Although surprised by Princess Angelina Cavendish’s active cooperation, Xia De still carried the cat to Angelina Cavendish and bent down to place the cat, held by the scruff of its neck, in front of her hands.
Mia had no habit of biting people, so she didn't open her mouth to bite the pretty hand extended in front of her. Adhering to the principle of sniffing everything to determine if it was food, she really made a light sniffing motion. The cat was now slightly curled up, and with her excellent appearance, this posture was indeed very attractive.
The sixteen-year-old Princess actually touched her with her uninjured hand, but was directly rejected by the cat's claws. This did not make Angelina angry; instead, it made her and the girls around her laugh.
“Very good, it seems Princess Angelina Cavendish is fine. Next one.”
Xia De was very satisfied with Mia’s obedience.
With the Princess being the first to try having the cat sniff her, the other noble girls also smiled and let Xia De carry the cat to sniff their hands. Xia De would emphasize each time that his cat would absolutely, absolutely not miss anyone with a special scent on their hands, but in reality, Xia De didn't care what Mia sniffed; instead, he carefully observed everyone's expressions.
When the cat had completed two-thirds of the hand-sniffing process, Xia De finally noticed a girl, who had been sitting silently on the sofa in a blue long dress adorned with lace, secretly rubbing her hands on her skirt.
“Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, but…”
When it was her turn, Xia De carried the cat to her, bent down, and placed the cat down:
“Lady, please extend your hand.”
The silent, brown-haired girl clearly didn't want to extend her hand, but everyone was looking at her now, so she could only hesitate and extend both hands, but half of her palms were hidden in the beautifully patterned sleeves.
Mia’s height was lowered by Xia De, but she was already tired of sniffing hands.
“Meow~”
The cat actually meowed… because Xia De’s left hand quietly patted her tail.
“Oh?”
The Detective frowned, as if encountering some difficult problem. His exclamation was also caught by the surrounding noble ladies.
Xia De cautiously looked at the girl in front of him, his inquisitive gaze examining her attire. The girl in the gauze dress looked at him timidly, then cautiously asked:
“Excuse me, Detective, why did you suddenly stop?”
“This…”
Xia De put on a troubled expression, because he didn't know if he had found the right person.
But he knew someone who knew the answer, so his eyes glanced at Mr. Stan, the President, who had walked back. The slightly thin, high-nosed, deep-set eyed middle-aged man stood aside, looking at Xia De with a hint of surprise and a faint smile on his face.
Xia De knew he had found the right person.
“Lady, may I ask, what did you get on your hand?”
He asked softly, picking up the cat and putting her back on his shoulder, then gently stroking her small head. A look of terror flashed across the girl's face in an instant. She hadn't undergone any special training, so all her emotions were displayed on her face.
So Xia De cautiously said nothing, but looked at Princess Angelina Cavendish. The sixteen-year-old Princess looked sternly at the girl in front of Xia De, who moved her lips:
“Angeli…”
She lowered her head.
At this, the girls who had been laughing and watching Xia De carry the cat to sniff everyone’s hands also fell silent, and the previously lively atmosphere suddenly quieted down.
Xia De glanced at Mr. Stan again, and seeing that he didn't speak, he knew he had truly found the right person. So he hugged the cat again and stroked her, as if thanking her for her small help, and then bowed slightly to Angelina Cavendish:
“Then, Your Highness, I believe this investigation commission is concluded.”
“Hamilton of Leijiede, you did very well.”
The Red-haired girl said softly, her expression at this moment making her look more like Leia.
The Princess stood up, ready to leave. Two maids followed the girl who had been “discovered by the cat,” one on each side. The Princess’s other friends closed their mouths and followed behind.
“The reward for the investigation will be given to you shortly.”
Saying this, she walked out the door. Xia De looked at Mr. Stan, who was also standing by, and the middle-aged man made a shushing gesture, following the crowd with Xia De.
The group returned from the second floor to the first floor, and then from the first floor's entrance hall to the outside. It was already nearing dusk, and the sky was gradually darkening. Three carriages drove from a distance, stopping one by one in front of the Prophet Association. The girls boarded the carriages in turn, then drove in the direction of Yodel Palace.
Whether they were going to Yodel Palace, or what would happen to the caught girl, that was none of Xia De's concern.
He and Mr. Stan stood together in front of the Prophet Association, watching the carriages leave.
The Prophet asked Xia De softly:
“Does it feel a bit inexplicable?”
“Indeed. Even if one intends to harm others, they shouldn't use such subtle means. If it was an accident, then why not apologize immediately?”
Xia De couldn't understand this point.
“This matter is very complicated… Although the Association is very close to Yodel Palace, we shouldn't discuss too much about what happens there.”
Mr. Stan sighed slightly:
“Politics has always been the most troublesome thing.”
The sunset glow pierced through the mist, reddening the sky of Tobesk. The two men stood together on the bustling Silver Cross Avenue, and together at the entrance of the busy Prophet Association.
Carriages passed by them, their wheels making a rhythmic sound as they rolled over the road. The metal pipes clinging to the walls reflected light in the afterglow of the setting sun, making the street appear exceptionally bright. They looked together at Yodel Palace under the fiery sunset, and further in the misty distance, was the Steam Age streetscape of Tobesk City, the Northern Pearl.
The setting sun made Mia’s fur on his shoulder seem to glow. The cat opened her mouth and yawned, not knowing if she was hungry or sleepy, but suddenly became interested in a small bird flying overhead.
That bird flew over Silver Cross Avenue, across the City skyline above the densely gridded City, over chimneys spewing black smoke, over bare-footed workers carrying sacks, over well-dressed gentlemen, and over the countless homes of Tobesk.
August was approaching its mid-point, the hottest days of the year were about to end, and autumn was coming.
(Iluna is praying…)
When Luvia, who had returned to the Association, saw Xia De in the Diviner’s room on the second floor, Xia De was facing the window, counting a stack of 1 shilling banknotes in his hand, illuminated by the lingering sunset outside the window, while Mia squatted beside him, watching his hands intently, skillfully counting the banknotes.
Luvia even saw Xia De’s hands blurring, he was truly very skilled at counting banknotes.
“What are you doing? Even if you want to show you’re rich, you should at least count 1 pounds banknotes, right?”
The purple-eyed Diviner asked curiously, turning on the gas lamp on the wall, placing her handbag on the table, then pulling out a chair and sitting opposite Xia De. But neither Xia De nor the cat looked up at her; the man and the cat were focused on the banknotes.
“Wait a moment… Alright, good afternoon, Luvia, you are still so pretty. This was given to me by your President, Mr. Stan, it’s the fee for the investigation commission. These are 10 pounds, two hundred notes in total, the Association is truly generous. But they’re all small change, I’ve been counting for a while now.”
Xia De smiled, put the money into an envelope nearby, covered it with a handkerchief, and put it into the pocket in front of his chest. Mia, with her neck craned, was also very happy; the cat understood the meaning of “money.”
“The Association’s rhode cards appraisal business generates a lot of small change. So if there’s an opportunity, the cashiers prefer to spend those hard-to-keep small notes.”
Luvia understood this quite well. Seeing Xia De put away the money, she didn’t ask what had just happened, but instead asked nervously:
“I’ve already heard that the Coldwater Port incident completely ended yesterday morning, but the Darkness you mentioned…”
“He got away.”
Xia De answered lightly, and the purple-eyed girl showed an “as expected” expression:
“See, Xia De, the first candidate for the Chosen One still has some skill.”
“I used rhetoric to get a Twelve-Ring Sorceress to catch him, but Darkness still managed to escape. The only effective damage I caused him was with the 【Sunlight Gun】 I threw using Iluna’s alchemical item. I think he’ll probably be recovering from his injuries on his way to Tobesk.”
Avoiding the details of Hivi Aurora’s identity and the relationship between Dorothy and Leia, Xia De briefly described his experiences in Coldwater Port. He even mentioned encountering the 0-level relic 【desire】 and showed Luvia the 【Great Sin Chains】 extracted from that flesh.
As expected, Luvia was quite worried about Xia De. She had never heard of anyone daring to eat a part of a 0-level relic. She took Xia De’s hand to examine him, but just as Xia De himself felt, he only benefited, aside from an increased desire.
“The gift of fate…”
“…has long been marked with a price in the dark.”
Xia De finished Luvia’s sentence. She used the language of the fifth epoch, which Xia De had learned a bit about in textbooks:
“The Blood Spirit School set the price, and the puppeteer’s notes guided me to the dark room behind the damp chapel and helped me gain power.”
“But how do I feel that even without that relic, you could still gain power?”
Luvia was a bit troubled:
“What’s happening to you is absolutely not normal. Think about it, Xia De, how many things have you experienced in the two months since we met you?”
“But aren't all the accidents I’ve experienced related to the Chosen One? In Tobesk it was because of Iluna, and in Coldwater Port it was because of Ivan Darkness. This isn’t my bad luck.”
Xia De was quite open-minded about this.
