The document the doctor handed to Xia De was a formal description of the tuition fees of colleges and universities. The same printed version even had a sun pattern added to the upper right corner and three gears in the lower left corner as page decoration. Even ordinary people would not feel strange when seeing this.
Compared to the knowledge provided, the tuition fee for the first-year correspondence ring sorcerer is very cheap, only 50 pounds. You know, according to Shade's initial understanding, in this world, even the tuition fee for a boy from a middle-class family in a medium-sized boarding school is about 100 to 150 pounds per year.
He still looked embarrassed. Let alone 50 pounds, he couldn't even come up with 5 pounds in cash.
But there are still many relics belonging to the detective in the house. If they are all sold, they will be worth at least 50 pounds. Besides, there are several commissions that can be completed soon, so Shad actually still has a way.
"Do you need cash immediately?"
This is the most difficult thing.
"The college needs cash in gold pounds, but it can also be in other currencies, but you need to ask about the exchange rate. Of course, if you can't come up with it for the time being, the college also has a loan program, but the interest rate may be a disadvantage for you."
Dr. Schneider introduced, and Miss Louisa put her hands on her knees and said kindly:
"However, my opinion is that the team can lend it to you. We have the funds. After all, except for rich people like doctors, no one can come up with so much cash at one time."
The blue-eyed doctor touched his nose and looked a little embarrassed.
"I was like that at the beginning. It's normal, but you have to consider whether you can afford the loan."
The blonde lady reminded kindly.
"There is no interest on this tuition loan, but you need to pay back 10 pounds in the first month starting from the date of the loan, and 20 pounds per month for the next two months."
The doctor also added:
"You don't need collateral. I'll be your guarantor within the group. Anyway, I know your identity information, so you can't leave."
The doctor knew that Xia De had just recovered from "blindness and stupidity" and was very familiar with his condition.
Xia De finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that he was really lucky. Of course, he did not forget to thank him. He really met a very good person:
"I will repay you as soon as possible, Mr. Schneider, Miss Louisa, please allow me to thank you again."
At this point, I suddenly remembered something. Because of this interest-free loan, I decided to give more trust to Dr. Schneider and the writer in the same group, so I took out the notebook I carried with me.
Carefully peel off the leather cover of the notebook and take out a card from the gap.
On the front of the card, there is a picture of a woman sitting sideways holding up a silver moon. This is the most precious relic of the former detective, a Rhodes card with the suit of "Sun 3". Xia De saw that the door lock of his house could be easily split open with an axe, so he carried it with him:
"Excuse me, is this worth money?"
"A special series of Rhodes cards?"
Before Shade handed over the card, Miss Louisa recognized it at a glance, but she shook her head and motioned Shade to pass it to the doctor:
"I don't play cards often, so I don't know the value of this kind of thing. Let the doctor take a look?"
"It is indeed a Rhodes brand. It not only has a special pattern, but also has special effects. Is this the real thing?"
The doctor took it curiously and examined it under the warm yellow light of the gas lamp on the wall. He had no intention of revealing Shade's identity and background to Miss Louisa, so he gave Shade some common sense in his words:
"Although I'm not a collector, I know that some nobles and enthusiasts are crazy about these special Rhodes cards. The special patterns themselves are very precious. If there are special rules... That kind of fanatical collecting hobby is even stronger than a man's desire for beautiful ladies. I can't understand that kind of behavior. I heard that last year, the Biford Auction House not far from St. Teresa's Square where you live once... Hmm? Is this the Silver Moon of the founding series?"
The doctor suddenly asked in surprise.
"What?"
Xia De didn't understand, but the blonde lady stood up and looked at the card with great interest.
The doctor placed the cards on the coffee table between the three people and introduced them to the two people who were not familiar with Rhodes cards:
"Look, there is a vertical line in the upper center of the front of this card. This means that this is the founding series card originally issued by Rhodes. It is said that only 13 founding series cards were issued 300 years ago. Each card has a different pattern and must have special rules. Silver Moon is one of them, so it is called the founding Silver Moon. And under the rule system of Rhodes, each founding series card has extraordinary effects..."
"Although I don't play cards, I think the rules above are indeed extraordinary."
Dorothy Louisa, who had read the effects one step ahead, said that the doctor also lowered his head to look at the effects on the card. Although he was not a gambler or a Rhodes fanatic, he knew how terrible a card that could adjust numbers from "1" to "5" would be under rules similar to "21 points".
"Is this authentic? It should be valuable, right?"
The blonde girl asked. Shade was somewhat expectant, but the doctor shook his head decisively.
"It's impossible. It's absolutely impossible to be authentic. Each card in the founding series is equivalent to the houses on a street around Saint Teresa's Square. It's even more. It can't be authentic. The founding series was issued three hundred years ago. It's either damaged or in the tombs of great nobles or in family collections. It's impossible for it to appear easily."
He knew Xia De's background, so he made such a judgment.
“Is it still valuable if it’s not genuine?”
Xia De also agreed with Dr. Schneider's words, but still asked this question. He also didn't believe that this was authentic, after all, it was an antique from 300 years ago.
"Not even a penny. People only support genuine cards. Especially those special series of Rhodes cards. Using pirated Rhodes cards will be boycotted by all fans, so imitations are not worth much... But this imitation is really good."
The doctor handed the card to Xia De with some regret:
"I'll lend you the money first... But you might as well get this Silver Moon of Founding appraised and try your luck."
"Where can I get it identified?"
Xia De also became interested.
"I know this. The Prophet's Association specializes in this."
The writer Miss Louisa said, and the doctor nodded. He introduced it in more detail because he knew that Shade definitely didn't know:
"The issuance of Rhodes decks has always been the responsibility of the Prophet's Association, so they also provide authentication services for special cards. The authentication fee is 5 pence per card, which is quite cheap. If it is authentic, the Prophet's Association will issue an authentication certificate. If people want to participate in a formal Rhodes deck competition and mix special cards into the deck, they must produce an authentication certificate."
The popularity of Rhodes in this world was higher than Shade had expected, but it did not surprise him much, after all, it was just a card game. In the steam age when productivity was relatively liberated compared to hundreds of years ago, it was normal to have some special entertainment.
The doctor continued:
"The Prophet's Association is actually an organization of ring sorcerers, but it is not very formal. It has cooperated with the academy and the church, and is recognized by us. It even has some connection with our group. Their original business was divination. Around the 15th century of the Sixth Epoch, they launched a special series of Rhodes cards to facilitate the promotion of divination business. Since then, their main business has become Rhodes cards."
The doctor pursed his lips, and I don't know what he meant:
"The association made a fortune by hosting various Rhodes card tournaments, and printing cards was like making money in gold pounds... Ahem, I'm not envious of this business. Of course, the Prophet Association still provides divination services, but it also involves book publishing and newspaper distribution. The famous local "Three Penny Newspaper" is run by them."
The name of this newspaper is really concise.
"The Prophet's Association has many branches and organizations in big cities like Tobesk. There is one near St. Teresa's Square, which is more formal. Tsk, it's really good to live in the city center. Even if there is an extremely small probability that your card is really the legendary founding series Silver Moon card, you don't have to worry about the news being leaked. This is a very formal organization."
The doctor joked.
"If this card is authentic, please let us know. It may be a good subject for a novel."
Miss Louisa also made a joke. She was quite nice to the stranger Shade and seemed to welcome the group to meet the five-member quota.