To prevent any other accidents, after learning the location of Mr. Victor Fanny, the three said goodbye to the spice merchant. To thank the two ladies for their company today, since it was lunchtime, Xia De invited them to eat lunch together.
There were no good restaurants in the northwest of the City, so the three took a carriage back to Saint Delan Square first. After picking up Mia, they dined at a nearby restaurant.
During the meal, Xia De flipped through the investigation report that Princess Margaret helped record and talked about his story with the Three Cats Inn.
"Last time, Miss Mary and I jointly contained a relic at the Three Cats Inn, and even earlier, I went there to investigate a very dangerous Ring術士."
"I also once received a mission from the Academy to help receive a Sorceress who was staying in Tobesk for a few days before heading north to the Academy."
Dorothy also said:
"The Ring術士s of Tobesk have, more or less, come into contact with the Three Cats Inn. The north of the City is the slum area of this City, where the probability of things happening is higher than anywhere else, but it is also suitable for hiding oneself or conducting transactions. St. Anthem Square is the center of the North District, and the Three Cats Inn is the largest inn around St. Anthem Square, so there are many, many stories that have happened there."
"Similar places also exist in Weilandale."
Princess Margaret said, turning her head to look at the light snow falling outside the restaurant window; the snowflakes had been falling all morning. Just as she was about to introduce Weilandale, she saw the Writer, who was sitting beside her, slightly stand up and tug at Xia De's collar, who was sitting opposite:
"You always don't pay attention to this."
Dorothy complained softly, her movements very smooth, indicating that she had done this more than once.
"Hmm."
Since this morning, the Princess from the Southern Kingdom had been suspecting the relationship between the Writer and the Detective. Now it seemed that her suspicion was definitely not her overthinking.
In fact, two people from the same group, and whose real-life professions could complement each other, if there were really any emotional ties, there would be no problem. But the problem was that even she, a Princess of Carson Rick in Weilandale City, had heard rumors of "Hamilton of Leijiede" and Duchess Galina Cavendish, so there was no reason why the Writer from Tobesk hadn't heard of them.
"The relationships are truly complicated."
Margaret Anjou raised her teacup to hide her expression:
"Since we still have to investigate this afternoon, we won't drink alcohol. I'm still very much looking forward to the results. Speaking of which, I once acquired a batch of rather good red wine in Huntington City, but unfortunately, it has all been given away as gifts. When I return to Huntington, I can go find that gentleman who has a vineyard in the New World and ask if he still has any stock. If so, I can send it to you."
She used changing the subject to hide her emotions.
"I know the kind of wine you're talking about; Miss Jialinna once drank it with me at the Lakeview Manor banquet."
Xia De added:
"At that time, your math teacher, Miss Sylvia, was also there. Miss Jialinna greatly admired this lady."
Dorothy glanced at Xia De, saying nothing. Princess Margaret also looked at the Golden-haired girl and saw Xia De mention her "lover" in front of her, but the Writer's expression didn't change at all, only feeling that the young and powerful Ring術士's life in Tobesk was truly rich and colorful.
After lunch, the three returned home to rest for a while. They set off again at two in the afternoon. At this time, the snow in the sky was a bit denser. People in Tobesk do not use umbrellas when it snows, so the hats of people walking on the streets were all dyed with a layer of white.
Although St. Anthem Square in the North District was not as important as Saint Delan Square, because there were many merchants selling goods in the square, the merchants spontaneously cleared the accumulated snow, preventing the environment from becoming too muddy.
Due to the continuous snow throughout the day, the temperature in the gray, misty City was very low in the afternoon. In the entire St. Anthem Square, only the southwest side, near the "Upper-class Blacksmith Shop," had more pedestrians, because the light and heat emitted from the blacksmith's furnace made people unconsciously approach it in this snowy weather.
The arrival of winter had reduced the number of pedestrians in St. Anthem Square, but the hawkers' cries were still incessant. Although Princess Margaret was not visiting here for the first time, she was still curious about the environment.
As the three walked through the square towards the Three Cats Inn, the Princess of the Southern Kingdom eagerly inquired about the small vendors in the square from Dorothy, even asking about the illegal currency exchange rates between the two countries at the "Honest Man's Gold Shop" on the southwest side of the square.
When the three entered the inn through the snow, the Princess already had a small wooden hair ornament in her hand, bought for 10 pence, which Dorothy had paid for. Margaret Anjou was different from Leia and little Princess Angelina, whom Xia De was familiar with. Leia was serious and had the right amount of sensibility, just like Dorothy, while Angelina was imaginative and full of determination. As for the Princess of the Anjou Royal Family, perhaps because she had too few siblings and had not experienced the fierce competition among the princes and princesses of the Cavendish Family, she still had a girlish innocence despite being only a few months younger than Leia.
"Speaking of which, among the girls I currently know, it seems only sixteen-year-old Angelina and seventeen-year-old Yiluna are younger than my current body's age. Miss Sylvia seems to be about the same age as this body."
Xia De thought to himself as he followed the girls into the inn.
After entering the Three Cats Inn through the snow, Dorothy and Princess Margaret found seats on the first floor, while Xia De walked alone towards the counter. The afternoon was the least busy time for the inn, and the landlady, Mrs. Sangmei, stood bored behind the counter.
When the three entered, she noticed that Xia De had come here again. As Xia De approached, she smiled teasingly:
"Detective, how impressive, this time you've brought two pretty girls. I think one day, all the pretty girls in Tobesk City will be brought here by you."
"Then you should thank me for my frequent patronage of your business."
Xia De smiled:
"Three hot drinks, no alcohol. The weather is really cold, I wonder when this snow will stop."
"It's like this every winter. But you wouldn't bring girls here just to drink hot fruit juice, would you?"
Mrs. Sangmei asked, and Xia De thought for a moment:
"Then change it to butter beer."
Then he asked with some concern:
"You don't have small, medium, large, and extra-large cups here, do you?"
"Detective, this isn't your first time here. What kind of strange question is that? If you really feel it's not enough, I can give you a bigger cup for free, it's not impossible."
Mrs. Sangmei asked strangely, then signaled to a waiter nearby to prepare drinks for Xia De:
"That girl from the Southern Kingdom looks really good."
After giving instructions to the waiter, she whispered to Xia De. She was referring to Princess Margaret. Although the Princess had disguised her face, she still looked like a Carson Rick native.
"Oh, Mrs. Sangmei, although I sometimes bring different girls here, I'm not doing anything bad."
"Yes, yes."
The middle-aged woman in an apron smiled:
"You only do bad things to the Duchess; everyone in the City knows that."
She smiled happily; teasing a familiar young man was a great way to entertain oneself on this snowy winter afternoon:
"Tell me, Detective, who are you here to investigate this time? Since you have a discount at this establishment, I can lower the intelligence fee for you a little."
"This time I'm just here to visit a friend."
Xia De shook his head. Mr. Victor Fanny, who sold boxes, lived in the inn, and he also knew how to contact him. Considering that he didn't know what might happen later, there was no need to inquire about information from Mrs. Sangmei this time. If something really went wrong, inquiring from Mrs. Sangmei would mean directly telling others why he was there.
The waiter quickly brought the butter beer to their table. The Three Cats Inn used wooden tables with a clear wood grain, which created a great atmosphere for those who liked pubs, but Xia De didn't feel much about it.
He picked up the glass and took a sip of this drink, which was said to contain no alcohol at all, and found the taste very strange. Princess Margaret held her cup to feel the warmth, and Dorothy took off her gloves and took out her notebook:
"Are you going up alone, or are we coming with you?"
Xia De thought for a moment:
"I don't know the situation yet. I'll go upstairs by myself and scout around for a bit."
He actually wanted to rely on "her" perception to confirm what the opponent was.
"Then we'll decide on the plan of action. If the opponent is too strong, I'll report this matter to the Church; I have acquaintances in the Church."
Both ladies smiled. Miss Yiluna Bei Ya Si, from that Wednesday evening, clearly had a very unusual relationship with Xia De. Although Margaret Anjou still didn't understand why that angel-level relic would consider Xia De an ordinary person, the parchment in Yiluna Bei Ya Si's hand at the time clearly contained more than just information about an ordinary person.
"If we can solve it ourselves, then we'll visit that gentleman together. I think he'll learn his lesson."
Dorothy and Princess Margaret also approved of Xia De's plan, but Xia De didn't get up immediately and chatted with them for another ten minutes. Taking advantage of Mrs. Sangmei going to the back kitchen, he then stood up and walked to the staircase, then headed towards the fourth floor of the inn.
He was thinking about what he might encounter on the fourth floor, but Xia De stopped as soon as he reached the second floor.
Frowning, he looked at the second floor. There were quite a few guests here on Monday afternoon. Ordering a drink and sitting with friends all afternoon, or gambling rhode cards with familiar card players, were good ways to pass the time.
A strange smell of food mixed with alcohol permeated the air. Xia De stopped because he saw an acquaintance. He hesitated, retreated to the stairs, and seeing no one above or below, he changed into a different coat and applied the Sorceress's eyeshadow.
