Because it was an open government department, Xia De was not stopped when he walked into the yard.
He looked up and immediately saw a blue-gray short-haired kitten sunbathing on the top of the discarded metal shelves piled up on the east side of the yard.
"Is my luck this good today?"
The weather was still gloomy, and even though it was almost eleven in the morning, there wasn't much sunlight. The cat lay with its eyes squinted on a metal plate propped up by the shelves, and only opened its eyes to look at Xia De when he approached.
"Mia, absolutely no meowing."
Xia De warned Mia, who was clearly intending to show malice from his shoulder, then gently clapped his hands, signaling the cat up high to jump down. With Mia not causing trouble, Xia De's affinity for cats was remarkably effective. Even though the cat was seeing Xia De for the first time, it still stood up energetically after seeing him clap.
It stared at Xia De from above with wide eyes, then wagged its tail and jumped down along the stacked metal plates and shelves. It trotted to Xia De's feet, squinting its eyes and stretching its neck, rubbing against his pant leg.
Xia De cautiously squatted down and picked up the cat. Mia on his shoulder immediately let out a "purring" sound from her throat. This was how the cat tried to intimidate without meowing.
"It will leave in a bit, and we'll go eat something delicious for lunch."
Xia De, of course, didn't forget to take care of his own cat. He extended his free left hand and, in an awkward posture, patted Mia's little head on his right shoulder. Only then did she quiet down, but she still glared at the blue-gray short-haired cat, which was a size larger than her. The new cat also showed fear of Mia, as if Mia were some unspeakable monster.
In short, the commission, which was expected to be very troublesome, was surprisingly resolved in just one morning. When Xia De returned the very well-behaved blue-gray short-haired kitten to old Mrs. Midella, the old woman almost cried.
Because Xia De completed the commission quickly and efficiently, the old woman even gave him an extra half a pound as a thank-you fee when paying the commission fee. Declining old Mrs. Midella's invitation to have lunch together and discuss cat-raising techniques, Xia De, with his seemingly angry cat, had a big meal in a nearby neighborhood.
Sure enough, after the cat that had been close to Xia De was returned to its owner, and he himself had eaten satisfying food, Mia returned to her normal state. Perhaps for this cat, the "memory slots" needed for delicious food completely covered the "memory slots" for troublesome things; her life must truly be carefree.
Avoiding the usual lunch break, which was from twelve to one-thirty, Xia De visited Doctor Schneider's psychological clinic in Tobesk East District at two o'clock.
He had originally only wanted to ask if the Doctor would be at Yodel Palace tomorrow night, but to his surprise, after meeting, the Doctor immediately gave him surprising news:
"Xia De, you'll never guess what happened! I met another newly awakened talent!"
Due to excessive surprise, Xia De even stood by the sofa, forgetting to sit down, and blurted out:
"Oh, Doctor, did you use a relic that can overdraw luck?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly realized how the other members of the group must have felt when they heard the Doctor met him.
"No, no, I wouldn't use such a relic, Xia De, come sit down and talk."
Doctor Schneider was clearly in a very good mood, enthusiastically greeting Xia De:
"This matter is actually related to you. A week ago, you asked me to find someone who could make 'Mind Crystals.' The new talent is someone I discovered while searching for targets!"
"Can their dreams be used to make Mind Crystals?"
"Of course, talents within 72 hours of awakening, whose minds are strong but unstable, are the best targets!"
The Doctor said with a smile:
"If you're free tonight, you can explore their dream world with me. They still have about 28 hours left until their awakening, so we can't miss tonight."
"So, Doctor, are you going to invite them to join our group?"
Xia De was actually more concerned about this.
The Doctor smiled and shook his head:
"Of course not. Our group has already met the minimum number requirement, and we don't lack experts skilled in certain techniques. After we make the alchemy materials you need tonight, we'll inform the Church about their information through the black market and let the Church handle it."
The Doctor sat behind his desk, neatly arranging the follow-up matters. But after thinking for a moment, he added:
"And, even if you hadn't appeared, I wouldn't invite this talent to join us. The situation this time is different from yours. When I met you, you had just woken up from blind ignorance due to your Ring術士 talent. Your eyes were filled with fear, but also hope, and subsequent investigations into your background were very clean. But this talent is different, he—"
The Doctor sighed:
"How should I put it, he has very serious psychological problems. He lives at Black Corner Alley No. 2. Three years ago, he was involved in a fire at his workplace, and over sixty percent of his body was burned. It even seems that the cause of that fire was related to him, but Leedweich Field didn't find any evidence. Based on these points, I think it's better for our group not to get involved with him."
"Black Corner Alley? A burned person?"
Xia De felt a strange sense of familiarity. After thinking for a moment, he tentatively asked:
"Doctor, is the Black Corner Alley you're talking about the alley next to Lewis Street?"
"Oh? You've been there?"
The Doctor asked curiously.
Xia De had indeed been there. For the credits to advance from first to second year, he had obtained three commissions from Iluna that might be related to mysterious events. The second of these commissions was to help Ms. Swann investigate the mysterious person who spied on her every noon.
And that mysterious person was a man living in the second door in Black Corner Alley, with burn marks on his face and hands.
"I saw him a month ago. I never thought he would become a talent."
Xia De recounted that experience, and the Doctor frowned and thought for a moment:
"That twenty-eight-year-old man is named Luther Kinweiss. The fire three years ago burned down his workplace and killed ten people. Only he survived and received a large sum in compensation. Although spying on pretty girls isn't a crime, when these two things are connected, it just feels like he's really not a good person."
"Doctor, how did you find him?"
Xia De asked with great interest, but to his surprise, Doctor Schneider smiled awkwardly and was unwilling to say more:
"Luck, yes, pure luck."
Even without the ability to discern lies, Xia De could tell the Doctor wasn't telling the truth. But everyone has their own secrets, so he didn't care about the truth behind it.
As for whether Luther Kinweiss was a good person, Xia De wasn't particularly concerned. But if they could discover something during the dream entry, not only Xia De, but the Doctor would probably not mind adding his criminal record when reporting the new talent to the Church.
After confirming the adventure plan for tonight, Xia De heard another piece of good news. The Doctor had no plans to attend the Yodel Palace banquet tomorrow night, as no one would give him an invitation. After learning this, Xia De felt relieved and set a meeting time with the Doctor for tonight.
Since Luther Kinweiss was already a talent, even if he hadn't officially become a Ring術士, the investigative function of "the other me" was already in effect. Therefore, Xia De and Doctor Schneider met at the intersection of Lewis Street at eleven-thirty that night.
At this time, Mr. Kinweiss should have already fallen asleep, and the "other me," which was not yet active in an unawakened state, should not easily wake him up.
The two walked close to the low wall along the street, trying to avoid the gas lamps. And although it wasn't raining, dark clouds still covered the City, and the light from the moon and stars was almost completely unable to penetrate the thin mist.
For talents entering dreams, the Doctor needed direct contact with the other person's head, so the two had to break into the house at Black Corner Alley No. 2.
After glancing at the alley entrance to confirm there were no other pedestrians nearby, the Doctor stood in the alley below the steps, continuing to survey the surroundings, while Xia De stood in front of the door, pressing his finger against the lock and gently turning it to open the lock:
"Why am I always doing this kind of breaking into other people's houses with Doctor Schneider?"
He thought silently to himself.
Opening the door a crack, Xia De squeezed sideways into the darkness inside the house. A few seconds later, his hand reached out from the door crack, making a gesture indicating safety. Only then did the Doctor walk backward up the steps, finally looking left and right, and also squeezed sideways through the door crack into the house.
The door closed silently, as if nothing had happened. Although Luther Kinweiss was just an ordinary person, both of them remained cautious.
Compared to Saint Delan Square Six, this house in Black Corner Alley was not large. The entrance hall was very narrow and filled with many sundries like shoe racks and cardboard boxes.
In this darkness, the faint light from Xia De's finger illuminated the way for them. The Doctor handed Xia De shoe covers and gloves, but Xia De shook his head and took out his own prepared gloves and shoe covers from his pocket.
Doctor Schneider showed a relieved expression. From when he met Xia De two and a half months ago until now, the young Detective had grown a lot.
Luther Kinweiss lived alone, and his bedroom was the room on the left on the second floor.
The two tiptoed upstairs, and when they tried to open the bedroom door, they found that the doorknob wouldn't turn.
"Who locks their bedroom door when they're sleeping at home?"
Xia De thought in surprise, and used a spell again to open the door.
But the two didn't go straight in. The Doctor cautiously took out a copper box from his pocket. When opened, it contained a thick cigar, one-fifth of which had already been burned.
After lighting it, the Doctor took a puff of smoke and placed the cigar back in the box. He leaned his head towards the door crack and exhaled the smoke into it.
He had only taken one puff, but the smoke he exhaled was like a long dragon, lasting for a full ten seconds. During this time, Xia De was even a little worried that Doctor Schneider would run out of oxygen.
After exhaling the smoke, Doctor Schneider carefully closed the door again. The two waited in the hallway for half a minute before finally pushing the door open and entering the room.
