Annihilated Lilith

Chapter 3 3. Iris

The man sat cross-legged on the ground by the fountain and set up a stall. His gray hair was long but sparse.He was wearing a gray robe, torn and torn, dirty in many places, and there was a hole at the elbow.

It stands to reason that stalls are not allowed here, but no one stepped forward to stop him, because the content of his show was related to magic, and no one dared to provoke a warlock.

Right now, he is making flowers out of his sleeves one by one, roses, wind chimes, freesia, eustoma... There are even eucalyptus leaves and baby's breath for matching.He carefully tied the flowers into a bouquet with thin twine, admired it from side to side, and then placed it on the steps of the fountain.Every time a bouquet is placed, wave your finger to draw a stream of water from the fountain pool, break into water mist in the sun, and sprinkle it on the petals.

He concentrated on tying the flowers, moving slowly.Emma was attracted by such a scene, stood by and watched for a while, probably staring at him making three bundles.During this period, no one came forward to buy from him, which made him look less like selling flowers, more like selling art, and it was thankless.

The crow on the steeple of the square called a few times, bringing Emma back to her senses.After thinking about it, she still walked up to the old man.

"Grandpa, how much does this cost for a bunch?"

"A silver coin."

This price is horrifying. Usually, the monthly income of an ordinary family is one gold coin, one gold coin is exchanged for twelve silver coins, and one silver coin is exchanged for thirty tin coins.Now Emma only has money equivalent to ten silver coins in total.

Hearing the offer, Emma smiled awkwardly and shook her head.Sure enough, a down-and-out warlock is still a warlock, and the price is so unfriendly.She turned to leave.

"Don't go, you can pay back the price."

Emma counted three tin coins from her purse, and said, "That's all, just buy one, how about it?"

The old man was taken aback for a moment, then laughed.

"Well, what flower would you like?"

Emma thought for a moment, remembering the wax seal on the interview notice envelope.

"Iris, can I?"

The old man muttered a few words, and took out a graceful iris flower from his sleeve, like a blue butterfly.

"Thank you."

Emma took it over with a smile, and took a closer look. It was so watery, from the petals, calyx, to the innermost handful of pale yellow stamens, everything was so real, it was impossible to imagine that it was created by magic out of thin air.

"You're welcome, I wish you success in school."

The old man blinked.

Emma was taken aback when she heard the words, then smiled and nodded.

This may be a good sign, heralding the acceptance of the wizarding world.Even from such a down and out old warlock.

Emma just took the iris, bypassed the chapel dedicated to the Seven Gods, lingered in the exquisite windows, and turned into the commercial street where the bookstore was located.Compared with the other six streets, this place is a bit deserted, there is only a bakery and a coffee shop painted in yellow that are more lively.

The owner of the bookstore set up a small table at the door and sat by himself with a half cup of iced coffee in front of him.

"Emma? Today is not the day for you to buy books."

Before Emma could say hello, the boss saw her.

"Yeah, I'm going out of town for a while, so I'll buy some books and read them on the way."

"You're a girl, why go far away?" The boss frowned.

"Not only do I want to travel far, but I also want to travel all over the continent in the future." Emma laughed loudly, walked into the bookstore by herself, and picked up new books in the new book section.

……

Holding the twelve books bought with one silver coin, Emma struggled to walk.In the magic that grandma taught her, why isn't there anything that is easy to carry?There is an old book that is a bit moldy, and it was dug out from the innermost cabinet of the bookstore.The books there are collected by the boss from others.

This book is like a novel. The reason why I say "like" is because Emma just flipped through it a little bit, and was attracted by the exquisite illustrations in it, so she bought it.The cover has been carefully mended, and more than once, it seems, the leather has been carefully patched with a paste mixed with egg whites.But the title had worn away so long ago that it was hardly recognizable, except for a speck of gold lacquer.

Since it has been cherished so much, it should be a good book.

After returning to the hostel and putting down the book, Emma yelled out.

I forgot to take the iris flower, and it should have been placed next to the boss's coffee cup before the checkout.

Forget it, it would be too troublesome to go back and get it, so let's give it to the boss.Emma rubbed her sore shoulders, went to find a basin to wash her face, and then went downstairs to eat something.

Just as I was picking up the basin, I turned around and saw the iris lying quietly on the top of the bundle of books.

Is this also the power of magic?

Emma picked up the flowers in a daze, a little overwhelmed.If grandma was here, she might be able to answer for herself.

Looking around, there was no vase in the room.After all, this is just an ordinary hostel, and you don't care whether the room furnishings are exquisite and romantic.So Emma put the flowers by the window, and went downstairs to fetch water.

……

The caravan replied the next day, saying that they would pick up Emma at the hotel in the early morning of the fourth day and set off.It is not known exactly how much was charged for the entourage, as William insisted on paying it.He reassured Emma that it happened that there was a business caravan going in that direction, and it didn't cost much at all.

So Emma packed up her mood, took a good rest for two days, and was ready to start her first long journey.

Naturally, she hadn't read the old book yet, so she chose a new novel and started reading it in the hotel.After one night, the magic of that iris flower seemed to have begun to dissipate, and it lost its initial luster.So Emma simply put it in the old book and put it at the bottom of the pile of books, intending to make it into a dried flower and use it as a bookmark in the future.

Dani took time to visit her in the afternoon for two consecutive days. Before the boat back to the village left the pier, he didn't know what to talk about. Sometimes he said a few words, and sometimes he quietly read a book with her.

……

Finally, it was time for the caravan to set off.

Before Emma boarded the carriage, she looked at the pier outside the city gate.It was so early that the sun hadn't even come out yet, just enough to cast a little orange on the clouds to the east.

Dani probably couldn't make it in time to send himself off.I don't know if he will go to the hotel to try his luck, see if the caravan is delayed, or cancel the trip altogether... He should be very disappointed.

The carriage was a caravan pulled by two horses. In addition to Emma, ​​there were five other people in the car. Two of the women were merchants' wives, cooking and doing laundry with the caravan.There were three other people, two men and one woman, all with swords on their bodies.But Emma knew that they were not the guards of the caravan, because the guards hired with a lot of money were at the head of the distant team, and they rode in another more comfortable carriage with the caravan leader.

I don't know if the guards on this journey are warlocks or demon hunters?Emma was a little curious.But even if he walked over, the carriage was drawn with thick velvet curtains, making it impossible to get a glimpse of it.

Keep away from the city wall, walk out of the low border stone wall, and continue to go north.There is a lake further ahead, the lake is as calm as a mirror, and there are some white spots on the hills next to it, which should be sheep.

There is probably a village nearby. I don't know how my village is now. Is there any trouble for the fat boy herding sheep today?

A little further on, we start to go through a forest where tall beeches weave tightly in the sky, blocking the sun from the road.From the gap between the trees, I can vaguely see a stone castle on the hillside.It is not known whether it was a monastery or a noble residence.

"The castle is abandoned and in ruins."

Sensing Emma's curiosity, a businessman's wife said with a smile.

Emma said with emotion: "Abandoned? Such a big castle, what a pity."

"It's a pity. A long time ago, this castle was attacked by monsters. After that, nobles will no longer live in such a remote place."

(End of this chapter)