Because the abandoned manor outside the city was quite far away, even if Xia De returned home through space teleportation, it was already noon when he got home.
He thought that the "Holy Grail", "Crown", "Philosopher's Stone" and "Heart" were all perfectly prepared, and only the "Inexhaustible Fountain of Wine" was a reluctant correspondence. After all, although the relic Dionysus Bottle could flow out an inexhaustible amount of wine, it was not a fountain.
So while going out for lunch, Shad took Mia to Old John's pawn shop again.
Old John was surprised that Shade showed up for the second time today, but when he heard that Shade was looking for a nozzle that could "spray the liquid in the bottle like a fountain," he looked at Shade with a strange look:
"There should be some girl you have a very close relationship with, right?"
"Of course, why ask?"
"Have you never seen the pressurized nozzles on girls' perfume bottles? Or rather, liquefied nozzles. They are purely mechanical structures that pressurize and spray liquids by changing the pressure. The gun head structure of the steam-pressurized water spray guns used by the city's municipal fire department is also similar."
Old John shook his head:
"Detective, detective, although we are ring sorcerers, we must not forget the times we live in, and we should not blindly seek to solve everything with supernatural powers."
"I don't want that. I want something that continuously spurts out liquid, and it's for use on relics."
Shade introduced his bottle of wine. Surprisingly, Old John had heard of the relic:
"That thing is in your hand?"
His eyes widened, as if he suddenly realized that Shade was the "God Caller":
"Even if you offer £10,000, there are people willing to buy this famous relic."
"Father John, please stop joking. This is just a poet-level relic."
Xia De said with a smile, but the old man behind the counter was serious:
"You really don't know what's good. This truly endless wine bottle allows the user to pour out any wine he or she has tasted. For those alcoholics who love alcohol, you can't imagine how tempting this is. And because it is a poet-level item, its danger level is quite low, so it is more valuable. If it was more dangerous, no one would care."
"No, I'm not selling it. I'm going to give it to a lady."
Seeing that the old man really wanted to discuss the deal, Xia De hurriedly shook his head to refuse.
"Tsk, no wonder."
The old man was very regretful:
"You want to turn it into a fountain? Because the whispering element will affect the effect of alchemical items, I can only give you a nozzle that can be effective for two hours. I want to warn you that modifying the relic at will will increase the possibility of the relic getting out of control."
This is also common sense for ring sorcerers, and it is mentioned in the first-year courses of the three major academies. After all, the best way to "use" relics is to "contain" them.
"I know, I just need ten seconds to show the effect."
Father John also knew that Shade was always cautious, so he gave him the brass sprinkler head. This thing was originally used to extract groundwater through pipes and replenish water sources during outdoor adventures, so old John was able to take it out immediately.
Thus, Miss Carina's commission was completed so easily, and it was not even two o'clock in the afternoon.
Since Tifa said it would be better to go early, Shad didn't waste any time. He got on the carriage with the cat, who was taking a nap after lunch, at the door of the pawn shop and headed straight out of the city.
Perhaps it was because he arrived too early. When Shad paid the fare at the gate of Miss Carina's manor and waved to the young blond maid who was cleaning the yard inside the closed gate, the latter seemed to have seen something incredible. She dropped her broom, picked up her skirt, and ran quickly towards the manor house.
"Do I look scary?"
Xia De wondered, then looked down at the cat in his arms:
"Or maybe Mia is scary?"
He thought someone would come to open the gate soon, but Shade stood in the cold wind of the early spring afternoon for ten minutes before he finally saw Tifa, wearing a windproof cloak, and a group of maids hurriedly walking along the central axis of the courtyard.
The maid who had always been very kind to Shade actually showed an angry expression when she came to the door. She looked up at Shade with her black eyes and said as if questioning:
"Shad, how can you give up so early? Try a little more and come back in the evening, can't you? For the sake of the young lady, can't you try your limit?"
"What... give up?"
Shade asked hesitantly. Seeing his innocent look, Tifa blinked and took a step back. The always capable and elegant head maid showed a rare hesitant expression:
"So, you completed the commission?"
"Yes."
Xia De nodded and patted his chest:
"So after lunch, I came over."
"You still have time for lunch..."
Tifa showed an even more incredible expression on her face, and then she bowed her head to admit her mistake. Because she bowed her head so quickly, her hair behind her began to sway:
"I'm sorry, I just..."
"Can you let me in first? It's really cold outside."
Shade said, and the maid behind Tifa opened the gate. The black-haired maid took off her cloak and gave it to Shade, and they walked towards the mansion.
"The reason we made you wait so long is because the manor is still preparing. We didn't expect you to come so soon."
"What are you preparing for?"
"Well... you'll find out soon enough."
After entering the room, Xia De still did not find any special arrangements here. The floor was still as clean as before, and the light in the room was still as bright as before.
Shade originally wanted to go directly to Miss Carina to complete this strange but simple commission. But the maids stopped Shade together, and Tifa grabbed Shade's sleeve directly, not giving him the opportunity to go upstairs.
The girls dragged and tugged, and brought Shade to the restaurant on the side of the first floor. Of course, this was not the restaurant where the owners of the manor ate, but the restaurant where the maids ate.
They pushed Shad inside, then closed the door and blocked the way out.
The girls in the standard black and white maid dresses all looked at him, and Tifa, who was in the lead, asked:
"Before you go to see the young lady, detective, please prove that you have completed the commission. It's not that we don't trust you, but we can't just meet the Duchess of noble status whenever we want."
What she said made sense, so Shade put the cat, whose body was unusually soft after falling asleep, on the dining table, and then took something out of his pocket:
"crown."
The toy crown was taken out and then restored to a real crown. Shade handed it to the young maid with long black curly hair who he saw every time he came. This was Miss Martha, who also followed Miss Carina to Randall Valley.
After receiving the crown, the young maid was at a loss and hurriedly stuffed it to another girl beside her, until she passed it to Tifa. The latter looked at it and nodded hesitantly:
"no problem."
"Then there was the Holy Grail, the Endless Fountain of Wine, and the Philosopher's Stone."
Shade placed the Holy Grail and the wine bottle on the table, and placed the nozzle on the wine bottle to demonstrate its function. Finally, he hung the Philosopher's Stone on his chest, embedded in the silver ornaments.
He took the scarlet stone out of his pocket, but did not untie the rope. The stone actually shone in the light, and the girls in the restaurant held their breath. This relic had a strange property that attracted anyone to usurp it.
"As for the fifth treasure, which is my heart, I want to give it to Miss Carina in person."
Shade said, picking up the cat that was sniffing the bottle to prevent it from getting drunk:
"Is this all right?"
So the young girls all looked at Tifa, who nodded as if she had made some kind of decision:
"Okay, but we need to take these things for identification, so you can't go see the Duke for the time being."
Xia De could tell that they were going to delay him anyway, so he didn't object:
"No problem, but how long do I have to wait? Since I can't go upstairs, can you find me an empty room? I brought a few books with me, just in time to read them and write a book report."
Xia De, who is in the fourth grade, has not fallen behind in his studies.
"Detective, it's wrong to ignore a guest like you. This is not the etiquette of the Duke's estate."
Tifa shook her head and exchanged glances with the two duke's personal maids beside her:
"You've been standing outside for so long. To prevent yourself from catching a cold, why don't you take a hot bath first? There's a special bath in the manor. You'll like it."
Of course, Xia De knew that there was a bathing pool here, and that the bathing pool could even be called a hot spring, which was enough for swimming in it.
"You'd better be able to wash until four in the afternoon."
The black-haired maid added, and Xia De calculated the time. It was only a little after two o'clock, which was enough time for him to have a good sleep.
But since it was the client's request, he did not object. So he followed the maids, as if being watched by them, to the large bathroom on the side of the first floor.
As for Mia, this cat would never go into such a wet environment, so Tifa arranged for a special maid to watch over it to prevent it from getting lost accidentally.
The water in the bathtub is actually hot. Brass steam pipes are laid out in circles on the bathroom walls and extend into the floor. At the end of the pipes is the side wall of the bathtub, and more than a dozen rose-shaped faucets are slightly above the water surface. While the pipes are transporting hot water, the heat they emit also makes the water vapor in the room heavier. All of this seems to be prepared in advance, but taking a hot bubble bath is indeed a good way to relax on such a day.
"Luxury enjoyment, it's great to have money..."
Xia De changed his clothes, declined the help of the maids, and entered the bathtub alone. After entering the water, he leaned against the edge of the bathtub, closed his eyes to rest, and wondered in his heart what Miss Karina wanted to do.
However, after a while, he could hear footsteps clearly behind him. Because Shade had his eyes closed, the magic of the Heart of Stone allowed him to "see" circles of pulsating waves in the darkness, which were traces of heartbeats. Judging from the frequency, the heartbeat of the girl who came in was obviously too fast.
"Who is it? Oh, I really don't need anyone's help, please leave me alone..."
Xia De turned around and said, then suddenly turned his head back, as if he saw some evil ghost:
"Tifa, what are you doing..."
She didn't answer Shade, but the sound of her feet hitting the wet ground was getting closer and closer, until the figure stood behind Shade.