Since Captain Lades had an appointment for an evening visit, Xia De had no other plans for the night.
After returning home, he placed the holy water bottle in the hidden space in the basement. Then, he took Mia out for a hearty dinner. Afterwards, using the time before Captain Lades arrived, he completed the investigation report on Lawyer Laurel from yesterday and mailed it to the client, Mrs. Lemeier.
With this, the only thing left for this commission was to go with Mrs. Lemeier for the signing.
Captain Lades, who had promised to visit, knocked on the downstairs door at seven o'clock that evening.
The Captain's entire demeanor was different from before. When he came to visit, he even brought a bottle of wine as a gift that clearly wasn't cheap.
He excitedly recounted his experiences while giving his statement at Leedweich Field to Xia De, and repeated the news he had already mentioned in his letter, which he had received from a friend.
Finally, he firmly grasped Xia De's hand with his large, rough palm, shaking it continuously, and thanked the Detective with an emotional expression for his help:
“I’ve met many people in my life, but Detective, you will be a lifelong friend.”
“Captain, this was your own choice. Yesterday, I didn't invite you to help me and Mrs. Lemeier; you chose to follow along. It was your kindness that changed your own Destiny.”
Xia De was happy for him, but even after saying this, the Captain still believed that Xia De had changed his Destiny.
This middle-aged man, who came from the military and was relatively kind, wanted to thank Xia De. But he didn't have much money, so he could only come here to express his gratitude verbally and promised never to forget Xia De's kindness.
This, in turn, made Xia De a bit embarrassed.
On Friday morning, he received a letter from the client. Mrs. Lemeier had already arranged with Lawyer Laurel to receive the inheritance from her distant relative next Friday. Xia De was to accompany them as per the commission contract.
The reason the time was set for Friday was that Lawyer Laurel needed to coordinate with the City Hall notary office to confirm the transfer of the inheritance could proceed. Since it involved a considerable sum of money, the process would be relatively complex.
There was no rush with the commission for now, and the opening of the new key also required waiting time. Life seemed to have suddenly become much more relaxed.
So, he left at eight in the morning to inquire about the Miracle of Echoes at the Black Raven Library. The Library indeed had the Knowledge Xia De sought, and Echo was not a rare Ling Rune. However, the problem was that while the Miracles they offered were practical, their prices were exceptionally high.
Even though Xia De had nearly 400 pounds in cash he could spend, he was deterred by the “Echoes of Power,” valued at 700 pounds including materials, and the “Sound of Natural Void,” valued at 1200 pounds without materials.
Xia De knew he had no intention of thoroughly researching the Echo Ling Rune, nor had he yet seen its connection to 【Time-Space】 and Silver Moon. So, even if the Queen's Ruby Ring and the rhode cards in his hand could be cashed in, he wouldn't spend so much money to acquire Knowledge unless he truly encountered a very practical Miracle.
He had no Gains at the Black Raven Library, but Saint Byron's Library might have cheaper Miracles. It was just a pity that although last week's Library catalog was still in Xia De's hands, the Miracles in the catalog were only related to Silver Moon, 【Time-Space】, and gluttony.
Therefore, he would have to wait until Saturday, which was tomorrow, to further search for information.
He rushed home at 9:30, confirmed for the last time that all sensitive items were hidden in the basement, and then at 10 o'clock, he welcomed the exorcists from the Dawn Church.
Xia De had originally thought it would be a high-level Ring術士, but to his surprise, when he opened the door, a team of people stood outside.
【All nine people are Ring術士. The man closest to you is of a higher level than your Doctor friend.】
In other words, to show their Pay attention to for Xia De, who had just joined the church, the Dawn Church arranged an entire team of Ring術士 to perform the exorcism.
The team leader was a taciturn but highly efficient person. He introduced himself as Hels Nidrow, a full-time exorcist for the Dawn Church in the Tobesk Grand Diocese. After a brief introduction, the group went directly to the second floor.
Mr. Nidrow took out a somewhat rusty black iron key from his pocket. After confirming with Xia De that the lock was intact, he used the key to open the door.
“No, Mr. Hamilton, we'll go in half first. Once it's confirmed safe, you can enter.”
He held the door open and said to the young Detective holding the cat, appearing to have extensive experience.
Five members of the exorcist team filed in, and it was a while before the others outside were allowed to enter.
Room No. 2 on the second floor was similar to the previously sealed Room No. 1: the gas and steam pipes were completely cut off, and all windows were boarded up. A layer of dust covered the floor, stirring up dust with every step.
They first removed the window boards, and then the nine people, with clear division of labor, inspected each room.
Xia De was told not to wander, but he could still stand in the living room of Room No. 2 and get a general sense of the house. It was empty without any furniture, but at least the decorative walls were preserved, and the room layout was exactly the same as Room No. 1, where Xia De and Mia lived.
There was no trace of the mass suicide that occurred when the last owner resided here. Once the windows were opened, the musty smell and dampness inside the house were alleviated.
He looked around. There were no suspicious signs indoors. So he inquired mentally, but only received the reply that everything was normal.
The Church's Ring術士 team came prepared. They meticulously inspected each room. And on the premise that Xia De wasn't peeking, they closed the doors and used Miracles and curses to perform the exorcism, ensuring that even if evil spirits were present, they would not survive.
The entire exorcism lasted over an hour, finally ending at 11:30. The “exorcist team's” reply was:
“This place is safe; there is no evil presence, so it can be used normally.”
Xia De was half-believing of this conclusion, as the Church also believed there was nothing unusual about the basement. Therefore, after the Church's Ring術士s left, he immediately returned to Room No. 2, whose door had been opened.
“Echoes of the Past!”
Five times in a row, he heard no suspicious sounds.
“Blood Echo!”
Large, faint blood-colored halos spread across the floor, walls, and ceiling. The brutality of the mass suicide decades ago far exceeded Xia De's expectations. But those overlapping bloodstains provided no effective clues. He barely made out some blood-stained footprints, but unlike his basement exploration, he couldn't discover the value of these footprints.
Having had the “experience” of the basement, he finally tried to summon his Destiny Ring and use the spiritual light of 【Time-Space】 to illuminate each wall in turn.
This was a huge undertaking, and Xia De was busy for a full half hour. Until Mia walked out of Room No. 1, meowing impatiently and demanding lunch, he still hadn't found any hidden walls again.
“It's also a good thing. If every floor of the house had problems, that would be strange.”
Standing in the center of the living room, looking at the empty room, after his worries disappeared, an indescribable joy surged within him:
“The usable area of the house has increased quite a bit.”
【But you and the cat don't need such a large space.】
“Seeing the house get bigger gives me a deep sense of happiness. You probably can't understand that in my hometown, owning such a large house is almost impossible.”
He caressed the walls of the room, considering the usable area of his home. This feeling of having a stable place of residence, of having a home, is truly important for an Outsider.
But looking at the dust he had brushed off the walls onto his hands, and the footprints on the dusty floor, he couldn't help but worry that as the house grew larger, cleaning would become more troublesome.
At this thought, the image of the Black-haired maid Tifa Servett suddenly appeared before him. He immediately shook his head:
“That's someone else's maid. I probably need to hire a housekeeper to come and clean the rooms every week... Maybe helping with laundry wouldn't be bad either.”
【Do you need me to remind you that the cat staring at you from the doorway is also someone else's cat?】
Her voice was charming.
“That's different. How can people and cats be the same?”
Xia De said in his mind, only getting laughter as a reply.
“Meow~”
Mia squatted obediently at the doorway, wagging her tail, waiting for Xia De to take her out for delicious food. The small orange cat knew very well that if no one was cooking in the kitchen by this time, it meant they were definitely going out to eat.
She raised her right paw and rubbed her furry cheek. The cat hated going out, but loved going out to eat.
After the leisurely morning ended, the afternoon's schedule had already been arranged. The Tobesk University Association published an advertisement in the Steam Bird Daily, inviting members of society to attend academic lectures.
Xia De had long planned to attend the lecture, so he set off after lunch. As for Mia, she continued to guard No. 6 Saint Delan Square. This timid cat disliked going out, and especially disliked going out in the hot Summer. Xia De prepared a basin of snow for her, and pressed it down with another basin and heavy objects to prevent the cat from accidentally eating it.
Presumably, Mia would have a cool afternoon.
This academic lecture was sponsored by the Kingdom's Ministry of Culture and Education, the Tobesk City Hall, and a small number of nobles. It was organized by the Tobesk University Association, and the Delarion Royal Academy of Mechanical Arts provided the venue.
The academic lecture began at 1:30 PM that day and lasted until 8:30 PM, divided into different sessions according to subject. In addition to educators and scholars from the city, scholars from surrounding regions of the Kingdom and even Carson Rick would also appear. But overall, it was not a large-scale event.
