Legends

The main entrance to the Catacombs is in the Inferno Square near the Intis Observatory. The building that houses the entrance is supported by pillars, and above it is Dome covered with stone reliefs, like a miniature memorial or the above-ground part of a huge Mausoleum.

When Lumian arrived, there were already twenty or thirty people gathered by the descending steps. They were dressed in different clothes, but all were dressed in a relatively formal manner, and there were both men and women.

Standing at the forefront of these people was a man in his thirties wearing a blue vest and yellow trousers. He had slightly curly brown hair, a thick beard, and slightly upturned eyes. He was carrying an unlit, Iron-Black Carbide Lamp.

He spoke loudly to the twenty or thirty people, "I am Kendall, one of the caretakers of the Catacombs, and today I will be leading you on a tour of the ossuaries."

"Has everyone prepared a white Candle? If not, please let me know immediately."

The visitor, Lumian, turned his gaze to the stone steps behind Kendall.

It stretched downwards, disappearing into the deep darkness, with no end in sight.

Not far from Kendall, there is an open, heavy door made of thick wood, half painted with the Sun Sacred Emblem in Golden Paint, and the other half a sturdy triangle filled with symbols of Steam, levers, Gears, and other motifs.

After receiving confirmation, Kendall lit his Carbide Lamp, turned and went down into the ground, followed closely by the tourists, some carrying Hurricane Lantern.

Lumian lagged four or five meters behind them, carrying the Carbide Lamp he had obtained from Lamaye, and slowly made his way down the stone steps.

With his ears that had received both the Transcendental and the Library Ascension, it wasn't difficult for him to clearly hear the introductions given by the Catacombs Administrator Kendall at the front:

"After climbing 138 steps, 26 meters below the streets of Trier, you will see the skeletons of nearly 50 generations of Trier people."

"This is a conservative estimate; in reality, it's far more than 50 generations. The history of some ossuaries in Catacombs can even be traced back to the previous century..."

"Forty-seven years ago, there was no land left in places like the Innocents' Cemetery and the Priests' Cemetery. White bones were scattered everywhere, and the stench made the surrounding residents take to the streets every day to protest, wanting the City Hall to move the Cemetery outside the city..."

"Ultimately, the City Hall chose an underground location. They connected some Fourth Epoch tombs with several nearby underground Quarry, creating a very, very, very large burial site... What you can see today is only a part of it..."

Kendall's voice echoed in the quiet, dark, seemingly endless staircase, instilling in one a sense of dread about tombs and the Underground.

Descending the steps, Lumian finally saw a path separated by Stone Pillars and partition walls.

Unlike other parts of the Underground World, this road had clearly been repaired and was regularly maintained. There were no potholes at all; it was flat and wide, but rather eerie, with gusts of cold wind blowing through it from time to time.

Along this road, there is a gas lamp at intervals, emitting a yellowish glow that creates a continuous interplay of light and darkness that stretches into the distance.

Kendall, wearing a blue vest, once again reminded the visitors:

"You must stay close to me and not act alone!"

"There are too many areas underground that we don't know much about, and once you lose your way, it's very difficult to be found again."

"Even inside the tomb, you mustn't wander aimlessly. Some paths lead to deeper burial grounds where the Evil Spirit of the Fourth Epoch Slumber in darkness. Praise the Sun, praise the light! Only by walking on the routes confirmed by the Priest can you avoid all dangers."

Some visitors spread their arms in praise of the Sun, while others drew triangles on their chests.

After following Kendall and the Catacombs Administrator for nearly two hundred meters, Lumian saw the Catacombs.

There stands a giant stone archway, naturally formed but later modified, with exquisite reliefs on both sides depicting skulls, White Bone arms, Sunflower, Steam symbols, and other motifs.

Above the very top of the lintel are two Inscription in Intis language:

"Stop!

"Ahead lies the Empire of Death!"

The Catacombs Administrator Kendall, turned to the visitors again and said, "You may now turn off the Hurricane Lantern and light the White Candles. Everyone must do this!"

"If you don't want to go into the tomb, you can wander around here, but don't go too far, otherwise you'll easily get lost, and that will be troublesome."

"Once inside the tomb, if you accidentally get separated from the group, don't panic. Look for signposts. If there are no signposts, look up and follow the black line drawn on the ceiling of the tomb. That line continues until you reach the main entrance..."

Before long, the Hurricane Lantern went out, and orange candle flames flickered in the darkness.

The visitors raised white Candle and followed Kendall into the Catacombs.

From afar, Lumian saw what appeared to be tiny, yellowish flames converging into a stream, slowly drifting into the Depths of darkness.

He didn't go in; instead, carrying his Carbide Lamp, he circled the tomb entrance searching for the fake Warlock Aosta Roul.

A few minutes later, Lumian saw a campfire.

That One next to a pillar, and the stone wall above it was covered with damp moss.

A man sat on a rock behind the campfire, wearing a Hood black Robe, with a high nose, Deep Brown Eyes, and a long Linen-Colored beard covering his chin, gazing intently at the flickering Flames.

Lumian Past and asked directly, "Are you Aosta Roul?"

The Hood man raised his head, looked at Lumian, and said in a deliberately suppressed, magnetic, and deep voice, "Lost soul, why have you come to me?"

The flickering light and darkness danced across Aosta Roul's face, making it impossible to determine his exact age; one could only guess that he was either under thirty or close to forty.

Lumian said earnestly, "I've heard people mention you. They say you're a magical Warlock who can help me solve my problems."

Aosta Roul said in a low, slightly magnetic voice, "Witchcraft is taboo, witchcraft is Curse, I will not offer help casually."

"What do you need me to do?" Lumian asked urgently.

Aosta spoke in a low voice:

"The principle of witchcraft is Equivalent Exchange. Tell me first what kind of help you want."

Equivalent Exchange? You've been reading too many novels, haven't you? Lumian suppressed the urge to mock Provocation, his expression instantly turning Pain:

"I lost all my loved ones. I feel like the world has abandoned me. I can't sleep every night. I want to forget all of this and start my life anew."

Aosta Roul observed Lumian's expression and found nothing insincere.

He nodded slightly.

"I've also lost a lot; it was Curse from witchcraft. I understand how you feel and what you're thinking."

But forgetting Pain is a difficult thing.

"Alright..." Lumian sighed deeply, turned around, and prepared to leave.

Aosta quickly called out to him:

"Wait a minute, just because it's difficult doesn't mean there's no way."

"Really?" Lumian turned around abruptly, his face filled with excitement.

Aosta nodded slightly and said, "Have you heard of the Samaritan Woman Spring?"

"No." Lumian shook his head.

Aosta glanced at the Burning campfire and explained simply, "In one of the ossuaries in the Catacombs, there is a murky spring called the Samaritan Woman Spring, also known as the Spring of Oblivion Spring of Forgetting. If you drink from it, you can completely forget all your Pain."

"Of course, that's fake. It's just a puddle left over from a construction error during the building of the Catacombs, which the administrators packaged into a legend."

Seeing Lumian's eyes darken, Aosta Roul continued, "But as Warlock, I can tell you that Depths within this Underground World, in a tomb that is suspected to be Fourth Epoch relic, there is the real Samaritan Woman Spring."

"Many of the corpses there are singing, singing, 'Drink the water of blissful oblivion, forget the Primordial Witch Pain.'"

"I can get it for you, but the principle of Equivalent Exchange cannot be violated. You need to give me 100 Felkine."

100 Felkine? Your appetite is too small! How can anyone believe it's true if you don't charge several thousand Felkine for something as dangerous as searching for legendary items? Lumian had been listening attentively, but the mismatched price made him feel Jester.

Is such precious spring water not worth as much as a trainee Waiter's two months' salary?

He had read about the legend of the Samaritan Woman Spring in the magazine * Spiritism *, and Aurora had muttered a Vocabulary he couldn't understand, which sounded something like "Meng Po" (a legendary figure associated with forgetfulness in Chinese mythology).

The magazine * Spiritism * also believes that the legend of the Samaritan Woman Spring was created by the Catacombs Administrator, but they believe that the legend is not without Source, and that a "Spring of Forgetting" may truly exist somewhere in the Northern Continent.

Lumian's eyes widened, and he rushed to Aosta's side, grabbing his shoulder and asking, "Really?"

Aosta brushed his hand away and nodded steadily:

"This is a Warlock's promise."

"Okay, okay!" Lumian replied excitedly, "But I don't have that much money with me. I'll go back now and come find you here tomorrow."

Aosta nodded in satisfaction.

"No problem."

Lumian thanked him repeatedly, picked up the Carbide Lamp, and excitedly left the area.

Once out of Aosta's sight, he suppressed his smile, raised his right palm, and lightly sniffed the barely perceptible scent of perfume.

Before reaching the Observatory District, he sprayed some cheap perfume on his right hand, having deliberately touched Aosta's body earlier.

Back on the ground, Lumian sat behind a pillar, concealed himself, and patiently waited.

As Twilight approached and the sky gradually darkened, he smelled that faint, familiar perfume scent.

Lumian didn't rush to pursue them. After a while, he left his Hideout and followed the faint scent left by Aosta, trailing behind until he could barely see the other person.

Horse-drawn carriages passed by him, and occasionally exaggerated mechanical creations appeared.