All day on Thursday, Xia De, Miss Bei Ya Si, and Miss Annette stayed at Saint Delan Square Six, constantly analyzing their plan and practicing Miracles together in the spacious basement.
Xia De gained a lot from this process, as it was equivalent to being taught how to fight by two women.
It was only then that he realized that in the nearly one month since he came to this world, he seemed to have never had the opportunity to fight any unfamiliar Ring術士 one-on-one.
The few battles that occurred either had reliable friends by his side or involved targeted contact using relic characteristics.
However, during the process of breaking into the relic tonight, in addition to the Silver-Eyed One and the dangers of the relic itself, they would inevitably encounter Ring術士 from Mercury Blood.
At that time, there was a high possibility that Xia De would experience his first true Ring術士 battle.
During the day, no one visited Saint Delan Square, but Miss Bei Ya Si had to return to Black Stone Security Company for a two-hour shift at noon.
When she returned, she brought back bad news:
"Our team has also been assigned to the Orthodox Church's operation tonight to encircle and suppress the Blood Feast Lord Cultists."
"What?"
Xia De and Miss Annette both stood up from their chairs.
Miss Bei Ya Si was the main participant in the evening's operation; if she wasn't present, the operation would lose its meaning.
"It's fine, it's fine, our team isn't assigned to enter the banquet."
Miss Bei Ya Si said, sitting on the sofa closest to the "snowing" area:
"We are required to be on alert outside to ensure no one breaks in when the Church cleanses the Cultists in the banquet.
I've already requested leave, and the captain said this matter was already very dangerous, so it's more in line with his thoughts for me not to participate."
Miss Annette immediately checked her notebook:
"That's fine.
It doesn't matter if we're missing, but you absolutely cannot be."
Xia De breathed a sigh of relief and continued to frown, contemplating the entire plan.
Mia squatted on the sofa nearby, fiddling with the holy emblem that could use a one-time "Sunlight Gun" with her small paws.
No one noticed it; the orange cat gently poked the holy emblem, subtly wiggling its nose as if sniffing something.
At five in the afternoon, the two ladies left Saint Delan Square first, agreeing to meet Xia De at seven at a hotel near the printing factory above the relic entrance.
Half an hour later, the sky was still very bright, and a carriage happened to stop downstairs at Xia De's house.
After preparing enough cat food for Mia, Xia De met the maid, Miss Tifa Servett, in the carriage.
"Everything proceeds according to plan.
You don't need to do anything extra at the banquet; just follow the plan and then leave."
She handed the invitation to Xia De.
The banquet was held at Count Mopassan's mansion in the city.
Count Mopassan was advanced in years and resting at his family estate in the south, while his son had become a Cultist of the Blood Feast Lord years ago.
Tonight's banquet, he was one of the organizers.
The banquet invited many reputable people in the city, ostensibly a "charity gala" hosted by young Mopassan to raise funds for the reconstruction of the Tobesk University District.
In reality, all invited guests were sacrifices to the evil god.
Xia De's invitation was obtained by Miss Jialinna through special channels.
Since both the Cultists and the Orthodox Church had many people at the banquet, to prevent exposure, Xia De temporarily entrusted all his relics to the maid Tifa for safekeeping, just like when he went to Yodel Palace.
Miss Tifa Servett then gave Xia De a stack of banknotes to use later for the charity auction.
"Is there anything I need to pay attention to?"
Xia De asked while flipping through the invitation, and the carriage slowly started moving.
Last night's rain had not stopped yet, but the rain was very light and did not affect people's normal travel.
"Do not go to places outside the plan, especially not to the third floor.
The third floor is basically all Cultists, including Mr. Lawrence, who is the evil god's physical body, also on the third floor.
Anyone entering or leaving the third floor will attract the attention of both the Church and the Cultists."
The maid said, and Xia De nodded, seriously looking through the invitation.
"There's nothing else to pay attention to; just follow the plan.
Miss's carriage is parked in the alley outside Mopassan Manor.
She will come to save us if necessary.
Remember, after the matter is over, I will send you out of the manor.
During the banquet, you absolutely must not wander around."
"No problem."
Xia De nodded, but couldn't help but ask again:
"Will Mr. Hogg Lundell, the Thirteen Ring Sorcerer 'Sunlight Greatsword' of the Sun Church, also appear at the banquet?"
"Yes, he changed his appearance using a special method and will attend the charity gala as a representative of the Church.
But you will not meet him; please rest assured about that."
Xia De nodded again, and the maid said softly:
"Don't be too nervous.
I've been with Miss since I was fifteen, and we've been through more dangerous situations.
This kind of scene is actually not very dangerous."
"What could be more dangerous than attending a banquet prepared to sacrifice to an evil god?"
Xia De couldn't help but ask.
"Two unknown-level (level 0) relics went out of control simultaneously.
That time, the Witch Council dispatched six Great Witches to forcibly suppress the incident.
Even after that incident..."
She lowered her voice:
"One Great Witch died because of it."
"If you have time, tell me that story next time."
"Okay."
The maid said softly, and Xia De took a deep breath, turning to look at the rain outside the window:
"Tonight, it finally begins."
This banquet, themed around donations, was actually a sacrificial ritual for the Cultists.
And the theme of "donations" seemed to have nothing to do with a poor person like Xia De.
However, the nobles and wealthy people of Tobesk seemed to particularly enjoy such banquets.
When the carriage stopped at the entrance of Count Mopassan's mansion, many people who had come from other parts of the city had already arrived.
And at the entrance of the mansion, someone was already waiting for Xia De.
Xia De got out of the carriage with the maid Miss Tifa, and five women immediately came over.
Three of them were dressed as middle-aged Noblewomen, and the other two were young maids.
The five women respectfully bowed to the maid beside Xia De.
In the hierarchy of the Witch Council, Miss Tifa Servett was probably considered very high-ranking.
These were all members of the Witch Council under Miss Jialinna's jurisdiction.
All five were naturally Ring術士.
Without even needing Xia De's inner voice to discern, the maid informed Xia De about them:
"One Hexacle, one PentaCircle, one Four Ring, two Three-Ring Arcanists.
I'm sorry, Detective, the Orthodox Church is watching very closely tonight, so we can't bring more people to protect you."
In fact, getting this many people was already beyond Xia De's expectations.
After all, he had always thought that Miss Jialinna's only helper was Miss Tifa Servett, because anything the Duchess wanted to do, she either had the maid do it or had Xia De do it.
"I will not accompany you into the manor, and these people protecting you will not get too close to you.
Try to act as natural as possible.
Your excuse for coming today is to help Miss buy a fountain pen at the charity auction."
That fountain pen was once used by Mr. Vicente Roberts, a deceased famous Writer from Delarion Kingdom.
Mr. Roberts, who died in 1850, had an unshakeable position in Delarion literary circles for nearly thirty years.
"Try not to use Ring術士 abilities.
The plan is very thorough; there won't be any problems."
The maid instructed again, and Xia De nodded, then joined the crowd and walked into the mansion's courtyard.
Count Mopassan's mansion couldn't compare to Lakeview Manor or the royal estate outside the city, but the number of invited guests was no less than those two times.
During the banquet, the mansion's courtyard, the entire first floor, and the second floor were fully open.
The courtyard and first floor were for the lively banquet, with some elegant banquet games, while the various rooms on the second floor were used for holding small auctions, with proceeds going to the University District.
Every guest attending the banquet received a list of the auction items in order.
It was also then that Xia De learned that attending this banquet required a 10-pound "admission fee" to be paid to the host.
These fees were nominally also donated to the Tobesk University District, but in reality, once the Cultists succeeded, all the proceeds tonight would be split among them and Mercury Blood.
The auction items were contributed by Count Mopassan and his friends, including even two rhode cards with special rules.
However, the auction order for these two cards was very late, and Xia De would certainly have left by then.
"This is my first time attending a charity banquet."
The Outsider was quite curious about this place.
The servants in the courtyard had already set out dishes on the long tables, and guests were gradually arriving.
Upon entering the building, men in formal wear and women in evening gowns were completely unaware of the hidden turmoil beneath this banquet.
But Xia De, whose 'soul was very sensitive,' after only a few turns in the first-floor hall, discovered at least 6 unfamiliar Ring術士.
Xia De took a glass from a tray held by a servant beside him.
The glass contained a translucent yellow liquid, which looked somewhat like pear juice.
It wasn't time yet, so he held the glass and pretended to stand on the first floor for a while.
After calculating the time, he carried the wine glass, walked through the crowd, and headed to the second floor.
At this type of social banquet, guests gathered to discuss things could be seen everywhere, and many even stood on the stairs talking.
They would only go to the second floor to attend the auction if they were interested in a particular item, and Xia De's current behavior was to show that he wanted to attend the auction.
The corridor on the second floor was carpeted in red, and a large oil painting directly facing the staircase depicted Count Mopassan himself.
It was almost crowded everywhere, and the lively atmosphere was even more pronounced than downstairs and in the courtyard.
Men in well-fitting formal wear chatted among themselves about interesting bidding items, comparing their respective targets.
Xia De was tense but his expression was relaxed.
As he passed the staircase with the glass of wine, he even heard a fat man use an outdated vulgar joke to describe the patterns on a pair of metal vases that had just been auctioned off.
The banquet atmosphere was incredibly lively, the gas lamps shone brightly, and people's emotions were incredibly high.
Those who knew the truth waited for the time, while those who did not, continued to enjoy, enjoying this peaceful night.
