Chapter 4 Picnic Marigold Girl Outside the Window
The picnic basket contained cold food.
Sewell took out of the basket a large loaf of bread, half a ham, a smoked chicken breast, a jar of pickled olives, half a jar of pickles, cold ox tongue and beef jelly, and finally a bottle of cider.
When all was laid out, he stood at the table and cut the bread for Darien and Avery with great grace.
A simple meal that requires minimal assembly and is ready to eat.
Darien was feeling a bit hungry, but the bread wasn't yet spread with butter, so he sipped his cider to soothe his restless stomach.
Drinking a little low-alcohol wine before the meal is good for the appetite, and the apple cider, which is similar to the sweet and sour apple juice, helps him open his taste buds well.
A slice of bread with a wheaty aroma was placed on the plate, and then a thin layer of salty cheese sauce was spread on it. Thin cucumber slices were carefully arranged into the shape of blooming petals, and light pink ham slices as thin as crepes were layered on top, and then smoked chicken breast slices were placed on top...
"Please enjoy your meal, dear master." Sewell finally placed the slices of bread stacked like a work of art in front of Darien.
"Thank you," Darien said.
Avery, the guest, received the same bread slices, and Sewell added a few pickled olives and cold beef tongue to their plates, and finally put a large piece of beef jelly on the plates.
Darien was so focused on the food that he didn't feel like talking. Commanding a large group of skeleton soldiers took a lot of his energy and made him feel much hungrier than usual.
The bread spread with milky salty sauce is very soft, the smoked chicken blooms with a bit of oily smoky pine flavor on the taste buds, the ham slices are a bit salty, but the sour and sweet pickled cucumber slices make up for it well.
Aside from being left feeling hungry, there's nothing wrong with this stuffed slice of bread.
Darien then ate the cold ox tongue and beef jelly on his plate. There was no extra sauce in the picnic basket, so he could only taste the flavor of these two foods on their own.
The cold beef tongue is cooked with spices. The tender beef tongue has the flavor of thyme and bay leaves, as well as the aroma of pepper, salt and garlic. After chewing it for a few times, you can taste a subtle sweetness.
The beef jelly is full of beef flavor, and the soft beef fibers are wrapped in the salty gelatin, which can be easily crushed on the tip of the tongue.
Darien was finally full. Sewell quickly understood his appetite after a short period of observation. This simple meal could last until afternoon tea time.
Sewell was cutting himself a second slice of bread and building a tower on top of it with olives and ox tongue.
Avery, this special guest, was a dead soul, so he actually didn't feel hungry or full. He just ate a little symbolically, and then his gaze returned to the rocky beach.
The simple lunch was soon over. Sewell stuffed the remaining bottles and cans of food back into the picnic basket one by one, along with the used cutlery, the folded tablecloth, and the folded dining table and chairs.
"Mr. Avery?" After finishing his work, Sewell found that the undead guest was staring at him and the picnic basket.
"Ah, I'm here. This basket is amazing, it feels like it can fit everything in it," Avery said, coming back to reality.
"It's a magic basket," Darien said. "There's a magic circle at the bottom that connects to the kitchen, and everything can be connected to the other side."
Seville's calmness came from the great help of the Fitch couple on the other side. God knows that this mouse couple jumped up and down in every corner of the kitchen for this lunch.
Avery suddenly understood, but he still had doubts about the dining table and chairs that could be compressed into thin paper. However, Darien had already walked away, so he had no choice but to stop asking.
The place for lunch was only a small area on the rocky beach. During the short lunch time, the skeletons worked diligently to dig out more companions and formed a skeleton army on the rocky beach.
It is worth noting that these skeletons have more or less broken bones and limbs, and the cloth has been weathered and corroded by the soil, but there are still rusty pieces of armor and fragments of weapons such as arrows and spears left in the pit.
"There may have been a fierce battle nearby." Darien said, "Sevier, open the map and see where we are."
Sewell opened the parchment, and the ink on it spread like ants to draw a new map. A bright owl mark on the map represented their location.
"We are at this coordinate, right in the middle of the Merry Mountains. The forest on the left is called Wester Forest." He handed the map to Darien.
"We can go back and ask Pluto if there are any books recording what happened in this mountain range. There may have been a war here," said Darien.
"They'll be able to go home soon, right?" Avery looked a little happy.
"I hope so," Darien said.
This rocky beach that buried countless skeletons was turned over, and all the soul fire was integrated into his own remains.
But there was still a body missing, no part belonging to Avery, his soul seemed to be abandoned here alone.
Darien looked at Avery and decided to think about this problem later and take these skeletons away first.
He took out a small toy box, knocked it twice and opened it. The skeleton soldiers jumped into the small box in a pile and turned into miniature skeleton soldiers when they fell into it.
After the last skeleton jumps in, close the toy box and they go back to the store.
Avery was the last one to get through the rickety carriage door. Before leaving, he took one last, deep look, but unfortunately, he still couldn't remember anything.
Receiving special guests is not as easy as dealing with ordinary guests. A business deal usually takes weeks or even months, and some even take several years.
After settling Avery into the guest room, Darien and Sewell went to the study to deal with the little skeletons in the toy box.
"Pluto, look at this location on the map. Has anything happened in this mountain range and the nearby tributaries?" Darien handed the map to the open pages of the magic book.
Pluto scratched his title page with his tassel, then flipped through the pages rapidly, and countless words were rearranged and recombined, finally stopping at a blank space.
"There's a blank in the annals of history," Sewell said.
"Things are a little more complicated than I thought. Let's let these souls recover temporarily and see what they have to say. Seville, bring the resurrection potion." Darien said with a frown.
Sewell found a bottle of crimson potion from the back shelf and also brought a dropper.
The red liquid was carefully dripped onto the top of the little skeleton's head. After it completely penetrated, a thin soul floated out.
"What's your name?" Darien asked the simplest question casually.
The soul was very dull, as if it couldn't hear his voice at all. It didn't last more than two seconds before it shrank back into the skull.
Pluto's tassel grabbed a quill and quickly recorded the face of the soul. As long as it was not used to keep accounts, it would become extremely useful.
After a bottle of resurrection potion was used up, the hundreds of souls could only piece together three sentences, namely "Celia deceived us", "Kalan", and "There is no snow in Saint Cyr's winter".
It is not surprising for a soul that has lost its self-consciousness to say anything. These few words are extremely valuable and may help them find out the origins of these skeletons.
Pluto flipped the pages of his book again, and apart from the fact that "Kalan" had multiple different interpretations that could be ignored, "Celia" and "Saint Cyr" were turned out.
The name Celia belongs to the nobility, so it is easier to screen.
There are three recorded Siljas. One was the last monarch of the Iris Dynasty that collapsed 252 years ago. One was the illegitimate son of King Turin who died of fever at the age of 4. The last one was the most notorious Count Scorpion of the Rose Dynasty 171 years ago.
Saint Cyr is the name of a sacred relic, and it is not yet possible to connect it with the known information.
"Let's end it here today. I'm tired, Seville." Darien put down the book in his hand, closed his eyes, and a pair of dry hands pressed on his temples.
"Yes, my dear master." Sewell gently rubbed Darien's temples, making his expression gradually relax.
They didn't see Avery again until dinner time.
The rooms in the tower are very special. Looking out of the windows, you can see the scene you want to see most.
Avery sat by the window and saw a girl and her little white horse.
"The girl had dazzling blonde hair and a face as beautiful as a pure apple blossom. She was very gentle with her horse... It seemed very familiar to me, but I couldn't place it in my head," Avery said.
He tried to open the window, but when the window of the tower was opened, the wind from the wasteland blew in with the breath of the wilderness, and the girl and her horse disappeared without a trace.
"After dinner, you can take us to your room and take a look. Perhaps we can find something," Darien said. "We have a few words from your companions. If you listen to them, it may bring back memories for you."
"Celia deceived us."
"Kalan."
“There’s no snow in Saint-Cyr in the winter.”
Avery listened carefully, then shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, but I can't remember anything."
Darien spooned over the pea soup in front of him and said, "That's okay. Do you like hummus? Maybe a little will help."
Avery got a bowl of hummus from Sewell. It tasted salty, spicy and slightly sour. He ate it with refreshing celery and carrot sticks. As he ate it with the crisp sound of the hummus, his mood really improved.
After dinner, they gathered in Avery's room.
It was completely dark. There were no other buildings in the wasteland except the tall tower, not even any tall trees. There were only some low shrubs and weeds crawling on the ground.
That is why you can see the unobstructed starry sky through the open window.
"How about trying again now?" Darien instructed Mr. Crow to close the leaky window.
"I'll try." Avery took a deep breath and thought of the girl in his mind.
The dim night sky, originally dotted with only a few stars, suddenly slipped away, and bright light passed through the window glass, filling most of the room in a short breath.
It was a sunny day outside the window. A blonde girl and her pony with snow-white mane were walking in the small garden.
There is an apple tree in the garden.
The girl was passing by with her pony, and a ripe red apple hit the pony's head with a thud.
"Pfft." Avery couldn't help but laugh.
"Did you remember anything?" Darien asked.
"No, I just suddenly felt like laughing." Avery restrained his smile.
"She was wearing a Norlin dress," Sewell said, "and the hem of the dress had marigolds in bloom. Her bracelets seemed to match the dress, and they were in the shape of marigolds with pigeon-blood crimson stamens."
"Mr. Sewell has a really good eye." Avery couldn't help but sigh.
"Of course." Darien was proud inside but never showed it on his face. "As my assistant, you must have extraordinary abilities."
"Thanks to the master's careful training." Seville smiled and flattered skillfully.
Darien's pony was photographed looking relaxed.
In just a few words, the girl outside the window kicked the apple away, reached out and rubbed the sad pony's head, then turned her head and looked in their direction.
Then she walked straight over.
The hem of her marigold skirt swept across the grass, and the girl's steps, as light as a pony's, quickly brought her to the window.
Knock knock.
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