Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1431 Sights and Sounds in Yharnam

"Yanan City..."

Standing on the road leading into the city next to a railway line, Christina read out the city's name from the wooden sign.

Strangely, on an island with a distinctly southern climate, likely located between the Rothschild Islands and the southern continent, the city's road signs are written only in Rune, unlike Bayam and Liberation Harbor which use multiple languages ​​to cater to tourists and the diverse local population. This made Tina and Dorothy feel as if they had returned to a small town near Tingen.

This is the location of the sixth and penultimate seal provided by the genie in the "Wishing Lamp." Tina had already guessed that she had been "arranged" by some kind of coincidence when Ms. Angel Grey, the "Chariot," threw them both into this vicinity.

When she saw the road signs on the edge of the city, her guess was confirmed.

Dorothy also stood on tiptoe and looked towards the main road leading to the city center, where there were many people, and murmured:

“I’ve never heard of this city… Other places like Bayam, at least I’ve seen ‘The Court of Giants’ in books… Wait a minute!”

Her eyes lit up, and she turned to Tina, saying:
"Do you remember? In the city of Kukva on the southern continent, near the Resurrection Square, the Archbishop Anderson Hood of the Sun God we met mentioned that in the depths of the raging sea, in 'Yarn,' there was a mute painter with the same name and appearance as him, who had published many picture books."

"Could it be this city, Yharnam?"

Upon hearing her sister's words, Tina also recalled the words of the unfortunate archbishop who kept falling down while mocking "Flame" Danitz for turning into Denise.

Normally, I would think it's just a coincidence that the city shares the same name. Many obscure small towns have numerous places with the same name as themselves. But given the density of "coincidences" today, we must be in Yharnam, the city Anderson mentioned... She pondered for a moment, then, instead of staying in the conspicuous middle of the road, she and Dorothy stepped into this city that looked somewhat familiar.

The buildings here are mainly in the modern style that was popular in Ruen a hundred years ago and was only replaced in the last twenty years. Most of the houses along the road are two-story row houses with triangular gables, protruding eaves and multi-columned balconies. The iron lampposts and the blackened gas lamp shades made Tina feel as if she had returned to Narcissus Street, where she had lived for more than ten years.

As Tina strolled along the sparsely populated streets, she looked around curiously, exploring the small town with her eyes.

Her gaze quickly froze.

“Dorothy, look…” she pointed to a stylish restaurant not far away, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows and a second-floor observation deck, “It’s exactly the same as the restaurant on Narcissus Street, even the name is ‘Silver Crown Restaurant’!”

“I noticed it a while ago, and it’s not just this restaurant. The market we just passed and the market in the center of Iron Cross Street look exactly like they were cut from the same mold. The hotel next to the steam train station is also eight or nine points similar to the ‘Azure Wind’ we saw in Bayam. And that red building we just saw, if it were painted black, it would be a branch of ‘Theatre of the Night’…”

Dorothy glanced at the Silver Crown Restaurant in the distance and replied in a flat tone.

It was like a city hastily pieced together from different architectural styles from various places. The archbishop named Anderson even said that there was another person here with the same name as him. Surely the residents of Yharnam City couldn't all have been "cobbled together" like this. What if we run into another me and Dorothy when we walk around the next corner...? Tina became more and more nervous as she thought about it and couldn't help but grab her sister's hand.

She's encountered so many strange things along the way that she's now somewhat overwhelmed by "coincidences."

Fortunately, when she crossed the street, she didn't encounter another Christina, but rather a bustling beverage bottling plant and gas company. The familiar logo with a dancing black bear on it put Tina at ease.

Dorothy, standing beside her, squeezed her hand gently and whispered:
"Although this city is not large, it seems to have a lively atmosphere. The products from this factory should be transported to the surrounding cities via the railway we just passed. If there were anything strange, it would probably have been discovered long ago."

"I'm not scared..." Tina said stubbornly in her mind, but she still felt a warm feeling in her heart.

After letting go of her worries and fears, she noticed more details about Yharnam City. For example, the residents' clothing was like the popular styles of many years ago, there were few power lines on the streets, and even the streets of Tingen City had begun to be replaced with electric lights on a large scale... Time seemed to have frozen here twenty years ago, backward, but not ancient.

Of course, even just a few decades ago, most cities on the North and South continents were the same. It's just that the development in the last twenty years has been too rapid. The rapid advancement of science and technology and the increase in population have almost completely changed the appearance of cities, which is why Tina, who is only thirteen years old, can feel that Yanan City is lagging behind the times.

In newspapers, many commentators called this rapid development a "technological explosion," with talents emerging in various fields in different countries. The whole world seemed to have returned to the era of Emperor Roselle, except that now there are hundreds of Roselles.

"I'm afraid only old people would like living in a city like this. For me, Backlund is much more appealing than Banan..." Tina muttered.

Her dream is to become a resident of a big city!

This wish has remained unchanged ever since she dreamed of a "genie" wearing a crown and with an indistinct face a month ago.

At that time, this being, who claimed to be trapped inside a lamp and could grant the owner's wishes once released, appeared in Tina's dreams almost every night, repeatedly threatening, bribing, and persuading her to go to the dimly lit basement to rescue herself.

Tina had read the fable about the "Tulain Lamp" in "The Tales of Russell," so she wasn't easily fooled. However, her longing for the big city and her desire to give herself and her family a better life ultimately overcame her caution, leading her to step into the basement early this morning—a place she would never normally enter unless she was locked up—find the golden lamp, and summon the "genie."

She prayed silently, hoping her wish would come true.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Yharnam City wasn't very big, and the two quickly arrived at the city square in the center of the city. It had the same fountain as the Resurrection Square in Kukva City, a group of fat pigeons that weren't afraid of pedestrians at all, but would even fly up to them to beg for food, and two churches built opposite each other, each with its own characteristics.

They belong to the "Church of Fools" and the "Church of the End Times," respectively.

It is extremely rare for a city with fewer than 10,000 people to have two churches belonging to different churches. Most small towns are "contracted" by a particular church, and the people there share the dominant faith. Other churches that arrive later will not actively compete for the parish to avoid religious conflict.

The Church of Fools and the Church of the End Times are different. Their churches are almost built next to each other, and the relationship between the believers of Fools and the Goddess of Calamity is relatively harmonious. Even their church scriptures have many things in common, and even the time when they started to preach publicly is almost the same. They are so closely connected that they seem to be different manifestations of the same faith.

Perhaps the two gods are very close, like family... Tina's gaze swept over the "Fool" emblem composed of pupil-less eyes and twisted lines, and the "Calamity" emblem outlined by swords, flames, and vortexes, as she speculated in her heart.

This morning in the eastern part of Backlund, she had already entered the church of the "Church of the End Times" and used the altar in the prayer hall to break a seal on the "Wishing Lamp." This time, her target is the "Church of Fools."

"Genius, why do you require both the altar of the Goddess of Calamity and the altar of the Fool to release you from your seal? Are you sealed by these two deities?"

She asked the question in her mind, and unsurprisingly, she did not receive a reply from that majestic and imposing voice.

I knew it… He would play dead as soon as I asked him something he didn’t want to tell me… Tina thought to herself as she was about to enter the church with the black bell tower when she found the prayer hall doors tightly shut. Inside, a somewhat aged voice was reciting scriptures and preaching to the believers.

To break the sixth seal, Tina also needs to place the "Wishing Lamp" on the altar under the sacred emblem, which is almost impossible to do in front of everyone, so she can only wait until the sermon ends.

"It shouldn't be too long. Let's wait in the square."

Dorothy said, her gaze already fixed on a pigeon hopping around in the square picking up stray grains of grain, wondering if she could pluck a feather from this fearless pigeon.

Tina looked around, preparing to find a place to rest for a while, but just then, a smell of roasted meat mixed with various spices that she couldn't name wafted into her nostrils.

It smells so good... It seems like it's been a long time since lunch. I was planning to eat something in town this afternoon, but I ran into Ms. Franka and her group, and then I entered the "Giant's Court". I've been starving ever since... Tina immediately changed her mind and pulled Dorothy, who was about to sneak up on the fat pigeon, to a restaurant near the church, next to the town square.

The aroma of grilled meat wafted from inside the restaurant, which specialized in Southern Continent cuisine. Dorothy noticed Tina swallowing hard, her small, cute nose twitching. She quickly counted her pocket money, led her inside, and ordered a special grilled meat dish that was being cooked directly on a grill by the door. The two sat down by the floor-to-ceiling window, waiting for their food. It wasn't dinner time yet, and most of the seats were empty, with only a few tables occupied. Most people were enjoying coffee and desserts, quietly discussing private matters. A slow, peaceful atmosphere, different from the fast pace of big cities, filled the air around Tina and Dorothy, accompanied by the smell of grilled meat.

“After this meal, I won’t have much money left. Even with the genie’s help, it will only be enough for our journey home at most,” Dorothy said in a low voice, gently kicking Tina under the table as she noticed her gaze frequently glancing at the barbecue grill by the door. “If you don’t want to go hungry tonight, we need to help the genie solve the problem as soon as possible.”

I'm trying to help Him... but I need to solve my empty stomach problem first... Tina muttered silently, turning her gaze away from the grilled meat and noticing the door being pushed open, with new guests entering the restaurant.

It was a pair of a tall, slender, black-haired man and a dark brown-haired girl who was only about chest-high to him.

The former was wearing a tailcoat that was shorter in the front and longer in the back, with a white shirt showing through the collar. His eyes were bloodshot and red, contrasting sharply with his sickly pale skin.

The latter wore a fluffy lace dress, covered in various decorative laces and bows, like a doll that had stepped out of a display case. Although she wore a hooded cloak, the strand of long hair that fell out and her neck revealed a breathtaking beauty, stunning everyone who looked towards the door. Even the Southern Continent people who were preparing barbecue for Tina and Dorothy stopped what they were doing.

So beautiful, she's like a noble lady from a novel... no, a princess... Tina felt like she couldn't breathe.

As if sensing her gaze, the brown-haired girl turned in this direction, and the sunlight from the French windows illuminated her face beneath her cloak.

It was a face without any flaws or imperfections, seemingly the embodiment of "beauty," with pale lips curled up at the edges, revealing a smile.

Tina was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer power of seeing the embodiment of beauty. She could hardly breathe, and even her heartbeat became incredibly difficult. Dorothy, who was next to her, the guests at the nearby tables, and the waiters moving between the tables, although they did not have Tina's perfect angle of appreciation, could still feel the same shock from the atmosphere that permeated the restaurant.

It wasn't until the two of them walked up the stairs to the second floor and entered the private room that Tina recovered from her previous inability to breathe.

She glanced at her sister, who was still staring blankly at the stairs, and asked in a slightly hoarse voice:
Did you see that just now?

Dorothy slowly turned her head, her expression still blank, and simply nodded without saying a word.

This isn't her fault; everyone in the restaurant who isn't blind is in the same boat.

A few minutes later, the rustling of conversation resumed, but everyone's topic had shifted to the mysterious girl and the tall man standing behind her who looked like a butler or bodyguard.

Of course, now that Tina recalls it, she realizes that although the man with short black hair and bright red eyes had somewhat effeminate features, he was actually very handsome and dashing. It's just that all eyes were drawn to the girl who seemed to be the embodiment of beauty, and no one had time to notice the other person.

Because of the little incident earlier, some parts of the roast meat that Tina and Dorothy ordered were already burnt when it was served.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After filling their stomachs, the two returned to the fountain square, waiting for the church prayer hall to finish its sermon and open its doors, so they could find an opportunity to sneak in and unlock the next seal on the "Wishing Lamp".

Taking this opportunity, Tina once again called upon the genie in her heart:

"Genius, did you notice that girl just now? Could she be a noblewoman, or... the high-ranking 'witch' you mentioned?"

After a day of mystical exploration, Tina was able to naturally shift her focus to "extraordinary power," and her suspicions naturally fell on the "witch" path, which was characterized by higher sequences, greater beauty, and the ability to display ultimate allure.

This time, the genie finally didn't respond with silence.

"Why do you subconsciously assume she's a noblewoman or a high-sequence extraordinary being?" That authoritative voice echoed in both Tina and Dorothy's minds. "For example, your mother, was her beauty based on wealth or status?"

That's right, Mother doesn't need any noble status to highlight her virtues... Tina admitted her mistake, then pouted, feeling resentful for being scolded by the genie, and replied:
"Once you fulfill my wish and make our family rich, owning a villa and a suburban estate in Backlund, Mom will have wealth and status!"

"This would be the simplest wish I've ever had," the genie said, almost mockingly. "What I'm curious about is, why don't you just wish for unlimited money?"

Oh, is it okay to make a wish like this?
Tina froze, then instinctively looked at her sister.

Should we change our wish? — Her eyes conveyed this message.

Dorothy calmly shook her head, and said in her mind as well:

"Such desires are likely to be a trap; we only need specific, quantifiable desires."

"Moreover, according to Adam's theory, an unlimited supply of money will inevitably lead to hyperinflation, which is detrimental to our lives."

As if stunned by her answer, the genie remained silent for a while.

Just when Tina thought He might fall silent, a roar several octaves higher reached her ears:

"Adam? You've seen Adam?"

“Of course I haven’t seen it,” Dorothy replied, frowning and somewhat surprised. “I saw Adam Smith’s theory in the newspaper. Oh, that must just be his pseudonym.”

"So that's it..."

The genie's voice immediately softened, and Tina seemed to see a blurry, golden-glowing man patting his chest.

He seemed a little afraid of this "Adam," not the one in the newspaper, but another person with the same name... Could it be that besides the two gods, there was also this Adam who sealed the genie in the "Wishing Lamp"? Or perhaps He had been bullied by the other party, such as being slapped hard... Tina speculated with thoughts that the genie could not perceive.

Just as she was imagining a grand drama involving multiple gods and the "genie of the genie," the "Church of Fools," adjacent to the city square, finally opened its doors. The believers, having finished listening to the sermon, were standing up from their benches, preparing to leave.

This inevitably led to chaos in the prayer hall.

Tina's eyes lit up. Ignoring the feud between Adam and the Genie, she pulled Dorothy along and took the opportunity to enter the church.

This place is not much different from the Church of the Fools that she visited in Tingen this morning; they seem to be cut from the same mold, except that the content of the murals is different.

Bypassing the worshippers dressed in different ways, Tina noticed that the area around the altar was empty, making it the perfect opportunity to place the "wishing lamp" there.

But before she could take any action, a sudden shout made the scene even more chaotic:
"The Archbishop... His Excellency the Archbishop has been murdered!"

(End of this chapter)