Chapter 305 Mummy Ashes The Magician said nothing more and asked again: "Are you going back to the Breeze Ballroom now, or are you staying here until noon?" Lumian had never left Intis, let alone come to the Southern Continent. He had nothing else to do, so he nodded and said: "I want to go shopping." The "Magician" lady nodded slightly and disappeared in front of him. Almost at the same time, the biting cold wind blew through the crowd and hit Lumian. Coming from summer Trier, he couldn't help but shudder. Along with the cold wind, the hustle and bustle of the market that seemed so far away hundreds of meters away poured into Lumian's ears, making him feel as if he had truly entered this world. Considering that the appearance and disappearance of the "magician" lady were not noticed by the people around her, Lumian quickly made some guesses: It quickly created a "spiritual wall" or pulled me into a non-independent dimension?
As his thoughts raced, Lumian saw that the men and women passing by were looking at him with wary and puzzled eyes, as he was only wearing a thin shirt, a black vest, and thin trousers in the extremely cold season on the plateau. “What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen people acting cool?” Lumian muttered, and walked into the market as if nothing had happened, relying on the patience of a “mendicant monk”. The smell of fresh manure, the rich sweet aroma of corn, and the odor of grilled meat sprinkled with spices wafted into his nose. Lumian looked around and saw many stalls selling food mainly based on corn. There were whole corns boiled in water, roasted corns coated with red sauce, corns cut into pieces and put into thick soup, roasted corns wrapped with beef, mutton, onions and potatoes, corns ground into powder and boiled into a paste and cooked with different pieces of meat, and corns spread into rough pancakes sprinkled with ingredients... After thinking for a moment, Lumian crossed the path that the market goers had "made way" for and arrived at a stall. The stall owner was a man in his thirties with dark and rosy skin, a thin face, high cheekbones, dark brown eyes, and long, greasy black hair. He wore a black felt hat and a dark red robe woven from wool and other materials. Lumian pointed at the yellow corn paste cooked in the iron pot and asked in Intis: "how much is it?" He had just observed that some of the people here could understand Intis, and transactions were conducted using various metal currencies, including Felgin. The stall owner was timid and replied in a flattering tone in his not-so-fluent Intis language: "5 copes for 1 cup." 1rick, that's quite cheap... Lumian looked at the corn paste with a lot of beef and mutton chunks floating on it, and took out a brass coin with the Hornachis Mountains pattern on the front. The stall owner breathed a sigh of relief, and deftly took out a paper cup that didn't quite match the style and technological level of the market, scooped a full cup, and even gave a few extra pieces of meat. After Lumian took it, he immediately felt a warmth passing through his body. For someone enduring the biting cold wind, this was a very wonderful experience. An even better experience is that the warm corn paste flows from the mouth into the esophagus, into the stomach, and transmits warmth to every corner of the body. It has a light sweet base flavor, mixed with a little bit of spicy and pungent flavor, which just neutralizes the fishy smell of beef and mutton, allowing the beauty of the meat to fully bloom on the taste buds of the tongue, with a unique taste that is both appetizing and appetizing. Amid the defensive and evasive reactions of the ladies in brightly colored robes, and the fearful and hateful gazes of the men driving the herds of cattle and sheep, in the air that was much thinner than Trier, Lumian walked to the end of the market while drinking corn paste from his cup. Soon, he entered the "White City" Laps, and saw the golden "Eternal Sun" Church and the "God of Steam and Machinery" Church carved with various industrial parts, the white buildings, the shops selling cow and sheep leather and various fabrics, the signs of "Highland Import and Export Company" and "Lapse Mining Association", the carriages pulled by long-haired cattle and medium-sized horses, the large number of locals, mainly in robes, and the few outsiders in formal suits.
Lumian picked a shop called "Highland Secret Medicine" and walked in like a tourist. The owner of the shop was an Intis man, about forty years old, with typical black hair and blue eyes, wearing a white shirt with floral decorations, a thick coat made of cashmere and a dark blue coat with golden fur edges. Seeing Lumian, he greeted him happily: "Good morning, my dear compatriots." After saying that, he took a look at Lumian's clothes and asked with concern: "Did you meet any robbers?" "I just arrived in Lapus and had an accident on the way." Lumian replied with a Trier accent and a smile. The boss who sold the secret medicine nodded with deep understanding: “The Southern Continent is not as good as what is written in the newspapers, but it is indeed a paradise for adventurers. "I arrived in West Balam fifteen years ago, looking for opportunities in various cities in the southern continent, but it was not until I entered this 'White City' that my life changed for the better. Steam is on top!" As he sighed, he drew the triangular holy emblem on his chest. "Steam above!" Lumian returned the same courtesy. The boss smiled more cordially: "Hey brother, would you like some mummy powder? Real mummy powder!" Lumian looked around the small shop and said with a smile: "Why don't you put the mummy in the window to prove the authenticity of the ashes?" The boss smiled awkwardly: “It would irritate the barbarians. "Although some of them buy mummy powder, the vast majority of people still cannot accept mummies becoming commodities." Lumian said deliberately: "When I left Trier, the mummy powder was in short supply and the price was very high. Didn't you think of shipping the mummies back to Trier to sell them?" "Maritime trade is too dangerous. If I go through an import and export company, they will severely suppress my price and charge me a tax. Those damn hyenas!" The boss glanced at Lumian and said tentatively, "If you are willing to bear the corresponding risks, we can cooperate." "How many mummies can you provide?" Lumian asked with a look of distrust. The boss smiled: "It depends on how much you want, I have enough channels." I have as many as I want. Which noble family tomb of the Highland Kingdom have you dug up? Or, just find some dead bodies or living people to make it on the spot? Lumian chatted with the owner of "Highland Secret Medicine" for a while, and after learning that the other party's name was "Salent. Enpaia", he left the store on the pretext of needing to think about it. After walking for a while, Lumian saw many locals pouring into a three-story white building on the side of the road with a spectacular shape and solemn temperament. He followed curiously and found that several Intis soldiers wearing black tricorne hats, blue coats with gold thread, white trousers and black leather boots were guarding the door. As expected, Lapus is a colonial city of Intis... Lumian glanced around and his sight fell on the golden words at the main entrance of the white building: "Lapps Special Court" Lumian followed the crowd into a courtroom, sat in a deserted corner, and listened to the trial of the case. The defendants were two Intis soldiers who were accused of intercepting a newlywed couple in the suburbs more than a month ago, brutally killing the husband and taking turns raping the wife. The latter luckily survived, and with many witnesses and sufficient evidence, the whole case seemed very clear.
The judge, who was hearing the two criminals for the third time, considered for a long time and made the final judgment: If found guilty, they will be immediately expelled from the Highlands and further punished by a military court when they return to Intis. Such a ruling caused a lot of dissatisfaction. The local people who were listening to the trial stood up and protested loudly, but the judge did not compromise and ordered the bailiffs and soldiers who were prepared to forcibly drive them out of the court. Sitting in the corner, Lumian quietly looked at the faces that were filled with excitement, anger, pain and resentment. He did not stand up slowly and walked out of the court until they were all forced to leave. When passing the square outside the Church of the Eternal Sun, he met several clergymen wearing white robes inlaid with gold thread. They kept a sufficient distance from the people around them and walked towards the church while talking in low voices. Lumian tilted his head slightly and listened carefully to the words of the clergy with his Hunter's ears. Because the distance was so great, he could only make out two phrases: "The power of the night... has invaded here..." What does that mean? The Church of the Goddess of Night of the Kingdom of Loen has extended its hand into the Star Plateau? Lumian pondered for a while and continued his stroll. ………… At 12:30 noon Trier time, Lumian was brought back to the Breeze Ballroom by the "Magician" lady and appeared in his own bedroom. He sat down at the wooden table and began to sort out the poet's interpretation of the symbolic elements of the dream. In the midst of his busy schedule, he heard familiar footsteps and an rude knock on the door. Putting down the pen in his hand, Lumian stood up and looked towards the door: "come in." The person who opened the door was Franca. She was wearing a lady's shirt, beige breeches and red boots as usual, but the difference was that she had a light-colored pleated long skirt around her waist. “It’s very strange,” Lumian said frankly. Franka sighed with joy and sadness: "I'm not used to wearing skirts yet, so I'll just have to make do with this for now. "This is to welcome the 'joy'." "Pleasure?" Lumian didn't quite understand why this word appeared here. Franka closed the door with her backhand and said with a complicated expression: "Since you have already joined the Iron Cross, my mission has been preliminarily completed. Next, I will see if I can join as well and cooperate with your actions. “And now that the mission has been preliminarily completed, there must be a reward. The next sequence of ‘Witch’ is ‘Witch of Pleasure’. "Well, with what I collected before, I already have all the main materials and most of the auxiliary materials. The only thing missing is the real mummy ashes. I came to you to ask you to help me pay attention at your occult gatherings. Damn, the mummy ashes sold in those stores are not real!" (End of this chapter)