The men carrying the sarcophagus steadily crossed the street and entered the temple, placing the sarcophagus gently on the stone platform in front of the altar.

The heavy sarcophagus seemed to have no weight in their hands, and they barely made much noise even when they landed.

Afterwards, the Han retreated behind the relatives of the deceased and stood solemnly.

From beginning to end, they habitually maintained a neat formation, as if it had been integrated into their bone marrow.

With the loud and melodious singing of the priest in front of the altar, the ceremony of sending off and praying for blessings officially began.

Duke Sr. is just 80 years old this year, and he died at this age, which is not common among the Wards.

Most Wards are young adults from the age of 20 to the age of 50.

For a long time, the body will be in a relatively stable peak state, looking like it is in its twenties.

After the age of 50, he gradually begins to enter middle age, his physical fitness begins to slowly decline, and his body begins to bless.

However, with the exception of pain and illness, they are generally in good physical condition, and after the average age of 85, this decline accelerates sharply, until they die after about 100 years.

Before his death, Duke Sr. was a veteran who fought on the battlefield until he was 60 years old, and was awarded the rank of trainee knight, which was considered the lowest nobleman.

But because he was too badly injured in the final battle, he injured his origin, causing him to enter a period of decline early, so he left so early.

At this moment, the merits and fame of a lifetime will come to an end in front of the temple and usher in his own judgment.

Several members of his family, apparently his, stood silently in front of the altar, waiting for the ritual to be completed.

The ceremony is not very long, only about 30 minutes.

As the priest's melodious and mellow singing became higher and higher, the altar emitted a misty green light.

The song faded away, and the green light quickly dissipated, and people moved to the Soul Monument not far away, waiting for the old Duke's mark to appear.

It is a newly erected soul monument, rectangular, about 5 meters high, about 3 meters wide, and less than 2 meters thick.

There were only a few or less than a hundred marks on it, making this soul tablet look very smooth and clean.

And there are more than a dozen soul monuments of all sizes scattered around, some of which look very old.

Suddenly, the otherwise quiet crowd was in an uproar.

From a distance, the old Duke's family members were asking the priest with angry expressions for some reason, and their faces revealed a sense of uneasiness and anxiety.

One of the young women was holding a baby in her arms, and the little one seemed to be frightened, crying, and the crowd of onlookers behind was also talking, making the scene even more noisy.

Catherine and Matthew didn't know what was going on.

During the ceremony, both of them seemed to let go of their worries, listened to the priest's song reverently, and prayed to Gaia, the mother goddess of the earth, for the old Duke and the future of the family.

The sound of wah-wah, the humming of chatter, and the young priest's justification, which could feel a little fear, filled the air with a thick sense of tension.

To be on the safe side, Catherine and Matthew didn't go to the front, but chose a corner to watch the Soul Monument from afar, quietly waiting for the result.

Ahead, a tall soul monument stood straight.

At the end, a new sigil belonging to Old Duke also appeared there, but it looked a little different.

The other imprints, although they are of different shapes, are simple and generous, or have complex lines, or are strange and difficult to distinguish, but they are all relatively smooth.

Only at this moment, the mark of Old Duke appeared on the surface after it appeared.

The crack was deep, running through the middle of the entire mark, and it seemed as if an axe light had split the mark in two, looking extremely shocking and dazzling.

It seems to be the first time I've encountered something like this.

The young priest looked a little flustered, and he turned and ran towards the depths of the temple in a sweaty manner, his steps in a hurry.

Duke Sr.'s family followed closely behind, their faces equally filled with fear and unease.

After they left, the discussion became louder, gradually spreading from a small group of people at the front to the whole crowd.

Some people kept silent, frowning as if they were thinking.

Some people got together in twos and threes, expressing their guesses.

There are also people who seem to be indifferent, just caring about what they are chatting with their acquaintances.

The noise in front of the entire altar was extremely incongruous with the solemn temple building in the night.

Catherine couldn't help but grasp her husband's hand tightly, and her body seemed to feel a little cold and shivered slightly.

After feeling his wife's uneasiness, Matthew stretched out his thick arm and hugged her tightly in his arms, letting his wife's face against his chest and feeling his body temperature.

The other hand was placed on the back of his wife's head, gently stroking her long silky white blonde hair.

He lowered his head and whispered something in the woman's ear, only to get his wife's head in exchange.

After a while, a group of people came out from the depths of the temple, and at the front was an old priest with gray hair.

The young priest just now followed closely behind, his face still serious, but without the panic he had just now.

As he walked, he frequently turned back to appease the old Duke's family.

Matthew knew the old man, whose hair and beard had turned gray, and he was the longest-serving and most senior priest in the town.

Although he and Catherine had not been in this town for a long time, as the lord attended several important events, all of them were presided over by the old priest himself, and he was absolutely respected.

The old priest was dressed in a well-made white robe with bright gold patterns on the neckline, cuffs, and hem, except for a green lotus flower embroidered on his left chest.

Matthew had noticed that there were five green petals, which indicated that the old priest was a fifth-level priest with a temple seal, or could be called the chief priest.

Having a fifth-level priest in a medium-sized town like Fallen Horse is already a high match, and usually the highest level priest that such a town can have is only a fourth-level priest.

It seems that if there is nothing special about Luoma Town, it is that the old priest should be a person with a story.

The old priest walked without hurry, with steady steps, and there was no expression on his thin face.

The slender eyes only glanced at the soul tablet, and then came to the middle of the altar, standing solemnly facing the crowd.

Perhaps infected by the calm momentum of the old priest, the atmosphere of the scene became serious again, and the buzzing discussion was much quieter until it was quiet, and even the child's crying stopped.

"Hail Gaia, Mother Earth, may she bless us, Ulric!"

"Ulric!"

As the old priest's hoarse but deep greetings sounded, the crowd responded neatly, and the uneasy atmosphere that had permeated the air before seemed to have eased a lot with this loud shout.

The old priest paused, and his gaze slowly wandered around the crowd.

"Duke Vane is an old friend of ours, a man of passion, loyalty, and openness, a complete and unashamed life, and a fiery and deep faith until the end.

Ten days ago, I spoke with him and felt heartfelt comfort and joy at his imminent return to the arms of Gaia, the Mother Earth Goddess. The old priest said slowly, word by word, in a calm and firm tone.

"Gaia's arms are wide and warm, and her love is heavy and fiery.

At this moment, Old Duke has successfully returned to her side, and the mark on the soul tablet is the best proof.

We all know Old Duke, we know him as well as we know ourselves, and we love him as much as he loves you.

Right? my friends. ”

"Yes, Priest Cohen, we all know old Duke, a heroic warrior, a loving elder, a good son of old Mr. Vane, a good father to little Rahm and Eric, and a good brother to us. ”

The big man, who had always been at the top of the coffin bearer just now, replied, looking carefully at the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and his sagging cheeks, he should be not young.

With the loud answer between the two, everyone on the scene seemed to have been infected and relaxed, and the atmosphere was no longer as tense and uneasy as just now, but there were still people who were haunted by the cracks on the soul monument.

"Thank you, old fellow, that you are Duke's comrade-in-arms and his true friend, both of you. Priest Cohen affirmed, his eyes slightly kind.

Then he turned to the old Duke's family, smiled, and said softly, "Your father is a venerable man who has dedicated his life to this country, to his friends, and to his family.

So, don't doubt it, that's shameful.

Also, take care of your mother, today is her saddest day.

As for the crack on the seal, it was just an explosion of the divine power of Gaia, the mother goddess of the earth, and the quality of the soul tablet was probably not as strong as you imagined, everything was just a coincidence.

Don't forget, tonight is the day when the three stars are lined up, and it is also the day when the goddess Gaia of the Earth Mother Earth is the strongest.

This has happened before, and I've seen it more than once in my lifetime.

It's just that it's in a big populated city, not a small town like ours.

So, go home with peace of mind, wipe away your tears, forget your sorrows, and pray for tomorrow. ”

On the steps in front of the altar.

The words of the officiant Cohen seemed to be very contagious, and the explanation finally put the old Duke's family at ease for a while.

Then he turned to the crowd and said, "Today is the best time for Gaia, the Mother Earth Goddess, to give us a new life, so let's all go home." It's almost midnight, and young people who want to have children need to hurry. ”

The crowd burst into laughter, and some people teased the young couple who were not present.

The crowd seemed to have really relaxed completely, put the scene just now in their minds, and stepped forward to express comfort and blessings to the old Duke's family, and gradually dispersed.

As for whether there are doubts or not, only they will know in their own hearts.

Catherine was also teased by a few hot aunts and girlfriends around her, but she was not particularly shy, but looked at her husband with big beautiful eyes, and her eyes were full of resentment.