Sparrow was dead, and Xia De wanted to respect his last wish, allowing the story of Gray Headed Eagle to end unknown at Saint Delan Square Six. Therefore, he would not undertake that task, even if it meant 2,000 pounds, a huge sum that ninety-nine percent of people in this world would never earn in their lifetime.
Since there were no other matters on Thursday, after having lunch with Mia, Xia De first took his formal attire to a tailor's shop on Silver Cross Avenue to be cleaned, arranging to pick it up early the next morning.
He did not go straight home afterward but instead headed to the Prophet Association, also on Silver Cross Avenue. Having not seen Luvia for half a week, Xia De wanted to invite her out for dinner tonight, and if time permitted, they could also go see an opera.
Tomorrow was the opening ceremony of the "Big City Player rhode cards Tournament 1853," and the entire Prophet Association had been redecorated. Banners were hung, the interior of the association was re-cleaned, and new oil paintings and promotional boards were stacked in the first-floor hall, ready for placement.
Everyone here was very busy; in fact, for tomorrow's opening ceremony, the association was only open for rhode cards appraisal business today, with other services temporarily suspended.
Since the association was not conducting Diviner today, Xia De could not use the excuse of "wanting to Diviner for Mia" to see Luvia. However, because he came too often, and each time specifically requested Luvia Annett to Diviner, people knew that this rumored "Duchess's lover" frequently appeared at the association for a person, not for Mia.
The receptionists on the first floor smiled and found Luvia for Xia De, but when Xia De stated his invitation, the purple-eyed girl regretfully shook her head:
"Tomorrow is the opening ceremony, and I even plan to stay at the association today; there are still many things unfinished. The Tobesk branch finally managed to secure the hosting rights for this year, and President Stan and Vice President Mark are determined to make this year's tournament a success, so I don't have time to go out for dinner with you tonight."
"That's truly a shame."
Xia De could understand.
"However, perhaps we can go out together tomorrow night."
She said with a smile again, sizing up Xia De:
"This week, I haven't thought about those headache-inducing things, and I myself realized my emotions were abnormal some time ago. Let's have dinner together tomorrow night, then go see an opera. However, I want to invite Iluna; she would be very happy."
Although a three-person outing was not in Xia De's plan, it was still good:
"Of course, I'll go book the tickets first; I hope it's not too late now."
Luvia and Iluna's busyness made Xia De feel somewhat idle. To prove that he was also working hard, after leaving the association, he went to the apartment where Ms. Black lived in the south of the City.
Among the four tasks left by Sparrow Detective, only "helping Miss White find her missing sister, Miss Black" remained uncompleted. Xia De had visited this girl, who had actually just run away from home, last week, but she was on vacation in the countryside to escape the heat and would only return this week.
When Xia De visited for the second time, he learned from a neighbor that Miss Black had indeed returned from the countryside. However, unluckily, she had departed on Tuesday with her luggage for Middlesburg, a City in the southeastern part of the Kingdom known as the "City of Mountains."
This was a City built on the northern foothills of Sicar Mountain, nestled against the mountain. It was the most important pass through the Rommel Mountains, which stretched across the east-central Old Continent, and also the most crucial transportation hub in the entire southeastern Delarion.
"Middlesburg" was originally a military fortress on the border between Carson Rick and Delarion, transforming into the current City over three centuries.
Not only was it a transportation hub, but its tourism and mining industries were also very developed. Relying on trade between the two countries and abundant local mineral and forest resources, it had developed a highly prosperous steam industry.
In short, Miss Black had gone on a trip to Middlesburg and would probably not return for half a month.
However, Xia De's visit this time was not in vain. Miss Black's "disappearance" was actually due to a quarrel with her sister. To prevent her sister from worrying, she left a letter for the Detective who came looking for her, explaining her whereabouts. In the letter, Miss Black hoped Xia De could write to Miss White, informing her about her trip to Middlesburg. She even left a one-pound note in the envelope for this purpose.
The two sisters seemed to be very wealthy.
"However, according to the Detective's records, Sparrow Detective never met the client, Miss White. The commission was sent by mail, and at the time, Sparrow Detective was quite curious about Miss White's identity, speculating that she was a noblewoman of high status."
Xia De thought to himself, thanking the old gentleman who was about to go for a dog walk, then looked up at Miss Black's apartment:
"The sisters' quarrel actually earned me a sum. But why do they have different surnames, Black and White, if they are sisters? A blended family? Or some other reason?"
He thought to himself, grasping the doorknob downstairs in the apartment building. He had originally intended to check if the door was locked, but as soon as his hand touched the cold metal doorknob, he heard a voice:
【Outsider, you have touched the whisper.】
"What?"
He stared at the door in front of him in surprise, stepping back as if fearing some monster would suddenly burst out:
"There's a relic here? Am I finally encountering a relic?"
Every time he had encountered a relic before, it was due to others; Xia De himself had never encountered a relic alone.
【No, the whisper element is very faint, even fainter than a derivative of a relic, fainter than any whisper element you have ever touched. There is even reason to believe that no one but you can detect such a subtle trace of the element.】
"Oh, so that means a relic appeared nearby a long time ago."
This reassured Xia De greatly; today was indeed a peaceful day.
He put the letter away, intending to write to the client, Miss White, about Miss Black's whereabouts after returning home:
"I hope Miss Black, who is traveling, can return safely so I can conclude this commission. Otherwise, among the Detective's four commissions, only finding Mia would be a truly normal one."
Time finally arrived at Friday, and the "Great City Player rhode cards Tournament," which the Outsider had learned about since his first visit to the Prophet Association, was finally about to begin.
The full name of this tournament should be "Tobesk Great City Player rhode cards Tournament 1853," and the player who achieved final victory would receive the title "King of Rhode Card in 1853" after the competition.
This was a title officially recognized by the issuer of rhode cards, the Prophet Association, and acknowledged by card players worldwide. When playing cards with others, stating that one was a Great City Player champion of a certain year was far more prestigious and honorable than boasting about how many opponents one's cards had defeated.
Even the Outsider, who always claimed to have no great desire, was full of interest in this title.
After breakfast on Friday morning, Xia De first went to Silver Cross Avenue to pick up his formal attire that he had sent for cleaning. After returning home and tidying up, he left at 9:30 AM for the Prophet Association.
As soon as he turned into Silver Cross Avenue, he noticed that the street was particularly lively today.
Carriages parked outside the Prophet Association almost filled half the street, with gentlemen speaking various languages and accents, smiling as they gathered from all over the New World and Old Continent. At the association's entrance, flowers and a red carpet had already been laid out, welcoming the challengers.
If Queen Diana's birthday banquet not long ago was a feast for nobles, then today was a festival for players worldwide.
The opening ceremony was held in the grand conference hall on the third floor of the Prophet Association, and only those who received invitations were qualified to attend. The opening ceremony began at 10 AM and ended around 11 AM. Card players looked forward to playing cards, not listening to lengthy speeches, so the main content was to announce the rules of this "Great City Player."
Xia De also walked into the Prophet Association with a smile, along with the crowd. As soon as he entered the first-floor hall, he saw Vice President Mark rushing towards him:
"Oh, Mr. Hamilton, I finally see you. When they sent you the invitation, they actually forgot to put this in the envelope!"
Vice President Mark, looking almost out of breath, greeted him and handed Xia De a Rhode Card:
"This is for you."
The Rhode Card he handed over was not a special rule card but a card with only a special card face.
Its suit was Sun Three, just like Xia De's Origin · Silver Moon. The special card face was a silhouette of the Prophet Association's Tobesk branch located on Silver Cross Avenue. On the left side of the card face, "Great City Player 1853" was written vertically, and on the right side, "0003" was also written vertically.
"What is this?"
Xia De was very curious; this was the first special card face card he had received. Although it contained no rules, he still liked this card very much.
"This is a 【Great City Player】 series card, and also a qualification for participation."
"Qualification?"
"Yes, after paying the one-pound registration fee, you can get this special card for free. You are a specially invited player, so your number is early. This represents both the qualification to participate and a card that can be used on the tabletop."
Vice President Mark introduced with a smile:
"Mr. Hamilton, I know your Origin · Silver Moon is Sun Three, but you can't use that card in all card games. So, we specifically chose Sun Three for you, allowing you to interchange them."
"Will the 【Great City Player】 series cards be publicly sold?"
Xia De asked again.
"Of course not, they can only be obtained after registration."
"This is truly good."
Xia De flicked the card and inserted it into his deck. He could only sigh that these Diviner were truly business-minded.
He greatly admired such business acumen. Although the one-pound tournament registration fee was high, it was offset by the unique special-faced Rhode Card.
Players who truly wanted to participate would certainly be satisfied with both participating and receiving a "free" card, while the Prophet Association only needed to bear the design and printing costs.
This was a true win-win situation.
The number of participants in each "Great City Player" tournament was usually around one to two thousand people. Although it sounded like a lot, it was actually very few compared to the total number of Rhode Card players in the world.
Not only did the high registration fee deter the enthusiasm of lower-tier players, but the entire tournament process lasted two weeks. This did not significantly affect locals, but not every Outsider could spend two weeks away from home just to play cards.
Therefore, "Great City Player" not only referred to the scale but also meant that the tournament was preferably held in large cities to attract more card players. In each tournament, the number of local card players accounted for at least one-third, which also provided convenience to the association in the host City.
The Rhode Card players thus screened out were truly skilled or wealthy Rhode Card masters. The gathered card players would compete over two weeks through several rounds of preliminaries, quarterfinals, and finals to determine the ultimate winner, who would receive honor, a 【Great City Player】 series special rule card, and monetary rewards.
The "Great City Player rhode cards Tournament" was supported by the Kingdom's official government because each tournament could enhance a City's reputation. Moreover, the Prophet Association had spent decades making people accept this gambling behavior; as long as both parties were well-dressed, it was a very high-class game.
Therefore, when Xia De and Vice President Mark arrived together on the third floor of the association, which was usually open to the public, they found that today's opening ceremony was attended not only by Mr. Rick, the Vice President of the Prophet Association from the capital of Ragson Duchy, Ryan City, but also by Mr. Johnson Waters, the Mayor of Tobesk City Hall.
This was a kindly man, dressed in silk formal wear, with a large belly, looking more like a merchant than an official. He even proactively approached Xia De during the waiting period before the opening, chatting with him about some boring weather topics.
Xia De did not know much about the Mayor. After all, although he was the Mayor of Tobesk, this was the capital of Delarion. And the current King of the Kingdom, Larus III, was coincidentally someone who cared more about power. Therefore, the Mayor of Tobesk was, in a sense, a sinecure.
"Good morning, Xia De!"
Xia De's friend, Baron Lavende, and Baron Rwanda, with whom he did not get along well, arrived together. The three greeted each other, gathered, and discussed the upcoming tournament amidst the noise.
The bustling crowd filled the auditorium. The rhode cards paintings on the walls were collectibles everyone desired. Men in formal wear were not discussing political topics here; everyone cared only about those cards.
In short, on this first Friday of the harvest month in the autumn of common era 1853, card players who were privileged enough to receive invitations gathered in the Prophet Association on the third floor of Silver Cross Avenue in the heart of Tobesk City, the capital of the Delarion Kingdom, to celebrate the official beginning of "Great City Player 1853."
