The other party didn't even give Xia De a chance to refuse before stuffing the revolver into his hand:
"Sir, if you are not satisfied with this compensation, I will leave you an address. Captain Rades is temporarily renting there. 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 felt an imperceptible raised pattern on the surface of the gun body, which he deciphered as text meaning "gun of kindness."
It took him a while to nod, not understanding what was going on with his luck tonight.
He then got Captain Rades's address and discussed courage and loyalty with a group of people before continuing his search for Louisa. Of course, he couldn't wear formal attire, but wearing a white shirt wasn't particularly impolite:
"But what exactly is the purpose of this gun? Is it guaranteed to miss?"
He wrapped the revolver in his coat, which was missing a sleeve, and thought as he walked. But since it was something he got for free, Xia De liked such gratuitous items and planned to ask about it at Saint Byron's Library next Saturday.
Earlier, when Xia De was playing rhode cards under the grape arbor in the garden, the host of this Summer outdoor banquet, the Earl Crown's youngest son, had already made an appearance in the courtyard.
It was late into the night, but the atmosphere of the banquet was still good. People gathered in groups of three or five, while young men and women would go to the garden together amidst the laughter of their companions. Even if one didn't like the atmosphere here, they could enjoy the night scene alone with a glass of wine.
Lakeview Manor was simply too large, and Xia De circled around without seeing Louisa. But as he looked out at the manor house from a table, worrying about Doctor Schneider and Priest Augustus, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a golden-haired girl flashing past near the stables on the side of the courtyard.
The manor's stables were in a corner of the courtyard, not part of the banquet area, so no candles were lit, and the gas lamps were off. That area was dark, and ordinary guests wouldn't go there unless they wanted to do something private and undisturbed.
Louisa wasn't the only golden-haired girl, but Xia De thought the back he just saw resembled the Writer, so he avoided nearby gazes and followed her.
The manor itself was connected to the Earl's horse farm, and the stables inside the manor were mostly for the manor's own passenger carriages. After leaving the banquet area, which was illuminated by candlelight and gas lamps, darkness descended around Xia De, giving him an inexplicable feeling of dread.
But this feeling quickly disappeared because he was choked by the pungent smell of the stables:
"So this is why the stables were built against the wall, specifically far from the courtyard."
He felt like his eyes were tearing up. The young Outsider had never been near stables and naturally hadn't expected such a situation. He listened to the woman's laughter in his head, leaning against the innermost wall of the courtyard, his vision blurred by tears, unsure whether he should get closer. The unlit courtyard was already dim, and with the uncontrollable tears, even if someone stood ten paces away, Xia De would most likely not see them:
"This is terrible, this body seems to have night blindness."
He couldn't help but think, looking at the distant outdoor banquet area, he could only see a blurry yellow light. Then he looked at the stables not far away. Although he didn't believe a lady like Louisa would approach such a place, he cautiously took a few steps forward.
Although this body had night blindness, his hearing was quite good. He stood by the outer wall of the stables, holding his breath, and then truly heard sounds from inside. It was a man and a woman talking, but Louisa was clearly not among them.
Since he was here, Xia De wanted to hear what they were saying. Of course, this wasn't him maliciously eavesdropping on a date. After all, even on a date, they wouldn't come to a place that smelled like this. This wasn't the countryside where there was nowhere else to go; the dense bushes in Lakeview Manor's garden and the pleasure boats docked by Schluch Lake were much better outdoor beds for couples.
"Jenny, are you sure someone from the 'Council' is really in Tobesk?"
This was a man's voice, sounding about the same age as Doctor Schneider. His voice was muffled, as if his throat had been injured, and his accent was not native to Tobesk.
"Council? Political conspiracy?"
Xia De thought to himself.
Whether it was the Delarion Kingdom in the north or the Carson Rick United Kingdom in the south, driven by the Industrial Revolution, they had completely emerged from feudalism and even slavery. The political systems here were similar to Western countries in Xia De's world. Although the royal family still held absolute power, the nobles had also formed a council.
"Yes, there is definitely a Great Witch from the 'Witch Council' in Tobesk City, and even the Orthodox Church hasn't realized it. This is information I almost died for, absolutely..."
Xia De didn't continue listening but covered his mouth and carefully left.
The word "Witch" used by Miss Jenny just now has a specific usage in delarion, referring only to female spellcasters of the fifth epoch.
The fifth epoch was the era of the Witches, where only females could become spellcasters, and the Witch Emperors each carved out their own territories. As the fifth epoch ended in an inexplicable way, the thirteen most powerful Witch Emperors all died, and thus the sixth epoch officially began.
Xia De had not heard Doctor Schneider and others mention the organization "Witch Council," but thinking about it, he understood that an organization daring to name itself in such a way either knew nothing or was truly connected to those spellcasters of the fifth epoch.
Therefore, Xia De immediately slipped away. He would not participate in something that clearly spelled big trouble. The young Detective yearned for a peaceful life. Moreover, he still had Mia, the orange cat, to take care of at home, so he couldn't just die casually.
"However, these large outdoor banquets are indeed dangerous. All sorts of people can appear."
Xia De thought, having returned to the long dining table at Lakeview Manor, but he didn't get any more food. Instead, he carefully sniffed the cuff of his shirt, feeling that his clothes had also picked up the smell of horse manure.
He circled the manor again but still didn't find any trace of Louisa. He did, however, meet Viscount Lavende and his party, but Xia De did not join their discussion about the card game under the grape arbor.
Due to Priest Augustus's instructions, Xia De did not dare to easily enter the Lakeview Manor house, so he thought of returning to the garden to try his luck again.
It was already quite late, but only a few guests had left. The garden area behind the manor house, which was much larger than Saint Delan Square, seemed even quieter than when Xia De had left.
His footsteps also slowed down. After entering the garden, he didn't dare to push aside flower bushes or grass, worried about disturbing others.
Unknowingly, he returned to the grape arbor again, but this time, the stone table where everyone had been playing cards was occupied by a young Poet crying with a wine glass in hand. Xia De had seen him at the long table in the courtyard before the sun completely set, when the Poet was trying to strike up a conversation with a lone young girl.