It was not only raining in Tobesk today, but also in Midhill Castle. But when we were investigating in the Academy Castle yesterday afternoon, the sky was very gloomy, so Shade prepared an umbrella in advance.
Fortunately, the abandoned tower did not leak, so Shade completed his last 100 sword swings of the week in the tower before entering the city.
First they went to the Home for the Blind. The special blood provided by Sister Devlin was not ready yet, but Shad got a letter from Captain Raddes here and learned the follow-up of the serial murder case they solved yesterday.
Although the criminal was injured and could not be revived, the evidence was irrefutable and there was no surprise. Captain Rades took all the credit for this incident, and the City Hall was also happy to publicize the cooperation between the Kingdom Army Captain and the police in solving the serial murder case.
Shade even saw a newspaper with a half-length photo of Captain Rades at the Blind House. This incident might become a topic of conversation among the citizens of Midhill Castle throughout the fall. Although Captain Rades would not be promoted from a lieutenant officer just because of this incident, he would definitely be rewarded.
The captain once again invited Shade to visit the traveler camp on the Windy Trail next Thursday. Next Thursday is the captain's day off, and he can take Shade around the Sikar Mountains or go hunting together.
"Then let's go into the mountains to look for the sword next Thursday. I'm not familiar with the terrain of Mount Xikar, and it's not easy to find a specific cave in the mountains."
This is why Shade has been wandering around Midhill Castle but has not been in a hurry to go into the mountains to look for the sword.
After leaving the Blind House, Shade went to Cassandra's Auction House and met the old witch. Granny Cassandra was a little busy today, so Shade waited for half an hour before he saw her.
The witch had already learned the whole story from Professor Dunn. She was very satisfied with Shade's quick action, so she directly took out the bottle of blood she promised to give to Shade:
"The blood of Sakato the Devourer, the evil demon of the Third Age."
"The devil's blood..."
Xia De carefully took the bottle in his hand. Although it was not heavy at all, psychological reasons made Xia De think that what he held in his hand was heavier than the shot put:
"Is there any danger in this bottle of blood?"
Because of the matter between Darkness and Human Pus, he would rather avoid having any connection with the devil unless it was necessary.
"This is the blood I got from my teacher. She said it's not dangerous."
The old witch said with relief.
But Shad still decided to keep the bottle of blood in God's gift box until the last reception at dawn on Sunday.
"Also, I was planning to let you meet my current apprentice. But after thinking it over, I decided not to let more witches know of your existence."
Granny Cassandra continued, her emerald-ringed hand gripping the armrest of the chair:
"I am already very old. I will not interfere in the affairs of you young people. As long as you do not harm the interests of the parliament, I will not reveal your existence to other people in the parliament. Young people, you don't have to worry about this."
"I see."
"Also, the last time you asked me about the chosen one with the dark talent, I went to talk to Carina. She said she had told you the whole story of the Whispering Poems."
"Yes, and there is also the matter of the Chosen One."
There was no need to lie about this. Shade, who was sitting opposite the witch, answered fluently:
"Ms. Carina's actions in Tobesk are likely to attract attention. The female followers around her always have places that are inconvenient to go. So when investigating Ivan Darkness hiding in Tobesk, she asked me to do something, so I also know about this."
The old witch nodded, her kind and benevolent expression unchanged:
"Then let me tell you something:
A few days ago, the Speaker communicated with me about the intelligence of the third chosen person. The only thing that can be confirmed at present is that the third chosen person must have been in Midhill Castle at this point in time. "
Therefore, a large number of people can be excluded.
"The Council has very little information about the poems corresponding to the third chosen one, and this is also true for the three major schools of thaumaturgy. But the Five Gods Church, especially the Church of Nature, seems to have key clues. There is reason to believe that the third chosen one corresponds to 'death'."
This is consistent with Xia De's guess.
"So do you need me to help you investigate something in Castle Midhill?"
He asked again.
"Not for now. I just want to let you know something to prevent any accidents during your stay in Midhill Castle."
The old man smiled and shook his head, then said slowly:
"Considering my age, the council has considered and discussed it over and over again and decided to send another great witch here next month to assist me in the investigation."
This is probably not only because Grandma Cassandra only has ten rings and is old, but also because of the event of the Darkness of Tobesk, which made the ring wizard organizations in the material world realize the greater importance of the Chosen One.
"May I ask who it is?"
Xia De decided to deal with the matters of Midhill Castle as quickly as possible in the remaining days of this month and come here less often next month.
"Don't worry, it's Xiwei, Xiwei Aurora."
The old man said with a smile, obviously knowing that Miss Aurora knew about Xia De's affairs:
"In order not to arouse suspicion, you won't come at the beginning of next month. The specific date has not been decided yet, but I think she will be happy to see you here."
Miss Aurora treated Shade very kindly, and she was the third seat of the council, a twelfth-ring warlock and a twelfth-level witch, and the first person to bring Shade into the witch council. If this witch was there, then things in Midhill Castle would be much simpler.
"Excuse me, has the council decided how to deal with the situation underground at Midhill Castle?"
Shade asked again, as a great witch living in the local area, it is impossible for Grandma Cassandra to let the city turn into a ghost town.
"There are three passages in the narrow space. The door at the foot of the mountain was temporarily sealed by an unknown ring sorcerer on the day you rescued your friend. It was suspected to be sealed by a high-ring sorcerer. The one at the top of the mountain is guarded by the Ancient Ones. The Orthodox Church will find a way to solve this problem. As for the passage on the mountainside that was hidden by the Witch Emperor, the Council's idea is for us to find its location and reinforce the seal."
In other words, the area at the foot of the mountain is fine for now, the church is responsible for reinforcing the area at the top of the mountain, and the witches are responsible for finding the area on the mountainside. In this way, even if the problem of the narrow space cannot be completely solved, at least Midhill Castle will not be destroyed by the outbreak of death this autumn.
The old witch sighed:
"The Witch Emperors may have left something near the narrow passage, maybe even some fragments of the Whispering Poems, so those young girls are very interested in it."
"Granny Cassandra, so you not only have to look for the third chosen one, but you also have to look for the narrow mountainside passage? Oh, this is really not easy."
"Yes, the young ladies in the parliament are really inconsiderate of an old man like me."
She smiled and shook her head. This was not a complaint but a joke:
"So Hamilton, before Xi Wei arrives, I might entrust you with other things. Jia Linna said that although you only have three rings, you are very reliable when doing things."
Xia De was actually more curious about what Miss Carina had said about him:
"No problem, I'm happy to help you."
Nothing new happened in the next few days. Knowing that the disaster at Midhill Castle had been taken seriously, Shade lost his enthusiasm for exploring the secrets of the narrow space between life and death.
The things he had to deal with in the Midhill Castle area were almost all finished. Because he was not in a hurry to find the sword, he visited the address written on the note by the serial killer Henry Val on Friday.
As expected, that was the address of the boy who was said to be "able to see the date and manner of death."
When Xia De knocked on the door of Building A, No. 8 Zhuwei Lane, according to the method written on the note, three long and two short, three short and two long, he learned from the person who opened the door that this was the address of the "Crow Club".
Shade knew about this club. In the local information provided by Sister Defulin, this small ring magic organization was recorded. This organization was very small, not to mention compared with the spiritual sect that radiated the entire eastern part of the Old Continent, even the Mercury Blood that was hiding in the east was larger than them.
Of course, he pretended not to know the truth about the club and still used the pseudonym "John Watson", claiming that he was a writer who wanted to collect materials. He heard interesting local rumors in the pub and wanted to meet the boy who could see the date of death of others.
But he was stopped by the Central man he was communicating with:
“Yes, but you need to make an appointment.”
The man acted as if it was a matter of course and did not doubt the reasons given by the "writer" in front of him.
"Hmm? Still need to make an appointment?"
Xia De, who was standing on the steps holding an umbrella, was a little surprised:
"Is there something wrong with that boy?"
"No, but he only sees customers twice a day. That's the rule. Besides, we charge a fee. It's 10 pounds per visit. You can bring up to two friends. The price doubles for each additional person. Three people is 40 pounds. We don't issue receipts, and don't even think about bargaining."
This made them look more like local scammers than a ring wizard organization. Shade was originally curious about why the witches and the church hadn't found out about this group of people, but now he understood.
So I calmed down:
"Okay, I'll make an appointment... How long will it take? Can I pay to jump the queue?"
"Of course not. We have to follow the rules, and there aren't many people in front of us. Next Sunday, you can come after 9 a.m. next Sunday, but if you don't show up before 1 p.m., you have to make an appointment here."
Today was only Friday, which meant that there were more than a dozen people waiting to see the boy. There were definitely ring sorcerers among them, but Shade felt that there were more ordinary people.
"Well, I'll be here next Saturday and Sunday, and I might bring some friends with me. Please remember John Watson's appointment."
He was about to leave, but was stopped again:
"Wait, you need to pay a deposit of 5 pounds."
The man twisted his fingers at Shade who was holding an umbrella.
"ah?"
Shad looked at him in surprise.
"Otherwise, if we cancel other guests' reservations for you, wouldn't we be at a loss?"
If Shad hadn't discovered that the boy's predictions about Henry Val were really accurate, he would have really suspected that he had fallen into a scam trap.
Take a deep breath:
"Okay, I'll pay."
So he got a metal brooch with a crow mark as a proof of appointment. But when he turned around and prepared to leave with his umbrella, Shad still thought that he would always suspect that he had encountered a scam until he actually met the boy next Sunday.
On Friday, I just confirmed my appointment with the boy who could see death at Midhill Castle, and then returned home. Although it was still raining in Midhill Castle, it was sunny in Tobesk.
In the afternoon, a new client came to the house. The Drax family, who lived in the west district of Tobesk, asked Shad to help find their lost pet cat. The 12-year-old boy in the family had a sad face and felt extremely guilty for accidentally letting the cat run out when he opened the door.
The Drax family was introduced by old lady Midra, who had asked Shade to find a cat last time. They had their own store and a small factory in the southern city, specializing in the manufacture and sale of metal bolts and nuts for steam engines. Although the products were limited, they could even be exported to Carsenrick, so they were a relatively wealthy family.
When Shad signed the commission contract, he asked for a high commission fee of 13 pounds. On the one hand, this was because the lost cat was a very valuable breed, at least more valuable than Mia, a local orange cat in the city, and on the other hand, Shad promised to find the cat within three days, and if he couldn't find it, he would return the deposit without charging a penny.
To him, it was just a waste of time, so he dared to make such a promise.
But it didn't take Shad three days at all. He successfully found the cat on the roof three blocks away from Drax's house on the second morning, which was Saturday morning.
To be more precise, when Shad passed under the roof, the dark blue cat, which looked very similar to the so-called "Persian cat" in the stranger's hometown, immediately jumped from the roof of the apartment building to the second-floor window sill, then jumped onto the soft cloth ceiling of the shop on the street, and finally came to the ground and meowed affectionately around Shad.
"If Sparrow Hamilton is a detective who specializes in mistress investigations, then I am a detective who specializes in finding pet cats."
When Xia De received the commission fee, he thought to himself. After completing this commission, Xia De continued to maintain his perfect investigation completion rate.
"Speaking of which, I have met almost all the acquaintances I might meet in Midhill Castle, but the only person I didn't meet was Miss Black who was on vacation..."
This is the last commission left by Detective Sparrow, to find the person involved in Miss White's missing sister, Miss Black. Of course, she is not actually missing, but she has a quarrel with her sister and runs away to live.
"I probably won't meet her at Midhill Castle. When Miss Black returns to Tobesk, I will finish this commission no matter what. I hope the client, Miss White, doesn't go on vacation. To be honest, I still don't know what these two ladies look like."
Xia De thought to himself as he walked along the street towards home. After lunch he would go to the doctor's meeting.
The carriage passed by him, and most people on the street changed into autumn clothes. The southern part of Tobesk was probably the industrial area of Tobesk, and the people here were mixed. Not only could you see upper-class gentlemen in formal suits and carrying canes on the streets, but you could also see middle-class clerks in decent clothes and urban laborers with patched clothes.
So what if she doesn't come back
she asked softly in his ear.
The streets are shrouded in mist. As autumn approaches, the smog situation in cities is even worse than in summer due to the influence of the monsoon and temperature differences.
"You mean, Miss Black, maybe you met with an accident because of what happened at Midhill Castle? Oh, that's indeed possible. It's too dangerous there right now."
Xia De fell into deep thought, but he did not forget to pick some fruits from the fruit stall on the corner of the street. He planned to take a few bottles of fruit wine as gifts for other members of the group.
The fall semester was a little boring compared to the summer semester with exams coming up. During the study session on Saturday afternoon, no one had any desire to contact the academy. After Father Augustus was safe, the academy stopped informing Dr. Schneider about Castle Midhill. The doctor, who didn't know what happened there, naturally didn't ask about it. This led to the study session that afternoon ending in less than an hour.
Luvia shared the current status of her autumn astrology activities with everyone, and was worried that the recent rain and dark clouds covering the sky would delay her progress; Shade reported the recent situation of Augustus priests in Midhill Castle and distributed the fruit wine he brought to everyone; the doctor had calculated the moon phase of the yellow moon, and planned to hold a formal ceremony to promote from the fifth ring to the sixth ring around the end of next month. Dorothy was a little faster, her fourth ring to the fifth ring ceremony did not require such a demanding moon phase, but because the series of sublimation words was related to the "Little Match Girl", she hoped to get Shade's help.
Dorothy had prepared all the materials for the ceremony and had agreed with Shad to perform the ceremony at 6 St. Teresa's Square on Sunday night, which was tomorrow night.
Before the group meeting ended and left, Shade had a private conversation with the doctor and asked him about the devil:
"Doctor, do you know the evil demon - Sakato the Devourer?"
The blood that Grandma Cassandra gave to Shad was the blood of this demon.
"Of course I know."
The doctor, who had a great deal of knowledge about demons, looked at Shade in surprise from the window in the corridor:
"Why are you asking that?"
"What would happen if I drank its blood?"
"Um?"
The doctor was even more surprised:
"Detective, are you crazy? You want to drink the devil's blood?"
"I just want to know, what would happen if I drank the blood of this demon?"
Shade asked cautiously.
"Wait a minute, let me think about it. This is a really strange question."
The blue-eyed doctor made a gesture of listening attentively:
"In theory, drinking a small amount of demon blood won't be a big problem. After all, those evil spirits of the Third Age are weird, but they are not poisonous all over. As for the demon you mentioned, it is not famous. The most famous thing it has done is that in the distant Fourth Age, it tricked the king of a small country into giving up all his people and swallowed up the entire country through a trade."
Xia De was immediately shocked:
"What a good appetite, so where is it active now?"
The doctor smiled and said:
"I know this. It's a famous story. Around 230 years into the Sixth Era, when it was active in the material world, it encountered another great being and then disappeared."
"Who did you meet?"
"The one who appeared in this city during the summer."