looked like a middle-aged woman was
He appeared behind the door.
She used almost the same posture as thirty years later, blocking the door with her body and holding her right hand on the door frame. It was just because her figure at this time was plumper than she had been in her old age, so the door opened wider than what Shade remembered.
.
On the way, Shade had explained the cause and effect of the matter to Ms. Carter, so the sorceress, who was also very friendly, asked Shade's question, that is, the whereabouts of the tenants who had rented here in the winter of 1819.
The same excuse, the same coin bribe, and then the same "eureka", but prices at this time are lower than thirty years later, so the number of coins paid is smaller. Thirty years really can't change much
At a certain moment, Shade even felt that the rainy evening in 1821 and the early winter afternoon in 1854 really overlapped.
"He was wanted by the police. Although the dead man was a habitual criminal, killing someone was a bit too much. I really don't know where he went after he disappeared, but there was something unusual about him before he disappeared.
At night, he talked in his sleep again and shouted, "I don't want to turn into a bug," which scared me; another time, he nervously asked me if there was any transfer station in the city, but he couldn't even tell me what he wanted.
What to express, I don't know how to answer him.
Oh, I remembered that before he disappeared, he said he was going to visit a local scholar to inquire about something, and he even left a special note that day so that I didn’t have to prepare dinner for him.”
The middle-aged woman once again showed a philistine expression, so the black-haired sorceress gave her another 1 eur coin. She and Shade would not be angry because of this, after all, they did know what they wanted to know:
"He went to the folklorist at Carson-Ricke Forestry College, but I don't know which one. You can go to that college and give the doorman some coins and they'll be happy to open the door like I did.
Bar."
When Anthony Winslet chose to travel through time permanently, most of his memories of the time transfer station should have disappeared after leaving the time transfer station. And judging from the landlord's description of him, it is obvious that the man who failed in the rescue plan regretted it.
He made his own decision and even realized his own fate, so he wanted to return to the time transfer station.
When encountering something related to mysticism, it is indeed a good idea for ordinary people to consult a local folklore professor.
As for "Carson Ridge Forestry College", this name had long ceased to exist when the outsiders arrived in the local area in the fall of 1854. It was called "Vestal City University" in 1854, and its reputation was far inferior to that of the same local university.
Compared with "Ximuzhen Conservatory of Music".
By coincidence, Professor Uk Wood, who had provided Shad with a lot of help, happened to be working in that college, and Shad had a hunch that Flora's uncle had gone to find him.
It is not difficult to find Professor Euke Wood. This does not require Shade and the black-haired sorceress to fight the monsters that suddenly ran out, nor does it require them to help others deliver letters or mediate family conflicts.
problem, and they don’t need to go deep into ancient ruins that are isolated from the world.
Professor Uke Wood was in his office, as if he was waiting for the visit of the two of them.
When Shade and Ms. Helena Carter entered the small office one after another, the first thing Shade noticed was not the rainy scene outside the window, nor the piles of documents in the gas-lit room.
material.
He found that Professor Uke Wood, who was sitting on the narrow chair behind his desk, was exactly the same as the one he remembered. He was wearing reading glasses, formal clothes that were outdated but not outdated, with gray hair and a beard.
It's covered in chins, and even the serial sorcerer level is the same.
After being slightly surprised, the visiting stranger introduced himself in the same way as he would many years later:
"John Watson, this is my female assistant. I am a private detective, and I came to visit this time to investigate a missing gentleman. More than a year ago, a week before the New Year's Day in 1819
,Has this person come to see you?"
After saying that, he handed over the photo. The old professor who put down the pen in front of his desk took the photo and looked at it carefully:
"A detective? Let me see. Yes, I still remember this person. He first asked me about local legends about time travel, and then asked me about the curse of the forest and other things."
"How did you answer him?"
The old professor took off his reading glasses and put them on the table. Of course he would not ask for payment from Sha De:
"I told him that I couldn't give him an answer about time travel. But according to legend, there is indeed an area in this forest that can deal with curses. That is a story recorded in the book "Ximu Town and the World Tree"
, it can be regarded as one of the local bad habits in ancient times."
"We have never heard of this book. What is its specific content?"
The sorceress holding a notebook to record asked. Professor Uke Wood glanced at her and introduced:
"Superstitious people living in woodland villages and towns will knock out people they believe are cursed by the forest, and then abandon them in the forest, making them become part of the forest. But according to my research, the so-called 'cursed by the forest'
, actually refers to old people who are old but unwilling to die. People in villages and towns believe that this is against the laws of nature. Since big trees have lost the ability to reproduce and grow, they should be cut down to make way for new saplings.
Nutrients and sunlight.”
"Did all those abandoned old people die in the woods?"
"It's not mentioned in the story, but no one should be able to walk out of the forest."
As the old professor spoke, he found a folded map of the Vista Woodlands from the stack of books, unfolded it on the table, and circled it with a pencil:
"This location in the west of the city is where legend has it that people abandoned old people in ancient times. I pointed this place out to the young man more than a year ago, and he never came to me again. If you want to find him, you might as well go here to see him.
Take a look."
Shade glanced at the location marked on the map and realized that it was the place he had been to. However, he was very sure that there was absolutely no trace of Anthony Winslet in that area in 1854.
"Thank you very much for your help."
He thanked him softly, but after getting clues for the next step, he did not leave just yet:
"There are other things, do you mind if I disturb you for a while?"
Professor Wood nodded:
"Of course I don't mind. It's raining outside and I have no plans to go out. Today seems to be just waiting for your arrival. Let's sit down and talk. But I don't have any extra teacups here, so I can't serve you tea."
There were piles of documents in the room, but two chairs could still be found. Shade sat down at the desk, and the black-haired lady sat behind and to the left of him.
She didn't know what Shade wanted to ask. After all, Shade had already found the next clue, and now he should go deep into the forest.
"I want to ask you some questions about trees."
Shade organized his thoughts.
"The topic of World Tree? I have a lot of information here."
The old professor asked with a smile, but this time he guessed wrong.
"It's not the World Tree, it's another tree."
Xia De’s eyes were bright:
"I know you specialize in the folk customs of Ximu Town, but the tree I want to ask about is not planted in Ximu Town. The appearance of that tree is actually closely related to Ximu Town, so I would like to ask you if you can tell me
I have some things.”
Professor Uke Wood touched his beard and hesitated for a moment before answering:
"Young man, I admit that this is the first time I failed to guess your thoughts. This makes me very embarrassed. I originally only planned to answer questions about Ximu Town. I probably know what kind of tree you want to ask about, okay?
, since you brought the question and asked it out loud, it would be a bit unreasonable for me not to say anything.
What exactly do you want to know?"
"Is that tree alive?"
Shade asked immediately, but Professor Wood shook his head:
"It depends on what your definition of 'alive' is. That tree can absorb nutrients and change with the seasons, that's all I can say."
“Is there a soul inside that tree?”
Shade asked again, and the sorceress behind him felt more and more strange. Shade and the professor should have met for the first time in the timeline, but the conversation just now clearly showed that they had met many times.
Professor Wood also gave an answer to this crucial question:
"The spirit of trees, at least the people in Ximu Town believe that every tree has its own soul. That is the blessing given by the forest and time, so I think the tree you asked about also has a soul."