The Whispering Verses Chapter 337: Accidents in an ancient house

Shad and the young scholar whispered about today's weather. Professor Katya looked at the oil painting with interest, while Lesia arranged her hair.

Without waiting for too long, the gloomy-looking male maid came back with another tall maid and invited the four of them to the study to meet Mr. Jude.

The maid whom I met for the first time looked about the same age as the male maid, with a somewhat plump body, but the same gloomy expression.

Shad understands them very well. No matter who lives in such an old and depressing house, it is inevitable that they will have emotional problems. Therefore, Shade is very concerned about the ventilation and sunlight issues at home to prevent cats who are often at home from contracting mental illnesses.

But at least there are no inexplicable blood stains in Mr. Jude's house, and there is no obvious halo of blood in [Echo of Blood].

Led by two servants, a group of four people left the foyer, passed through the living room, and then walked up the stairs.

Not only the foyer area, but the entire house had no lights on. This may be a special habit of ring magicians. After all, it is common for ring magicians to be mentally disturbed.

The living room is empty, with a few newspapers placed on the coffee table, and some oil paintings with unusually depressing colors hanging on the walls of the stairs. Different from the oil paintings in the foyer, the oil paintings on the stairs mostly use cold-toned paints, filling the picture with distorted patterns. But Professor Katya among the group was able to analyze the origins of those paintings in a clear and logical manner. According to him, this is a unique local painting style in Coldwater Port. After merging with the abstract painting school decades ago, several artists were born. A master of abstract painting who was born in Coldwater Port.

Finally arrived at the second floor, the humidity was still so heavy. The four people who were preparing to place the clothes were arranging their clothes. The maid knocked on the door carefully and got permission before opening the door and inviting the four people in.

The door was opened, and the light of the gas lamp finally appeared in the study. All four people felt uncomfortable because of the depressing atmosphere in the house. After looking at each other for a few times, "John Watson", the theoretically strongest reporter's assistant, walked in first.

In an ordinary study room, there are two closed glass windows on the wall opposite the door, through which you can see the dim skylight when it rains outside. There was a low cabinet in front of the wall between the two windows, but instead of a vase, there was a stone statue on the cabinet.

It is not a statue of a mermaid, but a statue of a naked curly-haired man with his left arm broken off and his right arm bent and raised. At the foot of the statue is a stone fish biting the broken arm. Shade glanced at it and looked away. This weird artwork once again proved that Mr. Jude had an unusual character.

On the right side of the room is an antique-style sofa set, and on the left side are three walls of brown solid wood bookshelves. The bookshelves surround the desk, and Mr. Jude is sitting in front of the desk.

The gas light in the room came from the desk lamp on his desk. The light was actually not very bright and could only cover the desk and a small area around it.

Mr. Jude is a middle-aged man who is about the same age as Professor Katya, somewhat fat, and has balding hair. His facial features were not prominent, like a melted wax figure. He was wearing a white shirt and a black coat and was sitting behind the desk waiting for the four of them. The desk was neatly arranged. Judging from the placement of the items, this gentleman should have been reading.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, please take a seat."

Unlike the servants who spoke tiredly, Mr. Jude spoke with confidence and his eyes were bright. He warmly invited the four of them to sit down and talk, and the servants also moved chairs so that the four of them could sit in an arc at the desk.

Lecia is closest to the door, next to Shade, and further inside are two folklorists. The servants brought the dining cart and prepared tea for them, then closed the door and left.

Lecia's visit was by appointment. Her Royal Highness the Princess performed a full set of tricks so that no one would doubt her identity. The two scholars came to visit rashly, but after hearing about their intentions, Mr. Jude also expressed understanding and believed that the two things could actually be done together:

"You all want to hear me talk about the legends, nursery rhymes and local folklore of the old town of Coldwater Port, so let's talk about it together."

Lecia signaled Shade not to make any move. The purpose of the two coming was to confirm whether the other party had really exorcised the curse. In the current state, it is not convenient to test it in the presence of ordinary people.

"Mr. Jude."

Lecia was the first to speak, holding a notebook in one hand and a pen in the other, looking very professional:

"We are here to ask you about the ancient illegal beliefs in Coldwater Port. This is related to the development of the old city in the south. Coldwater Port only developed in the past five hundred years. It was not until the discovery of the New World that it became what it is today. But before that, there seemed to be some illegal beliefs among local fishermen and coastal villages that were not recorded in professional historical documents. We are doing a special column on this topic. ”

"That's a good question."

Mr. Jude nodded, and Professor Katya on the side also said:

“Actually, we are also studying this issue in our project.”

He also took out his notebook to record.

"Lengshui Port City was actually established on the basis of three large fishing villages that originally existed locally. This can be proved from the cultural relics unearthed so far, which happened about 1,300 years ago. As for ancient beliefs, close to In order to compete for fishing rights in the coastal waters, three villages believe in three different gods. ”

Mr. Jude paused:

"Of course these three gods are all evil gods. They are hostile to each other, which has led to deeper conflicts among human believers. We don't know what happened in the ancient times, but those **** and cruel wars must have been very terrifying."

Mr. Jude picked up the paper on the table to write and draw, and then pushed the paper to the people on the other side of the table.

Xia De stood up, picked it up, and passed it around to four people.

Mr. Jude continued to speak, holding the copper ring on the index finger of his left hand with the thumb and index finger of his right hand, turning it unconsciously:

"After Miss Princes wrote to me and explained that she was coming for an interview, I also read through the ancient books in my collection in advance. There is reason to believe that the gods believed in in the three fishing villages are the same as the three gods I drew for you. Pattern related. ”

"Is this the holy symbol of God?"

The young scholar asked curiously, while Mr. Jude smiled and shook his head:

"Of course not. Even if I knew the holy emblems recognized as evil gods by the Zhengshen Church, I would not dare to draw them for you. What you see are the patterns I printed from the cultural relics in my collection. They are old The pictographic writing of the names of those gods by the people of that era."

The three patterns are a tilted human body, a mermaid and a storm. Shade believes that these refer to the old Mr. Edmond who guards the lighthouse, the evil **** [God of the Drowned in the Deep Sea], and [The Scarlet Spiral]. Lord] and [Raging Storm].

From that pirate ship, Shade already knew that the mermaid curse was related to the [Lord of the Scarlet Spiral] among the three evil gods. He deliberately wanted to test Mr. Jude's opinion of this god, but he didn't expect that Mr. Jude himself mentioned:

"I am in the local antique business and have come across some information related to these three gods. Among them, the one I know best is the **** named after the mermaid. Professor Katja, I think you have some knowledge about the local mermaid worship tradition. And legends big and small are no strangers."

"Of course."

The folklore professor pushed up his glasses:

"Conclusive evidence proves that the tradition of mermaid worship existed before the establishment of the city of Coldwater Port. We have cooperated with the archeology department of the school to carry out excavations near the seaside of Coldwater Port. The 1300 mermaid you mentioned has appeared. In previous human settlements, similar patterns appeared on gold vessels, but there was no evidence that this was related to evil spirits, and the church refused to provide any help."

Of course the church will not provide any help to ordinary people in studying evil gods.

"Yes, that's right. We have reason to believe that even in modern times, the belief in this **** related to mermaids still exists in this city."

Mr. Jude clasped his hands together and spoke to reporters and scholars. He seemed to have consciously said this at this time, and was very satisfied to see the surprised expressions of the guests.

The antique collector smiled:

"Although it may sound horrifying, I have always believed that ancient fishing village families were involved in the founding of Coldwater Harbor and have always been a local presence. They established the original city of Coldwater Harbor and lurked in the shadow of Coldwater Harbor. Of course. , this is just my personal opinion and I cannot provide you with evidence."

"It doesn't matter, when I write the manuscript, I will be vague about the origin of this statement."

Lecia is still playing the role of reporter, and both she and Shade are very interested in what Mr. Jude says. Although the two scholars cannot use claims without evidence, this novel perspective can also play a role in research reports.

"A few days ago, I got some interesting things that I can show you. Please wait a moment."

He nodded apologetically to the four of them, and then walked out of the room.

The scholars gathered together and talked quietly about the topic just now, and Shade also tilted his head and talked to Lesia:

"At least judging from the current state, there is no curse on this person. I have to touch his forehead or the position of his heart to confirm this conclusion."

"I will create an opportunity for you in a moment. We will leave immediately after investigating. This old house is really weird."

Lecia also feels uncomfortable in this place.

But since it is a place where ring magicians live, it is normal to have some weirdness. For example, the place where Shade lives is a haunted house that is listed in the church.

Two folklorists were talking quietly about mermaids. The topic they were working on was the local ocean worship in Coldwater Port. The so-called ocean worship is a kind of nature worship, and from the perspective of mermaids and old gods Starting with it can add at least one chapter to this topic.

Shadow and Lesia also naturally integrated into the discussion. The two scholars are knowledgeable and have profound insights into the customs of Coldwater Port and the tradition of nature worship inherited from thousands of years ago.

So, after Shade got a hint from Lesia, he guided the topic to the direction of nursery rhymes, and then asked about the four nursery rhymes of "The Sea Returns".

According to the analysis of Mr. Edmund, who guards the lighthouse, these four nursery rhymes correspond to a complete ritual. The mermaid song in the first sentence has appeared, and the pirates related to the evil **** in the second sentence have appeared, but there was nothing gained because of the unexpected encounter with Shade.

Shad hoped to learn more from folklorists, but because he was not a ring magician, the scholars failed to connect the nursery rhymes with the occult.

Professor Katya understands this from an ordinary person’s perspective:

"The song of the mermaid in the first sentence refers to the sound of the horn before the pirates appeared; the second sentence is the original meaning, the pirate ship docks and plunders in the cold water port; the red ocean in the third game refers to the fact that their killings dyed the sea water red; The last sentence of the girl walking into the ocean refers to the pirates leaving with their harvest."

This kind of analysis of nursery rhymes is also reasonable, but there are still limitations after all using the perspective of ordinary people. Shade also wants to chat with Professor Katja a little more about the local people’s beliefs outside the Five Gods Church. , but the male servant who unexpectedly walked in interrupted their conversation:

"Sir, Mr. Jude asked you to go upstairs and help him get some things. He doesn't want us to touch those precious antiques, so I take the liberty of asking you to get them for him."

He said to Shade respectfully.

"Me?"

Shad pointed at himself in confusion, then turned to look at Lesia. When she saw the latter shaking her head slightly, she refused directly:

"Sorry, I can't leave this lady."

He said it very straightforwardly:

"Before going out this time, the editor-in-chief asked me to stay with Miss Princes. Can we go upstairs together?"

"How about I go too."

The young scholar Lim Scott suggested, probably because he wanted to show off in front of the young girl with outstanding temperament. So Professor Katya also nodded:

"Then let's go upstairs together. The same goes for us going upstairs to see Mr. Jude's collection."

"this"

The valet lowered his head and hid his face in the shadow:

"Sorry, I want to ask sir for permission. Strangers are not allowed to approach the area upstairs."

The servant quickly left the room, and the four guests in the room frowned. There was a strong wind and heavy rain outside, and the light from the only gas lamp in the room seemed to be much weaker because of this.

As Mr. Jude, the ring magician, was in front of him just now, Shade did not use thaumaturgy in this room. Now that the owner here had left, he blinked, and then saw the red halo on the broken-arm statue.

Then I listened carefully, and the echoes of the past made the voice from the other side of time appear in my ears:

"So, don't kidnap ordinary people anymore recently. The Sea Return Ceremony has begun, and we have transformed enough of the same kind over the years to be able to deal with various situations. Except for the ring warlocks who were attracted by the news I released, No more”

It seems that this visit did not go very well.