For the past half-week, the police in Coldwater Port have frequently engaged in gunfights with monsters that cannot be revealed to the public.
Most of these highly regenerative Mermen wielded firearms, and before the Ring Sorcerers arrived, the local police could only counter them with firearms as well.
Coupled with the increasing number of Ring Sorcerer organizations entering the City, the nights in Coldwater Port became boisterous.
The Fishbone Pirate Ship continued to appear in the offshore areas of Coldwater Port, and among the eleven Ring Sorcerers who escaped from the ship with Xia De and the Princess, one more was found by the Church.
However, unfortunately, the person was a middle-aged woman, not Xia De's target.
Princess Leia also found a target, relying on the intelligence department of the Coldwater Port City Hall and the MI6 branch in Coldwater Port.
This one was a male, but unfortunately, if Leia could find him, other organizations could too.
Before the Princess revealed herself, at least three Middle-Ring Sorcerers raided the police station at the Coldwater Port Wharf, causing the unfortunate Second-Circle Arcanist and the ordinary police officers who were innocently implicated to die on the spot.
This greatly angered both the Church and the City Hall, and even the King, far away in Tobesk, heard of the tragic incident at the Coldwater Port Wharf and ordered the local officials to find the culprits as soon as possible.
In addition to this, there were some rumors circulating in the increasingly dangerous Coldwater Port, the veracity of which even Leia could not determine.
For example, it was rumored in the black market that someone was offering a high reward of 1,000 pounds per piece of information for the Ring Sorcerers who escaped from the Fishbone Pirate Ship; for example, traces of Mermaids appeared near Coldwater Port, not the ugly Mermen of the Evil God's dependents, but true Heterogeneous population Mermaids; and for example, the professors sent by the Three Great Academies to Coldwater Port to resolve the “Coldwater Port Shadow” incident engaged in a major battle with an unknown group of Ring Sorcerers in the offshore area on Sunday morning, directly affecting the weather for the past two days.
Excluding the uncertain information, the current situation is that, not including the Outsider and the Princess, among the eleven escaped Ring Sorcerers, one has died, the Church has found three, and seven remain unknown.
The High-Ring Sorcerers of the Church have already arrived, and the professors from the Three Great Arcane Academies have also settled locally.
The bad news is that Xia De will have greater uncertainty in finding his target before them, but the good news is that the “Coldwater Port Shadow” incident should no longer be a concern.
“Is Ms. Hivi Aurora in Coldwater Port right now?”
Leia was introducing the situation to Xia De when he suddenly asked.
The Princess nodded in surprise:
“Why did you suddenly mention her? Yes, that female businesswoman arrived in the City two days ago and plans to host a dinner party at Aurora Manor tomorrow night.
She even gave me an invitation; do you want to go too?”
“Of course not.”
Xia De immediately shook his head; he was too busy avoiding the Witches to actively run into them:
“Tonight and tomorrow night, I have classes, Professor Garcia’s “Folded Space,” which mainly covers large-scale ritual Mystic Locks.
Classes start at 6 PM, two lessons, four hours, no break time, and will finish around 9 PM.”
“It’s fine, the banquet should be in full swing by 9 PM.”
Leia said with a smile again, but Xia De still shook his head; he would never go to such a place.
Taking advantage of the time, Xia De also told Leia about the 【Kiss of the Tree】 that he had told Dorothy in the morning.
Even though the Princess was one Ring higher than Dorothy, she could not fully listen to Xia De’s recounting of his experiences.
However, Leia’s view on the 【Kiss of the Tree】 Ling Rune was similar to Dorothy’s.
It was difficult for Xia De to find a Miracle corresponding to this Ling Rune; he would most likely have to create it himself or try to transform the homologous spell 【Key of the Door】 into a Miracle, but neither would be simple.
Leia also planned to help Xia De search for information from Zaras Academy, which specializes in Miracle and spell research, but she did not hold much hope for it either.
“Speaking of which, do you still remember Professor Katia?”
Leia seemed to intentionally save this matter for last.
“Of course I remember; after all, we rarely encounter folklorists who are skilled with dual pistols.”
Xia De nodded, looking at the steaming teacup in front of him:
“I remember when we returned to Sophia Manor last time, you mentioned that you would set them free after making them forget about the Mermen.”
“Yes, but after you left that day, I found out some interesting things.
I knew Mr. Jude because my spy received information he deliberately released, but who do you think introduced the two folklorists to Mr. Jude?”
Leia asked, resting her hand on her face, her pretty eyes looking at Xia De, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Xia De thought for a moment and frowned.
He had heard some things with 【Echoes of the Past】 in Mr. Jude’s manor; Mr. Jude had clearly asked the Mermen to stop abducting ordinary people, so it was indeed a bit of a coincidence that the two scholars, as ordinary people, appeared at that time.
“Who is it?”
“A Ring術士, a Ring術士 infected with the curse just like me.
The other party also heard the news released by Mr. Jude, but unlike us who went to see him directly, the person behind them first sent two ordinary people to scout the way.”
“Did they also escape from the Fishbone Pirate Ship? Or are they local victims who touched the Mermaid statue?”
“He is one of the remaining seven people, and we have met him.”
Leia said softly.
“Mr. Darkness? The guy who cheated when we played rhode cards!”
Xia De stood up abruptly, and the Princess nodded with a serene smile:
“That’s right, I know you’re specifically looking for him, so I spent a lot of effort these past few days following the clues provided by Professor Katia to find Mr. Darkness; I received the news last night.
He thought the professor hadn’t met Mr. Jude yet, and the old street occupied by the Mermen had been taken down by the Church, so he hasn’t suspected that the person who has been contacting him for the past half-week is actually my person.”
“Where?”
Xia De spoke quickly.
“Oh, Xia De, don’t be impatient.
Father often tells me that being impatient only increases the probability of bad outcomes.
I know you don’t want the Church to find him first, so I haven’t alerted him yet.”
She motioned for Xia De to sit down:
“The other party is deliberately concealing his identity, not because of the curse on him, but because he seems very worried about being discovered by the Church.
That Mr. Darkness should not be a good person.”
“It doesn’t matter if he’s a good person or not; I just want to meet him.”
Xia De said, and Leia nodded:
“He has more than ten companions with him; it’s uncertain if they are Ring術士s, but the probability is very high, so my people didn’t rashly investigate for information.
If you want to see him, go to this address.
Oh, I also know that this group of people is waiting for a ship to the New World.”
The bartender at Seven Broomsticks Tavern also mentioned this.
She handed the file bag to Xia De; this was the preliminary investigation conducted by the Princess.
“I can’t go on this adventure with you today, Xia De.”
While Xia De was looking through the files, the red-haired girl said with a touch of melancholy:
“Father has already urged me to return to Tobesk, and I will probably depart after the Sea Return.
These next few days, I need to meet with the nobles seeing me off in Coldwater Port, attend local public gatherings to bid farewell to the citizens, and there are several banquets to attend.”
“It’s alright; I can handle these matters myself.”
Xia De said while looking through the files; he actually didn’t want to involve Leia in the affairs of The Chosen:
“I’ll probably be active in Coldwater Port for a day, and I’ll come back in the evening to say goodbye before leaving.”
“Okay, then I wish you a successful day, Xia De.
Oh, my maid will do your makeup in a bit, and then arrange for servants to send you into the City.”
“Okay, then I wish you a happy day as well…”
Xia De stood up but paused, then looked at the Princess wearing a silver diadem behind the desk:
“Oh, I heard from Dorothy that you have a conflict with Miss Jialinna?”
“Why would you mention that woman?”
Leia, who had been in a good mood just now, shook her head:
“This is my family matter.”
“Alright then.”
Xia De didn’t ask any more questions and walked out of the room with the file bag.
Only the Princess remained sitting behind the desk, watching his retreating figure, sighing after a long while before looking back at the documents on the table.
She did not want to involve the simple and kind Detective in the internal power struggles of the royal family.
The rain in Coldwater Port was still falling, and Xia De, holding an umbrella, strolled through the streets of the ancient port City.
He didn’t go to find Mr. Darkness first but instead went to Seven Broomsticks Tavern to buy some expensive alchemy materials.
Xia De had heard of all the materials needed to make the Witches detection badge, but it would be very troublesome to find them all in Tobesk, which is why he bought them in Coldwater Port.
Of course, because he was very unconfident in his alchemy skills, Xia De bought enough of each material to make three attempts.
If the first two attempts failed, he would then ask Iluna, who was skilled in alchemy, for help.
Although Old Man John and the Doctor’s friend might be more powerful, Xia De didn’t want to leak the formula to others.
After paying the deposit, writing down the shopping list at the tavern, and arranging to pick them up in the afternoon, Xia De officially embarked on his journey to find Mr. Darkness.
Along the way, he noticed that there were more police officers than usual today, and they were focused on looking at everyone’s faces.
When they encountered passersby with unusual appearances, they would even go forward and question them, clearly looking for Mermen.
During this period, people with problematic appearances in Coldwater Port would probably have a very uncomfortable time.
Deep into the Wharf Area’s slums, Mr. Darkness and his friends lived in the Pink Rose Hotel in a deep alley.
Although the name was similar, this hotel had no relation to the Golden Rose Hotel on Hoggrenz Avenue where Xia De had stayed twice.
Such small alley hotels usually provided lodging for sensitive stowaways.
Of course, from the name of the hotel, it should also be an illegal underground brothel.
Holding a black umbrella, Xia De followed the address provided by Leia, weaving through the alleys of the Wharf Area slums, and with great difficulty, found the hotel with a row of faded pink scarves hanging outside its door.
It was located at the corner of the alley and was three stories high.
Since the alley was not wide, passersby would definitely notice it.
Unlike the common stone buildings in Coldwater Port, the Pink Rose Hotel had a wooden structure.
The hotel did not occupy a large area; after Xia De lowered his hat and pushed the door open, he did not see the sparsely dressed girls he had imagined sitting around.
The first floor was like an ordinary tavern; on Monday morning, scattered guests sat at wooden tables with drinks in front of them, chatting with each other.
Wooden tables, wooden chairs, and wooden pillars were uncommon in Coldwater Port.
Intelligence showed that Mr. Darkness and his group were staying on the third floor, but Xia De certainly wouldn’t go upstairs directly; instead, he walked to the counter on the side.
A middle-aged woman in an apron was originally doing accounts; she looked up at the customer, and upon realizing he was a stranger, she asked suspiciously:
“What can I get for you?”
Although she looked over forty, she appeared very… enchanting.
Xia De could only think of this adjective and reminded himself again what kind of place this was.
“A glass of the cheapest rye beer, and do you have rhode cards here?”
This was an experience Xia De learned from the grocer at St. Anthem Square; hotels and vendors usually stocked some rhode cards with special patterns.
“Of course.”
The woman first bent down to prepare the beer for Xia De, and after placing the glass on the wooden tabletop, she took out a booklet from under the counter:
“Please choose yourself; the prices are marked here.”
Two rhode cards were clipped inside the booklet, clearly carefully preserved.
Xia De was not really interested in rhode cards with special patterns; he preferred rhode cards with special rules.
So he just pretended to look for a while, then shook his head regretfully.
After paying for the beer, he took his glass and sat down at an empty table.
This small hotel in an alley had no good conditions; perhaps to prevent prying eyes, even the windows were sealed.
There was only one gas lamp above the counter in the room; besides that, each table had an oil lamp, which would only be lit after a guest was seated.
This was probably the living condition of the poor.
Xia De’s original intention was to observe on the first floor first, trying to find traces of the Ring術士s around Mr. Darkness.
However, he didn’t expect that he would pretend to look at his notebook for a full half-hour, the foam on the suspicious, low-quality beer had disappeared, and no one came down from upstairs.
Perhaps that group of people wasn’t even there, or perhaps they were truly so cautious that they didn’t easily show themselves during the day.
Xia De was still thinking about things when someone unexpectedly sat down opposite him with a glass, which was not polite behavior.
It was a long-faced man with very short hair, only showing fuzzy stubble.
His skin was somewhat dark, and the double eyelids of his two eyes were extremely pronounced.
He looked about thirty and was very shrewd.
After placing his glass on the table, he greeted Xia De proactively:
“Friend, interested in rhode cards, are you?”
Standard Delarion accent, probably the spokesperson for the Tobesk City City Hall was at a similar level.
“Of course,” Xia De shrugged.
“Interested in special cards?”
The long-faced man asked with a smile across the oil lamp.
