The new magistrate's appearance resembles an exaggerated opera-house grimace. His scalp was smooth but uneven, and his chin was covered with stiff whiskers, like a raw potato that had not been peeled cleanly. His eyes were like two wounds, and sweat dripped from his brow bone and slid smoothly to the wings of his nose. The cool breeze at night and the lights in front of the manor made his head feel like a cloud of mist, and his nose was like a thick root sprout growing out of this damp place.
Before he handed over the invitation, the guards had already raised their spears. Even when presented with proof they stared at him suspiciously. The sheriff remained calm and took off the iron sword from his waist and handed it to a knight. The latter took two steps back because the old leather armor on his body looked quite clean, but when he got closer and smelled it, one couldn't help but suspect that it had been ripped off directly from a drunken mercenary in the bar.
But his size belied any lack of neat attire. Witek Shazo only stood in front of the door, and no servants could find a gap to squeeze through him.
"That's him." Hobson said nonsense.
Gunther doesn't keep his eyes on him and warns punters not to pay attention for long. "Some people are very sensitive to the gaze," he said, "especially in the patrol profession. I'm sure a third of the people who died at his hands were like that."
"Sounds like magic."
I don't know about cryptids, I speak from experience. "You still have a lot to learn." He finally felt that he was somewhat useful. "Let's go to the main hall."
…
The midday sun was as hot as the porcelain basin of boiling soup in front of me. As soon as Uriel sat down in the chair, Gissing brought him the transcript of the astrology class.
"It's unbelievable, you passed." Dua was almost more excited than himself. "Mr. Oswide urges you to finish learning the magic text as soon as possible, and said that all the questions you answered are correct."
This is not surprising, because the questions I did not answer were all wrong. "I can't understand those questions." Uriel was also surprised. "Answer the questions also in Common Language." Thanks to the fact that the details of the inner and outer worlds are not so different, otherwise he would have to learn Eastman and Biniyao Common Language all over again. That's the real nightmare. When the apprentice thought of this, he felt even more gloomy.
"Are you dissatisfied?" Ji Xing looked at his face.
"I failed my training session test," he replied. After all, astrology is an elective course. If you pass it, it’s good. If you don’t, you can switch to another course. However, Joey's training course was different. It was a required course for him to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"This is just a test, not a major graduation exam." Jising comforted, "You have only been in Croita for half a month."
"He said he would consider changing my course." Uriel noticed the tremor in his voice. "He" naturally refers to Joey.
"Didn't you discuss it with him?"
Of course... I didn't go. Uriel put his hands in his hair and said vaguely: "He will definitely agree...Obviously...He has always been very tolerant to me, because others did not even give him a chance to show tolerance. But this matter, It's my fault, Gissing, you know I've done more than this. He's not obligated to deal with my troubles all the time, is he? Who's to say I can adapt to the pace of his classes? Hell... I'm so I don’t have the guts to face him again.”
"To be honest, I don't quite understand."
Of course you don't understand that Mr. Oswald is the kind of astrology instructor who is strict, knowledgeable and experienced in teaching. He has the authority to deal with apprentices and the skills to instill various knowledge and theories. Uriel met Joey in Mr. Eze's bar. At that time, they were two parallel lines. Only when the war broke out and his lover left did Joey pull him out of despair. To Uriel, the messenger was not only a boss and superior whom he could talk to because of Cloud Train, but also a close friend who built a spiritual beacon for him.
Uriel simply couldn't imagine that he would be fired by Joey. It felt like three years ago when he had been forced to leave the monastery and stood bewildered on the streets of Sombigrad. Sister Mary, who had taken care of him, did not show up, and Father Hilde closed the heavy mahogany door. Since then, he has started to make a living on his own in Yotsuba City. Did Gaia know that he would survive and ride a phantom train to the world where He watched?
"It doesn't matter. I knew I couldn't explain it to you." He ended the conversation by prevaricating.
"You have to go on." Gissing asked him to continue. "We have only known each other for less than half a month, so logically the topic should end here. But I am happy to hear your thoughts. It is different from what I know. Are you afraid of bringing trouble to your mentor?"
"This is the most basic." I am more afraid of causing trouble to my friends. Uriel took these words to heart.
Gissing Duval saw through his ploy. "Do you consider me a friend?"
"Of course." The apprentice misunderstood what he meant, "It's not that I don't trust you——"
"I'm honored." Jixin waved his hand to calm him down, "But Minnie and I also teach you to know the magic text. Do you feel that you are a head short in front of us?"
"……Won't."
"Then why do you feel so when you face Mr. Bai Zhishi?"
Uriel was startled.
"It can be seen that you come from a mortal kingdom. There are definitely not many mystics there, at least not as many as the towers... You don't understand what the sky means to the mysterious creatures, Uriel, but you are good at observing other people's Attitude." At this time, Jixin raised his eyebrows at him, as if to show friendliness. "This may have something to do with your origin. When I confessed my love to Minnie, she also showed fear for a while."
He paused, "I understand her uneasiness. Sometimes, people's consideration of one thing will be affected by many factors. But I think except for one's own wishes, all other problems have a solution. Are you willing? Become the apprentice of His Excellency Bai Zhishi?"
"Without a doubt."
"Do you think he will think that you are causing him trouble, or that he is willing to help you become a real mysterious creature?"
"I...I don't know."
"I don't know either. So why don't you ask him?"
Uriel opened his mouth and suddenly realized that he had nothing to say. He picked up the test results from the astrology class and found that there were comments written by Mr. Oswald in magic script on him:
"After completing the basic knowledge, you will be allowed to enter the astronomy room for further study. The suggested topics are related to natural astrology, research on the Harp Plaman phenomenon, and discussion on the reverse Chaldean order." He skipped a string of incomprehensible professional terms in the middle and looked directly to the back. "I have applied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' mentor "The White Envoy" and the Director of the Affairs Department "Storm Songer" Aironi Sainsbury. 』
"What's going on?" Uriel muttered to himself, as confused as if he saw the moon suddenly rising during the day. "What do you mean Mr. Sidney?"
He finally understood why Joey suddenly came to him and asked for a test. It turned out that it was Mr. Oswald who applied to the messenger. Uriel felt that he had grasped Bai Zhizhi's mood at that time. Could it be that we are not sure whether the path I chose is correct? As long as I promise Joey that I will adjust my mentality in the future...but can I really do it? Will he believe that I can perform better in training classes than in astrology classes?
"The mentor said you are talented in astrology." Gissing told him softly, "He values you very much."
A heavy emotion settled in his heart. Uriel put down the brittle paper, doubting that he would crump it beyond recognition in the next second. My dark world needs the sun, he thought, although moonlight can also show the way. He had to admit, he liked astrology... and his job at the Foreign Office. Dear Gaia, what exactly do you want me to do?
"Let me calm down, how about it?" Uriel was not in the mood to wait for the hot soup to cool down. He felt that before then he would be burned to ashes by the fire in his heart. Fear and guilt drove him to flee the scene. "I'm going back to Brumnot first. Thank you, Gissing." There is a church of the goddess Gaia there, and perhaps a considerate priest. I have never worshiped the goddess since I left Yotsuba Castle.
"I didn't do anything." Gissing said truthfully, "At least your condition has not improved because of my comfort. The astrology class is suspended tonight, and Mr. Oswide suggested that we go to the library to study. Of course, you It’s okay not to go. Xiao and Wilhelmina often don’t go.”
Uriel nodded at him, indicating that he understood. He left the tower as if he was running away, and heard the sound of the apprentices' spoons and laughing conversations in his ears. Members of the equipment department pushed carts in front of them, and the rolling wheels of the machinery rolling against the ground could be clearly heard. He met no acquaintances along the way. There was silence in the training ground near the passage. One or two angry curses came from behind the outermost maintenance department, accompanied by crisp and sometimes heavy knocks and exploding sparks.
The temperature in Far Light Harbor is moderate. Uriel walked out of the shuttle station in the Star Gap, and the sea of clouds and purple forests sparkled in the sun. Instead of going back to the red-roofed hut on the mountain, he went straight to the church. As we passed the creek, the water wet our boots. Only these days did he learn that the river was called the Night Whispering River, and Chloe's Sky Realm Ring was named after it.
The reliefs of the church come into view. The door was open, and he found that there was no one inside, but there were quite a few people watching. The patrolling knights of the Public Security Bureau pulled up strange warning tapes, and the air was filled with an aura of terror.
"What happened?" Uriel asked.
"There's a body in there," a man in a chef's hat answered. "He was from the Whistle Gang. His hands and feet were cut off, and his neck was hung on a beam. It is said that his face was facing the statue of the goddess, and blood was flowing all over the floor."
The bloody church. Uriel felt sick to his stomach. But this was not a physical discomfort. He had seen a lot of dead people and chopped down a lot of them. He felt uncomfortable that the holy place in his heart was soaked with the blood of some innocent person. The murderer was insulting the Church of Gaia.
However, someone soon corrected the mistake: "The blood everywhere is your cook, idiot. The blood of the deceased was drained before hanging. Do you want to know how he died, big man? If you want to know, let me know. open."
()
