"The only feature of this relic is that when you touch it with any finger of your right hand, you will see a silver moon. The shape of the silver moon you see will be different depending on the phase of the moon. This feature is actually quite useful. If you touch it when you are in a hallucination, you may be able to get out of it. After all, the symbolic meaning of the silver moon itself... 14 pounds, you can take it away for 14 pounds."
Perhaps because he knew that this relic was of little use, the price Old John offered was not very high.
"But what about the negative side of it? And the containment method."
Shade asked, already planning to buy it.
"Don't touch it for a long time, or you will have strange dreams about the Silver Moon at night, and then fall into eternal madness. The containment method is very simple. Before midnight every day, immerse it in colorless liquid for more than three seconds. If you can't do it, it may directly interfere with the holder's dream."
The negative effects were not that great, but Xia De did not immediately say that he wanted to buy it. Instead, he pretended to think about it and asked after a long while:
"Can it be cheaper?"
"This is already a discounted price for that cane."
The old man shrugged:
“I usually don’t give discounts.”
"Five pounds."
"That's impossible. Is this how you usually bargain?"
"Five pounds and a penny? I learned my lesson the last time I sold my cane."
"... ... Remember not to bargain with others like this in the future. Not everyone has the same good temper as me. 13 pounds 10 shillings."
Old John said, shaking his head.
"Six pounds."
Shade made the number six with his hands.
"Twelve pounds 17 shillings, that's the lowest price. Detective, there's no lower price. I can give you a piece of information as a gift, is that all right?"
The elderly shop owner said that he didn't seem to want to lower the price any further.
So Xia De thought about it and made a reluctant expression of agreement:
"Okay then, deal. But you have to tell me what the news is first. I don't want to hear that vegetable prices are going to go up recently."
“Young people are always like this.”
The shop owner behind the counter shook his head:
"I got the news. Does Mercury Blood know about it?"
"Of course I know. The news about them has almost spread everywhere now."
The academy has issued a bounty to the correspondence ring sorcerer, which means there is no need to cover up what happened to Mercury Blood in Tobesk.
"Mercury Blood and a group of cultists seem to be busy with something recently. That's not the point. My information is that Mercury Blood has a very good relic. You know, since I'm in the business of recycling relics and dangerous items, I'm very sensitive to this kind of information."
However, in order to raise materials to synthesize the angel-level (level 1) relic Mercury Blood, the illegal organization had many good relics.
"What exactly do you mean?"
Xia De asked, and the old man said perfunctorily:
"If I had such good information, do you think I would still be a pawnshop owner? I would have been trading intelligence on the black market a long time ago. It's a Secret Keeper-level (Level 3) relic, but it's actually part of an Angel-level relic (Level 1). Its properties have deteriorated after it was disassembled... It's believed to be related to fate, and it can be very convenient for finding lost items."
"destiny?"
Xia De raised his eyebrows. Somehow, he thought of the letter from Peter the Dwarf Mouse, which mentioned that the Blood Spirit School sent a Secret Keeper-level (Level 3) relic to the Old World for Mercury Blood. Although the Silver Eyed One was very dissatisfied with the other party for not sending someone in time, he knew that the Secret Keeper-level relic must be extraordinary.
"But what could it be? It's convenient for finding items, and it's also related to fate."
He didn't expect that, seeing that there was no more news about old John, he paid the money to buy the relics.
The Moonlight Orb is the fourth relic that Shad owns, but just like the twenty-sided dice of fate and the manuscript pages of the poet Cohen, it cannot enhance Shad's combat effectiveness and survivability and can only be regarded as an auxiliary item.
He didn't know whether other ring sorcerers had many relics, but he made up his mind to buy a powerful relic for self-defense when he became wealthy.
In this beautiful vision, Shade boarded the carriage to Lake View Manor. The manor is located outside the city of Tobysk, in the south of the city, and is named because the manor is close to the Schluch Lake.
This is one of the properties of Count Clown, who holds a high position in the Kingdom's army and is a wealthy and powerful noble. This dinner was hosted by the Count's second son, Little Clown, as a summer evening pastime.
A flat dirt road led directly from Tobysk to the manor. The carriage carrying Shade arrived at the destination when the setting sun appeared in the sky in the evening. After leaving the city, the burning smell in the air disappeared. The air outside the city was quite good, because the young detective, who was exhausted after sitting in the carriage for too long, was refreshed by the fresh air.
He wore his best black suit, a hat and carried a cane as he stepped onto the cobblestone road in front of the manor gate and entered the courtyard of the manor with the guests who arrived one after another.
The night had just begun, and there were not many guests. They were scattered in the courtyard, maze-like garden, buildings and every corner of the manor, chatting with familiar people.
The arrival of summer also changed the way of dressing, but in this relatively conservative era, it was still impossible to see certain scenery. Of course, if Shade had access to certain salons and parties, he would definitely be surprised by the activities of the nobles.
The young detective didn't know anyone here, but he had booked a meeting place with Baron Lavender, which was the stone table under the grape trellis on the east side of the fountain at the back of the manor. It was the place where the baron and his friends played Rhodes.
But it was not time yet, so he could only wander around the manor alone. Knowing in advance that the party would be entertaining dinner, Shade did not eat much at noon, mainly feeding the cat.
Now he saw a long table set up in the courtyard from the manor house to the manor gate. The table was covered with a white tablecloth, and the shining metal tableware and candlesticks illuminated the surroundings and the food on the table. This made Shad, who was not very hungry originally, feel his stomach was thirsty.
He was also a very respectable person, so he didn't take food without caring about his image. He only took a little at a time, but he could take it multiple times at different positions on the long table. This was Shad's strategy.
Of course, while eating, he also did not forget to distribute his business cards to attract business for himself. This required skills. Xia De usually approached people silently when they were chatting, and then waited for an opportunity to say a few words.
When the time was right, he introduced himself and handed out his business card. Because the address on the business card was St. Teresa's Square in the city center, people who received the business card mistakenly thought that Shad was a very capable detective and no one would refuse such a business card.
Xia De became even more determined and decided not to move out of his current apartment unless it was absolutely necessary.
Although he didn't know many people in this world, Xia De saw a familiar figure when the last rays of sunset disappeared and night fell completely. It was a black-haired maid, but her clothes were obviously different from those of the maids in charge of meals and reception in the manor.