Although the usage rules for this 【Northern City · Coldwater Port City】 card were not as strict as the two seen at Lakeview Manor, the effect of this card was more for entertainment than practical use.
While rhode cards had special rule cards, the rules were generally fair, yet they allowed special cards to have a chance to play a role, which was an important reason for the game's enduring popularity.
Last time, Xia De had seen Baron Lavende with a special card from the Northern City series under the grape arbor at Lakeview Manor, but that was Atek City, the City of Art; it seemed these two cards were from the same set.
“This card is worth at least 5 pounds on the market, how about using this as hush money?”
Judging by the professor's expression, if Xia De didn't agree, he definitely wouldn't give up, so Xia De could only reluctantly accept it.
But even so, Professor Manning still strongly demanded that the three of them swear together that no one should speak of what happened today.
Compared to Ring術士 worrying about their identities being exposed, the professor was more concerned about his own reputation.
Actually, Professor Manning was quite lucky; for ordinary people encountering a relic out of control, the best outcome was death.
For him to encounter a relic out of control and immediately receive treatment, and for the relic itself not to have a strong desire to harm him, was actually a very rare situation.
Of course, although Professor Manning tried to write a cat with the dream pen, what he saw in his dream was not actually a cat; it was too disgusting.
Under Miss Louisa's worried and persistent questioning about whether he was still hiding secrets, the professor reluctantly admitted that it was a girl with cat features.
This made the Time Traveler, who had seen more things, greatly astonished and disdainful of Professor Manning's imagination and hobbies, which were ahead of his time.
As for the young Miss Louisa, her expression upon hearing the truth was undoubtedly one of disdain.
Of course, Xia De didn't really care what the professor thought about cats.
But when the maid helped the professor bid farewell to the two, Xia De quietly hid Mia behind him, not allowing Professor Manning a chance to touch her.
“What do you mean by this?”
Because the maid was present, the professor, who was being helped, did not speak too clearly.
Xia De did not explain, shaking his head and holding the cat behind him with one hand.
This action made the Golden-haired girl beside him find it amusing, but she also understood Xia De's wariness towards the professor:
“Professor, you should just stay in bed and rest for a while.
I will come to see you every three days to prevent any other conditions from appearing.
It's normal to experience symptoms like drowsiness recently, after all, you've lost too much...
If you encounter strange dreams again, remember to find me immediately; I live nearby on Feather Pen Street.”
Although some accidents occurred midway, the relic 【dream pen of joy】 was ultimately recovered by Miss Louisa.
She got the dream pen, and Xia De got the valuable rhode cards; both were very satisfied with their gains.
Because she was in a good mood, and to thank Xia De for his help this afternoon, seeing the sunset already appearing on the distant horizon, Miss Louisa invited Xia De and Mia to dinner.
Of course, the single girl living alone did not take Xia De back to her rented apartment but treated him at a restaurant.
During the meal, the two talked about many things.
Xia De had a big question in his heart but did not ask directly.
So, he first talked about what happened this afternoon, summarizing his experience when encountering a relic out of control, and then discussed his Light Spell with Miss Louisa.
This was not the topic Xia De wanted to discuss, but Miss Louisa had a lot to say about it:
“The silver moon itself has the meaning of 'holiness,' so it has a very significant effect when fighting against whisper and blasphemy elements, but your effect is too significant.
Although that nightmare was indeed very weak because it had just been born... it's still a good thing.
At least in the future, if you encounter a sudden situation where a relic goes out of control, you can first try this light; if it doesn't work, then run.”
“Could this effect be due to some special quality I possess?”
Xia De asked, and Miss Louisa looked at him in surprise:
“Special quality? Xia De, you should ask yourself that.”
“No, I mean, is it possible for an ordinary first-ring Ring術士 to have a Miracle of such power?”
“Of course, it's possible.
The power of a Miracle is greatly related to one's understanding of Ling Rune.
After what you experienced at Lakeview Manor, you gained a great understanding of the silver moon, which certainly makes sense.”
【And the 'Divine Radiance' state.】
The whispering voice reminded him.
Xia De nodded, then finally asked what he truly wanted to know:
“Speaking of which, Miss Louisa, the Miracle you used this afternoon was... it seemed related to fairy tales.”
When it came to her Miracle, The Writer was slightly self-satisfied.
She looked around, making sure there was no one at the neighboring tables, then, while skillfully manipulating her knife and fork, she said:
“I specialize in the Enlightenment Element, drawing the power of civilization from words and stories.
My forte is fairy tales.
What you saw this afternoon was the power I gained from the fairy tale 'match girl,' and the casting material was my own handwritten story of the match girl.
Using the core rune 【The Writer】 to awaken the power in the story, or using the core rune 【Roleplay】 to temporarily gain the power of words, this is the Ring術士 system I have built.”
This sounded very good; Miss Louisa's core runes were truly well-matched.
But what Xia De cared about was not this, but the match girl.
He tried not to make a strange expression, unskillfully using his knife and fork to cut the steak.
Mia was placed in a small basket provided by the restaurant, and the basket was on a chair nearby.
Now the cat was standing on her hind legs, her front paws gripping the edge of the basket, her big eyes staring covetously at Xia De's food.
In fact, from the very beginning when he saw the card face of 【ancient fairy tale - match girl】, Xia De had already been suspicious.
It was only after seeing the Miracle summon the match girl this afternoon that he truly confirmed he wasn't imagining things.
Different worlds might have similar systems or even cultures, but identical fairy tales were simply too much of a coincidence.
“Can you tell me the story of the match girl in detail?”
Xia De asked, not forgetting to explain:
“I don't have these contents in my old memories, but this seems to be a very well-known story.”
“Of course, only such well-known stories that become part of civilization possess the power of 【inspiration】.
As for the story of the match girl, because of its age, there are many versions, and if I were to tell it in detail, it would take all night.
But the general story is always about a poor girl selling matches, who dies in the snowy night after lighting four of them.”
“Hmm...”
Xia De's hand gripping the dining knife suddenly tightened; fortunately, the restaurant's cutlery was of good quality.
“The match girl, the little match girl... almost identical stories; this can no longer be explained by coincidence.”
He thought with some surprise.
Miss Louisa lowered her head to stir her vegetable salad, not noticing Xia De's strange expression, but Mia did.
She meowed at Xia De, seemingly wanting to comfort him.
Her amber eyes observed Xia De, but unfortunately, at least this time, Xia De did not notice.
After all, even if someone wanted to hit him from behind with a stick right now, he probably wouldn't notice:
“Has there been another Time Traveler in this world before?”