Chapter 1254: Chapter 1254: Delivering the Sad News
“Could it be… ”
“Let me think, I always forget, and I always forget to mention it to others. Even the Speaker only remembered to ask me after half a year, what the Golden Dawn originally was… wait, the name of the Order is on the tip of my tongue, what was it again…”
The beautiful witch made a thoughtful expression, the kind of anxious feeling when you remember something but can’t say it out loud, Shard could very well understand:
“Is it… the [Cult of the Forgotten]?”
He tentatively asked, and Miss Benanis showed a look of sudden realization:
“Yes, the Cult of the Forgotten! When I first met Ciris, the young woman called herself a ‘Forgotten One’, thinking about it is really nostalgic… Shard, you actually know about this Order?”
“I know more than just that… do they worship the Old God [The Forgotten Old Man]?”
“Yes, you’re quite familiar with this Order? Is it from past experiences?”
“No, it’s from current experiences. I want to ask you a question, is there a [Church of the Forgotten] locally?”
“There indeed are rumors, but due to the break in the Order’s lineage, the Golden Dawn lost track of the church’s whereabouts centuries ago. Ciris’s father was always dedicated to finding it, but he disappeared before achieving his goal.”
Saying this, the witch looked down at the photo again:
“The statue… you wouldn’t want to say…”
“Yes, the location where this statue was discovered is the [Church of the Forgotten].”
He took out that Mithril Cuboid, softly repeating the rumor of the “Invisible Church”, the Mithril showing dense information about the church:
“In the story of Randall Valley, the first one I encountered was the ‘Invisible Church’. In fact, I can travel between Tobesk and Randall Valley City, also because of that church; the relic of Thomas Granger that gave me the Power of the Earth in the Emerald Dream was also found underground of that church… more or less like this.”
The witch felt slightly surprised:
“You found that church? Sorry, it’s not that I don’t believe you, but can you let me see what that church looks like?”
“No problem.”
Shard reached to his right side, taking out a book from the translucent bookshelf with a starry sky color. After Miss Benanis opened the book, it contained pictures of the church’s interior and exterior scenery. And the appearance of the man stone sculpture sitting in the front row seats was clearly visible in the colorful picture.
“There really is such a thing.”
She stood up at once, reached out and pulled Shard up as well, speaking very seriously:
“Now in the Golden Dawn, there are indeed still a few believers of the Old God [The Forgotten Old Man], but for now, don’t tell them about this. Now, take me to that church, yes, right now.”
“Shouldn’t we inform Miss Lathes first?”
“I will first confirm what that statue really is… Shard, you’ve seen the corpses petrified by the uncontrolled Earth, so you definitely understand my thinking, and understand the significance of that statue to Ciris.”
Shard gently nodded, that statue is very likely the corpse of Ciris Lathes’ father. This outcome is indeed a bit too cruel for her.
Going from the Wilder Opera House to Cherry Leaf Avenue doesn’t take too long; at night, the streets don’t have many people, and Shard along with Miss Benanis got off the carriage in front of the wall between numbers 11 and 12. Pressing their fingers together, they looked at the wall through the gaps and softly prayed.
No traces of spatial changes were visible, yet the not-so-small courtyard of the church somehow ‘squeezed’ out between the brick gaps.
Though already having heard Shard recount it once, Miss Benanis was still stunned:
“It’s actually hidden right in the city.”
The two entered the yard from the courtyard’s fence gate, the witch even turned back to confirm that the view outside was still Cherry Leaf Avenue.
The abandoned courtyard was nothing to see; they walked along the passageway in the middle up the steps and, squeezing through the door gap, entered inside the church.
Moonlight poured through the hole in the ceiling, almost forming an inclined moonbeam pillar in the center of the abandoned church’s main hall. Clutching Shard’s sleeve, Miss Benanis stared wide-eyed at the scene before her:
“The appearance of the Temple of Bygone Days, it’s even more astonishing than I thought.”
“The statue is in the front.”
Shard reminded, and only then did the witch slowly nod, still amazed as she glanced around:
“Shard, you don’t understand the significance of this church to Ciris and the Golden Dawn. Truly incredible, the Old God has departed for an era, yet the church itself still holds its own great power. The power of the deities is so magnificent and incredible.”
As she spoke, she walked side by side with Shard along the aisle between the long benches, and soon arrived at the front:
“`
“This is it. My diviner friend, Miss Luviya Annette, tried some divination but could only confirm it’s true stone.”
“If it’s petrified due to the Curse of the Earth, indeed, mere divination cannot unveil its secrets. Let me try, the secret techniques of a witch can be effective here.”
Although somewhat reluctant, she still bent down and placed her hand on the shoulder of the seated stone statue. A faint spiritual light floated within the witch’s palm and spread to the statue itself.
After a long while, she let go of the hand, straightening up to look at the statue:
“I tried to find where these stones had slept in the earth, but the result I got was ‘the earth’ itself. These are stones without a hometown, imprinted memories of them do not exist within the earth. I think it’s right, this statue was originally a living person.”
She did not directly say this was the corpse of Miss Ciris Lathes’ father.
Shard sighed slightly, gazing at it with the witch. Neither spoke, moonlight slanted down in front of them, behind the stone statue, spilling onto the snow, as if the snow emitted a silent moonlight too.
After a long while, Shard confirmed:
“There’s no way to restore it, is there? Even the [Universal Earth Elixir] won’t work.”
The witch nodded:
“The soul is completely separated from the body; now the difficulty of turning this statue back into a living person is the same as recreating life. Discussing whether it can be restored is completely meaningless. He’s already dead, and even if the soul were found, he couldn’t be resurrected.”
Shard pressed his lips together, then let out a long sigh that echoed through the empty church.
“You should tell her.”
She straightforwardly said.
“What do you mean I should… no, it’s not something I should do, you’re more familiar with Miss Lathes, you should tell her.”
Shard immediately refused; he never liked bringing bad news to others. Before he came to this world, although he handled funerals for friends, Jenkins didn’t have family.
“I can’t go, seeing her cry would be too much for me.”
The witch shook her head, extending her finger to Shard:
“I’ll give you 20 pounds to you to do this task. Aren’t you a famous detective? Consider this my commission for you.”
“It’s not about the commission, Miss Benanis, I simply can’t bear to tell her this fact either.”
Shard still refused, only to see the blonde witch, with seemingly tearful eyes of vermilion gold, now looking at him:
“I… truly can’t tell her. Help me, Shard, help me.”
Even knowing this plea might be a trick of the witch, he still hesitated, pressed his lips together, and nodded slightly:
“…Alright, I’ll go. Give me the invitation, and I’ll find her at the party now. But, you owe me one.”
“No problem, consider it part of the promise I owe you; you can make any request, yes, any request.”
After finishing, both were silent, avoiding each other’s gaze. Shard believed Vanessa Benanis also thought of a week ago, when they were in an equally deserted church, embracing due to the magic potion.
In any case, the mystery of the church’s statue was unexpectedly resolved this way, but new questions followed one after another. For example, why Miss Lathes’ father died in the church without leaving any message to anyone.
Miss Benanis waited alone in the Church of the Forgotten for the two to arrive, while Shard, holding the invitation, soon took a carriage to the Earl Johnson’s estate where the party was being held.
The sprawling estate was located outside Randall Valley City, amidst the scenic Creekland of the valley. Because it was near the main road, it was not desolate at all. Behind the estate were rolling hills, and beside it were the workplaces of beekeepers and florists; even in winter, it looked quite nice.
The brightness of the estate even lit up the night sky. As the carriage hurried along, Shard looked at the estate from the window, perceiving the lively atmosphere.
After presenting the invitation at the entrance, he hurriedly entered the estate’s courtyard, then followed a servant into the house.
Miss Lathes represented Miss Benanis at the party, accompanied by two Circle Sorcerers of the Golden Dawn. She was not there for socializing but to trade some sensitive contraband with an out-of-town merchant as arranged.
It was already half-past eight at night, the party had been going for an hour and a half, and the transaction was probably over, so Shard wasn’t sure where Miss Lathes was at the ball.
He decided to first ask Margaret, who wore a golden gown in a prominent spot in the banquet hall, chatting with an elderly gentleman with graying hair, who was Earl Johnson. Shard didn’t see Prince William Anjou; after last week’s party assassination, he might still be hesitant.
Margaret didn’t notice Shard at first, only realizing his presence after he walked by her with a goblet.
Thus, ten minutes later, they met in a private lounge prepared for the distinguished guests. Margaret gave Shard an enthusiastic kiss, unconcerned even when she learned he wanted to find Miss Lathes:
“I saw the lady about five minutes ago, she seemed to be going to the gardens in the back with someone.”