Xia De was in a rather good mood when he left the Prophet Association. His house was still being renovated, so he planned to spend the day in Coldwater Port.
He slipped back home unnoticed and went to the West Coast port City via the basement. The weather in Coldwater Port was excellent today, with blue skies and white clouds over the calm sea, which was refreshing. Listening to the sound of waves and seagulls, not only was Xia De in a good mood, but even Mia, who had been very afraid of the ocean last time, widened her eyes to admire the beautiful scenery.
Whether it was due to her young age or her breed, Mia, the orange cat, had not changed the length of her fur at all since Xia De adopted her. In the sea breeze, her slightly short cat fur glistened in the sun, gently flattened by the wind.
Seeing her like this, Xia De couldn't help but reach out and stroke the cat's head. Mia immediately let out a gentle meow, which made Xia De even happier.
Occasionally strolling by the sea like this, doing nothing, was also beneficial for his mental health.
After arriving in Coldwater Port, Xia De enthusiastically went to the sea cliff lighthouse to see Mr. Edmund. The old man happened to be going fishing, so he invited Xia De to join him.
The Outsider didn't know how to fish, so Xia De first followed Mr. Edmund to learn some basic fishing methods under the sea cliff, and then tried to cast his hook and wait. Mr. Edmund mocked him, thinking his movements were as stiff as a teenager's.
“Although I can't claim to be a fishing expert, I did catch a big one a few days ago,” Xia De replied, nervously gripping his fishing rod.
“So what did you catch?” the old man asked, while tugging his fishing line, making it sway beneath the water. “You're not going to say you fished your cat out of the water, are you?”
He then chuckled to himself.
Actually, Xia De was referring to the Mermaid corpse.
During their fishing break, Mr. Edmund and Xia De discussed the Knowledge he had gained from “Ocean Mysteries” and told Xia De that he could take some of the compiled manuscripts before he left.
Xia De then asked if the Light Guidance Hermit Order knew about “whispering chapters” and the thirteen Chosen Ones. The answer was, of course, affirmative.
“So, how do you view The Chosen?” Xia De was very curious.
“This is a large ritual, and the thirteen Chosen Ones are the performers of the ritual. It's hard to say what the final outcome will be, but it's definitely important for one's faction to have a Chosen One,” the old man replied.
“But a few days ago, the second Chosen One was in Coldwater Port, why didn't I see you make any moves? Oh, sir, don't tell me you only heard the news after that person left Coldwater Port.”
“Are you very familiar with Ivan Darkness?” Mr. Edmund asked, carefully tightening his fishing line amidst the sound of the waves, as he seemed to have a catch. “Since two weeks ago, so many Ring術士 have poured into Coldwater Port, and of course I received the news. But that demon-possessed fellow is not a fellow traveler of the Hermit Order. He will most likely not come to a good end.”
“Oh? Why is that?” Xia De enjoyed asking questions to such elderly people.
“That's because... it's hooked, hand me the net,” Mr. Edmund said, while instructing Xia De to hand him the tool. “The Witch Council leaked the news of the second Chosen One, including his power and fighting style. It seems the Witches are eager for him to be killed by others. From the information I've obtained, compared to relying on his own dark talent, that Darkness is more adept at utilizing the power of demons.”
Luvia had also mentioned this.
“Is there anything wrong with that? Are you saying he took the wrong path?” Xia De asked again.
“Indeed, it seems you understand,” Mr. Edmund placed the large black fish he had netted into a bucket. Mia immediately leaned over the bucket to look. After being splashed by the fish's tail, the cat ran away in fright, hiding under Xia De's leg, peeking out to observe the bucket.
“Do you think normal humans can coexist so perfectly with the Evil Spirit demons remaining from the third epoch? His dark talent allows him to barely control demons, and he actually gave up delving deeper into the power of Darkness, instead using the power of demons more deeply.”
The old man recast his line, and after the hook entered the water, he snorted contemptuously: “This is no longer picking up copper coins and throwing away pounds. He has ignored his own essence, and that ancient Evil Spirit demon will absolutely not ignore Darkness's power. The young Ring術士s nowadays truly have no reverence at all. Controlling demons... he has completely gone down the wrong path. Even if, in the end, the demon devours the second Chosen One and tries to take The Chosen One's place itself, I wouldn't be surprised at all.”
“Such a thing can happen?” Xia De asked. Seeing his fishing rod shake slightly, he immediately pulled it up, but there was nothing, not even water weeds.
“Why can't it? The Chosen One is not immortal, and what's more, he hasn't even performed the ritual yet,” Mr. Edmund said, then sighed again, “If Darkness had someone to guide him, like the Thirteen Ring Sorcerer of the Blood Spirit School, the Weeping Blood Hermons, he might still have a chance. But after fighting a Great Witch and experiencing the power of the demon more deeply, he will probably go down the wrong path and never turn back.”
“Will Darkness definitely not come to a good end?”
“How many who dare to dabble with demons come to a good end?” Mr. Edmund answered the question with a question.
Perhaps because Mia kept causing trouble, or because their luck was bad today, or simply because Xia De's skills were lacking, until 11:30 AM, when the two carried their buckets and returned to the lighthouse along the small mountain path under the sea cliff, Xia De's bucket was still empty, while Mr. Edmund had almost filled his tin bucket.
This was the last fishing season in the Coldwater Port area during Summer. As long as there were no special ocean currents or unusual marine creatures, fishing would be easier than in other seasons.
The two had grilled fish for lunch under the lighthouse. Mia and Mr. Edmund's pets also received a portion of the fish meat.
Xia De bid farewell after lunch and then headed to the City, but carriages into the City were hard to find.
After the Scarlet Cult's defeat, a few fish people were forced to hide in the sea, but because they couldn't leave their ancestors' habitat, they could only roam in the nearshore areas. Occasionally, they would come ashore to attack travelers for food and daily necessities, so carriages leaving the City became scarce to avoid danger.
The Church also had no good solution for these scattered, small numbers of fish people, as, besides the fish people, the City had other matters to deal with.
Therefore, bounties could only be issued to Ring術士s in the local black market. Fish people's heads could be exchanged for pounds or crowns in the black market, while the corpses of fish people priests could be exchanged for No. 3 holy water.
Although the bounty amount was not low, considering the number of fish people tribes intertwined with the City's development and their near-human reproduction rate, the bounty on fish people would likely continue for many years.
For Xia De, this meant that after the Coldwater Port incident, Coldwater Port City on the Old Continent's West Coast, accessible from his basement, not only served as an additional place for trade and information, but the coastal area also gained the function of being able to kill monsters for money and Church reputation.
This kind of thought was a joke the Outsider made to himself when he missed his hometown and entertained himself.
After entering the City, Xia De took Mia to the Seven Broomsticks Tavern for a while to inquire about local news and check the status of his bounty for acquiring currency-type relics. Afterwards, he stayed for ten minutes to watch unfamiliar Ring術士s play rhode cards, standing aside and listening to people discuss the drowned bodies that the Church had salvaged from the nearshore waters during the Sea Return.
Most of those bodies showed characteristics of fish people and needed to be handled centrally to prevent other accidents.
After leaving the Seven Broomsticks Tavern, Xia De went to the Green Algae Tavern, which was on Coastal Snail Avenue, just like Aurora Manor. He wanted to buy some local specialty medicinal wine to take back to Tobesk as gifts for Priest Augustus and Doctor Schneider.
Xia De didn't know if Priest Augustus liked drinking, but Doctor Schneider certainly enjoyed tasting wine. A single, wealthy, middle-class middle-aged man, if he didn't like smoking or playing rhode cards, and had no other improper habits, then he would definitely enjoy drinking.
The old bartender at the Green Algae Tavern seemed to have forgotten Xia De, who had come here on a rainy Wednesday night last week, and once again recommended the tavern's specialty wines to him. Xia De bought some of each, but because he bought too much and it was inconvenient to carry, and he couldn't turn the wine into toys in front of ordinary people, he could only go to Aurora Manor to ask the servants for help with transportation.
Miss Aurora happened to be at the Manor as well. Hearing that Xia De had arrived, she invited him to meet in the study.
“Do you like to drink a lot?” Xia De asked Miss Aurora, turning the wines into toys and stuffing them into his portable suitcase. The Witch with beautiful brown curly long hair watched his actions curiously, wanting to call a servant to bring her treasured wine.
“No, I hardly drink. These are for my friends... There were fish people urinating in your wine cellar.”
He only just remembered this.
“I know, so besides the Darkness that ran away, I turned the remaining fish people into fish food,” the Witch said indifferently, motioning for Xia De to sit down.
Miss Hivi Aurora would not stay long in Coldwater Port. After dealing with the shipyard matters, she would depart and return to the Carson Rick United Kingdom. In fact, if it weren't for the sudden agreement with Leia, she should have left immediately after the Coldwater Port incident concluded.
Xia De probably wouldn't be able to see her frequently in this Manor in the future. The Witch seemed quite regretful about this: “Speaking of which, I mentioned last time that I would help you get Ling Runes related to Vibration, and now there's news.”
“That fast?”
“Just good luck, and Vibration isn't a rare Ling Rune; there are many meanings derived from this Ling Rune. However, given that I won't be staying here long, I chose the fastest method.”
