Green Lake Hotel only has a tavern and dining area on the first floor, and the second and third floors are all accommodation rooms. Although it was Tuesday morning, there were many guests at the table. The heartbeats that Shad heard in the storage room came from them.
In order to disguise himself as a traveler, he even brought a black suitcase. When he arrived at the counter, a middle-aged man with brown hair, brown mustache, and glasses, wearing an apron, was looking down at the account book.
"Hello, is there any room available?"
Shade asked in the Dlarion language with a Tobesk accent. The man behind the counter looked up at him and nodded slightly:
"Of course. From your accent, I know you are also from Tobysk, and you are here for the negotiations between the two countries. Are you a newspaper reporter? A biographer? A businessman?"
The man asked in a very familiar manner, and was about to register for Shade. Of course, he did not forget to hand Shade his business card. It was a very finely printed business card. The man in front of him was the inn owner, Soren Green, and there was an advertisement for the inn on the business card.
"I'm a writer who came here to collect material about the legends of the Green Lake area. I just happened to stumble upon this negotiation."
Shade said, and then gave the registered name:
"John Watson, stay for four weeks. I need a room with a separate bathroom and cloakroom. After four weeks, if you need to renew the lease, I will let you know half a week in advance."
"Would you like to have breakfast, lunch and dinner with us? It's only two shillings extra a day. Of course, that doesn't include drinks."
"No, no, I probably won't eat here because I have to go out to collect materials. If I eat here, I will have to pay for the meal extra."
"So do you need your shoes polished and your clothes dried?"
Considering that it would be awkward if he didn't ask for anything, Xia De nodded:
"Count it into the room rate. Also, subscribe me to a local morning newspaper. I hope to read it on the carpet every morning."
"I would recommend the Green Lake Morning Post."
"Can."
Shade paid the fee, and while Mr. Green was filling out the registration form, he smiled and said:
"I've traveled to many cities in the Old World, but this is the first time I've seen a hotel room like yours where you have to register your age, hometown, occupation, and general appearance."
"I can't do anything about it. The negotiations between the two countries will be held in the Green Lake area. The city hall has notified us through the industry association and the police that we need to carefully register all guests staying in the hotel in the near future."
Mr. Green was also a little troubled when he said this:
"Sir, you are not the first person to complain about this. Originally, as the owner of the hotel, I am not responsible for the front desk registration, but because of this incident, I have to stand here and take charge of this troublesome matter. Do the police think that they can catch the rumored killers, agents and saboteurs just by this?"
Xia De nodded in understanding:
"But this is a major matter involving both countries. Maybe there really are MI6 or Gray Glove agents living here."
Mr. Green did not dare to reply, so Shade asked again:
"I noticed that the shops on this street all look old, but the signs are all new. And you didn't even put tables and chairs in front of the shops or post your own advertisements. Is this also because of the negotiations?"
"Yes, the City Hall said that they want to show the best city appearance to the bigwigs in Tobesk and Willendel. You are a day late. Yesterday at noon, the mayor personally came to our street and went into every store to give suggestions for rectification. The flashes of the reporters' cameras almost blinded my eyes."
Xia De clearly saw the corner of Mr. Green's mouth twitch:
"We are now forced to change our signs and take back the decorations and tables and chairs outside the door. It doesn't affect me that much, but it's not so good for Mrs. Jenny's flower shop next door. She used to put fresh flowers outside the shop early in the morning to attract customers."
"After all, this is a special period. It will pass if you are patient."
Xia De comforted him, put his right hand on the counter and looked out the door:
"Although the negotiations are taking place in two cities, I think the negotiators should have residences in both cities and it is impossible for them to travel back and forth. By the way, where do the representatives of Carsonrick and Delarion live? I see that this place is very close to the city hall. Are they staying here with you?"
Mr. Green finished writing the last letter of Shade's registration form, shook his head and closed the pen cap:
"Of course not. The Delarion delegation has already arrived and is staying at the Orioliv Manor in the south of the city, which is very close to Green Lake. However, they will have to change their accommodation when Duke Carina arrives. As for where the representatives of Carsenrick will stay in the city, it will be arranged by the City Hall. I heard the guests chatting yesterday and it seems that they will stay at Earl Hood's old manor, but they are still on the way."
"I remember there should be an embassy of Carsenrick in this area."
Shade said, watching Mr. Green take the key from the key wall behind him, and asked the young man who was running errands at the door to help watch the counter for a while, while he took Shade to see the room:
"Indeed, we are a big border city after all. But the local Carsenrick Embassy is very old. The building is older than my hotel. Those old southerners hardly live in the embassy. They go to the club in Michaela Blast Furnace City five days a week to have fun. After all, Green Lake City cannot compare to the city in the south."
Under the guidance of Mr. Green, Shad went to the third floor and saw his room. The room had good lighting and was large. Although the house was a bit old, it was very clean. Shad also asked and learned that the room was cleaned three times a week and that he could make an appointment in advance. However, if he needed help with the laundry, he would have to pay an extra fee to "Mrs. Mary".
By the time he finished looking around the rooms and packed his luggage, it was already ten o'clock. Shade said hello to Mr. Green and left the hotel, looking at the foggy streets, put his left hand in his pocket, clicked his hat with his right hand, and started his adventure in a new city.
Green Lake City, located on the north shore of Green Lake, has a long history, but the city covers a small area. Taking Green Lake Hotel as the center, walk south for half an hour and you will almost leave the city and enter the rural area on the edge of Green Lake.
Of course, Shad did not go directly to the island in Green Lake without knowing anything. Instead, he followed the address given by old Mr. Edmund and went to look for the member of the local Guiding Light Hermitage.
Although Mr. Edmund did not say it directly, the other party should be a high-level warlock like him and Old John. Shad was still very interested in him.
With the address and the map, it was not difficult to find a specific destination. However, Shade did not take a carriage, but walked on the streets to feel the atmosphere of the city.
He could clearly feel that Green Lake City's architectural style and steam level were at least five years behind Tobysk. But because the population was still dense and there were talks between the two countries, the city at least looked prosperous. What he saw in that garbage-filled alley was just a small part of the era.
The address given by the old tower keeper was a tailor shop located in the south of Green Lake City, on the east bank of the Duin River that runs through the city from north to south. This was not a high-end ready-made clothing store, but a poor store that sold old clothes and provided tailoring services.
The shop is located on Royal Mail Street, so named because the local post office is at number 1. As for the humble tailor shop at number 2, the sign reads "Kingfisher Tailors - Also Second-hand Clothing, Mending, Starching and Pressing".
The building where the store is located is a two-story small building. Compared with the imposing post office occupying the street corner in a right-angle shape next to it, it looks very inconspicuous.
Next to the shop's metal door is a narrow display window with two crudely made mannequins dressed in skirts and suits.
Although the shop is inconspicuous, it seems to be doing good business. After pushing the door and entering, the first thing you hear is the sound of a bell similar to that of "Old John's Pawn Shop", and then you see the neatly arranged floor-standing sliding hangers in the shop.
The air smelled of lavender, and the walls were covered with layers of old clothes of all styles: men's jackets, overcoats, hats, and trousers, and women's dresses, aprons, slim-fitting shirts, and even corsets.
The light from the rusty kerosene-lamp-style gas lamp seemed unusually bright in the foggy morning, and in this shop, which was only about two-thirds the size of Old John's Antique Shop, there were actually three apprentices working.
The shop owner didn't seem to be there. Among the three apprentices, only two were ring sorcerers, one was a three-ring female sorcerer and the other was a four-ring male sorcerer. In addition to Shade, there was an old woman with a hunched back choosing a hat in the shop, so Shade didn't rush to explain his identity. After the middle-aged man with a four-ring nose like a strawberry came over to greet him, he smiled and asked:
"Hello, I am a traveler from another city. I want to go to Green Lake to collect materials, but I don't have wet-proof boots and cloaks suitable for moving on the lake and the waterside."
The middle-aged man with a measuring tape around his neck then invited Xia De to choose suitable clothes. During this time, the old woman who was buying a hat also chose her own products, checked out and left.
When the door of the shop was closed, Shade reached out to stop the man from taking the cloak for him:
"I'm looking for Grandma Natalie."
Shade said, and the fourth-ring warlock raised his eyebrows:
"What can I do for you?"
Xia De didn't say anything, but stretched out his hand and drew a pattern in the air. The main part of the pattern was an equilateral triangle, with a small circle connected to each of the three corners of the triangle, and inside the triangle was a person with wings.
This is the symbol of the Guiding Light Hermitage, which Shad learned from a potion bottle he found behind a hidden wall in his basement.
Seeing this sign, the man nodded in understanding:
"Come this way, please."
He brought Xia De to a fitting room in the corner that was more decorative than functional. He then gently pushed the wall, and an entrance actually slid open.
The man motioned for Xia De to go in alone, and Xia De walked in directly. This looked like a passage converted from the side door of a building. After a few steps, there was a door. After knocking on the door and pushing it open, he arrived at the back of the tailor shop. There were no windows here, and the area was only about half of the front of the shop.
There was nothing in the dark room except a gas lamp, a counter and two tables.
The old lady with silver hair was behind the counter, sorting a stack of bills by the light of a candle. After Xia De came in, she put the bills away and looked at Xia De's fake face:
"You are an unfamiliar outsider, and you seem to be a new guest. Excuse me, who introduced you?"
There was a Green Lake accent in her words, but Shad could still understand them:
"Mr. Edmund of Coldwater Harbor. He asked me to inquire about the skeleton of the rotten fish."
"Oh, can't he be a little patient? He even sent someone to ask me."
The old woman shook her head:
"You came at the right time. Two days ago, I did find someone who could provide this material, but there were only five complete fish skeletons, which is five short of what Old Edmund said."
"There are still fifteen to go. You don't have to test me. This is the address note he gave me."
Xia De put the note on the counter, and Grandma Natalie smiled and nodded:
"I'm older now, and I'm more wary than I was when I was younger. I hope you can understand. Edmund seems to have met a very nice young man. What's your name, please?"
"John Watson."
Xia De said, and then continued to ask about the materials:
"I heard that this place is the source of rotten fish. Why can't I buy this material? Isn't it the fishing season for that magical fish now?"
"The growth cycle of alien creatures is different from that of ordinary creatures. It takes about ten years for the rotten fish to mature from fry. Old Edmund didn't choose a particularly good time."
Even though she said that, she still took out a black bottle that looked like a small bottle of nail polish and handed it to Shade:
"Since he sent you here specifically, I'm afraid he really needs you urgently. You can sneak into Green Lake yourself, use the pills in the bottle as bait, and try to see if there are any fish that escaped from the last fishing season. This may not be easy, but at least you can be more proactive than waiting for news from the black market."
"Diving again..."
Despite this, Shad still took the bottle. He asked about the price of the bait, but Natalie said it was free, as Mr. Edmund had given a large deposit when he commissioned the purchase of the skeleton.
After temporarily dealing with the fish bone issue, Xia De began to deal with his own affairs. Coming to a new city, he naturally had to put up a long-term commission to purchase currency relics. But unfortunately, Grandma Natalie did not have such relics for the time being.
In addition, Shade did not forget to ask about the abandoned Green Lake Town in the center of the lake and the Edwards family. Hearing Shade's question, the old woman was obviously stunned:
"Are you also planning to explore the secret of immortality?"
"No, no, I'm just curious about the Philosopher's Stone. Although I don't quite believe that ordinary family can refine the Philosopher's Stone, maybe there will be gains. I got some information from Mr. Edmund, and it was he who recommended me to try my luck here."
"Almost every year there are people who want to do the same thing as you. In recent decades there are fewer such people, but I have never heard of anyone being able to discover any secrets."
She shook her head.
"Almost all the local ring sorcerers have been to that island. There are only two abnormal points there - the perennial white fog and the intermittent loss of direction. In addition, the valuables and clues in Edwards' old house on the island have long been dug up by the Orthodox Church and the ring sorcerers who landed on the island. You probably won't find anything if you go there now."
After all, the Edwards family incident happened more than a hundred years ago, and many people knew about it. Even though most ring sorcerers believed that an ordinary family would not have any secrets, a few busybodies still took away most of the things in the past hundred years.
Shade had expected this to happen, but he still wanted to go to the island to take a look, so that his report to Miss Danister would have some written content:
"Are there any taboos for going to the island? For example, what can't you do, or when is the best time to go?"
"If you lose your sense of direction, just stand still and wait for nature to recover. Walking around will cause some strange things to happen. If you want to go there by boat, you can find fishermen willing to take you there in the fishing village by the lake, but those country fishermen generally believe that the island is cursed by the devil, so you have to pay more. Other than that, there is nothing else to pay attention to."
Grandma Natalie said, and then sold Shad a map of the island for 1 gold pound. The map was drawn by a ring wizard who landed on the island five years ago. Although the accuracy was not high, it was enough for Shad to find the old house of the Edwards family.
"Negotiations between the two countries will be held in this area recently. The Five Gods Church attaches great importance to security issues. Ring sorcerers like you from other places should be more cautious in your actions."
When giving Shade the map, Grandma Natalie specifically reminded him:
"Since Old Edmund trusts you so much, I think he probably thinks you are also our fellow traveler. Since last year, there have been more and more strange things in the material world, and the church's supervision has become stricter. If it is not necessary, there is no need for us to cause trouble for ourselves."
Shade nodded, and then went to the catalog of relics for sale, wanting to see if there was a relic that suited him. Because of the special nature of relics, it was best for a ring sorcerer not to carry and use too many relics at one time. Shade was not short of relics with specific functions at the moment, but since he was in a new place, he always had to check out new shops.
While Xia De was looking through the catalog, Grandma Natalie said:
"Last week, someone placed a long-term commission with me, wanting to purchase special metals such as fine gold, mithril and orichalcum, and offered a very high price. As usual, I asked, are you interested in this business?"
Xia De shook his head. Although he had a piece of mountain copper that he got when he was helping Miss Carina collect her belongings at the opera house, he did not intend to sell the metal. He was not in urgent need of money at the moment.
"I'm telling you this for Edmund's sake: the other party has information about the Edwards family."
Granny Natalie said with a smile again, and Xia De looked up in surprise:
"What? Intelligence? Oh, sorry, I didn't expect that... Do you know the other party well?"
"I know what you want to ask. Yes, I have known her for a long time. Although the lady has a strange personality, she is still very honest as a business partner. I introduced you, she will not lie to you."
“Does the other party know a lot about the Edwards family?”
"At least more than me and most people. If Edmund hadn't introduced you, you wouldn't have heard this from me."
Shade thought for a moment:
"Mother-in-law Natalie, I do have a piece of mountain copper, but I don't have it with me. If the other party has information that I'm interested in, I think the deal can go through."
"Okay, I need time to contact her. Please come to my place again at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. I think I should have a reply by then."
Xia De nodded and pointed to the products in the catalog:
“Is this item in stock now?”
That is not a relic, but a derivative of the Keeper-level relic Eye of Sorrow. The relic itself is a rare magic eye, which replaces the ring warlock's eyes and can use vision to interfere with the emotions of other individuals. When the magic eye is not used by an individual, it will secrete a special liquid similar to tears.
This liquid, called "tears of pain", can make the drinker fall into great sorrow. Some potions require liquids with similar effects, and Shade bought it for Dorothy. The writer's ink is made by herself, mixed with special liquids, which can further release the emotions contained in the written story, thereby enhancing the effect of the magic.