The warm yellow light illuminated Xia De's face, illuminating his entire body. At this moment, Xia De could even imagine that this light would illuminate this street, illuminate this City, and illuminate this world.
The arrival of nightfall is the fear of all civilizations, but the light of civilization has dispelled this darkness:
“This is civilization, this is light. The light of civilization.”
In the moment, steam vaguely appeared behind him, and at the same time, the Ling and elements within his soul surged wildly:
“No, I can’t!”
But the touch at this moment actually subsided like this, and Xia De did not obtain the Enlightenment Ling Rune because of it.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes and exhaled, the light of brilliant lamps was vaguely reflected in his eyes.
Because he saw more, understood more, and knew more, the Outsider knew that 【Civilization】 was definitely not that simple. And precisely because he knew the weight of civilization, he could not obtain that heavy Ling Rune merely by the touch of this moment.
“The flames of civilization light up at this moment, but civilization is definitely not just this moment's brilliance.”
Xia De closed his eyes again, trying to firmly engrave the tingling sensation from the moment just now into his memory.
He did not regret that he failed to condense the feelings of “light” and “civilization” into a Ling Rune just now. If 【Civilization】 were used here, it would be too much of a waste; he wanted more.
“Oh!”
Unexpectedly, he was bumped while his eyes were closed, and Xia De was startled, completely breaking free from the illusion of seeing through the entire civilization just now.
He hurriedly reached to check his wallet and personal belongings, but everything was there; the other party seemed to have truly only bumped him.
Standing at the alley entrance and looking to the left of Silver Cross Avenue, in the bustling crowd, he couldn't tell who had bumped into him just now.
Xia De originally wanted to ask the voice in his mind to confirm the clothing of the person who had just bumped into him, but then he found a crumpled newspaper, like trash, dropped at his feet.
“Was there anything here just now?”
He thought suspiciously, picking up the newspaper from the ground. This was tonight's “Terraril River Evening News.” The rest of the evening paper was normal, but on the edge of the second page, a series of numbers were lightly written in pencil.
“This was dropped by the person who just bumped into you.”
The voice by his ear sounded in due course.
“Hmm? What does that mean?”
Xia De thought in surprise, looking around for the person who dropped the newspaper:
“Could it be that the way to meet Leia has changed, and this is a new secret signal? But with only numbers, it won't work without a codebook. Besides, it's just a meeting, why is it like a spy rendezvous?”
As he was thinking, the view suddenly darkened. It turned out that a four-wheeled carriage had stopped at the alley entrance, blocking the gas streetlights from Silver Cross Avenue.
The coachman, tightening the reins, lowered his hat and gestured with his mouth at Xia De. Xia De saw the magnificent falcon crest on the side door of the carriage. Judging from the outer decoration of the crest, it was the family crest of a certain marquis, so it seemed the carriage was borrowed by Leia.
Xia De immediately got into the carriage as Dorothy had instructed, and the carriage almost without hesitation drove forward again.
“Wait.”
Xia De, in the carriage, sat down on the soft cushion under his bottom, then frowned and looked at the newspaper in his hand:
“If Leia’s carriage arrived on time, then what is this newspaper that was discarded like trash? Am I overthinking?”
Xia De also thought of the divination performed by President Stan not long ago:
“My attire just now, could it be by chance that the person who bumped into me mistook me for someone else?”
Xia De pursed his lips, folded the newspaper, and stuffed it into his pocket. Whether this newspaper was trash or something else, it was not the theme of tonight.
Tonight was to welcome Leia back to Tobesk.
Along the way, the coachman and Xia De had no conversation. After the carriage left Silver Cross Avenue, it first drove east, then turned south, and finally stopped at the entrance of Hummingbird Pedestrian Street, on the border of the University District and Tobesk South District.
After the carriage stopped, Xia De quickly got out. But before he could thank the coachman, the coachman drove the carriage around and returned the way they came.
“Truly professional.”
Xia De said softly, looked around, and walked to his left.
The “Red Flame Restaurant” Dorothy mentioned was on Hummingbird Pedestrian Street, and Xia De saw the sign as soon as he got out of the carriage. But because she asked Xia De to walk around nearby for two turns to pass the time and enter the restaurant at 7:40, Xia De did not go directly, but walked with his hands in his pockets, wanting to stroll along the pedestrian street.
Nobles of Tobesk usually lived in the South City, and coupled with its proximity to the University District, the area was very prosperous. Now that night had completely fallen, the shops facing the street had not yet closed.
Xia De looked left and right, spending fifteen minutes walking from one end of the pedestrian street to the other, most of which was spent at a shop specializing in steam pipes, discussing some topics about pipe models with the owner.
Seeing that it was almost time, Xia De straightened his clothes and then came to the entrance of the Red Flame Restaurant. This was a high-end restaurant, with a welcoming waiter at the entrance.
Seeing Xia De approaching with a rose, he immediately came forward:
“Are you Mr. Hamilton?”
He asked in a low voice.
“Yes.”
Xia De also lowered his voice. The middle-aged waiter in uniform nodded, then led Xia De from the first floor to the second floor, pushed open the door at the end of the corridor, and bowed to gesture him in. After Xia De entered, he carefully closed the door.
But Angelina Cavendish was not in the room; there were three maids. Two of them Xia De had never seen, and the oldest middle-aged maid was Ms. Hels, whom Xia De had seen at Sophia Manor in Coldwater Port. She was someone Leia trusted greatly.
“Mr. Hamilton.”
Seeing Xia De enter, Ms. Hels hurriedly came over and then whispered:
“I apologize, Your Highness encountered some matters and may not be able to come for a while.”
“It’s alright, is it a very troublesome matter? Do you need my help?”
Xia De asked.
“Matters of Yodel Palace.”
She hesitated:
“His Majesty and His Highness Randall Cavendish have had an argument over the New World Kingdom Vanguard Legion, so His Highness cannot leave for now.”
“Oh, then there’s no need to rush, this matter is important.”
Xia De said with considerable understanding.
The New World Vanguard Legion was an expeditionary force organized by the Kingdom of Delarion to the New World, responsible for mapping, mineral exploration, assisting scholars and churches in exploring ancient ruins, and establishing semi-permanent settlements in coastal areas of the New World to maintain order among adventurers.
This was one of the kingdom's most important military operations. Some people believed that the progress of Delarion and Carson Rick in developing the New World would determine the overall order of the Old Continent for the next five hundred years.
So Xia De ate dinner alone. After he finished eating, Leia still hadn't arrived, only sending a letter stating that she still needed some time.
Therefore, Xia De could only go to the Opera House with the three maids and wait in a private box while listening to the opera. Leia knew that Xia De couldn't appreciate opera as an art form, so she specifically chose “Son of Light,” which had a strong storyline. The story tells of ancient heroes who inherited light, overcame fear and darkness, and passed on courage and Knowledge.
This was a relatively typical old-style knight opera.
Xia De had little interest in opera, and even the lavishly dressed female performers on stage did not greatly pique his interest. It was the story's exploration of “light” that made him ponder deeply for quite some time.
“The crazy light chaser” had been read for two months, and Xia De already had a premonition that the Ling Rune related to it was about to be born. Perhaps it would be in the next moment, perhaps in a few days, but it would not wait too long.
“What exactly is light?”
This was the content of Xia De's contemplation. Unless he was lucky enough to directly obtain the 【Light】 Ling Rune, once it was a Ling Rune derived from a concept, his understanding would affect the specific meaning of the Ling Rune.
“Bane of darkness, bond, light of civilization, justice… Oh, and Moonlight, can't forget that one.”
While going to the restroom midway, Xia De was still thinking about this matter. Leaving the restroom, listening to the singing voice weakened by the soundproof walls, he walked towards the private box. As he passed through the corridor, which was carpeted in red and adorned with portraits of famous singers, he met a young maid.
Because the general style of proper maid dresses was similar, Xia De, who didn't know much about women's clothing, felt that her attire was the same as Leia's maid's.
And the maid was indeed looking for him:
“Mr. Hamilton, Her Highness sent me to find you.”
“Leia is here?”
Xia De's heart was filled with joy, but his expression remained calm:
“Alright, then let’s go back.”
So the maid led the way, but as they walked, Xia De felt something was wrong; his private box just now didn't seem to be in this direction:
“Oh, I understand, it needs to be cautious, so the location has changed.”
He thought to himself, and then, as expected, the maid, who spoke in a very low voice, led him to the door of a private box on the third floor.
After knocking, permission to enter was immediately granted.
So Xia De straightened his collar before walking in.
He immediately saw the red-haired girl and was about to greet her when he realized it wasn't the right person. It was indeed a princess, and indeed a Cavendish. But it wasn't Leticia Cavendish, but Angelina Cavendish.
The sixteen-year-old princess observed the bewildered expression on Xia De's face and put down her bone fan:
“Mr. Hamilton, you seem very surprised to see me.”
Angelina Cavendish, wearing a blue voluminous long dress, touched her face, confirming there was nothing on it:
“My maid just said she saw you, so I told them to find you. After we met at the Prophet Association last time, I have been looking forward to you attending my salon, but I haven't received your letter. Good evening, Hamilton of Leijiede.”
