“Is that so?”
The young woman with long brown hair seemed to be observing herself through Xia De’s eyes, her fingers caressing the golden ring on her finger.
Xia De had already mastered the art of talking to Miss Bei Ya Si:
“Yes, and we both need each other. You seem to be a newcomer among the so-called Ring術士 of the Orthodox Church. You want to prove yourself, so you need additional intelligence sources outside the church, and reliable helpers and connections in a City like this.”
Xia De pointed to himself, realizing for the first time that he possessed such eloquence:
“And as a Detective active in Tobesk City, I will sooner or later encounter dangers like today’s again, and I also need someone who can help me at such times.”
He took a step towards Miss Bei Ya Si, who instinctively retreated, then felt a little annoyed at being startled by an ordinary person.
Xia De extended his hand:
“Although this is our first meeting today, I am the clumsy Detective of Saint Delan Square, and you are a low-ring Ring術士 of the Sun Church. We both need each other’s strength; this is a very good collaboration. And the beginning of our collaboration is to keep today’s events a secret from each other.”
Iluna Bayas gazed at Xia De, and just as Xia De almost thought she would refuse, she extended her hand and clasped the Outsider’s hand:
“You will surely become a formidable Detective, not because of your social circle, but because of your wisdom.”
“Thank you, but I actually have reservations about the Detective profession... Miss Bei Ya Si, if possible, please make sure to find the person who killed Mrs. Lawrence.”
Saying this, he looked at the carriage and the corpse lying in the alley:
“So what now?”
“Leave the body here; we’ll leave immediately. Don’t let the club’s investigation get entangled with this murder case. Afterwards, I will report this matter to the church through my own channels. They wanted to take us away, so they won’t let anyone notice that we boarded this particular carriage.”
Miss Bei Ya Si arranged everything skillfully, making Xia De think she had done this before.
“As for you, Detective, I plan to visit you soon, and I hope you keep your word. Of course, you should also prioritize safety recently; many dangerous individuals have arrived in the City. Not long ago, a man under the moon easily caused an earthquake in the southern part of the City with a single move.”
Miss Bei Ya Si seemed to have endless 感慨 about this:
“When will I ever have such power?”
“This... I won’t reveal your secret.”
Xia De could only answer in this way, and by doing so, he would not disrupt Miss Annette’s plan.
“But when I actively tell her I’m a Ring術士, will I need to apologize for today’s concealment?”
He asked himself inwardly.
Although the Detective and the Sorceress were righteous, obtaining spoils after a killing had nothing to do with righteousness.
Miss Bei Ya Si took the “sword,” and Xia De was allowed to take the money from the two corpses. However, unfortunately, neither the man killed by the gun of kindness nor the fellow killed by the “Sunlight Gun” had the habit of carrying all their belongings when going out.
The change Xia De found on both of them combined amounted to no more than 3 pounds, 5 shillings, and 10 pence.
“I thought people like you, like Wizards, would be very rich.”
He even complained to Miss Bei Ya Si, who sighed:
“We are Ring術士, not Wizards, and pounds are never enough; that’s true for everyone.”
By the time Xia De and Miss Bei Ya Si parted ways and he walked back home, it was already dinner time.
But this day, he uncharacteristically didn't play with Mia for a while after returning home. Instead, he first drew the living room curtains and, in the dim environment, carefully took out the envelope hidden in his chest.
Mia immediately darted over, thinking it was something to eat, but was instantly caught by Xia De, who held her by the scruff of her neck with one hand. Xia De, holding the cat in one hand and the envelope in the other, went to his bedroom, still drawing the curtains, and sat at his desk without turning on the room’s gas lamp.
He carefully twisted the knob of the gas desk lamp, and only then did some light appear in the dark room. Placing Mia on his lap, he then took out the banknotes from the envelope with both hands, carefully counting them while licking his lips, and placing the banknotes in stacks of ten under the lamp on the desk.
The elegant brass gas desk lamp was not turned to its brightest, so it could only illuminate the desk area and not Xia De’s face. The Outsider looked at his hands under the lamp, quickly and skillfully counting the number of pounds.
The small orange cat on Xia De’s lap couldn’t reach the desk, so it could only use its hind paws to step on Xia De’s leg and its front paws to cling to the desk to barely poke half of its small head out from under the desk.
It watched the man’s hands skillfully counting the banknotes; the cat couldn’t understand the specific meaning of those pieces of paper, only finding the scene very interesting.
After counting the money and putting it back, Xia De leaned back, holding the cat, and sat in the dim room for ten minutes before getting up. He very carefully locked the envelope in the drawer, and then placed several books on top of the envelope. He solemnly put the drawer key into his pocket before leaving the room.
Upon entering the living room, a smile finally bloomed on his calm face. He picked up Mia with both hands, lifted her high, and then put her down when the cat was confused:
“Let’s go out to eat together.”
He stroked the well-behaved orange cat; life was truly getting better.
Regarding his contact with Miss Bei Ya Si, he should have informed the Diviner immediately to confirm if it would affect her “clever plan.” But Xia De didn’t know the Diviner’s address. Fortunately, he was going to the Prophet Association on Friday for the final appraisal of 【Founding · Silver Moon】, so he might have a chance to meet Miss Annette at the association.
(Mia running...)
When he woke up on Friday morning, the sky outside was overcast, as if it was going to rain. So Xia De took an umbrella when he went out, but just as he reached the entrance of Silver Cross Avenue, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.
Under the rainy sky, the City was still enveloped in a thin gray mist, which was one of the reasons why Tobesk, in addition to being called the “Northern Pearl,” also bore the title “Northern Foggy City.”
Stepping onto Silver Cross Avenue, walking on the path paved with rectangular stone bricks, his mood was much better than the gloomy weather.
The entrance of the Prophet Association was still bustling with people; even without a weather forecast, people would likely bring umbrellas when they saw the overcast sky. Due to limitations in dyeing technology, most practical umbrellas of this era were black, but the prototype of folding umbrellas had already appeared.
Four-wheeled carriages passed by Xia De, stopping steadily at the association’s entrance, and police officers would also pause to look twice as they passed by.
Before the rain intensified, Xia De joined the flow of people at the entrance of the Prophet Association, carrying his cane and holding his umbrella, circling around the carriage adorned with a coat of arms and two wheat ear decorations, which was parked in front of the door.
After entering the building, he wanted to check the bulletin board located on one side of the main entrance. Although he temporarily didn’t need to sell the rhode cards he got from Professor Manning due to a large income, it was still good to understand the current market conditions.