Shade was very interested in the Anthem Square and walked around the square to look around. He even found a man who was gambling with Rhodes cards in the square. The man sat on the ground and claimed that if anyone could beat him three times out of five games, he could get a Rhodes card with special rules from him, but each challenge would cost 5 pence.
There were quite a few people gathered there watching them play cards, and that special card also had an authentication certificate, which meant that the card itself was real.
But Xia De heard from the onlookers nearby that this man had been setting up a stall here for 8 years and had only lost once. He didn't know what means he used to keep winning.
The other party was definitely cheating, but Shade had no interest in exposing it. After all, most people who spent 5 pence to play cards should know that there was something wrong. It was hard to say whether they wanted to enjoy the fun of playing cards with strangers or really thought they could get that special card.
Shad also did not forget the purpose of his coming here. According to the information provided by Iluna, the middle-aged man wearing a turban and selling spices often appeared in the southern part of the Anthem Square. He would wear a pair of rain boots no matter what the weather was, and put a triangular wooden sign in front of his stall.
The features were obvious enough that Shad spotted him while wandering around the square.
The other party had a cart with bottles and jars on it. On his left was a vendor selling herbs that he claimed could cure any injury or illness. The vendor wore a long robe that dragged on the ground, and the strange patterns on his body were like the style of the primitive tribes in the southern forest of Carsenrick. He looked very professional. On the right was a grocer who sold everything. Next to him was a cart with a waterproof canvas on the ground, on which were placed all kinds of sundries.
Because the herbalist on the left was somewhat insulting to people's intelligence, Shade pretended to be interested in the grocer's goods and stood in front of his cart to check out the goods. This distance was close enough, and the voice in his head gave a reply:
The turbaned man on your right is a ring sorcerer, mid-ring. His exact level needs to be confirmed after further contact.
It seems that the third thing Iluna chose is finally of some value.
"Sir, what would you like to buy?"
Xia De stood in front of the grocer for too long, so the small businessman who had no customers at the moment took the initiative to talk to Xia De.
Xia De was not panicked and continued the conversation naturally:
"I have a cat at home, and I want to get some safe toys for it. You know, cats are animals that always like to swallow all kinds of unclean things."
Some thin businessmen looked at Xia De, as if trying to guess his identity and the thickness of his wallet:
"Then why not buy this..."
The businessman picked up a colorful feather:
"This is only a shilling."
"Sorry, you don't have anything I'm interested in."
Xia De immediately shook his head. He would not pay so much money for a dyed chicken feather.
After thinking for a while, Shade reached out and picked up a deck of Rhodes cards:
"I'm going to buy this. I have a deck of Rhodes but I want a spare."
In fact, after you have a collection of treasures, some cards may be damaged when used as weapons, so they need to be replenished frequently.
"Here are the old cards. Five pence for you. Do you need anything else? Oh, and since you are a Rhodes player, would you be interested in participating in a private, non-profit Rhodes game?"
The businessman asked in a familiar tone, his eyes bright and a smile on his face.
"Non-public profit-making private" is basically equivalent to an underground illegal casino, similar to the casino that the Lucky Southern Cross Club runs at night. Grocers who hang out in the downtown area actually have the task of attracting business for the casino.
"No, no, my wallet won't allow me to do that for now."
Shad said.
Then the merchant whispered:
"So are you interested in trading in special Rhodes cards?"
"You still have this?"
Xia De asked in surprise, the special card face Rhodes cards usually start at 1 pound, depending on the number and age of issuance, and the special rule Rhodes cards are at least 40 pounds each. The small merchant in front of him should be talking about the former.
"Yes, they are definitely genuine. Grocers like me usually stock up on small, valuable items that are easy to store, waiting for generous customers to make a killing... ... and make a fortune. Rhodes cards are a very good product. Some Rhodes card enthusiasts will go to the small merchants in every city they go to to look for those cards, until they replace the entire deck with special cards."
The businessman introduced it familiarly. Xia De imagined the sense of mission of collecting cards and felt that such a person must be very rich.
“Of course, some high-end stores even sell special rule Rhodes cards, but the prices are probably not affordable for most people.”
The merchant had no customers for the time being, so he chatted with Shade for a while. Shade also took the opportunity to inquire about the situation in the square, focusing on the situation of the ring wizard who was selling spices next to his stall.
The other party was talking to a guest and didn't notice that someone with ulterior motives was standing next to him.
"Oh, by the way, since you sell groceries here, do you accept groceries?"
Shade thought for a moment and asked.
"Of course, but I only accept things of value here."
The businessman answered, and then saw Shade handing over the three books he was holding. The businessman raised his eyebrows and wanted to refuse, but Shade winked at him and motioned him to read the contents.
The grocer nodded in surprise, carefully opened one of the books, and his eyes, which had been narrowed at first, immediately widened:
“This… This is really good stuff.”
He licked his lips, and while speaking, he quickly flipped through the other two books, with a very sincere smile on his face:
"That's really good. How about these three... half a pound?"
This price is quite reasonable. After all, the quality of these three picture books is very high, and it is not easy to buy them even if you have money. Xia De knew that this kind of grocer who introduced business to the casino would definitely sell this kind of illegal publications, so he nodded:
"Of course, but you can't take money from me for that deck of Rhodes cards."
Xia De certainly didn't sell these magazines to make a profit, but to create an excuse to chat here for a while. As he expected, after the payment was settled, the grocer's attitude towards him was obviously better.
Xia De also knew that the spice merchant next to the grocer had only started selling goods here half a month ago. Moreover, he definitely didn't come on Sundays. He usually showed up on time at nine in the morning and left at five in the afternoon. He was lazier than most of the businessmen in the Anthem Square.
After getting the basic information, Shade planned to formally contact the spice merchant to confirm what he was doing. The other party was definitely a person, not a relic, so he did not plan to do an in-depth investigation, just because he did not want to delay Iluna's mission.
Just as Shad arrived at the spice merchant, a familiar figure appeared in the square.
Dr. Bill Schneider came through the crowd carrying a briefcase. He stopped to let the wild dog chasing the goose pass by. The blue-eyed doctor waved and greeted the turbaned spice merchant:
"Good afternoon, Madison."
"Good afternoon, Schneider."
The two shook hands, and then the doctor noticed Shade beside him. Shade's clothes were different from usual when he went out today, so he didn't see him at first glance:
"Oh, Shad, why are you here?"
The doctor asked with a smile, and warmly called Shade over, then said to Mr. Madison who was selling spices:
"This is what I mentioned last time. Our newcomer, Hamilton Shad, this is Mr. Alan Madison, a student at the Sukses Advanced Medical School."
The Sixes Higher Medical School is a thaumaturgical school as famous as Saint Byrons and Zarathus, and is proficient in alchemy and potions.
Mr. Madison, who was wearing a headscarf, looked at Shade in surprise and whispered to the doctor in disbelief:
"Schneider, are you saying that this guy who is addicted to Rhodes gambling and selling pornographic magazines here is a new member of your team? I noticed him just now."
It seems that he noticed what happened on Xia De's side just now.
"Um?"
The doctor looked at Xia De in surprise, and out of trust in Xia De's character, he helped him explain:
"He... is probably working on some commission. He's a detective... Let's talk somewhere else. It's not safe here."
Xia De was a little embarrassed, but also extremely grateful that the doctor did not continue talking about this topic.
There is a hotel next to the Anthem Square, the "Three Cats Hotel", with three cats lying on the wooden signboard. The hotel has four floors and covers a large area. The first and second floors are open restaurants and pubs, but there is a patio in the middle of the second floor instead of a floor, which makes the view of the first floor more open and the usable area of the second floor becomes a little smaller.
The third and fourth floors have separate guest rooms. This is considered to be a better hotel in the lower town of Tobysk.
Dr. Schneider, Mr. Madison, and Shad found seats in a corner on the second floor of the hotel.
No one mentioned what Shad had just done, and Shad learned from the conversation that this turbaned Mr. Madison was a six-ring warlock, the leader of the correspondence students' group, and an old friend of the doctor.
Mr. Alan Madison lived nearby and was familiar with the place. When the maid came over with her buttons unbuttoned and her collar pulled low, Mr. Madison could call her by name and greet her.
"You know what? In the evening, um, after about seven o'clock, there will be some nice girls sitting in the corner. If you have money, you can..."
Shade and Dr. Schneider looked at him in surprise at the same time.
"Don't look at me like that. I just heard it from others. I am a clean person."
Mr. Madison argued, waving his hands, and then the three of them got down to business.
The doctor came to see Mr. Madison, who had ordered a batch of sensitive metal powders on the local black market through Dr. Schneider's relationship, and Dr. Schneider was able to get a commission from it.
When talking about the reason why Shade appeared here, Shade mentioned the church:
"The Orthodox Church has noticed the special spices you are selling here. Because it has not attracted much attention, it has only given the task to its subordinate ring magician team. I have a friend in the church, and he asked me to take a look at the situation."
"Actually, I wanted to ask you just now, Madison, are you so short of money that you need to set up a stall outside?"
Dr. Schneider also asked curiously, and Mr. Madison shook his head helplessly:
"Of course not for money. How much do you think this kind of work can earn? I got a special thaumaturgy some time ago. Learning thaumaturgy requires a ritual. I sell spices in the Anthem Square, which is part of the ritual."
“There are such strange learning requirements?”
Xia De asked curiously, and the doctor nodded:
"Of course, the learning conditions for those magic arts that can only be used by the middle and high rings are very complicated. For example, the conditions for learning the puzzle used by the thirteenth ring sorcerer, the Godcaller, are enough to write a book. Judging from the magic arts that can be used by the middle ring, Madison's is indeed too complicated. Are you sure you are not being deceived?"