Whispering Poems

Chapter 1279 Soul, secret room and test
"Then Mr. Humphrey, did you make the stone statue that is rumored to move at night in the association?"

Luvia also asked, and the old man shook his head again:

"My ability can only make some noises and maintain the picture you are seeing now. Besides, the rumors of moving stone statues have been around for hundreds of years. Maybe my ancestors hadn't even arrived here at that time. city."

Of course Luvia knew this, and what she wanted to ask was actually the next question:
"So, during the year you became a soul, have you seen any moving stone statues in the Association at night?"

Old Humphrey smiled:
"You are very sharp, young girl, which reminds me of my granddaughter, but she is not as old as you. I am glad that you can ask me this question, but before I give an answer, please answer my one question."

He finally turned around completely and looked at the two of them. Although it was a soul, there was still a shadow. After all, the flame was also created by himself:

"What do you think of the craft of carving stone statues?"

Xia De and Luvia looked at each other. It was rare for him to feel that he had read Luvia's mind, so Xia De spoke first:
"It is not the mason who carves the stone, nor the mason who gives the stone a specific image, but the mason who, according to fate, unseals the statue from the stone."

"Whether it's one more knife or one less, every knife is destined."

Luvia added the second half of the sentence, happy that Xia De could understand her thoughts.

Mr. Humphrey, the old stonemason, took a deep breath, his soul trembling in the firelight:
"It's an interesting view. One more knife and one less knife is destined."

He turned around again and stroked the statue beside him, with endless sorrow in his eyes:
"I have been a stonemason for so many years to understand this truth. The young people nowadays are really amazing. Do you want to know whether the rumor of moving stone statues is true? I can tell you that it is indeed true."

He lowered his hand:

"This is a test left by a certain ancestor. I hope that the descendants of the Stonemasons Association can discover this test one day and pass it. I don't know if anyone has discovered it before me, but obviously, no one has ever been able to pass it. it."

The old man looked at Xia De with his hands behind his back:

"Young man, are you interested in this?"

"of course."

Otherwise, Xia De will not have a candlelight dinner with Margarita, go to the stars with Luvia, study at home with Rezia or Dorothy, rest at home with Mia, and come here on purpose. meaning.

"Then come with me, your views on statues are very good, maybe you can really pass this test. I have also tried, that's how my special ability came about, but unfortunately, I'm not qualified yet. "

The fire was extinguished, and the stone statue disappeared. The old man left the warehouse with his hands behind his back, leading Xia De and Luvia.After passing through the yard, he returned to the building of the Masonry Association, and then went from the first floor to the third floor, and unexpectedly returned to the previous position.

It's just that this time he didn't enter the office, but stood in the empty corridor:

"Wait a mininute."

The old stonemason said that when he turned over his empty hands, the hammer and chisel appeared again.He bumped the two lightly, made nine consecutive rhythmic sounds, and then shouted to the corridor:

"I brought people to accept the test!"

After a while, part of the ceiling of the corridor fell silently, forming a ramp leading upwards.You can’t see the sky when you look up. It’s clear that the attic above opened the entrance, but Xia De and Luvia are very sure that there is no attic in this building. Above the third floor is the roof, and above the roof is the sky.

"What an interesting, hidden space!"

Xia De said with some excitement, the old stonemason took the lead to step up, and the originally dark attic was lit with fire, which still came from a coal stove.

So Xia De and Luvia followed together, and found that there were densely packed stone statues in the attic.Some are busts, some are full-length, but all are human figures.A small open space was left in the middle of the attic, and a stone statue in the shape of a mason stood still beside the stove, making it look like a carved stone statue.

The old stonemason explained while leading them to the middle:

"It took me a long time after my death to discover the rules here. Every month, this place will be opened randomly, and one of these stone statues will randomly walk out and move within the association for about 10 minutes. They will deliberately Avoiding living people, even becoming invisible, so most people can only see vague shadows or hear the sound of stone statues moving. But if you can track them like me, you can follow them into here."

He paused:
"I even suspect that this test is specially prepared for the dead souls. It is really too difficult for the living to discover them."

When the three of them stepped into the area illuminated by the fire, the static statue of the stonemason came to life.It was originally bent down, but now it straightened up and looked at the three of them. Of course, it looked at the old mason first:
"Are you coming to the test again?"

The stone statue uses the Carson Rik language with strong Randall Valley characteristics. Shade believes that the era when this hidden attic was built should be hundreds of years from now, because the clothes of the surrounding stone statues are very different. resolution.

"I'll try again, and there are these two."

The old stonemason pointed at Xia De and Luvia. The stone statue itself has no expression and can only do very simple movements.It turned its head to look at the two of them in turn, then nodded:

"Although it's a living person this time, it's okay."

"Let me first declare that neither this lady nor I know how to carve stone."

Xia De immediately added, Luvia also nodded.

Stone said:

"It's okay, the test is not carving with your own hands."

Even though he said so, there were still three big stones, amidst the ear-piercing sound of rubbing, they slid abruptly in front of the three of them from a distance.Xia De is completely ignorant of carving and stone appreciation, and can only judge from the color and texture that this stone is similar to the stone used in the surrounding statues.

"Press your hands on the stone and use your heart to carve the most perfect statue you think. If you complete the work before dawn, if the work can be accepted by me, it will be considered as passing the test. If you fail, you can come here again in the future. Test, but only ten times."

The stone statue is also cold when speaking:
"The location here is transferred every three months. You can try to disclose this place to others, but if more than eight people know about it at the same time, this place will always be closed to you and those who have had contact with you."

If this kind of rule really holds true, it can only be said that the ring warlock who created this place is not only excellent in alchemy, but also an absolute master in other aspects.

"no problem."

"I'm fine."

Xia De and Luvia said that although neither of them knew stone carving, it was okay to at least try.

At this time, the soul of the old mason Humphrey had already put his hand on the big stone in front of him.As the stone chips peeled off, sharp incisions appeared clearly on the roughly cuboid stone.

"Do you have your own method?"

Luvia asked Shad:

"Corresponding to the core spirit rune [noble], my thaumaturgy [accidental production] can give me additional inspiration when creating art or making alchemy items. If you need, I can try to trigger the inspiration multiple times. Inspiration to share with you."

"Before that, I have to solve a question."

Shad took out the Mithril Cube, and this time, the third story belonging to Randall Valley City was finally revealed to him:
[The secret room of the Stonemasons Association——

One of the founders of the Stonemasons Association, in order to pass on his craftsmanship and strength, before leaving, he established his own secret room inside the association.Once a month, if you are lucky enough to encounter those moving statues without being spotted by it, you can enter the secret room and accept the test of the mason.According to rumors, the location of the secret room is on the third floor of the association. If you carve the best statues with your heart and pass the test successfully, you will not only gain strength, but also unexpected wealth. 】

"Look, a brand new story. However, the clues pointed to by this story seem to be used to find this secret room, not to help us pass the test."

Xia De said that Luvia did not feel regretful:

"This is a test after all. It would be wrong to cheat. Then Xia De, I will start first. If you need help, remember to tell me."

"Ok."

He nodded, and stroked the fine characters on the Mithril Cube with his fingers:

"Founder of the Stonemasons Guild."

He raised his head and asked the stone statue beside the charcoal stove:
"It was Mr. Fleming who built this chamber?"

"Yes and no."

The stone statue replied coldly.

And at the moment when Xia De was talking to the stone statue, the stone carving of the old stonemason was almost completed, and it was the statue he was carving when he met him just now, that is, the stone statue that crushed him to death.

As for Luvia, she pressed her hand on the stone in front of her after thinking hard. As the stone chips peeled off, the statue was also rapidly forming. She seemed to be carving a female figure.

After careful consideration, Xia De directly put his hand on the stone, and realized that he could really carve the stone according to his heart.This is like controlling those Impermanence cards, and thoughts become the sharpest carving knives, leaving traces on stones at will.

【What do you want to carve?If it's just a copy of a girl you know, it doesn't have the artistic sense of a stone statue. 】

"She" said softly.

"I know, fortunately, I still have some memories in my head. Help me, I need to dig out the memories of the past, and control the position and strength of each knife. I need your help."

[I will always help you. 】

Xia De closed his eyes, and amidst a chuckle, he felt "she" holding his hand.

(End of this chapter)