After lunch, Shade took out the vines with mental toxins that he had obtained when searching for the Arrow of Knowledge of Aikenora and gave them to the nun so that she could further search for the "Pantanal Evil". He did not stay in Midhill Castle for too long. At two o'clock in the afternoon, he said goodbye to Helen and Grace who were reluctant to leave and prepared to go home.
The carriage was prepared by the witch's apprentice, Miss Swift. The flaxen-haired girl braved the heavy snow and sent Shad to the door of the auction house, then waved goodbye to him while standing in the snow.
Snowflakes fell on the young girl's hat and shoulders. Miss Swift was hesitant to say goodbye, biting her lips for a long time without saying anything. Seeing that the snow was getting heavier, Shade asked her to go back quickly. At this time, the young girl suddenly threw something at the carriage window, then turned around and walked quickly to the door of the auction house.
The driver swung the reins, and the wheels made a dull rustling sound as they rolled over the snow. The carriage drove into the drifting snow, and Shade picked up the things that were thrown into the carriage.
Of course, it was not a steam bomb with the fuse pulled, but a pebble rune. Based on the faintly glowing branch-like runes on the smooth surface of the pebble, Shad recognized that this was the camouflage rune that Tifa had used by the Schluch Lake.
Just chant the spell to activate the rune stone for disguise. Ms. Pavo, the vice president of the Truth Society, who is also a sixth-ring, is still convinced that the suspected female companion of the "God Summoner" is an ugly woman and the pet of the "God Summoner" is a dog because of the guidance of this rune stone.
"Oh, Miss Swift can actually make runes of this level? This is really amazing!"
When Shade was dancing after the battle at Schluch Lake, he heard Tifa, who was wearing a blue dress, say that this kind of runestone was an alchemical item unique to witches, and it required at least level five to make. He had not shaken hands with Miss Swift just now, and was not aware of the level change of the young girl. But from this runestone, it seemed that she had been promoted from level four to level five, and her ring magician level should have also been raised to level five.
"This witch lady who lacked confidence is finally starting to improve."
Shade sighed softly and put the rune stone into his pocket.
So why did she throw this at you
"She" whispered softly. Xia De tilted his head and looked at the snow scene outside the window, pretending not to hear it.
The fragments of the poem and Luvia's prophecy indicate that Jack the Thief will steal an item that the king has touched tonight in the Yodel Palace-Saint Teresa Square area. Luvia and the church both believe that the place where the theft took place is most likely Yodel Palace. Coincidentally, Shad has been invited to participate in the princesses' reading salon, so he will spend tonight with Resia, Princess Margaret and Luvia at the Prophet's Association.
After returning home in the afternoon, he first took care of the "anti-theft" measures at home. Even if Dorothy was looking after No. 6 St. Teresa's Square tonight, Shad had to ensure that nothing would go wrong. When the writer finished cooking dinner in the kitchen in the evening, Shad repeatedly reminded her of the safety issues.
"Although the possibility of my house being robbed is very small, I still want to emphasize it again. If you really encounter the thief Jack, your and Mia's safety is the most important."
Shade pinched Little Mia's waist solemnly and handed the cat to Dorothy. The cat had stretched its head and looked at the plate of scrambled eggs curiously, but when it was picked up, it whimpered in dissatisfaction.
Dorothy took off her apron, washed her hands, and then smiled as she took the naughty cat.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Detective. I will not let your cat out of my sight tonight. If a stranger appears in the house, I will take it out of the room immediately."
"That's it. Also, if I don't knock on the door, don't open it at any time. If there is a beggar begging, pretend you didn't hear it. There are no beggars in the nearby streets. King Larous III is soft-hearted and can't stand beggars. If there is a dark shadow outside the window, leave the window immediately. You are carrying a weapon, don't be soft-hearted when necessary. And..."
"Shad, do you really want to tell me these things like an adult who has left home?"
Miss Writer asked in a disapproving manner, and Shad had no choice but to shut up, but he actually had a lot of things to tell Dorothy.
Looking sideways at the living room, the blazing flames were jumping in the fireplace. This afternoon, Leisia sent someone to help Shade light the fireplace. Shade, who happened to be home, studied it and confirmed that he had learned the skills to use the fireplace.
Dorothy brought dinner to the table, sat down and told Shad her plans for the evening.
She planned to read on the hearth rug tonight, cuddling her cat. Although her apartment on Quill Avenue had a fireplace in the living room, it was far less impressive than the one in the Shard.
"Mia, you must stay with Dorothy tonight and don't run around."
Since Dorothy thought Shad was a bit nagging, Shad pointed at Mia and "taught her a lesson" during dinner. The orange and white kitten tilted its head to look at him, then stretched its neck, squinted its eyes, raised its butt slightly, and stretched its two furry front paws forward and its hind paws backward, making a stretching motion.
"It doesn't want to listen to you either."
Dorothy smiled and fed the cat a small piece of egg. Mia sniffed it cautiously, and only took a bite when Shad nodded. Because of this egg, when Dorothy held the cat with its four little paws facing the sky after dinner, it did not resist.
The reading salon of the Prophet Association was convened by Leicia and was expected to start at 7 o'clock tonight and end around 9 to 9:30. After dinner, Shad began to pack his clothes. After Dorothy helped him fix his bow tie, he confirmed that he could leave.
The homely blonde girl carried the lazy cat downstairs to Shade. When Shade was changing his shoes, he emphasized again:
"Because Jack the Thief is stronger when he meets a stronger opponent, I did not take the Night's Watch to the Society of Prophet. Dorothy, I put the sword in..."
"Next to the fire, with the poker, right within my reach."
Dorothy repeated, and Shad opened his mouth, not knowing what to say, so Goldilocks put her arms around Shad and hugged him:
"Give my regards to Leicia. I hope you have a good time tonight."
Dorothy opened the door for him and handed him the Hamilton Detective Stories that Shad was going to bring to the salon—Shad couldn't possibly bring The Queen and Her Lovers at home—and then pushed Shad into the howling night wind outside the door. The winter night wind stung the skin like a knife. It was the 27th day of the Frost Moon, and the cold winter had arrived.
It was half past six, the sun had already set, and the lights on Saint Teresa's Square were just coming on. Standing in the dim glow of the lights, Xia De turned and looked towards the foyer of his house.
Dorothy held the cat in one hand and waved goodbye to Shad in the light. The wind blowing into the hallway made her hair sway by her ears. Shad also waved goodbye slowly, but his intuition reminded him that something was going to happen again tonight.
There was only one street between Saint Teresa's Square and the Silver Cross Avenue, so Xia De could walk there. When he turned into the Silver Cross Avenue, he saw that the gas lamps on the Silver Cross Avenue were particularly bright tonight. In the fog, the evenly distributed halos of light completely illuminated the entire street, which was a sight that had never been seen before.
This was not because of Leicia's reading salon, but because the church apparently believed that Jack the Thief's target tonight was the Yodel Palace. When Shade stepped onto Silver Cross Avenue, he saw more patrolmen patrolling the streets than usual. The patrolmen who used to work in teams of two now worked in teams of four.
One could even occasionally see one or two ring sorcerers mixed in with ordinary police officers. Jack the Thief becomes stronger when facing a stronger opponent. Before he actually appeared, the church was very cautious in its security arrangements.
"The fire of civilization!"
As he walked, he looked at the street lamp, and then he remembered the arrow that he failed to shoot yesterday afternoon. Although that happened 24 hours ago, Shade had a hunch that as long as he failed to shoot the arrow completely, the uncomfortable feeling of being scratched by hundreds of thousands of little millets would continue to bother him.
Thinking of this, Xia De waited for a while, but "she" did not correct Xia De's last thought of "tens of thousands", which made Xia De very disappointed. But he immediately heard "her" gentle smile again, and his mood immediately became much better, and even the moon covered by the mist seemed to become rounder.
Tonight's event is called a "reading salon", but it is actually an event at the behest of King Larus III aimed at strengthening the relationship between Carsenrick and the royal family of Drarion. When Lecia visited the city of Willendel this summer, she also participated in a similar salon.
Therefore, among the invited guests, the entourage of Princess Margaret's visiting group and the writers and cultural critics of Carsenrick living in Tobesk accounted for one third of the total number. Of course, Sir Prisha, who possessed the core spirit rune of the "Guiding Moon" and was missed by Shade, would also be present. After all, he was a very famous poet in Carsenrick.
As for Delarion, in addition to Leicia, the sixteen-year-old Princess Ajelina and the nineteen-year-old Prince Nasser will also participate.
According to the custom of the nobles in the Tobysk region, reading salons usually do not invite too many people. The invited people will use pretentious but elegant language to talk about books, literature, academics, fashion, and sometimes even gossip and Rhodes cards. This time, Leicia's reading salon invited a total of 34 guests, which can be regarded as a large-scale salon.
When Xia De arrived at the entrance of the Prophet Association, guests had already arrived one after another. The lobby on the first floor of the Prophet Association, which was closed at night, had dim lights that made people feel dizzy.
As the hostess of the salon, Leicia arrived at the Prophet's Association earlier than anyone else. She followed Shade's advice and chose a room on the second floor that could see the Yodel Palace. When Shade arrived at the room at the end of the red-carpeted corridor, Leicia was already at the door of the room with her brother and sister to greet the guests.