Since there was nothing to do in Midhill Castle, after saying goodbye to the nun, Shad returned to Tobesk, left the sword that he could not carry with him at home, and had lunch with Mia.
In the afternoon, he first went to the Prophet's Association and informed Luvia of the whereabouts of the blood money. Then he went to Coldwater Harbor to meet with the old tower keeper Mr. Edmund and paid him to help find some information about the guardian of the library, the old god Grey Robe Sage.
Although the current key does not seem to require Shade to search for important mission items in the current time and space, he still has to be prepared for any eventuality. He believes that the mission given by Tree Father should not be so easy for him to complete.
Buying daily necessities for the witches is too easy a challenge.
The steam floating airship that Iluna took will arrive at Midhill Castle around 4 o'clock this afternoon. So after leaving Coldwater Harbor, Shade turned the clothes he was going to wear to the party tonight into toys, arranged cat food for Mia's dinner, and headed to the Mountain City again.
There is a landing site for the steam-powered airship in Midhill Castle, but Shad does not know the exact location. Even if he knew it, he would not be able to go with the local church to greet Tobesk and his party.
Therefore, he chose to wait in front of the local Sun Church. He waited until 4:30 in the afternoon, when he saw the convoy slowly approaching from the other side of the street.
Xia De, who was reading the evening paper under the low wall, immediately put down the newspaper and took off his hat, looking at the carriage in the center of the team, but when the carriage passed in front of Xia De, it did not open the window.
Just when Xia De was feeling a little disappointed, the sound of horse hooves came from behind the team. A 17-year-old girl riding a horse, wearing a hunting suit, looked very heroic. In the sunshine of the autumn afternoon, she smiled brightly, as if all the light in the world was converging on her.
Smiling and nodding to Shade, she mouthed "good afternoon" and then Iluna, riding a horse, caught up with the convoy in front.
"Good afternoon, Iluna."
Xia De also said it in his heart, folded the newspaper with a smile, and then walked away along the low wall on the street.
Meeting Iluna in Midhill Castle meant that he had a companion he could completely trust, and the next adventure would probably become more interesting.
After meeting Iluna, the only important thing to do today was to attend the charity dinner tonight. Since the dinner would provide food, Shade did not eat in advance. He simply rented a room at the Xikar Hotel, changed his clothes into decent formal clothes, and then stayed in the hotel until 6:30 in the evening before leaving.
Before leaving, Shade did not forget to ask about the blood-sucking uncle and nephew Bernhard who used to live on the fourth floor of the hotel. As expected, they had moved out on the day Shade received the suitcase last week.
Fire Festival is a traditional festival in Midhill Fort. The origin of the festival is no longer traceable, but the local and surrounding areas still celebrate this festival under various names every autumn.
Therefore, since the charity dinner was held on the first day of the week-long Fire Festival, the layout of the venue naturally had to be related to fire.
When the sun had completely set and three moons were fully visible in the night sky, Shade walked into Middleburg Mechanical College. He immediately saw a bunch of bonfires burning in the courtyard between the U-shaped castles.
The weather today is good and the temperature is suitable, so this grand banquet attended by local nobles and wealthy businessmen will be held both indoors and outdoors. This is also the tradition of the Fire Festival. Around the bonfires, long tables are already filled with food. In a few hours, men and women will dance around the bonfires under the moonlight, and at the end of the banquet, they will gather together for a group dance.
Because it is an autumn festival, the Fire Festival also celebrates the harvest. In the past few hundred years, before the wave of steam industry began to surge, this festival was integrated with the "Moon Dance Festival" tradition of Carsenrick on the other side of the mountain. This bonfire dance under the moon also carries the meaning of courtship and praying for peace.
The above is all the knowledge that Shad learned when he was conducting the "Midhill Castle Folk Customs Research". This diverse city, while retaining some traditions, has integrated the exotic customs brought by foreign merchants and adapted to this era of change, thus forming today's traditional festivals with local characteristics.
Of course, the customs of Middleburg had little to do with Shad. He attended the banquet purely to meet Miss Sylvie Aurora, who had just arrived at Middlehill Castle.
As a distinguished guest, Miss Aurora would not arrive too early. Therefore, although the bonfire had been lit and the well-dressed guests were chatting and greeting around the long table when Shad arrived at the Middleburg Mechanical College at seven o'clock, the banquet had not officially begun yet.
Shade, who came here without having dinner, first handed out his invitation outside the venue. After learning that this invitation given by Grandma Cassandra was a special invitation, he curiously asked what a special invitation meant.
“When you pay at the auction, you can get a 10% discount and you can enter any area of the banquet.”
The waiter in a white shirt and black vest answered politely, which disappointed Xia De who thought he would receive special treatment.
He came alone and had no intention of looking for companions, so he walked to the long table next to the campfire to fill his stomach.
Unlike the western cuisine of Delarion, which is known for its elegance and refinement, the mountain cuisine represented by Middleburg has a higher proportion of meat. Because of the eye shadow of Miss Carina on his face, people here could not recognize him. When Shade stood by the campfire in the southeast corner with a plate, looking at more and more people, no one knew who this young man standing alone by the campfire was.
Although they didn't know who Shad was, the local girls came to chat with him. After swallowing the flesh and blood of desire, Shad became more handsome. After that, he was promoted to the third ring by using the divine power to cleanse the spirit runes. His appearance was even more handsome than ever before - at least that's what Luvia said when he was teaching Shad to ride a horse.
But Shad thought he had flirted with enough girls, so after the shy flaxen-haired girl gave him a silk scarf, he left the campfire, thinking of finding a place to play Rhodes at the party.
Even if you don't play, you can still see how local players play cards. Compared with commoners, nobles and wealthy businessmen have more special cards.
However, before Shad could find the Rhodes card venue, he actually saw an acquaintance in the courtyard.
It was Captain Rades. Compared to the men and women in formal suits and dresses, he was very conspicuous in his military uniform. Captain Rades did not come alone. There was another man standing next to him, also wearing a Royal Army uniform. Looking at the medals on his shoulders, he was actually a brigadier general. This should be the highest military commander of the Red Water Camp that Captain Rades had mentioned.
The two were talking to a slightly fat man wearing a wig and a crimson suit. It took Shad a long time to realize that it was the mayor of Midhillburg, whom he had seen in the newspaper.
When Shad noticed Captain Rades, the captain also noticed him. The effect of the eye shadow was that it would be impossible for unfamiliar people to recognize him, but familiar people could still distinguish Shad's appearance.
So Captain Shade blinked, whispered a few words in Brigadier General Carter's ear, and walked over:
"Mr. Watson, I thought you had left town."
Captain Rades still remembered Shad's disguise and greeted him enthusiastically.
"There's still a little bit of stuff to take care of, but I think we're not far from wrapping this up."
Xia De said with a smile, and the two of them were talking beside the campfire in the courtyard. There was also a ginkgo tree next to the campfire. The shadow of the tree trunk looked particularly strange under the jumping firelight.