Exploring new areas requires some extra preparation to avoid appearing in dangerous places. Shade cannot expect that every exit of the "Space Maze" will be as convenient as the "Forgotten Church".
After a simple packing, it was already half past nine. Xia De was about to say goodbye to Mia and leave when there was a knock on the door downstairs.
After opening the door, I was surprised to see that it was Leicia standing at the door, but Her Royal Highness the Princess did not go upstairs:
"Are you going to the Green Lake area now?"
Considering that going to a strange city would take up a lot of time and that they would be away from home most of the day, Shad told Lesia, Dorothy and Carina about their exploration plans so that they wouldn't have to worry.
"Yes, if you had come five minutes later, I would have left. What's going on, Leicia?"
Her Royal Highness stood in the hallway and signaled the maid outside to close the door first. However, the carriage did not leave immediately, but stopped directly outside the door. Considering Shade's profession as a detective, this would not arouse suspicion.
"Since you are going to the Green Lake area, I want you to do me a favor."
Those beautiful eyes looked at Xia De, which made it difficult for Xia De to refuse.
"Of course, I..."
"Don't rush to agree. This is not an easy matter and will probably take up a lot of your time and energy."
Leicia said, and seeing her serious expression, Xia De also listened carefully.
"I told you some time ago that I would not be the one who went to the Green Lake area to be in charge of the negotiations with Delarian. However, my father assigned me another task, asking me to be responsible for part of the communication work with the Green Lake area negotiation delegation. I will sort out the intelligence sent from there and inform my father. This is the clerical work of the intelligence department."
"Is it confirmed that the delegation will be led by Carina?"
Xia De asked again, and Leicia nodded:
"Yes, but she won't leave immediately. She will go after the negotiations have made substantial progress. At the same time, Carsenrick will send someone to Tobesk to coordinate the follow-up matters of the negotiations. And I hope you, Shade, can keep me updated on the progress of the negotiations in the Green Lake area. Newspapers can transmit news through steam pipeline signals, so we can receive news about the earthquake in Midhill Castle the next day, but negotiation intelligence needs to be transmitted in a safer way, and it will take at least three days to send the full text from the border. And you can bring the full text back on the same day."
Xia De nodded. He understood what Leicia meant. She wanted to use the time difference to get the information about the negotiation in advance. This time difference was enough for the princess to do many things.
"As long as I can help you, I don't mind taking some trouble. But who should I ask for information? Or, how can I get the information?"
Xia De asked, and Leicia shook her head apologetically:
"The first group of delegations are all my father's confidants. My people are not included. My people will not be able to participate for at least two weeks, so..."
"So, it's time for the ace agent of MI6 and the ace spy of gray gloves to come on stage."
Shade smiled and said:
"I'll do my best to help you, but I can't guarantee that I'll be able to get the information you need."
"It's okay, as long as you are willing to help me."
Leicia gave Shade a hug, then raised her eyes and looked at him:
"I know you are busy with more important things. I hope this incident will not affect your impression of me."
This soft tone is very much like Dorothy.
"It's okay. After all, I was thinking about investigating the negotiations. This is a major event that affects world stability and the progress of civilization."
Shade said with a smile, but Leicia could see that there was no smile in his eyes:
"The two human kingdoms in the Old World have been at peace for a long time, but now they are in dispute again over the border and the vital trade route. In the era of the steam wave, resources and markets have given rise to more ambitions in countries. At the same time, the need to develop and balance internal contradictions has given rise to more ideas among the ambitious people. Leicia, do you think this negotiation is just a simple negotiation?"
"Of course not."
The red-haired girl immediately shook her head:
"The principalities under the kingdom are eager for war to start again so that they can get rid of the control of the big countries. Ambitious people who want to be promoted or gain military merit hope to gain more opportunities through war. Not to mention the New World Development Corps, they may also want to start a war in the Old World so that they can establish a new country in the New World. Even my father and the 'Lion Laien' in the South Kingdom must have thought of using a border war to temporarily ease the internal conflicts of the kingdom."
"So, civilization is once again at a crossroads. Although I have no intention of getting involved in politics, I must make sure I know what is going to happen."
"You want to prevent a possible war?"
Leicia asked, and was a little surprised to see Shade shaking his head:
"War is also a part of civilization. If there had been no war, how would Delarion and Carsonrick have unified the northern and southern territories? We have been at peace for too long. It would be a good thing if some conflicts could break out. I don't judge whether we should fight or not. I just hope to end this matter at the lowest cost."
After all, the impending doomsday is the sword hanging over our heads, and it is also what Shade hopes if the secular kingdom can always be peaceful and stable.
Xia De assured Leicia:
"I will try my best to get information about the negotiations. Please wait for my news."
"You have to be careful too. The Green Lake area is a border after all. It's much more chaotic than Tobesk."
She tiptoed slightly and kissed Xia De, then raised her eyes to look at him:
"You practically smell like Luvia."
"Hmm... Is your sense of smell always this sharp?"
Xia De said this awkwardly, but Her Royal Highness the Princess pointed her finger at Xia De's mouth, telling him not to continue:
"I can't always be with you, and that's fine. But I haven't had a date with you since the Tour de France last week. That night was... a great night, Knight. This weekend, would you like to..."
She whispered a few words in Shade's ear, then waved goodbye with a red face. Shade raised his eyebrows and sent Leicia to the carriage outside the door, while imagining the weekend date, preparing to officially start a new adventure.
In the basement of his home, Shade said goodbye to Mia who was standing on the stairs, and then entered the hidden wall. He reached out to touch the ancient god statue, and as the spell was recited, the surrounding white fog quickly surged, and he entered the fog.
Outsider, you have entered the 'space maze'.
Message from the ancient god "Original Rift":
Existing space landmarks:7.
"St. Teresa's Square, the cliffs of Coldwater Harbor, the old tower of Mount Sikar, the vineyards of the White River Valley, the lighthouse on the island in the middle of Lake Pantanal, the Church of the Forgotten, the Temple of the Night..."
Xia De looked at the seven tattered road signs on the path in the white mist, sighed softly, took out the flint and rubbed it with the stone in his left hand. As sparks flashed, luck had come to him.
The one-time extraordinary properties of the flint disappeared, and Shade lifted up the white stone crystal in the mist:
"Offer a sacrifice to the Space Labyrinth."
The stone turned into a wisp of white mist and disappeared into Xia De's hand. At the same time, "she" reminded:
New information available: New spatial landmarks to search for. Please select a direction.
Southeast
As the words fell, the trail in the thick fog extended a distance into the distance. In the new area of the trail, the dilapidated road signs that seemed to have been ravaged by time for a hundred years gradually appeared.
Shade walked over and placed his hand on the rotten wood.
The Original Rift will show you the way.
The white mist around slowly dissipated, like a curtain moving to both sides. This was a sign of leaving the space created by these ancient gods.
Xia De carefully looked around as the scene gradually became clearer. When his sight touched the statue of the ancient god in the darkness, the statue emitted a soft light, illuminating the new dark circular space.
"oh?"
I had hoped to find clues directly related to the puzzles in this area, just like I did in the Forgotten Church. But unfortunately, this time there was nothing in this circular space except the glowing statue.
There were no boxes of wills and treasures, no skeletons, no lost parchments, not even dust. Of course, there shouldn't be dust here.
"Then go out and take a look."
Shade did not bring the Night Watch with him, but the Key of Yggdrasil was around his neck, hanging together with the "Witch Detection Badge". After the hidden wall disappeared, the outside of the passage was indeed a dull black. However, due to the special nature of this place, no smell could invade.
So Shade walked out of the wall and immediately frowned. Unlike the rotten or even decaying smell he smelled every time before, this time he smelled the smell of food, which meant that this place was being used and had an owner.
“Similar to the White River Valley Vineyards?”
Close your eyes and listen in the dark. There is no heartbeat around you, but there are continuous "ripples" of heartbeats above your head. This means there are quite a lot of people above you:
“The good news is that I probably won’t have to go hiking, swimming, or exploring the wilderness, but the bad news is that this is most likely going to be a downtown area.”
After confirming that no one had entered the enclosed space, Xia De lit up the light of his finger. The silver moonlight illuminated the surroundings. When Xia De saw the wine barrels, water jars, flour bags, and shelves for bread, fresh fruits and vegetables in the corner, he confirmed that this was the basement of a restaurant, hotel, or tavern.
“It seems like this is really an urban area.”
Seeing that the basket of bread was covered with newspapers to prevent moisture, Shade walked over and took a look at the contents of the newspaper. He first confirmed that it was in the Delarian text, and then confirmed that the half-covered news headline was "Green Lake Winter Ice Fishing".