A man stepped out from behind the bookshelf. He was very young, probably in his twenties, dressed in a black suit, carrying a cane, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and his hair was meticulously groomed.
This appearance was reminiscent of the nobility in England's high society. He was not holding the cane due to any inconvenience in his legs, but as a demonstration of status and etiquette, much like the nobles of ancient Huaxia who carried swords as a symbol of identity.
"Who are you?" Lin Tian looked at the man who emerged and asked.
"I am Clark. I noticed the two of you seemed troubled, as if encountering a difficult problem, so I came to ask if I could be of assistance." The man introduced himself as Clark and spoke with elegance and gentlemanly manner.
Lin Tian glanced at Xiao Manxue, then nodded and said, "Indeed, we are collecting information for a magazine, but the records of Sorlin Castle from sixty years ago seem to be missing. Also, this town used to have the position of a Holy Daughter, why does it no longer exist?"
Clark gave a meaningful smile and then said, "Speaking of the Holy Daughter, it is a tale from long, long ago. It is said that the first Holy Daughter emerged hundreds of years ago. One year, Sorlin Castle was struck by a natural disaster; although it was harvest season, almost nothing was reaped."
"At that time, Sorlin Castle was still a noble's fief. A poor harvest meant reduced income for the nobility. People back then did not understand the seasons and simply thought the gods were punishing them. So whether to atone or to ensure a good harvest the following year, the noble decided to offer sacrifices to the gods."
"The sacrifice required someone to communicate with the gods, thus the Holy Daughter came to be. She had to be a pure virgin, and the first Holy Daughter was selected from among the inhabitants of the fief by the nobility."
"After the Holy Daughter was chosen, the entire town held a grand sacrificial ceremony. Perhaps the gods truly showed mercy, as following the ceremony, the natural disaster gradually subsided, and the town's remaining crops were saved."
"Interestingly, ever since Sorlin Castle had a Holy Daughter, such severe disasters never occurred again. Even if natural disasters happened, they would never lead to complete crop failure; some harvest was always left to help Sorlin Castle through the harsh years."
"The Holy Daughter became more important. Initially, the Holy Daughters were selected by the nobility from among the people of the fief to undertake the sacrificial duties. Later, though the nobility disappeared, the tradition of selecting a Holy Daughter carried on, and every few years, the town would vote to choose one."
"This tradition of choosing a Holy Daughter has been passed down through generations. Even as people grew more knowledgeable and open-minded, selecting the Holy Daughter remained the most solemn and sacred event in Sorlin Castle."
Clark recounted the origins of selecting the Holy Daughter in Sorlin Castle with a calm tone. However, when he said the last sentence, his eyes flickered slightly, though no one knew what was on his mind.
Lin Tian's eyes glimmered slightly, and he responded, "To be precise, the selection of the Holy Daughter continued until sixty years ago. Since then, no Holy Daughter has been born. What happened sixty years ago to cause such an important event in Sorlin Castle to disappear?"
"Hehe..." Clark chuckled softly and said, "If you two wish to know what happened sixty years ago, you can visit the ancient castle in town. Perhaps you will find the answer there."
"Are you...the new owner of the castle?" Xiao Manxue suddenly asked.
Clark turned, glanced at Xiao Manxue, and smiled slightly, "This lady is indeed clever; you guessed correctly. I just bought the castle recently. If you two are free, you can come to the castle for the Lavender Festival tomorrow and witness a grand ceremonial festival."
"I still have matters to attend to at home, so please take your time. I must excuse myself now." Clark bowed slightly, politely spoke, and then turned to leave the third floor of the library.
"Lin Tian, did you notice anything odd about that person?" After Clark left, Xiao Manxue asked.
Lin Tian shook his head, frowning, "I couldn't tell. What's off is his style; carrying a cane like that is a behavior of medieval nobility. Nowadays, even nobility doesn't do that anymore."
"I felt it too. This person is peculiar, but it's unclear exactly why. However, I noticed a detail in the documents; Sorlin Castle's Holy Daughters were not for life, generally serving three to five years. Interestingly, they were allowed to marry and have children after their term. However, Clark was right; during her term, the Holy Daughter had to remain pure, with no personal relationships whatsoever." Xiao Manxue remarked curiously.
"Truly a strange religious position," Lin Tian shook his head, unable to comprehend it fully since Huaxia has no such religious post. He could only say, "It seems there was nothing of note tonight; let's head back."
"Alright, let's go back. I am also worried that if we're gone too long, Zhu Li might not be able to manage Jin Lisi. If he stirs up the team to act without permission, it could lead to trouble." Xiao Manxue nodded, placed the book back on the shelf, and left the third floor with Lin Tian.
Upon reaching the first floor, the librarian looked up and cheerfully asked, "Did you find the information you were looking for?"
"Somewhat. I have a question for you, sir. Is the owner of the town's ancient castle named Clark?" Lin Tian politely inquired.
"That's right, his name is Clark. I just saw him leave earlier. I heard the previous owner of the castle seldom stayed there, so they sold it to Clark," the librarian responded.
"Oh, Clark is an outsider. How do you find the new owner of the castle?" Lin Tian asked further.
The librarian laughed, saying happily, "The castle is a symbol of our town. We were worried that the new owner might be eccentric, which would be bad for us since the largest lavender is planted on the castle grounds. If the new owner didn't allow us to hold the Lavender Festival there, that would be a problem."
"However, those fears were unfounded. Mr. Clark is very kind and extremely amiable. He even greeted me on his way out," the librarian commented with ease.
Just because he greeted you, you think he's a good person, Lin Tian thought amusingly but didn't voice it out. After expressing his thanks, he and Miss left the library.
The return path was still quiet, and nothing happened along the way, so Lin Tian and Xiao Manxue smoothly returned to Fengye Inn.
As Lin Tian raised his hand to knock on the door, it opened by itself to reveal Granny Mary standing there with a face full of wrinkles.
"Granny Mary, are you heading out?" Xiao Manxue asked curiously.
"Where could an old lady like me go at this hour? I was just waiting for you to return. Seeing you safe makes me feel at ease. Alas, the town has been a bit unsafe at night recently," Granny Mary sighed.
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