The Lake View Manor dinner on Sunday was the most important event for Shade. Yesterday, he asked Dr. Schneider about the attire for the outdoor banquet, and the doctor told Shade to just wash up. This kind of outdoor banquet that allowed strangers to enter was usually quite large, so there was no need to dress too formally.
However, if you are going to a party for a beautiful girl, then of course you have to dress decently. Xia De still remembers the teasing of Miss Louisa when she said this, and she seemed to be very familiar with this set of rules.
Since Baron Lavender promised to reimburse the round-trip travel expenses, Shad didn't need to go out too early.
The morning was spent playing with the orange cat and reading books, and of course, waiting for the client to come. Mia was the most obedient pet that Shade could imagine. She had basically adapted to life at No. 6 St. Teresa's Square in the past few days, and Shade was very relieved to leave her at home.
After lunch, he thought he didn't have the luck to wait for the client, so he went out again and went to Old John's Pawn Shop.
The address provided by Miss Louisa was indeed the store not far from the Silver Parrot Milk Distribution Company. When Shade opened the door, the drowsy old man sitting in the rocking chair immediately woke up:
"Oh, you're a regular customer. I won't use that cane again..."
He stood up to welcome the detective, and Shade whispered:
"Let's not talk about the cane. This time I want... something interesting."
He looked around the crowded shop, all four walls covered in brass-colored wallpaper, allowing the weak gas lamps to illuminate the room as much as possible. Gas pipes climbed the walls, and between the pipes hung objects such as broken lanterns and long swords with only the hilt left.
Most of the store was filled with wooden shelves, with items like garbage placed on the shelves. Shade couldn't figure out what the point of putting ordinary Rhodes cards and empty glass bottles here was.
The owner of the shop, Old John, has returned behind the counter. On the left side of the counter is a pile of old books, and on the right side is a small steam engine furnace. The left half has been wiped clean, while the right side is still covered with ashes. This thing was not there when I came last time.
Old John did not show any surprise at Shade's words:
“Everything here is interesting.”
He said, then quietly looked at Shad from behind the counter.
The old man was slightly fat, but his eyes were very powerful. So Shade cleared his throat and said the "secret code" that Miss Louisa had told him. If you want to buy occult supplies or even relics from here, you must be introduced by someone you know:
"Because one plus one equals two, the sun rises in the west. Oh, my Maria, I'm going to kick your ... ass hard. Don't go barefoot, or the curly-haired baboon will eat your rotten teeth."
This is the store's code for contact, indicating that Shade was introduced by a regular customer and is also a ring sorcerer.
But Shad was very suspicious whether such a code was a joke from Miss Louisa to him, and she might have copied the crazy words of the patients in Dr. Schneider's clinic.
But Old John understood and waved his hand at Shade:
"Oh, so you were introduced by Dorothy Louisa. I haven't seen her for a long time. How is her new book, The Mystery of Scarlet, going? Last time she said she would give me a copy after it is published."
"The Mystery of Scarlet" is a detective novel that Miss Louisa is writing recently. She plans to publish the book in a newspaper serial and has already contacted the newspaper. Unfortunately, the exam season interrupted her writing plan, so she only wrote the beginning of the book. At the study meeting yesterday, Shade heard the young female writer complain about this.
"If I had said last time that I was introduced by Miss Louisa, would the price of the cane be higher?"
Shad asked.
"Of course not. That was the highest price. Detective, are you doubting my credibility? Old John's Pawn Shop never cheats customers... Yes, never. No need to doubt it. That's it..."
Facing the young detective's suspicious look, old man John coughed and quickly changed the subject:
"Speaking of which, Detective, I didn't expect you to be a ring wizard as well. Well, what do you need? Considering our friendship over the cane last time, I can give you a discount on the first transaction."
Xia De had given Old John his business card, so he knew Xia De's occupation.
Old man John Jones was certainly a ringmaster, but neither Miss Louisa nor Dr. Schneider knew his specific identity.
They only knew that this was a channel for a large organization to recycle relics and other precious items in Tobesk City. As for whether Old John belonged to the Orthodox Church, the Thaumaturgy Academy, or some other organization, no one could be sure.
Dr. Schneider's team of four was not even sure whether Old John was also affiliated with St. Byron's College. The old man always smiled at his guests and kept his identity a secret, but at least he had a good professional ethics and a rich collection.
If they are not introduced by acquaintances, no unfamiliar ring sorcerers will be received here, which is also a convenience of joining Dr. Schneider's team.
"I've been studying magic related to the Silver Moon recently, so I want to..."
"I see. So what price can you offer?"
the old man asked, twisting his right index finger and thumb.
After paying off the first month's debt, Xia De actually didn't have much savings left. His biggest income so far was the commissions related to Xiaomia.
But Silver Moon's magic was related to whether he had the power to protect himself, so even with the money from selling the cane here, he was still worried that it would not be enough.
After much hesitation, he embezzled Mia's ten pounds of "living expenses" without authorization. Before leaving, he even hugged the cat to apologize and promised to pay the money back as soon as possible. Of course, the orange cat didn't understand, and the sleepy cat didn't react at all.
"About 15 pounds."
Xia De said cautiously, and Old John nodded:
“At this price...”
He took out a thick account book from under the counter and looked through it. After a few minutes, he looked up:
"I do have a poet-level relic that's suitable for your situation, but it only costs about 15 pounds. You probably understand that it won't do much, it can only help you feel the power of Silver Moon."
Relics are usually very expensive, and Shade nodded in understanding.
So Old John left the store through the back door and came back about ten minutes later holding a wooden jewelry box.
After placing the jewelry box on the counter and opening it, Xia De saw a round bead on the red velvet cloth. There was a tiny golden hook connected to the top of the bead, and a thin line was tied to the hook.
The beads are milky white, the color is like pearls, but the size is very small. If they were not connected by a wire, they would be lost if they fell to the ground.
You came into contact with 'Whisper'.
The voice came slowly, as if to illustrate the weakness of this relic.
"This is the Silver Moon Orb, a poet-level relic. The last time it was contained was when the Serkses Higher Medical School, one of the three major thaumaturgical schools, recorded its information. But that was at the end of the Fifth Era, so even if it was taken out, it would not be considered stolen property."
Old John pushed the jewelry box to Xia De. Xia De stretched out a finger to touch the small bead. A cold feeling immediately surged into his heart, and he actually saw the silver moon in front of him.