"Xia De, how many credits does the academy plan to reward you for this operation?"
After lamenting the danger of the relics, the doctor asked again.
"I haven't submitted my report yet. The college said they will give me a response after my report is submitted, but it will probably be around 10 credits."
The poet-level relic, the Endless Mercury Bottle, is worth about four or five credits, while this clerical-level relic is worth about seven or eight credits.
The reason why Xia De was given 10 credits this time was because he was able to submit a complete relic recovery report, and mentioned a new relic recovery method in the report, rather than just "selling" the relic to the college. This report, which Xia De had not yet started writing, would be put into the college library, and would serve as a great reference not only for this relic, but also for the collection of similar relics. This was actually the value of knowledge.
"That way, all 15 credits are complete!"
Shade couldn't help but smile. He had originally taken the incident provided by the priest as a backup, thinking that he would have to encounter the real relic from Iluna on Friday. He didn't expect to complete the task today.
"Doctor, I will hand in the vial of mercury on Saturday. I will try my luck tomorrow to see if I can find another thing. If I do, it will be like saving a relic."
He said to Dr. Schneider, who shook his head:
"There's nothing wrong with this arrangement. I'll inform the academy. But people can't always trust luck. Luck is such an unpredictable thing."
Coming from Dr. Schneider, these words are truly thought-provoking.
"It's not just credits. I'm expected to get a bonus of around 20 pounds."
In a good mood, Shad added that compared with the actual value of this relic with complex and diverse functions, the 20-pound prize was probably just a fraction of the actual value.
"If you hand in a relic for academic credits, with a complete containment report, the upper limit for poet-level is 5 pounds, the upper limit for clerk-level is 20 pounds, and the upper limit for secret-keeper-level is 80 pounds. This is the old rule over the years. The one you found is very valuable, so the maximum reward will be given."
The doctor said in a very experienced tone, shook his head and put down the wine glass:
"So, the most appropriate way to obtain credits is still the academy's missions or the academy's bounty orders. Of course, the Time Key is also a very good choice for you."
"Shadow is in a rush this time. Besides, he will be promoted to the second grade in a month, so he won't have time to do much."
The old priest said, also happy for Shade:
"I was originally worried that what happened today was just an evil spirit, but I didn't expect it to be a relic. Moreover, the containment process went very smoothly and the whole family was successfully saved. Xia De, I don't know whether this should be considered your luck or my luck."
"Padre, this is certainly your luck."
Xia De smiled and put down the documents in his hand, then picked up Mia, who was lying softly on the sofa. While the men were talking, the well-behaved cat had been sleeping beside Xia De.
"But I can't relax too much. I still have a lot to do this week..."
Shade's main task this week was to find out how to contact the Gate of Radiance Transformation through the God Summoning Ceremony. Because of the sudden appearance of the second chosen person, Shade could not spend the coins in his hand casually, and he was still waiting for news from Professor Manning.
"I'll try to deal with one more thing tomorrow. It's likely that there won't be any results, so I can find time to go to Professor Manning to get some information."
He was thinking about his plans for the next day, but he was also troubled by his career. Since settling the estate of Madame Lemaire, he had no other business for a whole week.
"Detective Sparrow has four commissions left. The lover's investigation is over, and the cat-finding commission has become a new foster care commission. It's already August, so maybe I should finish the remaining two."
Xia De thought to himself that these things could only be solved until next week.
After saying goodbye to the doctor and solemnly thanking Father Augustus for his help today, Shad took Mia away.
To reward the cat for its contribution this afternoon, Shade took the cat to a restaurant near St. Teresa's Square for a big meal as agreed. Although it was a big meal, Shade did not give it too much food for the cat's health.
The little orange cat was in a bad mood for a while, but when night fell and they returned home, Mia forgot that she was still angry with Xia De, and meowed as she "led" it upstairs in front of Xia De.
After returning home, there was no free time. Taking advantage of the free time at night, Shad took a pen under the gas lamp and spent a lot of effort to finish the report that needed to be submitted. He did not have the ability to "read and write" like Dorothy, so he could only write one letter at a time. Although the report did not require any format, in order to appear more formal, the handwriting had to be beautiful.
This was a huge test for outsiders, but writing the report itself was quite simple. After all, there was nothing that could not be said about what happened today.
"If everything goes well, I will get the notice of promotion to the second grade on Saturday, and then the textbook fees... I will definitely have enough savings, but after paying the tuition, there will not be much left, and it will be difficult to cope with the emergency situation."
Before washing up at night, I was still thinking about income. Then I realized that it was the beginning of the month and I could go to MI6 to collect some money and get reimbursed, but the expenses of taxes, gas, water and steam were also not a small amount.
"I still have to take on a few commissions. I remember that the fees for the other two commissions left by Detective Sparrow were not high."
The income increased, but the expenses also increased. Even if Shade could face the gods, he still had to worry about making a living.
(Mi Mia is running...)
Early on Friday morning, the city was shrouded in mist. This is the usual state of Tobysk in rainless weather. August is the last month of summer. Although it is still midsummer, thinking about the coming of autumn, it is also very anxious for the livelihood in the next six months.
There was no big local news in the morning newspapers. The public security in Tobysk has been surprisingly good in the past two weeks, which is the best time for the local public security environment in decades. Shade was interested in the news about the restructuring of Tobysk University mentioned in the Steambird Daily. The newspaper with a strong smell of ink revealed that some local colleges and universities were willing to open educational courses to people who have made outstanding contributions to society.
"Outstanding contribution" refers to donations to the school, and the educational courses are basically equivalent to not going to school, and only need to participate in some basic assessments. But correspondingly, the degree obtained in this way is not an ordinary first, second or third class degree, but an honorary degree.
Although some people think that an honorary degree is not a degree at all, but a certificate of donation obtained through despicable educational donations, honorary degrees can be displayed in public.
For example, King Larous III, the Fire Leaper, holds honorary degrees in philosophy, economics, and sociology from many of the kingdom's higher education institutions.
Shade was following this news because he was interested in this degree. The basic education of this body was almost non-existent. If Shade hadn't come, all of the tramp's education would have been completed by the foreign spy Mr. Sparrow Hamilton in just a few months.
In the foreseeable future, Shad will live in the Kingdom of Drarion for many years, so he also wants to get himself a respectable educational identity to enrich his background.
Of course, this has no practical benefit, it just adds a line of words to the business card and makes people say one more word when reading his title. But this kind of "gilding" of academic background is still necessary for detectives who are mixed in the metropolis of the steam age. In addition to the convenience of identity, it can also satisfy Shade's pursuit of himself.
He had a high level of education in his hometown. In this world, if he could find a way to get an academic status, he would of course try his best.
"But this donation is really not small..."
So his main problem now is that he has no money.
So after breakfast, Shad told Luvia and Iluna who came on time that he was trying to get a degree from a local school in Tobesk. His friends supported Shad's idea because it was necessary for his career and having more identity background was not a bad thing.
Today was the second day after Iluna returned from the Church of the Sun, and the young girl was not idle yesterday. She had been away for more than a week, and in addition to her work at the church, her apartment also needed a thorough cleaning.
Today, the three of them gathered again in Shade, mainly for the information that Iluna obtained after obtaining the identity of the chosen one.
The girl with long brown hair was very happy to be in Shad's house again, and she was also enthusiastic about Mia. But Mia was not a cat that could be held by anyone. She lay on the top of the sofa back behind Shad's head. From Iluna's position, she could only see the cat's tail appearing behind Shad's neck.
"This knowledge and information has gradually appeared in my head in recent times. No, it's not that I received information from some existence, but this information already existed, but I didn't know it before."
After briefly introducing the situation, Iluna began to explain:
"The most important and complete one is about the use of the power of 'balance'. I did not gain new abilities, but I gained a stronger power based on the original one."
She made both Shade and Luvia reveal their life rings, then pressed her finger downwards, looked into their eyes and said "balance". Immediately, both of them felt their power being suppressed.
Shade's level was too low, so he couldn't feel it clearly, but the female fortune teller frowned and admitted that in this state, the suppression she suffered caused her strength to decline by at least one third, which was stronger than before Iluna awakened.
In addition to suppression, Iluna can also use the power of "balance" to enhance the power of the ring warlock. However, she has not mastered the ability very well, so the effect of the enhancement is far less obvious than suppression.
Not only low-level warlocks, but Iluna can even affect high-level warlocks. Although the impact on high-level warlocks is not obvious, any negligence in battle is enough to form a fatal disadvantage.
With Iluna present, any ring sorcerer can defeat the enemy across levels. Moreover, Iluna is only a third ring now. As she continues to grow, this power from the ancient gods will become stronger and stronger.
According to her own speculation, when she grows to the thirteenth ring, the power of "balance" will be enough to suppress any ring warlock below a high ring to the first ring.
Of course, this kind of suppression and enhancement power is only a part of the power she has obtained so far. More power is waiting for Iluna to discover, and her path as a ring warlock will become easier. The identity of the chosen one seems to have the strange effect of directly improving her efficiency in obtaining spirit runes.
"We can all predict the growth of power. I think the Church of the Sun has also arranged a detailed promotion plan for you. What I am more curious about is, what information did you obtain? Is there any information related to "Whispering Poems" and the last door?"
Luvia asked, and Shad looked at Iluna curiously, this was what they were most concerned about.
"There is some information, but it's very scattered. I think I need more to sort it out."
The 17-year-old girl slapped her head, then realized that this action was not very ladylike. She smiled at Xia De embarrassedly and winked playfully:
"Each chosen one corresponds to an ancient god, which we already know. And the thirteen chosen ones are connected to each other. If someone else passes the ceremony and officially becomes a chosen one, I can also vaguely sense his existence. Now I am the only one, so I can't explain what that vague feeling is like."
"So other people can sense you, too?"
Shad asked.
"Yes, but some unique magic, spells, and even relics can block this perception. However, one must become the chosen one to know this. So the moment the other person becomes the chosen one, I can feel the other person, but the other person must receive the information to block this perception."
Iluna concluded, and Luvia's purple eyes smiled:
"This is a good thing. Even if we can't find the chosen one, at least we can know the current number."
"Have you told the church about this?"
Shade asked again, and Iluna nodded:
"Sooner or later, the chosen ones from other camps will appear. This cannot be concealed."
"You're right. There's no need to hide the affairs of the chosen ones from the church. What I want to do is to unite more chosen ones so that they can make the right choice when the door is finally opened. We are not in opposition to the church."
Luvia reiterated her point of view. Iluna glanced at the cat's tail behind Shad's head and continued to introduce:
"I haven't figured out the other things yet, but I'm sure that every chosen one must be a ring sorcerer, not an ordinary person. Moreover, most people should be like me. After becoming a ring sorcerer, they will discover their own unusual and unique abilities."
But there are many ring magicians with unusual abilities, such as Shad, Dr. Schneider, Priest Augustus, Luvia and Dorothy. But Shad is definitely not one of them, so it is not feasible to search for him in this way.