The black-haired Miss Tifa, the Maid, had already anticipated Xia De's refusal. She shook her head:
"Don't worry, I'm not looking for you to test medicine. Isn't it more convenient to experiment with rabbits or mice?"
She pointed to herself:
"Actually, I just want to find someone to compare the effects of these three potions on different people. I will drink them with you, and then we can compare the different answers we give."
"You're going to drink it too?"
"Of course, my own feelings are the most real. Besides, if I don't drink it, Detective, would you drink something of unknown origin that I brought out by yourself?"
But in reality, even if Miss Tifa Servett, the Maid, was going to drink it, Xia De still felt resistant to this action.
"I wouldn't intentionally try to harm you. The lady introduced you to a job, and even made an agreement with you about when to reveal a secret to you. You can suspect that I have ulterior motives for you, but you cannot doubt my loyalty to the lady. This point, Detective, you should understand."
She spoke very sincerely and quite reasonably, but Xia De remained silent. Even though he agreed with what she said, and didn't think the Maid had any reason to suddenly turn hostile and harm him, the matter still felt strange.
"Detective, are you looking for extra compensation?"
Seeing him like this, the Maid asked again. The carriage jolted, causing the two people inside to shift slightly. They had entered the Town, and the familiar glow of the gas streetlights was very reassuring.
"Of course not, I promised to pay for the white stone crystal, so I won't ask for extra money... Are you sure your potion really has no problems?"
"I swear on my loyalty to Duchess Galina Cavendish."
Xia De looked at her, and she looked at Xia De. After a long time, Xia De finally said:
"Alright then, but we'll test the potion at my place."
"No problem."
Xia De wasn't trying to find a familiar environment, but rather planning that if something went wrong and the Maid really tried to harm him, he would immediately use the last time key to seek help from The Innocent Creator to eradicate the potion's toxicity, and then use the newly acquired white stone crystal to teleport to a distant place.
"But thinking in the worst direction, what if she kidnapped your cat to threaten you? Cats can't approach that Old God statue."
Xia De was stumped by this tricky question. He looked at the girl who was tilting her head and looking out the window, half of her face illuminated by the serene Moonlight:
"Although I'm not yet familiar with this world..."
He said very certainly in his heart:
"But I believe that if I can't even clearly judge the basic good and evil of the people I encounter, then no matter how cautious I am, I will eventually die a terrible death."
"Do you believe she belongs to the good side?"
"No, I'm just certain that at least Jialinna and the Maid are not on the evil side."
The carriage plunged into the night, and the clip-clop of hooves did not disturb anyone in the quiet night. It carried Xia De and the Maid to the entrance of Saint Delan Square Six. After Xia De opened the door with his key, he invited the Maid to test the potion on the first floor.
This was because it was closest to the basement, and the basement door happened to have a keyhole, which met the basic requirements for using the time key.
The first floor of Xia De's house had no furniture or decorative walls; the entire space was very empty. Because he hadn't yet found time to go to the gas company to have them connect the gas pipes on the first floor, there weren't even gas lamps here.
Xia De excused himself to go upstairs for candles, and while he was at it, he carried the cat down and put the time key in his pocket. But after coming downstairs, he didn't immediately test the potion; instead, he fed the cat to stall for time, as the time key could only be used in the early hours of Thursday after Wednesday had passed.
Mia, who hadn't seen Xia De all day, squirmed unhappily when he held her. The fluffy cat wasn't hungry today, as Xia De had left plenty of cat food before he left.
Now, seeing that Xia De had prepared a late-night snack for it, it didn't forget to first look cautiously at the strange woman who had come into the house, and then, wagging its tail, it went to eat with dignity. Miss Servett was also very interested in this small orange cat, but attempting to approach it while it was eating was clearly unwise; Mia probably suspected someone was trying to steal its food.
Candles stood on the floor. When the time was right, Xia De and the Maid, Tifa, sat facing each other on opposite sides of a small table they had moved, with two empty teacups on the table.
"First, the first one."
The Maid handed the wooden tube to Xia De. Xia De poured the liquid inside into the two cups separately, then he chose the cup on the left. After watching the Maid drink it all, Xia De also drank the potion.
"Meow?"
The cat stood on the windowsill nearby, its amber eyes wide, licking its paws and curiously watching them drink the liquid, somewhat hoping to get some itself.
"How does it feel?"
The Maid asked.
"How much sugar did you put in? Why is it so sweet?"
Xia De put down the cup and mumbled.
"Any other feelings?"
The Maid asked again, and Xia De shook his head in denial.
She shook her head regretfully, then pointed at Xia De's cup, and half a cup of clear water appeared inside:
"Detective, please rinse your mouth."
Xia De still shook his head. The Maid looked him over and said:
"It must be uncomfortable holding liquid in your mouth, right? I won't give you a chance to keep liquid samples."
Only then did Xia De pick up the cup.
Next was the second tube of potion. This time, the medicine had a distinct mint flavor. After drinking it, both Xia De's and Tifa Servett's left eyes became somewhat blurry. The former lasted for ten seconds, while the latter lasted for seven seconds.
But after the duration ended, their vision returned completely to normal.
The last tube of potion tasted no different from drinking water. This time, the two experienced different situations. The Maid had no effect on her, while Xia De began to twitch uncontrollably, as if shivering from extreme cold. This process lasted for a full half minute before ending.
Fortunately, apart from the twitching, Xia De's body was not affected in any other way.
After testing the three potions, the black-haired Maid insisted that Xia De rinse his mouth to ensure no liquid remained before ending her visit to Saint Delan Square Six.
He stood on the stone steps of his doorway, watching the light of the kerosene lamp hanging from the back of the carriage fade into the distance, then neatly closed the door. Under the curious gaze of the cat, who was squatting on the table sniffing at the cups, he quickly walked into the basement, and soon returned holding a paper bag.
Holding the paper bag in one hand, he closed the basement door with the other, then took out the wooden key that was almost completely broken:
"May the World Tree bless me in infinite time."
He turned the key, and with a click, behind the opened basement door was an endless white fog. This would be the third time entering the fifth epoch, 1068, and also the last. Actually, Xia De's preparations for the last two wishes were not entirely sufficient, but he had done his best so far and had his own ideas.
Time travel could not carry extraordinary items; he could only rely on his own learning and Knowledge. And now, it was time to depart.
"Mia, wait for me for three seconds. If all goes well, I'll take you to eat something delicious tomorrow."
"Meow?"
The cat watched Xia De walk into the white fog behind the door, and everything he was holding fell to the floor.
Mia immediately became excited, leaping lightly to the floor and curiously running towards the paper bag in front of the door. The cat wanted to know what good things Xia De had brought.
On the other side, Xia De had already stepped into the white fog. He was somewhat disappointed to see that the paper bag containing the potions and materials was no longer in his hand, and he heard her voice:
"Outsider, you have entered the Time Corridor."
"A message from the Old God, Father of Infinite Trees:"
"fifth epoch 1068, autumn, Hope Town, South Continent."
"Event: The Innocent Creator, an Old God, falls."
"Duration 10 minutes (3/3)."
"You have gained additional information."
"The figure of the Father of Infinite Trees continues to watch you."
"The Old God of Time's trial will continue."
"Before the Old God, The Innocent Creator, falls, witness Her last wish."
"The Old God of Time will grant you a reward: Miracle - Chaotic Time Blade, Miracle Ling Rune - Echo."
Time was pressing. After confirming there was no additional information, he immediately took a step forward in the white fog.
The white fog dissipated, and he returned once again to the old Town where the toy store was located.
The first time he came, Hope Town was in the daytime; the second time, Hope Town was in the night. This third, and perhaps final, visit, it was twilight.
The tragic sunset spread from the distant sky to the even more distant sky, and the dim yellow light seemed to symbolize the end of all things. This strange scene made Xia De, who thought he was prepared, pause.
There were only a few Town residents on the dilapidated streets at dusk, moving through the low, old buildings. Some people noticed Xia De again, but before they could approach, Xia De had already pushed open the door and entered the magnificent toy store in front of him.
The scent of candy in the air invigorated him, and the bright light and shelves full of dazzling toys pulled Xia De out of the scene of the sunset he had just witnessed.
The Saint, wearing a ridiculous clown hat, still stood behind the counter. As Xia De pushed the door open and entered, he was looking down at a book.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, he looked up and smiled at him. This was their last meeting in this era.
"Oh, look who it is?"
The Saint laughed, wanting to clap his hands to call the three children, but Xia De stopped him:
"Excuse me, before the last two wishes, I want to ask for your help."
"So what do you want?"
The young man said with a smile, looking young on the outside, but inexplicably making Xia De feel like an old person was speaking:
"Can you tell what I just drank?"
He pointed to himself. The Maid thought he was keeping liquid in his mouth, but she would never have imagined he could directly ask a God for the answer.
Perhaps no one would ask such a ridiculous question when the Gods were willing to grant wishes.
"It's very simple, you first drank a cup of sugared water. Oh, that high-grade white sugar is really good."
That's why it was so sweet that Xia De almost threw up, but it was just water and sugar. There was no way something like that could be a potion.
