"Are you very interested in this?"
Xiao En Asmon smiled.
"Of course. In fact, my reason for coming here was related to this. I'm planning a story about demons, contracts, and love, and the local rumors are quite interesting. I also know a few things. How about we exchange information?"
Shade suggested. He did not know whether Mr. Asmon had learned anything he did not know, but he wanted to remind the man that this place was dangerous and that he had better not investigate carelessly.
"Very well, let's exchange information."
The Demon Scholar lowered his head slightly, but looked upward, staring at Shade past the gas lamp:
"First, I discovered that a thousand years ago, there was once a prosperous ancient kingdom in Randall River Valley known as the 'Stoneville Kingdom.' That kingdom was destroyed because its king made a contract with a Demon."
Though this information was secretive, quite a few folklore scholars could actually uncover it. The fact that Mr. Asmon could bring it up showed that he had indeed begun investigating. Compared to Coldwater Port, Middlesburg, and Huntington, the scholar was much closer to his goal this time.
Shade nodded.
"According to legend, there is an evil entity here represented by the symbol of the 'Petrified Rose.' But no matter how terrifying that entity may be, it still fears the Orthodox Church. Therefore, rumors about that Demon only circulate through the countryside and mountain forests of Randall River Valley. People in the city rarely hear Demon stories and regard them as superstition spread by countrywomen."
Mr. Xiao En Asmon nodded slightly, wrote several lines in his battered notebook, and then continued:
"There are all sorts of strange legends and stories about the fall of the ancient Stoneville Kingdom. I heard a very interesting version locally: to