At two-thirty that afternoon, Xia De, who was at home, still hadn't received a reply from Jialinna, but instead, someone knocked on the door downstairs.
Upon opening the door, a four-wheeled carriage was parked outside. There was no one inside the carriage, but the coachman, with a cigarette in his mouth, handed Xia De a note. It was Jialinna's pretty handwritten cursive, telling Xia De to get directly into the carriage to see her.
It seemed that the Great Witch was also very attentive to Xia De's request for a visit.
The carriage carried Xia De through the stuffy City, following the path Xia De had once taken, towards Jialinna's manor outside the City. The last time he was here was at night, and the abnormal dense fog had made Xia De suspect if this was some "witch's home," but coming during the day, he saw no abnormalities.
The suburban manor in the sunlight looked as if it had just been washed, the roof tiles gleaming in the afternoon sun. The lawn was trimmed to almost the same height, and after the carriage drove through the main gate, Xia De also saw a team of servants in the distance pruning the large trees in the courtyard.
He once again gained a new understanding of Jialinna's financial power.
Compared to the magnificent manor house of the royal family, Jialinna's house had a relatively "simple" interior decoration. The only thing worth mentioning were the oil paintings on the corridor walls; she probably loved landscapes from various places, and those obviously expensive oil paintings were all landscapes, with not a single portrait.
The meeting place was the study on the second floor. When Xia De knocked and entered, besides the Duchess and her personal maid, there was also a middle-aged woman in a white shirt and a formal skirt reporting on tax matters.
Jialinna waved her hand, telling the middle-aged woman to leave first. The latter, as she brushed past Xia De, nodded to him, her eyes filled with indescribable curiosity.
"Good afternoon, Jialinna."
"Good afternoon, Detective. I haven't spent a summer in Tobesk for several years. It just rained yesterday, and today it's so hot... Please sit here. Tifa, afternoon tea."
After Xia De sat down on the sofa, the Duchess from behind the desk also came over to the sofa. The maid Tifa, with a team of maids, pushed a dining cart bringing afternoon tea and pastries.
From the study window, one could get a general view of the manor courtyard, and looking further out, one could vaguely see the outline of the City's buildings. In autumn, if it was windy, the farmland outside the manor would have golden wheat waves; sitting here and enjoying the scenery was truly pleasant.
"This place is really nice."
Xia De praised softly, while the Duchess sat on the single sofa opposite Xia De in a very relaxed posture, waving her hand to dismiss the maids except for Tifa, and then looked at Xia De's attire for the day:
"Detective, I didn't expect you to go trouble the Silver-Eyed One with your friends so soon."
Before the Sunday banquet, Xia De had revealed his thoughts and stated in his letter that he was seeking help.
"Yes, the Blood Spirit School people will arrive soon, and we don't want to deal with so many people at once."
"That's right, so do you have any plans now?"
The Duchess asked, and Xia De thought for a moment and nodded:
"On Thursday evening, the Peace Church will go to encircle and suppress the Cultists who believe in the Blood Feast Lord. We'll take advantage of the Mercury Blood people being drawn away, rush into the underground relic, and eliminate the Silver-Eyed One."
He paused for a moment, confirmed he had no other thoughts, and then nodded:
"That's the plan."
The red-haired Duchess tilted her head and looked at him:
"Your plan is truly... concise."
She laughed, but it wasn't a mocking laugh:
"It's good to have your own plan; simple plans are less likely to go wrong. I'm happy to help you, so what kind of help do you want me to provide? First, you must understand that there is a Thirteen Ring Sorcerer from the Peace Church in the City now, so I cannot directly intervene."
"No, no, you don't need to directly intervene. I want to borrow some relics that I can use, and return them after the matter is over. I can mortgage Origin · Silver Moon with you."
Xia De said immediately.
"No need for a mortgage, but what price can you pay to convince me to lend you the relic?"
The Duchess asked, and Xia De looked at her expression:
"What do you need me to do this time?"
Jialinna smiled, bent down, and picked up her teacup:
"Thursday night, the reason the Orthodox Church chose this time is because that night, the Cultists will gather with the Mercury Blood to hold a Blood Feast and summon the evil god again."
Xia De's expression became serious; he really didn't know about this.
"This time they are trying to bring the deity into the material world as a saint, and the human body is the missing Mr. Lawrence you investigated last time. But don't worry, the Peace Church has complete control over their action plan, action time, and action location. They have clarified the organizational structure of the entire cult and have a list of personnel related to this matter. On Thursday night, led by the Thirteen Ring Sorcerer from the Sun Church, they will personally handle the sacrifice site, and the Peace Church's Ring術士 team will search the entire City for the people on the list."
"It's somewhat like the Lakeview Manor incident, but this time the Peace Church has the initiative... But what does that have to do with me?"
Xia De asked hesitantly:
"Jialinna, you're not trying to make me stop the evil god..."
"Oh, Detective, don't be foolish, even if I told you to go, could you do it?"
The Duchess shook her head, tapping the teacup in her hand:
"I need you to attend this banquet and acquire an item."
She said, and Xia De looked at her seriously, confirming that she wasn't joking:
"Sorry, even if I don't mention whether I should appear in such a setting, I don't have time either. Thursday is also our action time."
"It's fine, I will arrange people to assist you at the banquet. You can leave immediately by carriage after you get what you need, and I will take care of the aftermath. To be honest, if it weren't for Mercury Blood guessing there was a Great Witch in Tobesk and being wary of suspicious women, it would be more suitable to let Tifa do this."
Jialinna said, and the maid beside her showed no expression.
"So what do I need to get?"
"Ring of Metamorphosis."
"Hmm? Isn't that..."
"Yes, it was taken into custody by the Peace Church. To get their people to infiltrate the Cultists, the Peace Church deliberately 'accidentally lost' that ring."
The Duchess's golden eyes held a hint of a smile:
"So, this gave me an opportunity. I've already arranged people and made a plan. At that banquet, there will not only be Cultists and people from the Orthodox Church, but also my people. You just need to follow the plan, and the ring will be easily obtained. Oh, by the way, the excuse for holding the banquet is to raise funds for the Tobesk University District, and there will be an auction. Whatever you buy, I can pay for it afterwards."
"This... will you be there then?"
Xia De didn't care about such a good thing as someone else paying for him to attend an auction; he cared more about his own safety.
The Witch saw his meaning:
"I won't be there. The Peace Church has notified a very small number of royal family members to keep us away from the Thursday night banquet. That's why I was able to learn about this in advance and conduct an investigation."
She narrowed her eyes:
"I won't force you to go, but if you agree, once the ring is in hand, according to our previous agreement, you can ask any question about the Witch Council, and as long as I know, I will answer. And besides lending you the relic, I promise that after this matter, you will gain my complete trust. Also, please give me your hand."
"What do you mean?"
Xia De was puzzled, but still got up, reached out his hand across the coffee table, and was suddenly grabbed by the wrist by Jialinna.
"Again?"
He struggled a few times, and indeed, he couldn't break free:
"You don't have to worry about safety, do you know why, Detective?"
Those dark golden eyes looked at Xia De, who hesitantly looked at the maid, who shook her head, not knowing what she meant.
"I don't know."
"Because, it's not easy to find you, the only man unaffected by the Witch's curse, and I can't bear to let you easily die in such a small matter."
This sentence was truly convincing, so Xia De stopped worrying:
"Actually, you can let go of me before speaking."
He reminded her, and the Witch smiled at him, then indeed let go of his hand:
"Tifa will be at the Thursday banquet, as well as several of my other servants. Even if you encounter big trouble, they can ensure your safe retreat. After the matter is over, I will arrange a carriage to send you away, and it won't delay your affairs."
"Then there's no problem. I will attend the Thursday banquet."
Xia De nodded, looking at the red mark on his wrist; the Duchess's grip was really strong.
Although the temporarily added task would make Thursday night's events more complicated, with such thorough preparations, there was no need to worry too much.
"Alright then, as for the relic you want to borrow..."
She didn't ask the maid Tifa to get the item, but leaned back on the sofa and considered for a while, then reached up and took off the golden necklace she was wearing around her neck.
The necklace was luxurious and exquisite, with golden chains woven into a diamond pattern, encasing a ruby.
Jialinna gestured for the maid to hand the necklace to Xia De. The Black-haired maid looked very surprised, but still complied. As for Xia De, when he took the necklace, he could even feel the body temperature on it.
"This was a gift I received when I officially joined the Witch Council, Detective, guess its level."
"Hmm... Secret Keeper Level (Level 3)?"
"No, it's a Sage-level (Level 2) relic, the Ancient Magic Witches' Golden Necklace. After wearing it, when using any Miracle or spell against non-Witch targets, the effect will be enhanced. I can't give you too dangerous relics, there's a risk of losing control, and risk-free relics are mostly useless. But I think this one should be just right, after all, in Lakeview Manor, you have already shown skilled control over Silver Moon Miracles, and with this necklace, the effect of your Miracles can be further enhanced."
"Sage-level..."
Xia De couldn't help but exclaim. He wasn't inexperienced, but this was the first time he had encountered a true sage-level relic. sage-level relics do not circulate in the black market; they are truly priceless. Even a Ring術士 like the doctor has never touched any sage-level relic.
He lowered his head and examined it carefully. Apart from the ruby, the entire necklace was made of gold, with golden chains intertwined, forming a pattern while also forming a sentence:
"We can only trust ourselves."
