Chapter 242

Raindrops hit the colored glass of the small church. In the pattering rain, the two people with an age gap of half a century continued their conversation.

Xia De considered the direction of the topic and said again:

"Speaking of which, I am very curious, why Mr. Watson was not buried with other people of the Watson family, but by you..."

Xia De paused just right.

"Back then he wanted to marry me, but was opposed by the whole family. When we got married, the old Earl of Watson said that after my husband died, don't even think about entering the Watson family's cemetery. That summer, the weather was as hot as this year. He was the Earl's son, and I was just a girl from the slums of Tobesk. So many years have passed..."

The old woman's eyes widened, and her eye sockets were a little moist. The ghost Mr. Watson had no expression on his face. Xia De didn't know whether it was the emotional deficiency caused by the lack of soul, or deliberately not showing it.

That love story from nearly half a century ago, the story between young men and women, was probably even more thrilling than the murder case that followed. But no matter what, no matter how sweet the love is, it will eventually deteriorate over time. Perhaps some people can maintain love, but the old man in front of him failed to do so.

There are really too many stories in the strange world. Everything seen this afternoon is just a glimpse of the world for the outsider Xia De. He cannot witness all the stories, nor can he evaluate this love. This is someone else's story.

"Do you dream of him?"

The outsider asked softly. The old man who was immersed in memories and past events nodded gently:

"Countless times dreaming of him, dreaming of us meeting on the street in summer, dreaming of that decent wedding, dreaming of him taking his savings and working hard with me to start a factory, dreaming of... that rainy night."

Xia De, the ghost Mr. Mason, and the ghost Mr. Watson all looked at the old man. She stopped talking, so the two ghosts looked at Xia De again. Xia De said softly:

"Sorry, that rainy night?"

His voice was really light, slightly tilting his head to show that he was listening carefully. His eyes looked at the old woman's turbid eyes. He believed that Mrs. Watson could see her own old face in his eyes. (Note)

This is actually a hypnosis technique. When Xia De got Dr. Schneider's notebook for the first time, he saw similar content. The doctor seemed to be very good at this.

The mental power of the Ringed Ringed Shushi is extremely powerful. Although Xia De is only a first ring, the so-called hypnosis is more like mental induction. But now he is talking to an old and frail elderly person with great emotional ups and downs, so this speaking technique is very useful.

"Yeah, that rainy night, those wines, that quarrel..."

She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

Although there was no mention of that murder, this was enough to prove that she actually hadn't forgotten what happened that night.

Even Xia De, who was an outsider, felt melancholy about this love-hate relationship that spanned more than thirty years. So he turned to look at the two ghosts. The ghost Mr. Mason closed his eyes like his sister and shook his head constantly. The ghost Mr. Watson looked at the wife who killed him, with a gentle smile on his face:

"More than thirty years, she kept this matter in her heart, and has always lived in that house, it must have been very sad. She is also old, knowing that she won't live for a few more years, so she finally was able to get me out from behind the wall in the basement. I am liberated, this is also a kind of liberation for her."

Mrs. Watson couldn't hear this sentence, only the outsider Xia De could hear it.

But in Xia De's view, none of the three people could be liberated. Mr. Watson was killed for having an affair during marriage, Mrs. Watson watched her younger brother go to prison and kept the secret for thirty years, and Mr. Mason was the most innocent, and probably couldn't accept the truth the most.

Thinking of this, Xia De glanced at the church they were in. If Mr. Mason dared to turn into an evil spirit here because of too much emotional fluctuation, he wouldn't even need Xia De to take action, it would naturally learn what the power of the Orthodox God is.

But fortunately, this soul who loved the old man in front of him deeply didn't change in the end. It opened its eyes to look at its sister, stared for a few seconds, shook its head, and turned to walk towards the church door.

Xia De sighed and stood up too:

"Then I will leave for now, Mrs. Watson, I don't remember anything from this conversation."

The old woman who closed her eyes and shed tears didn't pay attention to him. Xia De didn't look at her again either, but put his hands in his pockets, and walked into the rain of the cemetery with Mr. Watson's ghost, catching up with Mr. Mason's ghost.

Mrs. Watson's servant also prepared an umbrella for Xia De, and asked him if he wanted to go back to the city with them. But Xia De refused the kindness, held the umbrella, and walked into the rain of the cemetery with the two ghosts.

The winding stone road lay between the graves on the ground like a flowing stream. The ghosts of Mr. Watson and Mr. Mason became paler and paler, and they were about to leave.

"What are your thoughts now?"

Xia De asked curiously. For him, this was just someone else's story, but for the two ghosts, this was their life.

Walking along the stone road towards the No. 3 park, the weather was rainy, the cemetery was empty and no one was there, but Xia De really liked the sound of the rain.

"She loved me all her life, I think, even now, she still loves me. I don't care that she killed me. Killing me is actually a hurt to her. I hurt her for a lifetime, really a lifetime."

"When I was alive, I also thought about whether Greta sister really forgot about that night, whether she really watched me go to prison for her. Knowing the answer after death, I regret appearing here today. If I hadn't appeared, how good would that be."

Clearly three people were walking together, but only Xia De's footsteps appeared, and only Xia De's shadow swayed on the ground. Raindrops hit the umbrella surface, making the leaves on the big tree on the side sway. Turning left on the small road in front, the gravedigger and his apprentice ran over in a hurry, and after greeting Xia De, they ran towards the church direction again.

"Are you leaving?"

Xia De stopped and looked at them, asking in the rain. He just witnessed this story. Although melancholy, he would not evaluate right or wrong.

"Yes, that's it."

Mr. Watson said. The three of them stood on the small road in the grave cluster and looked at the rain in the cemetery together. After a while, Mr. Mason asked softly:

"Sir, thank you for everything you have done for us. Please allow me to greedily make one last request—I want to play a game of Luo De cards with him."

It seemed that after the conversation between Xia De and old Mrs. Watson, the two souls became more vivid. Mr. Watson looked at his companion in surprise. Xia De frowned and asked:

"Why?"

"Our whole lives, we loved a woman deeply, and because of this woman, we gathered here after death. But I think this should already be the end of the story. When we were young, we often played cards together. At this end, I want to use the last game as the end of the story."

Mr. Mason said. Mr. Watson didn't speak either, and looked at Xia De with him.

Xia De thought for a while and nodded:

"Okay, I only have one deck of cards, and there are six cards with special rules in the deck. I will draw cards for you, and I will witness for you. One game decides the outcome."

"Thank you, sir."

So they left the cemetery path together and came under the big tree with lush branches and leaves. There was an area on the ground here that was still dry.

Xia De took out his Luo De cards, replaced 【Kasenrik Folklore · Moon Dance Festival】 into the deck, and the ghosts of Mr. Mason and Mr. Watson stood on both sides of Xia De.

The rain was pattering. Xia De temporarily put the umbrella on the ground, holding the deck in one hand, and drawing the first card with the other hand to show Mr. Mason, and then drawing the second card to show Mr. Watson.

"Continue."

"Me too."

They said.

Each person's second card is a face-up card. Mr. Mason has Moon 7, and Mr. Watson has Flower 12.

"Continue."

Mr. Mason said, while Mr. Watson considered it:

"I continue too."

The third card is still a face-up card. Mr. Mason is Sun 10, which is 【Original Steam Engine · Mark 9】, but failed to trigger the special rule that all cards held are Sun suit.

The card Mr. Watson saw was Moon 5:

"I lost, 24 points."

He looked at the card face in Xia De's hand and shook his head regretfully in the sound of rain.

But Mr. Mason also shook his head:

"Sir, continue to deal cards to me."

"Your points are 18, you have already won."

Xia De reminded, but Mr. Mason continued to shake his head, the ghost's face was gloomy:

"At that time, for the ending I thought was best, I voluntarily gave up my original life. Now the story has really reached the end, I want to know, if I hadn't given up at that time, what would happen."

The ghost of Mr. Watson who busted didn't speak. Xia De shook his head and drew the next card, 【Kasenrik Southern Folklore · Moon Dance Festival】, suit Sun 4.

18+4=22 points. Glancing at the card at the bottom of the deck, it was not the Moon suit. Therefore, because the Moon suit in Mr. Mason's cards only had Moon 7, it did not exceed 7 points. According to the special rule, his total points were adjusted to 1.

Mr. Mason won, although he had already won.

"Have you ever regretted it"

Looking at the Moon Dance Festival that originally belonged to him in Xia De's hand, the ghost of Mr. Watson asked his companion inquiringly.

Mr. Mason shook his head gently and looked at Mr. Watson:

"I think, it doesn't matter anymore."

The bodies of the ghosts lost color rapidly, and the cold feeling coming from them was also dissipating.

Under this big tree, in this rain, they waved to Xia De together:

"Thank you, Mr. Hamilton, I wish you a safe life."

"Thank you, thank you for everything in the end, I wish you can always draw the cards you want."

Xia De blinked, and they disappeared quietly.

The wind was still blowing, and the rain was still falling. Xia De held the cards in his hand and looked at the rain in the cemetery quietly. For a long time, he didn't speak:

"This story... tell Miss Louisa and let her judge."

【Maybe you should look down.】

So he looked down at the deck. The 【Kasenrik Folklore · Moon Dance Festival】 card emitted a faint white light, and then gradually fell silent.

"What is this?"

【You can understand it as a gift from the two ghosts to you. Because they are too weak, it is useless. When you add this card to the deck, as long as you want, you can draw this card from the top at any time, limited to this card. The duration is probably only one year, after all, they are too weak.】

Xia De looked at the cards in his hand blankly:

"Not a Ringed Ringed Shushi, they also have special powers?"

【The soul staying in the world after death must have special reasons. As for power, didn't you say it yourself? This is a mortal's idea, a world that can influence reality.】

Xia De didn't know what to say, stood under the tree and shuffled the cards with both hands, raised his head and looked at the rain that didn't seem to intend to stop. After a while, he stopped shuffling, held the deck in his right hand, and placed his left hand on the first card:

"I want Moon Dance Festival."

He strengthened this wish in his heart, and then flipped the first card—

At the top of the card face were three full moons. On the grass under the moon, people were making various strange movements around the bonfire.

【Kasenrik Southern Folklore · Moon Dance Festival】, suit Sun 4.

Shaking his head, he put the cards back into his pocket, bent down to pick up the umbrella, and returned to the small road.

He didn't look back, his back getting further and further away in the rain.

In this world, Xia De hasn't encountered anything that would make him regret before death like those two ghosts. Similarly, he doesn't hope there will be any in the future. He is destined to go to the ruins tomorrow night, and he doesn't want to regret his retreat after death.

"Someone else's story is over."

【Outsider, your story is still very long.】

The pattering rain fell from the sky, landing on the leaves, splashing onto the green grass on the ground, and then sliding along the leaves to the land. In the distance, Xia De's figure was blurred until it disappeared completely.