The other party didn't even give Xia De a chance to refuse, and stuffed the revolver into his hand:
"Sir, if you are not satisfied with this compensation, I will leave you an address where Rades is temporarily renting. You can go to his apartment tomorrow and exchange this gun for more compensation."
Xia De couldn't refuse and could only accept the gun. He looked down at the gun in his hand, and his fingers actually touched the imperceptible raised lines on the surface of the gun, which he interpreted as words, meaning "the gun of kindness".
It took him a long time to nod, not understanding what happened to his luck tonight.
Afterwards, I got the address of Captain Rades, and talked with a group of people about courage and loyalty, and then continued to look for Miss Louisa. Of course, I couldn't wear formal clothes, but wearing a white shirt was not particularly rude:
"But what exactly is the purpose of this gun? Is it certain that it will miss the target?"
He wrapped the revolver in his coat with one sleeve missing, thinking as he walked. But after all, it was something that came for free, and Shad liked such free items, so he planned to ask about the St. Byrons Library next Saturday.
Just now, when Shad was playing Rhodes under the grape arbor in the garden, the host of this summer open-air banquet, the youngest son of Count Crown, had already appeared in the courtyard.
It was already late at night, but the atmosphere of the banquet was still good. People gathered in groups of three or five, and young men and women would go to the garden together amid the laughter of their companions. Even if you didn't like the atmosphere here, you could still enjoy the night view alone with a glass of wine.
Lakeview Manor was so huge that Shade did not see Miss Louisa after walking around. But when he was looking at the manor house from the table and worried about Dr. Schneider and Father Augustus, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the girl with golden hair passing by the stables on the side of the courtyard.
The stables of the manor were in a corner of the courtyard. It was not a banquet venue, so no candles were lit and the gas lamps were not turned on. It was dark nearby, and ordinary guests would not go there unless they wanted to do something private without being disturbed.
There was more than one girl with golden hair, Miss Louisa, but Shad thought the back figure he had just seen looked very much like that writer, so he avoided nearby sights and followed her.
The manor itself was connected to the Earl's stable, and the stables inside the manor were mostly prepared for the manor's own passenger carriages. After leaving the banquet area illuminated by candlelight and gas lamps, darkness descended on Shade, making him feel inexplicably creepy.
But the feeling soon faded as he was choked by the pungent smell of the stable:
"So this is why the stables were built next to the wall, away from the courtyard."
He felt like tears were about to fall from his eyes. The young outsider had never been to a stable, so he naturally did not expect such a situation to happen. He listened to the woman's laughter in his head, holding onto the innermost wall of the courtyard, his eyes blurred with tears, and he did not know whether he should get closer. The courtyard without lights was already dim, and coupled with the unstoppable tears, even if someone stood ten steps away from him, Shade would most likely not see:
"It's terrible, it looks like this body has night blindness."
He couldn't help thinking, looking at the open-air banquet venue in the distance, he could only see a vague yellow light. Then he looked at the stable not far away. Although he didn't believe that a lady like Miss Louisa would go near such a place, he still took a few steps forward cautiously.
Although this body was night blind, its hearing was quite good. He stood by the outer wall of the stable and held his breath, and then he really heard the voice inside. It was a man and a woman talking, but obviously Miss Louisa was not there.
Now that he was here, Xia De wanted to listen to what they were talking about. This was certainly not him eavesdropping on the sound of a man and a woman dating out of evil interest. After all, even if they were dating, they would not come to such a smelly place. This was not the countryside with nowhere to go. The dense grass in the garden of Lake View Manor and the cruise ship docked beside Lake Schluch were better outdoor beds for lovers.
"Jenny, are you sure there are people from the 'Council' in Tobesk?"
It was a man's voice, probably about the same age as Dr. Schneider. His voice was dull, as if his throat had been injured, and his accent was not that of Tobesk.
"Parliament? Political conspiracy?"
Xia De thought to himself.
Both the Kingdom of Drarion in the north and the United Kingdom of Carsenrick in the south have completely emerged from feudalism and even slavery under the impetus of the steam industrial revolution. The political system here is similar to that of the Western countries in the world of Shade. Although the royal family still holds absolute power, the nobles have also formed a parliament.
"Yes, there is definitely a witch from the Witch Council in Tobesk City. Even the Orthodox Church is not aware of this. This is information I almost risked my life to get. It is definitely..."
Xia De didn't continue listening, but covered his mouth and left carefully.
The word "witch" used by Miss Jenny just now has a special usage in the Draerion language. This word only refers to female spellcasters in the Fifth Epoch.
The Fifth Era was the era of witches. Only women could become spellcasters, and the witch emperors ruled their own territories. As the Fifth Era ended in an inexplicable way, the most powerful thirteen witch emperors all died, and the Sixth Era officially began.
Shade had never heard Dr. Schneider and others mention the "Witch Council" organization, but he understood that an organization that dared to name itself in this way either knew nothing or was really related to the spellcasters of the Fifth Epoch.
That's why Shad ran away immediately. He would not participate in such a thing that would cause big trouble. The young detective longed for a peaceful life. Besides, there was a ginger cat named Mia at home who needed his care temporarily, so he couldn't just die casually.
"However, this kind of large open-air banquet is indeed dangerous. All kinds of people may show up."
Xia De thought about it as he returned to the long dining table in Lake View Manor. However, he did not go to get the food. Instead, he carefully sniffed the cuffs of his shirt, as he felt that his clothes were also stained with the smell of horse manure.
After walking around the manor again, he still didn't find any trace of Miss Louisa. Instead, he met Viscount Lavender and his group, but Shad did not join their discussion about the card game under the grape arbor.
Due to the instructions of Father Augustus, Shad did not dare to enter the Lake View Manor easily, so he thought of going back to the garden to try his luck again.
It was already late at night, but only a few guests had left. The garden area behind the manor house, which was much larger than St. Teresa's Square, seemed even quieter than when Shad left.
His footsteps also slowed down a bit, and after entering the garden, he did not dare to push through the flowers or grass for fear of disturbing others.
Unconsciously, he returned to the grape trellis again, but the stone table where everyone was playing cards just now was occupied by a young poet holding a wine glass and crying. Xia De had seen him at the long table in the courtyard before the sun completely set. At that time, the poet was trying to chat up a young girl who was alone.