Mia stayed at home to look after the house, and at around 8:30, Shad went directly to the "Tobesk Branch of the Prophet Association" in the city center.
The Tobesk City Prophet Association is an important branch of the Prophet Association of the entire continent. In addition to the headquarters in Ryan, the capital of the Principality of Lagsen in the middle of the United Kingdom of Carsenrick in the south, the Tobesk City Association is the most important institution in the entire association and also manages all other branches of the association located in the northern kingdom.
It is located together with the Yodel Palace on the Silver Cross Avenue in Tobisk City. Together with the buildings towering in the city center, they constitute the most prosperous street scene in Tobisk City, the "Steam City" of the misty northern kingdom of Draerion.
There were many pedestrians and carriages on Silver Cross Avenue. Although it was still early, newsboys, coachmen, nobles, vendors, clerks, policemen, and all kinds of pedestrians filled the streets, and the association had already opened.
Standing on the street in the early morning, avoiding the crowds in the hazy morning fog, looking up at the three-story building where the association is located. The walls have been recently painted, and steam pipes and gas pipes are all over the outer walls.
Even though it was only half past eight, people were still coming in and out of the association's gate. Most of them were well-dressed, and if someone said this was a club for nobles, no one would disbelieve it.
Therefore, Xia De deliberately tidied his clothes before walking into the association. Fortunately, no one would stop guests from entering because of their attire.
Entering the hallway, he looked up and saw a circle of Rhodes brand oil paintings hanging on the wall, alternating with brass gas lamps to decorate the wall. One of the paintings was the founding Silver Moon card with the Silver Moon held up sideways, which startled Shade.
After checking the nameplate, I realized that these thirteen oil paintings were the appearance of the Rhodes cards from the original Genesis series. The association hung these paintings up as a commemoration.
And because of the knowledge of the "Thirteen Ancient Gods" last night, Shad suspected that the Ancient Gods had some connection with the thirteen Founding Rhodes cards, so he carefully memorized the card faces of each of the thirteen oil paintings, and had more speculations about the Prophet Association in his mind.
I passed by an old gentleman who was counting the cards in his hand, and almost bumped into a young man in boots and a brown vest with a worried look on his face. I turned around and looked at the notice board on the inside of the door. There were all kinds of notices posted there, most of which were posted by private individuals trying to purchase some special cards. The largest and most central notice was written in handwriting, explaining that the "Big City Players" Rhodes card tournament will be held in the city this fall, and Rhodes card players and enthusiasts from the entire Old Continent will gather here.
"Only when civilization advances to the steam age can so many idle people have time to engage in these entertainment activities."
Standing in the bustling crowd at the door, Xia De whispered in his heart that he finally saw how popular Rhodes cards are in this world.
The entrance hall extends to both sides with curved corridors. Opposite the hall is a row of counters for consultation and guidance of the association. Next to the counters are stairs leading to higher floors. The metal handrails are decorated with four colors of Rhodes brand in sequence.
But compared to the hustle and bustle on the first floor, no one was going up or down the stairs.
Shade came to the counter with a nervous and excited mood, holding the diary of the former detective. A young lady with long brown hair wearing a brown-red uniform immediately greeted him with a business smile.
"Identify the Rhodes brand."
As he spoke, he stacked up five copper coins, or five one-penny coins, which were so heavy in his palm that they were about to burst with water and put them down.
"No problem, sir. Are you a member of the association? Members have lower appraisal fees."
This kind of talk vaguely made Xia De feel like he was back in his own world. He raised his eyebrows:
"Membership registration fee..."
"One pound a year."
"Identify first."
Shade said, looking around the counter to see if there was anyone else, then he flipped open the diary and displayed the founding series Silver Moon card with the suit "Sun 3" inside.
Even Dr. Schneider, who was not a fan, could recognize what it was just by looking at the card surface. Of course, the young lady working as the association's front desk receptionist could recognize it as well.
She just took a look and reminded Xia De with a smile:
"Sir, do you know that once a Rhodes brand is identified as a counterfeit by the association, the counterfeit will be destroyed on the spot?"
"Um?"
Xia De didn't know this, and Dr. Schneider and Miss Louisa probably didn't deliberately not remind him, but they didn't know either. The association's practice is similar to a bank destroying counterfeit banknotes, which is understandable.
If he hadn't heard the divination last night, Shade would probably be quite hesitant. But he trusted the divination skills of the dean of the School of Astronomy, who should be considered a powerful fortune teller in St. Byrons Comprehensive College:
"Yes, if it is a counterfeit Rhodes card, it must be destroyed, but I am willing to identify it."
Although he said this, he couldn't help feeling a little nervous. Xia De thought this was normal. No matter who holds a picked up "big prize ticket" to claim the prize, they will have this feeling.
Perhaps because she had seen this kind of situation too many times, the receptionist handled it very skillfully, and the smile on her face did not change. She was probably not a native of Tobysk, but her southern accent made people want to believe in her professionalism.
Shade saw the brass symbol on her chest. It was the Ouroboros, the symbol of the Prophet Society:
"Then please come this way sir. Please wait in waiting room No. 13 on the first floor. There won't be many guests ahead of you."
The identification of the Rhodes brand must be done within the owner's sight, otherwise, once it is identified as a counterfeit, unnecessary misunderstandings will inevitably arise. However, it is impossible to identify it here, so the association has a special identification room.
Xia De took the card with the number on it and went to the room on the east corridor of the first floor. After opening the door, he found that the room was not a separate meeting room, but a crowded reception room filled with coffee tables and sofas. Even tea was not provided.
In addition to the door connecting to the corridor, there is another door on the side wall leading to the next room. Like everyone else here, Shade got a hard card with numbers on it. The appraisal room next door would call people over every few minutes. The Tobesk branch is the largest branch of the Prophet Association in the north of the Old Continent. There are many appraisers here, so Shade will have to wait for half an hour at most before his number 29 will come.
Even though it was early in the morning, there were still many people coming for identification and waiting in the reception room. Men holding number tags gathered in groups of three or four to chat about Rhodes cards and current affairs, and occasionally talked about interesting stories about the royal family and the nobility.
A few people unfolded their newspapers, leisurely as if they were in a private club. No one paid too much attention to the strange young man who walked in.