Shade answered, while Leicia was still curious:
"He had three wives?"
"Have you already asked this question?"
Xia De put down the knife with his right hand and wiped his mouth with a napkin. The maid beside him brought them the next dish.
Mia waited for Shad to feed her, and Ajelina pretended to be interested in the new meal. In the quiet private room of the club, no one else disturbed them, which was perfect for a date.
"I mean, a man can marry three wives. Even in the Fifth Age, where gender relations are so special, there are people who do this."
Her Royal Highness the Princess looked at Xia De, and Xia De finally understood what she wanted to say.
"I... ... "
"You don't have to promise me anything."
Leicia interrupted Shade as he started to speak, looking at him with her emerald eyes:
"I believe in you. I always have. But if you really want to do something, why don't you come back to Yodel Palace with me tonight?"
Ajelina looked at her sister cautiously, and Leisia smiled at Shade:
"You can hide in our carriage later, and just turn into a butterfly and hide under my skirt. Little Mia, don't you like my bed very much?"
It looks like Mia will have to spend the night in the cloakroom again tonight.
(Little Mia is running...)
Although Tuesday was the day that the Guardian Mr. Lathers said a new change would happen on the earth, Shade and the witch planned to go check the situation at night. Therefore, when he came to the Randall River Valley during the day, he was still thinking about whether to meet the librarian of the college.
Luvia had already gone to the Prophet's Association, and Miss Benanis was not at the Wilde Opera House, so Shad expressed his confusion to Miss Lathers, and the young blonde girl also gave a similar statement to Luvia:
"You have to decide on this matter yourself. Besides, I believe you have already made your decision."
Although Miss Lathers' actual age is very similar to that of Shade's body, she has always appeared quite mature, probably because she took over the leadership position of the cult so early.
After getting advice from her, Shade decided to visit Miss Danister in the Randall River Valley. He wanted to let this lady, who had probably guessed something, know that his running around was a small matter, but Fiona's safety and mission were the big things.
Once he figured this out, Shad no longer hesitated. He took a carriage from the Wilde Opera House and went directly to the manor where the professors of St. Byrons were temporarily staying at the end of Black Fir Street in the west of the city.
It is usually impolite to visit without an appointment. The old guard of the manor talked to Shad through the fence gate and did not intend to let Shad go in directly.
"I'm here to see Professor Danister. I'm an old acquaintance of hers from the academy."
Because he didn't want more people to know that he was in the Randall Valley, Shad spoke very cautiously.
The old guard had a blank expression on his face:
"You are late. The professor and his team left for the Sun Church an hour ago to visit the patients there."
Although they came for the chosen ones, the professors certainly would not ignore the local "petrified plague".
"Is that so? Okay, I understand... But is it really okay for you to just tell me the professor's whereabouts?"
Shade asked curiously, and the old guard complained to him:
"You are not the first guy to visit Professor Danister. Do you know how many people have come to see her these days? The son of her classmate, the sister of a student she once taught, the friend of a friend she met when traveling... Oh, so many people heard that the professor was coming to the local area, and they couldn't wait to come and make connections. Do you think you are the first one?"
It seemed that he was really tired of dealing with all kinds of strange guys, and Shad also realized how unattainable the librarian of St. Byrons was in the eyes of ordinary ring warlocks.
So he took a carriage to the local Sun Church. The Randall River Valley has had the custom of worshiping the earth since ancient times. Therefore, the belief in the "Old Man with the Lantern", the god of the sun and earth, dominates the local area. The church is also the largest, just like the natural church in Midhill Castle is the largest.
The Church of the Sun is located in the eastern part of the city center, only two blocks away from the streets where the Land of Plenty Inn, the Prophet's Guild and the City Hall are located.
Because the church area can curb the worsening of the petrified plague, in recent days the church has purchased, requisitioned and renovated buildings around the church. With the original Sun Church as the center, simple hospitals and treatment areas have been built and expanded in all directions.
The old guard of the manor didn't know where Miss Danister and the others had gone, so after Shad got off the carriage at the street corner, he walked towards the direction of the Church of the Sun to try his luck.
This long street, called "St. Warren Street", had one-third of its buildings converted into temporary hospitals. Therefore, the street was crowded with people, including family members who came to visit patients, reporters who came to report news, idle people who wanted to join in the fun, small vendors who came to do business because there were so many people, and other people of all kinds, filling the entire street.
Shade happened to be curious about the petrified plague, so he looked around the street and bought a bouquet of flowers from a little girl selling flowers, pretending that he was visiting a patient, and then he found an open door and walked in.
Judging from the sign, this seemed to be a tobacco shop. At this time, all the debris on the first floor had been cleared out, and single rooms were separated by wooden boards and curtains for patients to rest. The priests and doctors who were urgently dispatched were checking the conditions of the patients one by one.
The wailing and groaning sounds were not very obvious. The common characteristic of people infected by the "petrified plague" was that they were listless. After all, this "plague" was essentially a special curse. For patients with weak mental strength, the curse was not only harmful to the body.
New cases appear every day, and patients with mild cases usually ask to recuperate at home or in the hospital. Relatives can go to the church to get a cup of "medicine" with proof. Patients with serious cases will be sent directly here to live. However, according to the current increase in the number of people infected with the petrified plague, even if the Sun Church accepts more patients, it will be a drop in the bucket.
Only by solving the problem at the source can the Randall Valley return to its original state.
Low sobs and whispered prayers filled his ears, and the depressed mood infected everyone who came to visit. Although Xia De had anticipated how bad the situation was, he still wanted to sigh when he really came here.
He walked up the stairs, passed a medical student carrying a kettle of hot water, and arrived on the second floor.
This place was also divided into different single rooms by wooden boards and curtains, and all the windows were opened, letting the not-so-bright sunlight from the foul-smelling fog outside shine in. In the dim sunlight, the scene in the "ward" looked even more miserable.
Xia De was at a loss for a moment holding the flowers. He saw a little girl sitting on the bed against the wall behind the stairs, holding a storybook, so he walked over with the flowers.
The girl was thin, and I didn't know if she was malnourished. Judging from her appearance, she was about fourteen or fifteen years old. But the clothes she wore were quite neat, and the church tended to arrange people with similar beliefs and habits together. Currently, all the patients living on this floor were female patients from wealthy middle-class families.
"hello."
Xia De greeted with a smile, then sat on the empty chair beside the bed and placed the flowers he had just bought on the street on the simple bedside table.
In this era, teenagers already have a strong sense of defense. The little girl nodded to Xia De alertly, and then looked around. As long as Xia De dared to make any threatening moves, probably everyone on the floor would look over.
"Where are you ill?"
"I have no feeling in my right leg."
The little girl said timidly, leaning her back against the wall and hugging her storybook with both hands.
Xia De nodded:
"So, when did this happen?"
"The day before yesterday at noon, I was cleaning the living room when I suddenly fell down, and then I couldn't feel my right leg."
Xia De nodded again:
"Have you drunk the potion given by the church?"
The potion distributed by the church is a diluent of the "Universal Earth Elixir" provided by the witch, plus the diluted Holy Water No. 5. This can inhibit the deterioration of the "Petrified Plague" to a certain extent, but it cannot cure it.
"I drank it. After drinking it, I could feel my right leg getting warm."
The little girl continued, probably because she saw that Xia De was just sitting there without any other movements, and seemed to be really concerned about the condition, so she asked politely:
"Sir, may I ask why you are here? What are you doing here? Are you a doctor?"
"doctor?"
Shade blinked:
“Yes, I am a doctor, but I am not a doctor who heals people, I am a doctor who heals the earth.”
The little girl didn't quite understand what Xia De said, and Xia De also asked:
"Why don't you see your family with you? Although there are churches and police here to maintain order, it's too dangerous for you to read here alone."
What the girl was holding was a collection of fairy tales, a storybook that collected fairy tales that have been passed down for a long time and is one of the first reading materials that children come into contact with after learning to read.
The girl shook her head:
"Miss Lina is here with me, but she's gone to buy some food and will be back soon... She's my mother's maid."
It was 10:30 in the morning, far from lunch time according to local customs. Even if I went to prepare in advance, it was still too early.
"That's funny. If your mother has a maid, why did she need you to clean the living room the day before yesterday?"
Shade asked casually again, and the girl pursed her lips, opened her book and handed it to Shade. Shade took a look at it in surprise, and the story on the page with illustrations was exactly "The Princess in the Pumpkin Carriage".