The next day was Thursday, and Xia De received a letter from Miss Jialinna early in the morning.
The witch insisted that he absolutely, under no circumstances, refuse to meet her at her manor that afternoon.
Xia De knew she wanted to ask about Coldwater Port, so he yawned, casually put the letter aside, and enjoyed a quiet breakfast at home with his cat.
After eating, Xia De changed his clothes and prepared to go out.
He picked up a towel and gestured for the cat, who was excitedly watching pigeons from the windowsill, to come over:
“Mia, want to see the sea and the lighthouse?”
“Meow?”
This cat probably couldn't yet understand “sea” and “lighthouse” in delarion common language.
But seeing Xia De calling her, she still happily ran over.
So, two hours later, Xia De stood with his cat in his arms in front of the lighthouse guarded by old Mr. Edmund, looking out at the shimmering, undulating sea far beyond the sea cliff with wide-eyed Mia.
The orange cat's wide-mouthed, wide-eyed expression was truly amusing.
Today was a beautiful day; under the clear blue sky, although the sea was not calm, the shimmering waves were much more welcoming than the red ocean.
Standing on the sea cliff, feeling the sea breeze of late Summer, basking in the warm sun, and listening to the deafening roar of the surging waves, this feeling made Xia De, who had come to Coldwater Port this time, truly feel like he was on vacation.
Born in Tobesk, the pet cat Mia had probably never seen the sea before.
When Xia De transformed her from a doll back into a real cat by the sea cliff behind the lighthouse, the cat's fur bristled, and she huddled in Xia De's arms.
But once she confirmed that the sound of the waves wouldn't harm her, Mia again huddled in Xia De's arms, looking around, and even became interested in the seagulls flying in the sky.
The sea breeze made her soft, short fur lie flat against her body, and the bright sun shone on the orange cat, making her orange and white fur shimmer as if glowing.
Of course, Xia De sincerely hoped that the seagulls circling above the lighthouse now did not have the habit of random excretion; judging by the marks on the nearby ground, these seagulls were even less polite than he thought.
On such a fine day, Mr. Edmund had hung a “Gone Fishing” sign on the door beneath the lighthouse and was not home.
Xia De was not in a hurry to look for him on the nearby coast; instead, he held his cat and admired the sea view.
He had already heard the conclusion of the major event in Coldwater Port from Miss Aurora.
The local Mermaid cult forces were almost entirely annihilated; a few surviving Mermaids had once again, like their ancestors, lurked in the City in human form, awaiting the next conspiracy centuries later.
The unexpected appearance of the Summoner made the battle at dawn yesterday end faster than planned, and to the people of Coldwater Port, yesterday morning was merely a temporary, localized change in sky and ocean color caused by abnormal monsoon movement and increased urban pollutant emissions.
This did not significantly affect the lives of ordinary people.
As for the victims who entered the sea during the Sea Offering Ritual, affected by the Mermaid's curse, although official statistics have not yet concluded, according to the witch's calculations, the total number would not exceed 600, which includes fishing boats that capsized in the outer sea because they did not return to port in time.
Compared to the scale of this incident, such a sacrifice was entirely within an acceptable range.
“This world is truly dangerous for ordinary people,” Xia De mused in his heart as he held his cat and watched a cruise ship pass in the distance.
If no mysterious events occurred around them, ordinary people would probably never understand how dangerous the world truly is in their lifetime.
And once involved with relics, Ring術士, or cults, the survival rate for ordinary people is actually very low.
This can be seen from the girl Sophie Dess's family to the painter Mr. Freeman, from the Summer Divine Descent in Tobesk to the shadows of Coldwater Port.
The Orthodox Church is currently collaborating with the Coldwater Port City Hall to carry out relevant aftermath work.
And the Ring術士 who had gathered in this port City, nominally because of the Mermaids, were also leaving in an orderly fashion.
The witch seemed to have spread the word locally that the second Chosen One had already left Coldwater Port, and now the transportation arteries surrounding Coldwater Port were the areas that should be focused on and investigated.
The red ocean receded, the Mermaid ruins in the deep sea abyss disappeared, and the gigantic Mermaid corpse, split into four pieces, melted into the sea.
In short, the cult incident that occurred in Coldwater Port at the end of Summer in 1853 concluded with a relatively perfect outcome.
What people are most curious about now is actually the whereabouts of the Thirteen Ring Sorcerer, the Summoner.
The Church believes that this Ring術士 obtained a method to heal himself in the Mermaid's temple, recovering from the injuries sustained when summoning the divine in Tobesk.
Therefore, the Church is convinced he will not leave the Old Continent for the New World.
Although it is unknown which faction the Summoner belongs to, judging by his movement trajectory, this Thirteen Ring Sorcerer is also interested in the Thirteen Chosen Ones mentioned in the whispering chapters prophecy.
From this perspective, the Church's deduction should be correct.
However, they will probably have to wait some time to find Xia De.
Connecting the Detective of Saint Delan Square in Tobesk with the Thirteen Ring Sorcerer fishing in Coldwater Port is no simple matter.
Xia De held his cat, pondering, and hadn't admired the sea view for long when Mr. Edmund came around from the path below the sea cliff, carrying a fishing rod on his back, a bucket in one hand, and a metal toolbox that could double as a stool in the other.
His catch today was quite good; without the influence of abnormal tides, this old gentleman living by the sea showed surprisingly amazing fishing skills.
As he approached the lighthouse, he realized there was a guest visiting.
When Xia De turned around with the cat in his arms, the old man's face showed a surprised expression:
“Do I need to remind you that you're not wearing a mask on your face?”
“Do I need a mask? Old John probably doesn't have many acquaintances in Tobesk who can introduce business, and even fewer who would know about the Guiding Light Hermitage.
Combined with my height and build, you only need a few letters to easily determine who I am.”
Xia De shrugged; he had thought of this when he ran to the lighthouse in the rainy night, but for that drop of divinity, it was worth it.
“No, actually, I had no intention of asking John; whether you are Hamilton of Leijiede is not important to me.”
The old man continued to laboriously carry the bucket and metal box upwards.
Xia De went to meet him, put the cat on his shoulder, and helped Mr. Edmund carry the bucket.
Inside the tin bucket, four whiskered fish were swimming, and the clear water reflected the sunlight, allowing Xia De to see all the body details of these aquatic creatures.
Mia was very interested in these fish.
“The Hermit Order is not interested in the secrets of its trading partners, as long as you don't hinder us.
Don't worry, young man, I won't mention anything about you to anyone, nor do I want to know what relationship you have with that Summoner.”
Laboriously reaching the base of the lighthouse, the old man rummaged for keys in his pocket-filled brown vest, which he wore while fishing.
As soon as he opened the door beneath the lighthouse, the cat confined inside immediately darted out.
“Meow~”
Mia, who had been obediently perched on Xia De's shoulder, immediately “roared,” and the cat, much larger than Mia, actually recoiled a step because of this “roar,” seemingly frightened by Mia.
Xia De stroked Mia, telling her to quiet down for a moment.
Entering the lighthouse with Mr. Edmund, the old man tidied up his fishing gear, then sat down with Xia De to talk:
“The Hermit Order is an organization formed to cope with the end of the world.
As long as you don't hinder us from collecting and preserving information about civilization, and you have no intention of destroying the world, then we can be friends.
As for secrets, oh, young man, which Ring術士 has no secrets?
Even if you were to say right now that you are the Summoner, I would not be surprised in the slightest.”
Xia De summoned the Destiny Ring behind him:
“Unfortunately, I am not.”
“It is indeed a pity.”
Mr. Edmund sighed regretfully:
“I was originally hoping you were, so I could have another Thirteenth Ring trading partner.”
He pulled the gas valve by the wall and put water on to warm on the small stove.
“However, I do know that Thirteen Ring Sorcerer.
If there's an opportunity, I can introduce him to come here to buy things.”
Xia De said, and seeing the old man noncommittal, he reached into his pocket and then pulled out the large leather book, “Mysteries of the Ocean,” which absolutely could not have been stuffed into his pocket without a trace:
“This is what I promised you, the Scarlet Cult's secret tome.
That night, after I entered the City, I found a Sea Return Ritual node, and with the help of a friend, I attacked them and obtained this.”
He handed the book to Mr. Edmund, who, after taking it, first stood up, took a paper bag filled with banknotes from his desk, and returned it to Xia De, then sat down and caressed the book's cover.
“This isn't human skin, is it?” Xia De asked with some concern.
“Of course not; this is the skin of a male Gilded Seahorse.
There is a very small amount of gold in the feces of this magical creature.
Although the quantity is small, raising Gilded Seahorses is one of the few ways in the material world to convert other substances into gold with almost no cost.”
The old man explained, and the conversion of gold reminded Xia De of the famous relic, the philosopher's stone.
Mr. Edmund placed the large book on his lap, carefully opened it, and casually inspected its chapters, while Xia De amused himself by examining the lighthouse's interior decoration.
This book was written in Mermaid script, and it used Mermaid script from more than one era.
Xia De could understand all the content, while Mr. Edmund could only understand parts.
