Now that he had learned more about the "gamble of life" in the past, Xia De actively began to investigate.
The method of investigation is naturally to entrust others to help him collect information. This is also helpless. Xia De has no direct intelligence channel. Unless the Silver Moon Library, which is called "all knowledge recorded" by the librarian, is open to him, Xia De can only honestly find others to help him.
Early Monday morning, Father Augustus had just finished breakfast in the church restaurant and was about to take a walk in the Dawn Square to digest his food when he saw Shad hurriedly jumping off the carriage:
"Oh, detective, you're here so early. You're not here to listen to the sermon, are you?"
The priest was in a good mood, standing at the door of the church in his robes, and even joked with Shade. He invited Shade to talk inside the church, and the two walked in the corridor. Shade quietly handed the holy emblem drawn by Mr. Riddle to the priest, a little worried that passing the holy emblem of the old god in the church of the true god would be a blasphemous act:
"Priest, I would like to ask you to help me find the old god that corresponds to this holy emblem."
"Holy emblem?"
Father Augustus looked down at the strange lines. The confusion and slight discomfort made him confirm that this was not a random doodle:
"This is... Oh, it's this one!"
"Padre, do you recognize this?"
"Of course, this is the Black Hunter of the old god who has long gone, or the God of Gambling. In fact, even to this day, this god still has scattered believers. Although the sect has long disappeared, gamblers will pass on his stories by word of mouth, and his statues and holy emblems can occasionally be found in underground casinos."
The priest introduced it, and then asked curiously:
"I heard from Annat that you have always had good luck betting on Rhodes cards. There should be no need to pray for the help of this god, right?"
"No, no, not the Rhodes brand."
Xia De immediately shook his head:
"I want to know more about this great man."
"I can't help you with this."
The priest shook his head regretfully, looked around, and then lowered his voice and said:
"The cult of this god has long since disappeared, and the church has very few records of him. Some time ago, the church found the information left behind by the followers of the old god Pure Creator, but the church is not often able to find such 'treasures'."
"I see... What if I want to cheat in front of this god?"
Shade didn't dare to say that he wanted to cheat in the gambling game with the gods. He just wanted to try to get himself involved in the game. Although his life experience in this world was only two months, it was definitely more exciting than Mr. Riddle's experience.
"If that god has not left yet, you can refer to the famous blasphemers in history for the consequences of cheating in front of the Great One."
This meant that he would definitely die, which made Xia De realize that it would be better not to have any bad thoughts in this gamble.
Seeing that Shade did not continue to ask questions, the priest continued:
"It just so happens that you came to see me today. The weak angel potion I promised to give you last time is ready. Come with me to my workshop to get it."
The potion workshop of priest Augustus was a basement he rented from a friend on the street next to Dawn Square. The two chatted as they walked, and on Monday morning, there were not many people like them who could walk leisurely on the street.
After all, everyone has to make a living, and the old priest in the church and Shad, who can eat for a month with a commission, are obviously not a normal group.
The two talked about the prayer activities that will be held in the Dawn Church recently, and the church's plan to book the King's Opera House in De La Rio this weekend and invite the troupe to perform an opera with the theme of "religious stories" there.
As a senior local believer, if Shad wants to go, he can of course get tickets directly from Priest Augustus.
"Does the church often hold this kind of cultural activities?"
It took Shad a while to find the right way to describe it. A newspaper boy came over to sell newspapers to the two of them, but when he saw the dress of Priest Augustus, he stepped back - the church itself subscribed to newspapers.
But the priest still smiled and asked the boy to come over, and then used the change in his pocket to buy a copy of the Steambird Daily. Today was Monday, and there was another series of Dorothy's detective stories. On Saturday, Dorothy said with a bright face that she was really successful this time.
Even Shad now likes to read Dorothy's serials. Of course, this is not because he wants to see others praise him, but because he wants to know how Dorothy adapted those boring detective records.
The priest folded up the newspaper and put it under his arm, and continued to explain:
"If we hold similar events frequently, the preaching and sermons that were popular in the old days are no longer enough for this era. The prosperity of the steam industry has made people with increasingly affluent lives have more needs in the spiritual realm. So in addition to the most important festival activities every year, the Five Gods Church organizes various gatherings every once in a while."
"I understand that it is insufficient and unbalanced."
Xia De nodded, but did not discuss the topic too deeply. Instead, he asked:
"Besides organizing an opera, what other activities can we have?"
Seeing that Shade looked very interested, Father Augustus smiled and explained:
"Psychological counseling, mutual aid groups, or organizing the production of small cookies in the church, which are then sent to slums or urban welfare institutions. Oh, every six months, we also organize gatherings for young believers whose family situations we know well, to create opportunities for them to get to know each other."
This can be considered a blind date activity, and the next generation of children born to believers will most likely become senior believers.
Priest Augustus did not invite Shad to participate in this kind of activity. After all, the old man was vaguely aware that Shad had an unusual relationship with the two female sorcerers in the same group.
The two of them talked about the situation of the ring warlock of the Truth Society who they met in the nameless cemetery at the end of the Hanged Man's Path last week. Father Augustus handed him over to the church, and the church naturally conducted further interrogation, hoping to get more information about the Truth Society.
Unfortunately, probably because Shad's chain of sin pierced that soul twice, even though he was resurrected through the ritual, his wisdom and thinking still had a certain degree of confusion.
After the church examined him, they believed that his soul had been distorted and attributed it to the terrible resurrection ceremony. As for more information about the Truth Society, it can only be deciphered from the private letters of the Ring Warlock that were found later, but it takes time to decipher those letters encrypted in ancient languages.
An organization like the Truth Society would not send only one person to Tobesk, and the church believed that he must have companions in the diocese.
"So, if your chain is not necessary, don't use it casually."
The priest took out the key to open the door and warned Shade:
"I can almost feel the guilt just by looking at that chain. I believe you can handle your powers, but I worry that others won't believe you."
Walking up the stairs into the basement, there was an indescribable strange bitter smell in the air because Priest Augustus often prepared potions here, and the temperature in the basement was much higher than the ground, which might be caused by the stove in the corner that was still emitting flames.
The weak angel potion that Father Augustus prepared for Shade was now placed on the test tube rack on the test bench. When he handed the glass test tube to Shade, he complained that further advanced potion courses required more sophisticated chemical instruments, but the purchase of such instruments was a big hassle. St. Byron's asking price was too high, and it was inconvenient to contact the National Precision Instrument Institute of Delarion. Some mechanical colleges in the university district could be customized, but the cycle was very long.
The weak angel potion was a tube of transparent liquid that looked no different from water. But after touching it, the sound in his ears immediately reminded Shade that he felt a miracle.
Xia De held the test tube and immediately felt the warm temperature. This feeling was similar to holding a hot water bottle of suitable temperature in winter.
Although it was not the same type of item as the Sunlight Spear Brooch made by Iluna, the elements and spirits contained in Priest Augustus's potion were almost more powerful than that brooch.
"The most direct way to use this against a demon is to pour it into the opponent's mouth. But considering that it is recorded in the book that most evil spirits and demons are not in human form and may not have mouths or other holes, you can also sprinkle it on the opponent's body."
The priest held the table and explained to Shad:
"I don't know what you are trying to deal with, but even if you can't completely expel the other party, it will definitely have a great impact on the other party."
"Will pouring this on a weapon help?"
Xia De asked curiously, pulling out the stopper of the test tube and sniffing it, smelling a not-so-strong smell of grass. Fortunately, Mia was now absorbed in "adventuring" at home and did not follow him out, otherwise the cat would definitely stretch out its claws.
"Of course it's useful. It can provide weapons with holy light damage for a certain period of time. In addition, dripping the liquid on your eyelids, nose, and ears can allow you to detect traces of evil things that have the ability to become invisible."
The priest thought for a moment:
"This potion is very difficult to prepare. This is all I can provide you in a short period of time. If you can't handle it yourself, remember to ask me for help. Oh, I mean, ask me to ask the church for help."
"Of course, Reverend."
Xia De didn't say that he had a companion, and he said embarrassedly:
"Priest, the potion you provided is too precious. My help to you is actually nothing. So, what else do you need..."
"You don't have to say that. Our group should help each other. What's more, you are fighting against the devil, which is just. If I accept your payment, I will be a greedy person."
Father Augustus told Shad not to continue, so Shad could only keep his gratitude in his heart, hoping to repay him when he had the chance in the future.
At the same time, he took out the mark that could expel demons that he had copied from Mr. Riddle, and wanted to let the priest see if he knew what it was.
I thought the priest needed to look up information, but I didn't expect him to frown. The priest not only recognized the holy emblem of God, but also recognized this:
"Oh? Where did you see this mark? I guess you are not proficient in basic heraldry. This symbol has been transformed and used in many blessing rituals."
"I saw this in an ancient book that records methods of dealing with demons. It says that this mark can expel demons. Priest, is this a mark left by a relic?"
"Yes, Detective, I never thought I'd see that from you."
Father Augustus asked Shad to sit down and talk:
"As you know, those evil spirits and demons are twisted and terrifying creatures that survived from the ancient Third Age. Although the intelligent beings at that time were afraid of them, the mystical system of that era did not mean that they had no way to fight them. So a group of people who aimed to hunt demons gathered together. The mark you see is the seal they wear. In that era, it was a very powerful alchemical item."
"So has that group of people been passed down? For example, in the fourth era of the dark turmoil, the fifth era of the witches, and the current sixth era, are there still this group of people? Do they have any organization?"
Shad asked curiously.
"They all disappeared for various reasons at the end of the Third Age or the beginning of the Fourth Age. The metal seals that remained later transformed into relics, which are what you are looking for. I don't know exactly how many seals were left, but I know that this is a Secret Keeper-level relic, the Demon Hunting Seal."
"Just the Secret Keeper level?"
Xia De was a little surprised.
"Because the only function of the seal is to give the object it is marked with the power to fight demons. It has no other function other than fighting demons, and even its two negative properties are only related to demons. If it is not touched by a ring warlock for a long time, it will directly attract demons if it is touched by a ring warlock again. Holding this seal will also increase the probability of encountering demons."
The priest said.
"So where are these seals now?"
"have no idea."
The priest shook his head:
"But there is a saying that when demons appear, these seals will also appear. This is the last gift left by the demon hunters of the Third Age to future generations."
"This is going to be troublesome."
Shade thought to himself that now all the ring wizard groups, including the church and the academy, were looking for Darkness. At this time, no matter which way Shade found the Demon Hunting Seal, it would be obtained by other organizations.
Unless the seal hits Xia De on its own, Xia De can't think of any possibility of getting it.
"Oh, Shad, remember not to tell anyone about this potion. You got it from me."
Father Augustus suddenly spoke again.
"Can't they tell Dr. Schneider?"
"Yes, no one can tell."
The priest repeated it very seriously.
"No problem. I have a lot of things with strange origins anyway."
Xia De nodded, knowing in his heart that this potion was definitely not simple.