Chapter 8 Naroka After leaving the old tavern, Lumian stood on the rammed earth road, wondering where to go. The morning sun shines down, bringing a little coolness. At this moment, Raymond Craig came over from the side: "I was just going to find you." "Is there anything wrong?" Lumian returned to normal and asked deliberately. Raymond looked surprised: "Have you forgotten? Today we are going to find an old man who is about the same age as my grandfather and is still alive to ask about the wizard legends." Lumian raised his hand and pressed his head, his face full of pain: "Really? Why don't I remember it, or are you hallucinating?" Raymond was shocked and frightened. Just as he was about to recall the details to confirm whether what happened yesterday was just his imagination, he suddenly saw a smile on Lumian's face. "You bastard, you're playing a prank again!" Raymond couldn't help but curse.
"Your scolding is really weak." Lumian sighed, "Ava is better at scolding than you." Ava Lizier is a beautiful girl from the village of Cordu and now works as a "goose shepherdess". Her father, Guillaume Lizier, was a shoemaker who was good at making leather shoes using leather provided by shepherds. He was well-known in several surrounding villages. "Ava..." Raymond's expression changed. He then looked at Lumian: "Ava is our friend, right?" "Yes." Lumian nodded with a smile. The three of them, together with Guillaume from the Berry family and Ava's cousin Azema Lizier, are young people who often play together. "Why don't we let Ava join us in investigating the truth of the legend?" Raymond suggested. "You know, her father always says, 'Why do women have to be given property when they get married? How many good families have fallen like this?' This makes her very uneasy. If she can get some treasure or reward in the investigation, she should feel more at ease." "I've heard similar things from several male heads of families in the village, including the parish priest. They wish their brothers would stay at home forever, and not go out to start a family even if they get married. In that case, they need to be given the property they deserve." Lumian smiled and glanced at Raymond, pretending to be casual, "So many families tend to let one of their children become a shepherd. This way, he will basically not get married, and he will have a certain income, so he can support himself most of the time." Raymond's face gradually became gloomy. He really hasn't thought about this question. This is why he likes to hang out with Lumian. Although most people in the village say that this guy has a bad temper and likes to lie and play pranks, his knowledge really exceeds that of everyone of his age. Unlike himself, he doesn't know much, is confused all day long, and can only obey the arrangements of his family. Good to know... Lumian said to himself, bringing the topic back on track: "It's too late now. We have to hurry up and ask people. We can go find Ava tomorrow. Well, we can also let little Guillaume and Azema participate later. In addition to the possible gains, this is also an interesting activity that can exercise our abilities." "Let little Guillaume and Azema join as well?" Raymond was a little reluctant. The more people you share the reward with, the less you get. And the most important thing is, if that happens, he won't have the chance to please Ava. Lumian looked at this guy with a bit more kindness and compassion in his eyes:
Silly boy, do you think Ava would like you? She has high eyebrows and only wants to marry into a good family. She obviously has a certain liking for me, the "evil man", but she can control herself... In the colloquial language of the Dariege region, "high eyebrows" means having high standards and looking down on ordinary people. "My sister once said that there is strength in numbers," Lumian explained briefly. "Which elderly people need to be visited?" "You didn't go to investigate?" Raymond asked in surprise. I don’t have the energy to ask about the “Wand” card… Lumian smiled: "Of course I investigated. Now I want to test your ability to gather intelligence." Raymond had no doubts: "There are nine elderly people still alive in the village who are about the same age as my grandfather, or a little older. They are..." Six women and three men. Ladies really do live longer... Lumian listened quietly, thought for a moment and said: “There’s no need to visit the last two, they are from other villages and married here. "Uh... let's ask Naroka first. She's the oldest and was probably an adult when the wizard incident happened." This is not Naroka's real name, it is a respectful title for her. In the province of Reston, married women with prominent family backgrounds or who are actual heads of households have the right to obtain the title of "Mrs.". Specifically, an "a" is added to the end of the name to indicate a female, and "Na" is added in front of the name, which means "Mrs." or "hostess." Mrs. Pualis's family had been in decline for a long time, and she had to obey the administrator Beost at home, so she could not be called "Na" plus "a" and could only be called "Mrs." Naroka's husband died early, and she took on the responsibility of the entire family. Even after her two sons grew up, got married, and had children, and she herself became old, she still held the financial power of the family. This phenomenon is quite rare in Koldu Village. In most cases, men are the dominant ones. In a fatherless family, once the children reach adulthood, they will naturally take back the power to manage the entire family from their mothers. "Okay." Raymond had no doubt. After passing a few buildings, Lumian saw four old women sitting in front of a two-story house, basking in the sun and chatting casually. At the same time, they were sitting very close to each other and catching lice on each other's bodies, looking quite leisurely. ——In the countryside of the Republic of Intis, catching lice from each other is a recreational activity that brings people closer together and expresses affection. "Ask now?" Raymond hesitated. He was afraid that the news of their pursuit of the truth of the legend would spread. “Wait a little longer.” Lumian nodded heavily. As far as he knew, many rumors in the village were generated through such gatherings and spread layer by layer. After a while, the other three old women left one after another because they had work to do at home. "Good morning, Naroka." Lumian walked over immediately. Naroka's hair was white and her eyes were slightly cloudy. She was wearing a dark long skirt made of coarse cloth. Her hands seemed to be covered with a layer of chicken skin and her face had obvious spots. "When will Auror come out for the party? Many people in the village are thinking about her." Naroka looked at Lumian and asked with a smile. A lot of men, right? Lumian entered the state of "you say yours, I say mine" and said with a curious look on his face: "Naroka, I heard you've seen a real wizard? The one whose coffin couldn't be pulled by nine oxen."
Naroka's expression changed slightly: "Who told you?" "His grandfather told him when he came back at night." Lumian began to talk nonsense. Naroka was stunned: “Can the soul really go home…” "My father told me. My grandfather told me when he was alive." Raymond couldn't bear to see Lumian lying to the old man. Naroka was a little disappointed. After a long while, she said: "Before that man died, none of us knew he was a wizard. He acted perfectly normal." Just like you don’t know that Aurore is a wizard… Lumian replied in his mind. "Until he died suddenly and the owl flew over..." Naroka fell into memories. What she said later was basically consistent with the legend. Lumian further said: "Where did the wizard live at the time?" Naroka glanced at him: “That’s where you and Aurore live now. "After the wizard was buried, the parish priest at the time took a few people and took away the valuables and burned the house. For 20 to 30 years, no one dared to go near there. Later, this matter was gradually forgotten. Later, Aurore came, bought the land, and rebuilt the house." Our family? Lumian was shocked. This answer was totally beyond his expectations! In a flash, he thought of some issues that he usually ignored: Given Aurore's ability to make money and her hidden extraordinary abilities, why would she settle in a rural area like Cordu Village? Whether it is the provincial capital Bigor, the textile center Suchit, or the capital Trier, they are all better choices. Even if you want to choose a place with a good environment and good air, those big cities also have certain areas to choose from. Aurore once said that the best way to hide is in a big city... Lumian's thoughts were churning and he couldn't calm down. He only found out today that the land Aurore chose to build the house on once belonged to a wizard... "Where was the wizard buried?" Raymond next to him couldn't help but ask. There is no hope for the property in the house, so we can only rely on whether the wizard's body has any special features. Naroka said with a smile: "Such a big thing will definitely alarm the parish priest. "At that time, nine oxen were used to pull the coffin to the cemetery next to the church. The parish priest performed a ceremony to purify the body, and finally burned the body to ashes and dug a hole to bury it." "Is that so..." Raymond couldn't hide his disappointment. "What do you want to do by asking these questions?" Naroka looked at his expression for a while and asked. Lumian laughed and said something that sounded more like a lie: "Want to find the wizard's treasure." "Young people should not always fantasize," Naroka warned.
"Okay." Lumian behaved very well. He and Raymond said goodbye to Naroka and set out on the road to the village square. "It's hopeless, Lumian, there's no hope for this." Raymond said dejectedly after walking around a building. "Indeed, everything that should be burned has been burned, and everything that should be taken away has been taken away decades ago." Lumian nodded. Because the dream provided an opportunity, he was relatively not so disappointed. Raymond agreed: "Yes, the owl is the only thing in the whole legend that has not been destroyed." "Owl..." Lumian's eyes lit up and he looked towards the mountains and forests outside the village. Raymond shuddered and added hastily: "But after all these years, it must have died long ago." He was very afraid of coming into contact with such evil creatures as owls. In southern Intis, owls, nightingales, and crows are considered ominous, evil, and creatures working for the devil, often taking away human souls or bringing bad luck. (End of this chapter)