"Shad, you..."
Seeing that Shade was so determined, Miss Danister wanted to say something, but in the end she could only nod:
"I will deal with the academy as soon as possible. In addition, I want to give you an item. If you encounter the Mirror Man again, it will at least guarantee you a chance to fight back. The item will allow you to use the high-level magic I have stored in it - Red Moon Fall."
Storing one's own magic in alchemical items is not a very uncommon technique. This is how Yin Luna's "Sunshine Gun" brooch came about.
"Also, if you use it at night, when the item is damaged, I can project to your side for a short time. Although my combat power is definitely not as strong as my real body, it should be no problem to help you escape."
Miss Danister continued.
This is indeed a great technology. Shade nodded in thanks and mentioned the Winter Choir:
"I want to get in touch with them, is there any way?"
This was not the first time that Shade had made a strange request out of the blue, so Miss Danister did not care:
"Today is Wednesday, right? Yes, I also attended the "Moon and Spell" course this afternoon. Then this matter is easy to arrange, you go back and wait for news."
She agreed readily, and Shade thanked her again. When he was about to leave, the sorceress reminded him worriedly:
“Even if you have the alchemical items I gave you, you must never think of confronting the Mirror Man head-on. Although the probability of you meeting him again is not high, but... I have already lost my teacher, and I don’t want to lose my only student again.”
She said it seriously, looking at Xia De with her rose-red eyes.
"Please rest assured that I value my life more than anyone else."
The alchemical item mentioned by Miss Danister was delivered to Shade's hands on the next day, Thursday morning, through the pages of the manuscript. It was a palm-sized red leather-covered book, and its shape was consistent with Shade's impression of Miss Danister.
Of course, this item is only a book on the outside, but when it is opened, it is full of complex hand-painted ritual arrays to fill the power. This also shows how powerful Yin Luna's technology is to make the "Sunshine Gun Brooch" with a low ring.
On both sides of this book, which is not actually a book, golden ink is used to outline the sun, moon and stars that Shad and Miss Danister have been looking for. There is also the St. Byron's school emblem on the top of the front, and Miss Danister's autograph at the bottom.
"Rich in elements of miracle and enlightenment, the Thirteen Rings Warlock is truly extraordinary."
At the breakfast table, Shad commented that with this, he wouldn't have to worry too much about his activities in the Green Lake area and the next time he went to the island with Megan.
Today he planned to go to the Green Lake area to look for the group of tomb robbers related to the Edwards family and the Angel Finger Bones. Of course, considering that he had to go to the Tobesk train station to participate in a group mission in the evening, Shad needed to be back before five o'clock in the afternoon.
After breakfast, Shad left Mia at home and set off. He didn't have many clues at the moment, and knew almost nothing about the tomb robbers. But the pen with a name that he picked up from the sunken ship in the water ghost's lair might be of some use. Because Dorothy said that the pen was a commemorative and out-of-print pen, which was produced more than two years ago.
Since the time overlaps, maybe the corpses in the water ghost's lair are related to the tomb robbers. But it is still difficult to find subsequent clues from a name, and maybe the time overlap is just a coincidence, so Xia De decided to ask local friends for help.
It was already ten o'clock in the morning when we arrived at the border post in the Green Lake area. The barracks at the post seemed more lively than a few days ago, and Shade also noticed that there were more wooden barricades with iron wire wrapped around them extending to the east and west sides of the post.
Even though it was only morning, the number of people waiting to cross the border had already exceeded the total number of people that Shade had seen the two times he had passed through. Surrounding the checkpoint and the nearby Crossroads Village, there was even a lively area similar to a market, with people carrying loads and children gathering here.
This resulted in the soldiers having to push and shout at people in order to barely maintain order.
The increase in the number of people crossing the border meant that the business of the nearby Crossroads Village Tavern had become better. When Shad and Captain Rades sat down in the tavern together, they could clearly feel the increasingly lively atmosphere here.
He glanced at the emblem of the Kingdom of Delarion hanging on the wall, and then asked Captain Rades:
"Didn't you say last time that this tavern no longer welcomes you because you beat up the Carsenrick people?"
The captain shook his head.
"Last week, someone was causing trouble here again, and it turned into a fight between the Carsenrick people and the locals, and the straw pile next to the tavern was almost set on fire. I led people to put out the fire, otherwise we would have no place to sit and talk today."
The aproned tavern owner came over with a tray, greeted Captain Rades with a smile, and placed the drinks for both of them on the table.
Xia De knocked on the wooden table and asked worriedly:
"There have been a lot of conflicts along the border recently?"
"Yes, and not just near the checkpoints."
Captain Rades lowered his voice slightly:
"The whole region is sitting on a powder keg. I know that for the big guys up there, this kind of conflict between peasants and soldiers is nothing, but I think it will definitely cause trouble."
Xia De sighed and shook his head slightly, then talked about the purpose of his visit.
Captain Rades was the deputy commander of the camp, and of course he knew something about the underground smuggling business in Green Lake City. When he heard that Shade wanted to find a group of tomb robbers from two years ago, he suggested that he go to the village of Pukhov by the lake, which was the small village that Shade had passed by when he went fishing in the lake:
"I'll give you a note. Go to the Pukhov Village Tavern and find 'Bad Eyes Barry'. He will definitely be able to give you a clue. He is the local gang leader. He does some brokerage, smuggling and underground gambling business. He is well-informed."
As he started writing the note, Xia De asked curiously:
"Captain, have you also approached him for business?"
The middle-aged officer cautiously made a gesture to keep quiet:
"It's not me who's looking for him. My superior asked me to help him with some things... Colonel Dewey, the battalion commander, has been in the local area for more than ten years. He has a lot of business."
He snorted as he spoke, clearly not accustomed to this kind of behavior, but he was also wise enough to know that this was unavoidable:
"Today is Wednesday. Bad-Eye Barry is either hanging out with his men in the tavern or in his lakeside villa. The one with the patch on his right eye is him. If you can't find him, just ask the bartender and tell him my name. He will definitely help you."
"Captain, it seems you are doing well here."
"It's nothing."
Captain Rades said, smiling even more brightly:
"I'll treat you to today's drink. After you finish this drink, go and take care of your own business. When you're free, we can go to the club in the city to have dinner together. I still have a lot to tell you about the Green Lake area."
Pukhov Village and Crossroads Village are located at the ends of the left and right forks of the main road from the city to the border area. Although the distance is not particularly close, it is at least more convenient than leaving the city.
It was less than half past ten when Xia De arrived at his destination. The Sowing Moon had already come to the seventeenth day, and the warm spring sunshine shone on the village by the lake, making the already bustling village look even more noisy.
The tavern in Pukhov Village was no worse than the one in Crossroads Village, and because there were sailors and more merchants, there were also many people in the tavern. When Shade walked into the tavern, many people were gathered around the table watching the Rhodes card game, or sitting together in twos and threes chatting about some boring things.
The pub was full of alcohol. Shade looked around but didn't see anyone with an eye patch on their right eye. So he walked to the counter and asked the bald man with a towel on his right shoulder and a big belly:
"Is Bad-Eye Barry here today? Captain Raddes asked me to look for him."
The middle-aged man glanced at him and pointed to the drunk man holding a glass of wine on the right. The man was skinny and looked like he had taken an overdose of illegal drugs.
"Barry didn't come today. But you can ask him, he probably knows where Barry went."
Hearing the bartender's voice, the drunk man looked up at Shade, and then an ugly smile appeared on his face. When he grinned, his yellow teeth were exposed, and his left front teeth were missing:
"You want to ask me something?"
He twisted his fingers towards Shade:
"Five, no, ten shillings."
Shade looked at the bartender, who shrugged and said he didn't want to get involved. So Shade lifted his clothes to reveal the gun bag on his waist. The drunk guy probably had poor eyesight and leaned over the table to look at Shade's waist, wanting to see what was there. But what he saw was a fist in front of him:
"ah!"
He only had time to yell before he was knocked to the ground. Xia De turned to the bartender and said:
"I'll take him out to sober him up."
"Please."
Then they watched Xia De drag the drunk man away. The people in the tavern were used to this scene and just shouted a few times to cheer him up.
In the stable outside the tavern, the horse drinking trough successfully sobered the drunk man up, and Shad also learned that the well-informed "Broken-Eyed Barry" was in the villa by the lake.
This morning, a group of wealthy guests came from Mikaela Blast Furnace City, and they should be discussing business now. "Rotten Eye Barry" is engaged in brokerage business, and it is common for him to deal with the Kasenrick people.
Shad was very satisfied that he could get the information he wanted without being forced to help others find cats or fight. He loosened the collar of the drunk who had just been pressed into the sink by him, took out a shilling from his pocket and threw it beside him.