Chapter 45
Chapter 45: Two more in one. …
When the old village chief asked this, Alice realized that her posture looked very strange without seeing Circillian. If she can’t explain it well, the village chief might think she has been wicked.
Do you want to tell him that you are communicating with the gods? It will only make people convinced that this is the evil. When most people try to communicate with the gods, they kneel down and pray, and it is impossible for anyone to “communicate with the gods” in this posture.
“It’s nothing, I’m doing some…er…special muscle and bone movements. Just like this, turn to the left first, then to the right…”
As Alice said, she turned to the other side and made a symmetrical movement, hoping that the old village chief would not delve into it.
“Is that so?” The village chief obviously believed it. He also learned Alice’s movements and did it. Seeing the old village chief’s antics, Alice couldn’t wait to bury her head in the sand, but she still pretended to be serious. The look of nonsense:
“Yes, you did a good job. This method can relieve the fatigue of desk work… What can you do if you come to me?”
“I’m here to tell you, Master Alinuo, a traveling merchant, greets you, and reminds you by the way, please pay back the money owed in the village when it is convenient for you.”
“You owe money? When?” Alice asked, flipping through the ledger, looking for records of debts. “Here is only Reynolds’s own debt… quite a lot of times.”
“That’s it.” Although the old village head didn’t know how to settle accounts and his literacy was very limited, he was very familiar with the various expenditures and incomes on the ledger. “Master Reynolds never likes to pay cash when buying things. It is required to be recorded in the account of the village. It is said that the debts of the year should be paid when the accounts are cleaned after the fall. However, Lord Reynolds took all the money away every time before the account was cleared. It has never been in the past few years. He has paid off his debts, of course, no one dares to care about him.”
Alice understood. The businessman probably heard that the land in Ronald Village had changed owners, and thought that his debt was finally settled, so he rushed over immediately.
“Why should I pay the money Reynolds owes?”
“Because the collateral he owes is the village land.” The village chief said, “Since he has gone now, and the land is no longer owned by him, I don’t think Master Reynolds would have thought of returning specifically to return him. Debt… what do you think?”
The village chief’s opinion is obviously very reasonable, Reynolds is unlikely to come back again, of course the mess he left behind can only be solved by Alice. Alice regretted it a little bit, maybe when she beat him before, she should have beaten him harder.
She took a deep breath:
“Tell him I am very busy now and don’t have time to see him. As for Reynolds’ previous debt…I will calculate the amount and pay it back in the fall.”
The old village chief saluted Alice and turned away. Alice continued to settle the accounts. Seeing Reynolds’s debts, Alice felt her head hurt even more.
Fortunately, the traveling merchants who often come to Ronald Village do not usually sell any particularly expensive items. Therefore, although Reynolds has many debts, the total number is actually not particularly large. And the annual income in the village is quite substantial. Additions and subtractions are cost-effective. As long as there is no special natural|disaster this year, the income received in autumn should be just enough to pay off the debts and interest owed by Reynolds.
But in this case, Alice’s dream of buying a full set of armor will be postponed again.
Alice sighed deeply, there really is nothing perfect in this world.
Alice kept sorting her accounts until the evening, and lived in the house that originally belonged to Martin Knight and Reynolds. In the past half day, people in the village have helped her clean up the whole house, which is quite convenient for her to live in. Considering that Reynolds had at least left the house, it is probably not intolerable to pay a little debt for him.
Alice didn’t realize until she was lying on the bed that the place where she was now was the first house that belonged to her in name.
She was born in a dilapidated rental house on Dark River Street. Since then, she has been a mercenary and has been wandering around. She has lived in various hotels, most recently at Yunqi Castle, and finally settled down basically. However, the wing where she lives in Yunqi Castle is basically a barracks, with cold stone walls on all sides, which makes it hard to feel like a family.
But here is very much like a home. From various details, it can be seen that Martin Knight must have spent a lot of effort to decorate this house. However, the later owner obviously did not take care of it like Martin Knight, and caused a lot of damage to it. But these are all minor problems, as long as it is well maintained, it can become a very good home.
Unfortunately, Alice has no home.
She has never had a father, and she has no mother. Master Roma has already prepared a farm for herself on the outskirts of the royal capital. It is impossible to live here with her. Even Alice herself will not stay in this village for a long time. After she settles the accounts, she will return to Yun Hao Castle. To think about it rationally, Alice’s best choice is actually to sell the house. This way she can have the money to pay off her debts immediately and buy the full suit she wants.
But she still decided to keep the house. She wanted to leave a little possibility for her future. Maybe one day, she will have some family members who will live here with them.
“You will always have your own home.” Cecilian’s voice appeared in her ear again, “Even if no one else is by your side, at least I can count as your family.”
Cecilian would really comfort people, but it was a pity that he was always in such a state where he couldn’t see the substance, and he was erratic. He was more like a ghost than a god. When will he wake up? Or at least, to condense a real human-like entity?
The big mother **** seems to think that day will come soon, but the god’s concept of time will obviously not be the same as that of mortals, and Alice still needs a lot of patience.
But everything will gradually get better, Alice believes so.
The next day, Alice got up and started to continue to sort out the accounts. At the rate of yesterday, Alice felt that she would be able to finish it in more than a day. Although this job is annoying, after all, it is closely related to her, and she wants to finish it quickly anyway. Finish this job quickly, and maybe return to the castle of Yunji before dinner. Although this village belongs to her, the life of a knight in Yunqi Castle is the real focus of her life.
The old village chief came over and gave her some milk, bread and eggs for breakfast. These are all produced in the village, simple but delicious, and rich in nutrition, enough to cheer up her spirits. Ordinarily, as the village chief, he should have a lot of things to be busy with, but at this moment, after he had delivered the meal, he stood by the side and refused to go, talking to Alice every time:
“Does the knight master also believe in the **** of light?”
“I am not a believer in the God of Light,” Alice said. “The **** I believe in is Circillian.”
During this period of time, whenever someone asked Alice about her faith, she would answer that way. She is a believer in Cecilian, she doesn’t want to lie, and at the same time she doesn’t want to frighten people with the name of the **** of doom. In this case, it is a good way to call the gods directly. After all, except for the priests in the temple, almost no one can fully remember the names of all gods. She doesn’t realize that the **** she believes in is actually not among the twelve gods.
“Oh, like this.”
The old village chief didn’t know which **** Cecilian was, and he didn’t dare to ask more. As an old man who has been the village head for more than ten years under Lord Reynolds, he has his own principles. In any case, it is a good habit to be prudent in words and deeds, which can prevent extraneous branches and troubles.
He stayed here to watch Alice sort out the accounts, of course he wanted something.
He had been thinking about this all day, but he still didn’t dare to say it easily. Prior to this, he had been observing Alice. Judging from her attitude towards him and the promise to pay Reynolds’ debts, the new owner of the village seemed to be very talkative. But the old village chief didn’t want to test the new owner’s bottom line. After all, she could lift a fat man like Reynolds over her head and tear apart the steel plate armor with her bare hands. Just thinking about these things is enough to scare people. .
If possible, the old village head would like to observe for a while before making his request to her. But the new landlord was obviously not going to stay here for a long time, and what he had to say could not be delayed… These contradictions put a lot of pressure on the cautious old village chief, and he couldn’t make up his mind after looking forward to it. The old village chief is getting older, although he has a brain, but after all, he lacks a bit of courage.
Alice is not stupid either. Seeing the old village chief wandering around here, she has some suspicions in her heart. She was not interested in waiting for him to struggle back and forth, and simply asked him directly:
“You have been standing here, what the **** is going on?”
The old village chief squeezed the straw hat in his hand and finally said what he had kept in his heart for a long time:
“Master Cavaliers, our village is the first area in the country where the **** of Faun Penlos was first worshipped. There is even a sacrificial place for the **** of Faun, which has been passed down hundreds of thousands of years ago. When Martin Knight was there, every spring Funding for us, but later changed to being in charge of Lord Reynolds, who was not interested in the worship of the Faun, we never got the funds. This spring, the rain was a little insufficient. If you don’t think of a solution as soon as possible, I’m afraid that Delay the harvest, you see if you can…”
He swallowed nervously before finishing the second half of the sentence with difficulty:
“… Allocating a small amount of money for the village to build a sacrificial ground for the peasant goddess, should it be regarded as an early investment?”
The old village chief was uneasy, and he himself knew that since the new owner of the village came here, he had never brought any good news to her. The merchant’s debts can be resolved in the autumn, but the repair of the sacrificial grounds requires her to spend money now… It’s probably not that easy.
Sure enough, Alice’s face became difficult to look.
“It seems that you are treating me as the Duchess’ treasurer.” She said with a bit of thorn, “I am not a wealthy knight with family support behind it. I am a mercenary. A full set of armor can’t be afforded, let alone a sacrificial ground for the money to be built.”
Alice’s words were really bad, but the old village chief didn’t just shrink back.
“Actually, it doesn’t cost much.” He bit his head and continued, “Most of the villagers here are followers of the **** of farming and pastor Panlos. If you want to build the sacrificial ground, everyone can help. Just find a way to buy some. Sand and stone, there are other necessary things. If the sacrificial ground can be repaired, it will be of great benefit to the whole village. In the long run, it can increase a lot of land income.”
“It can increase the income of the land” touched Alice, but she was not prepared to agree so easily.
“How much do you need?” she asked, “give me a number.”
“The ceremony itself doesn’t cost much, but the sacrificial ground is so damaged that it is necessary to repair the square and the altar to the original level, at least…seven or eight gold coins,” the old village chief observed Alice’s With a look on his face, he continued to say the second half of the sentence, “If there are more than a dozen gold coins, you can ensure that the altar is beautifully repaired. In the future, the sacrifices will be repaired every year. You only need to take seven or eight silver coins.”
“I won’t invest money on things I didn’t see.” Alice said shrewdly. Of course, this also comes from Roma’s indoctrination. Thanks to Roma, if it weren’t for his years of fame, Alice would have been cheated of all the money on her hands the first time she went out alone.
“I can take you to see.” The old village chief saw a little hope and immediately held it firmly in his hand. “That place is in the center of the ranch, very close to here. In fact, it is said that the sacrificial ground It was built by Penrose himself after he came to the world. It is the prototype of all Penrose sacred grounds. Even if it fell into disrepair, it is still worth seeing. It can be called an ancient miracle that has been passed down to the present.”
Alice is getting upset by those ledgers, and the old village chief is always entangled here, which greatly reduces her work efficiency. In this case, it is better to go for a walk and get a little breathable.
“Then let’s go.”
The old village chief agreed and took Alice out. When passing by the well, the old village chief asked Alice to wait for a while and took a half bucket of water in her hand.
“What do you do with water?” Alice asked, “Do you want to feed the livestock by the way?”
The old village chief shook his head, revealing a “this is a secret” expression. His strange behavior really aroused Alice’s curiosity. She and him walked deep into the pasture in the pasture, where they found the long-abandoned circular sacrificial ground.
There are fragrant grass luxuriant nearby, and weeds have grown in the cracks of the stone floor tiles. The sacrificial ground that was originally paved entirely of stone is no longer visible. You have to step on it to find that the material under your feet is different. . If it weren’t for the circular altar that was still standing here above the ground, perhaps the old village chief would not be able to find this place smoothly.
It’s really been abandoned for a long time here.
The old village chief pulled out some weeds in the cracks, so that the stone bricks on the field could be exposed, and then came to the altar.
The altar on the sacrificial ground of the Faun and Faun looked very special, not very similar to the altar that Alice had seen before. There is a column in the center of the altar that holds the stone plate, and there is a hole in the middle of the stone plate, which seems to be able to go all the way down.
The old village chief poured the water he had brought into the stone pan. The clear water flows through the channel under the stone plate to the bottom of the altar, flowing along the cracks in the stone bricks on the ground. When the clear water flowed to the edge of the circular sacrificial field, Alice realized that the gaps between these stone and floor tiles were carefully designed. Once flowing water poured in, it would show magical power in the entire circular sacrificial field. The strange lines of the shining light slightly shine, and it looks very beautiful.
No matter who sees this situation, they will believe that there is indeed an extraordinary magical power here.
“There are too many weeds, and some parts are missing and can’t be repaired. Now you can only see if you pour water in.” The old village chief told Alice, “If everything is repaired, Penrose’s supernatural power will be able to The farmland and pastures covering the entire village.”
The old village chief didn’t say much, just let Alice judge for herself. If Alice still refuses to pay when seeing such a scene, then it is useless for him to say anything.
Alice took out the purse.
Since she came to Yunxi Castle, she hasn’t used much money. This is the second time she has taken out her money bag in more than half a month. Life in Yunda Castle is very economical. Three meals a day are provided by the castle kitchen for free, and the forage needed for the horses is also taken care of by the castle stables. Only on the night she had just become a knight, she had invited people in the tavern to drink, which cost a few silver coins. Now Alice still has almost twenty gold coins in her hand. This little money is not enough to buy armor. If it is spent on other things, it will actually not be used up.
Judging from the current situation, it seems quite worthwhile to spend money here.
She took out twelve gold coins and put them in the hands of the old village chief:
“Is this enough?”
“Enough is enough.” The old village chief almost shed tears. “You are a really good landlord. After a few years, our Ronald Village will be restored to its original grandeur.”
Alice didn’t want to be sensational, and she didn’t want to be moved. She turned her head away, as if it was a bit uncomfortable for others to express gratitude to her.
“You go back first,” she said. “Let me stay here for a while by myself.”
The old village chief has already got the money, and there is no reason to stay here. He put the money in the purse, bowed to Alice and left.
When the old village chief walked away, the air in front of Alice’s eyes began to fluctuate, revealing the shadow of Cecilian.
“Interesting.” Cecilian commented, “I have long heard that West Felix is the origin of the Faunism, but I didn’t expect that his original sacrificial place was here.”
“Is this really the earliest sacrificial place of Penrose?”
Alice repeated incredulously. She originally thought these special statements were just gimmicks by the old village chief to encourage her to invest.
“There should be nothing wrong.” Cecilian said, “I can see the temporary traces left by the gods on these stones, and the time is roughly right.”
“I thought you knew it a long time ago.”
“Who cares if other gods besides himself are carrying out their own business?” If Cecilian has a body that can be seen, he must be spreading his hands at this time. “Even if I am a god, I don’t I will keep everything that has happened in this world in my memory. I just know the essence of things better than you humans or other gods.”
As he said, he continued to observe the stone bricks and altars on the sacrificial field.
“It’s really interesting to see the ancient ruins left by other gods. The early ruins of some gods are very different from the sacrificial places that their followers built for them in the later period. It’s not that I’ve changed people. But Penrose has always been close to nature, and his style of the sacrificial hall probably hasn’t changed significantly over the years. Although this sacrificial hall is badly damaged, its original strength is very strong. Some water may be able to summon Penrose directly.”
“Summon Penrose himself?”
“This is his first sacrificial place, and he definitely likes to come here.” Cecilian said. Double. What’s more, he built this place very beautifully, he must like it very much. But for me, the smell of Penrose is a bit too strong, it’s really not a place suitable for long stay.”
For Cecilian, this last sentence is probably the equivalent of saying goodbye. After he finished speaking, he disappeared and stopped making comments. And Alice felt that the outdoor air was pleasant at this moment, and she still wanted to stay for a while.
The sun gradually rose to the highest point, and the shining of the sun turned the runes made of water on the sacrificial grounds into gold, which looked extraordinarily beautiful. Alice looked a little fascinated, and did not sense that the aura of the gods had enveloped her surroundings.
At this moment, a voice came from the wilderness from all directions:
“Who are you?”
This voice was very different from that of Cecilian, and Alice raised her head and looked around blankly.
“Who are you?” she asked. “Should you take the lead in reporting your identity before asking someone else’s name, so that it would be more polite?”
“I am Penrose, the master of the wilderness and the flocks you call the Faun.” The voice continued, “No other god’s believer has ever stepped on my sacrificial ground. Who are you? Why? Will it appear here?”