“Don't worry, why would I enter such a place?”
Xia De shrugged:
“Priest Augustus can only walk out on his own, and all I can do is figure out how to help him walk out.”
Tomorrow was Saturday, and the four of them agreed to temporarily change this week's study meeting to Saint Delan Square Six. Afterward, John Watson left first, while Dorothy stayed behind to help Xia De take care of the cat.
Luvia was not in a hurry to leave either; she made a request to Xia De:
“I participated in the astrological event held by Saint Byron's Astronomical Academy in the autumn. This year's event is larger in scale, and the academy sent me a set of specialized stargazing equipment, but my apartment doesn't face the right direction, and the area isn't large enough.”
Actually, it wasn't that the area wasn't large enough, but that the open space wasn't large enough. Diviner's stargazing wasn't just about setting up telescopes and planetariums; they needed enough open space to draw ritual matrices, and space to place star charts and various professional tools whose specific uses Xia De didn't know.
“No problem, go pick a room on the third floor. The third floor doesn't even have furniture; I originally intended to use it as a ritual practice ground.”
“Alright, I think I'll need to borrow it for an autumn. Your house faces very well.”
Luvia nodded. Xia De found her a spare key and told her to move the stargazing equipment over in the next few days, and she could come stargazing anytime afterward.
He then instructed Dorothy to look after Mia, as he might return very late, and then, holding the letter of introduction Ms. Jialinna had given him, he walked downstairs to the first floor.
On the sofa, Luvia and Dorothy sat facing each other. Mia squatted on the tea table, shaking her head from side to side, looking at the two girls, and finally jumped to the side of the more familiar Dorothy.
The Golden-haired girl picked up the cat and asked the female Diviner, who was playing with the key, with a smile:
“How do you plan to pay the rent? The housing prices in Saint Delan Square are very high, aren't they? You're not going to use yourself, are you?”
She asked teasingly.
Luvia shook her head, her short brown hair rubbing against her shoulders:
“Xia De won't charge me rent.”
Dorothy smiled and didn't continue joking:
“However, stargazing in such a ‘haunted house,’ aren't you worried it will affect your stargazing results?”
“Stargazing is different from divination. Although both are affected by the environment, stargazing is affected very little. Besides, Xia De believes that there are no problems in his house now.”
Luvia looked up at the ceiling.
“If there really were no problems, why haven't I seen any living creatures other than Xia De and Mia in this house all summer? No mice, no spiders, no flies, no ants, nothing.”
Dorothy said, stroking Mia. The cat didn't seem very satisfied with Dorothy's stroking technique.
Luvia's smile faded:
“I used to think it was the influence from the basement, but now that I think about it, perhaps the problem isn't just the basement. Xia De doesn't seem to be planning to move out of here. Perhaps only a special person like him can make this house appear normal.”
As she spoke, she stood up, intending to hire a carriage to transport her stargazing equipment. The items could be moved in two or three trips, but assembling them would be very troublesome.
“Since you're stargazing on the third floor, then the main factor that might affect the results should be the anomaly on the third floor. Speaking of which, what happened on the third floor of Xia De's house? I remember him mentioning it once.”
Dorothy stood up, also preparing to leave together. She needed to go home and get her writing documents and materials.
She had intended to carry Mia with her, but Mia usually didn't even want to go out with Xia De, so she immediately jumped out of Dorothy's arms. She jumped onto the living room windowsill, basking in the autumn afternoon sun, ready for a good nap.
Dorothy also knew that the cat didn't want to go out, so she didn't try to catch her again. The two girls disappeared down the stairs, their voices drifting up from downstairs:
“I remember, it seems like someone entered the third floor and never reappeared, right? Oh, that's very similar to what Priest Augustus experienced.”
“Meow~”
The cat on the second-floor windowsill stretched, the sunlight shining on her fur. The orange patterns on the back of the cat, who was squinting and tucking her front paws, truly looked like they were emitting a golden light.
That was the brilliance of the sun.
(Mia napping zZ)
On the other side, Xia De once again appeared in the abandoned tower in the Rommel Mountains outside Middlesburg, via the ancient god statue in his basement.
This time, there was no need to worry about being discovered. Therefore, he directly used Raglai's Leap to leave the basement. He then didn't immediately follow the path he had taken to the City, but instead stood behind the abandoned tower, gazing at the City sprawling out below the distant Rommel Mountains.
“Middlesburg”
Grid-like districts divided the City, and ant-like pedestrians and carriages moved at a constant speed. The most conspicuous features of the City, besides the Natural Church in the City center, were the factories near the foot of the Rommel Mountains, and the railway that ran through Middlesburg and then entered the mountain pass. This was the most important passage through the Rommel Mountains in the eastern Old Continent.
“This doesn't look like a volcano at all.”
Xia De muttered, then turned and descended the Rommel Mountains.
It was already afternoon, and like yesterday, a thin mist had risen in the Rommel Mountains. Although the mist didn't particularly obstruct his vision, it was still quite troublesome for Xia De, who was moving through the primeval forest without a path.
Even though it was a path he had already walked, he still spent about the same amount of time descending the Rommel Mountains as he did when he first walked it yesterday.
He first passed through the small village at the foot of the Rommel Mountains, then crossed the mining factories from the early development of the City, and finally found a carriage near the urban area, which took Xia De to Lufu Lane No. 15.
Ms. Jialinna had given Xia De a way to contact the Spiritual Cultivation Order, but Xia De felt that instead of rashly contacting Ring術士 he didn't know, it would be better to have an acquaintance introduce him.
The “House of the Blind” of the Blind Mutual Aid Association was always open during the day. When Xia De visited again, Ms. Michelle was providing psychological counseling to a woman who had come for help, so Xia De waited for nearly half an hour before Ms. Michelle hurried over.
In her normal state, she had her eyes covered with a strip of burlap, but this did not affect her movements in the slightest. Xia De guessed that perhaps the burlap was actually translucent, or that she had abilities like “mind's eye.”
But when Xia De took out the letter written by Ms. Jialinna, and Ms. Michelle removed the cloth strip from her eyes to read it, he realized that the Sisters of the Spiritual Cultivation Order were not truly capable of “blindly recognizing objects.”
“Witch? Mr. John Watson, you know a Witch?”
Ms. Michelle frowned slightly and looked at Xia De. Xia De nodded; he certainly hadn't forgotten to tell Ms. Jialinna that his alias was John Watson:
“Yes, when I was in Tobesk, I did some things for a lady of unknown identity, and only later did I learn that ‘The Lady’ was a Witch. Hearing that I was coming to Middlesburg to find a friend, ‘The Lady’ had her servant give me a letter. I originally thought I wouldn't need it, but I didn't expect that as soon as I arrived in this City, something like this happened to Priest Augustus. Is this letter enough for the Spiritual Cultivation Order to provide some help?”
“Of course it's enough; The Lady gave you a very high evaluation in the letter.”
Xia De hadn't opened the letter, so he didn't know how Ms. Jialinna had praised him.
Because she knew the Witch Council's attitude towards men, Ms. Michelle was very hesitant about this letter. But since Xia De had already produced the letter, she had to pass it on.
Therefore, Ms. Michelle asked Xia De to rest temporarily in the House of the Blind, while she personally handed the letter to Sister Devlin, the leader of the Spiritual Cultivation Order.
The Spiritual Cultivation Order is a very interesting organization. Everyone in this organization is addressed as Sister So-and-so or Brother So-and-so, so it's difficult to determine who the true leader is based solely on their titles.
If Xia De had first gone to find the local Great Witch, and then gone to the Spiritual Cultivation Order, he might have been able to go directly to the Spiritual Cultivation Order's true headquarters, and he would certainly have been treated with courtesy. But with this indirect introduction, he could only wait patiently, and it was uncertain whether the eleven-ring Sister Devlin would be willing to see him.
This depended on whether Ms. Jialinna's influence was great enough.
From two o'clock in the afternoon until three o'clock, Ms. Michelle finally hurried back to the House of the Blind. She first apologized to Xia De for making him wait so long, then had him board a carriage to go with her to meet the leader of the Spiritual Cultivation Order, the eleven-ring Sister Devlin.
The Spiritual Cultivation Order is a Ring術士 group outside the Orthodox Church. Its scale is slightly larger than the Mercury Blood Xia De had encountered, but far smaller than the Prophet Association. They also haven't cooperated as fully with the Orthodox Church as the Prophet Association, and even seem to have some aversion to the Orthodox Church. Therefore, Xia De, who had only gained initial trust, couldn't directly go to the Spiritual Cultivation Order's headquarters to meet Sister Devlin.
The final meeting place was not the House of the Blind, but a club two blocks west of the House of the Blind, on the same street as the local Church of Creation.
That club, with its quite impressive decor and facade, was called the “Disciples Club.” From its name, it was difficult to determine the nature of the club. Sister Devlin met Xia De alone in the reception room on the third floor. When Xia De pushed open the door, the first thing he saw was the Sister's profile.
She looked to be in her twenties, with hair that was a faded grayish-white. Like the Sisters Xia De had seen in the Darkness Domain, she wore a silver crown-shaped blindfold covering her eyes. And the patterns on that silver crown were more complex than any Xia De had seen on the faces of other Sisters.
She wore a relatively traditional gray and black dress, which looked like a Sister's habit. Over her black top was a black shawl that resembled silk. The shawl looked very thin, and when Xia De sat down, it felt like gauze.
Anyone seeing this lady for the first time would surely believe she was a Sister who strictly adhered to religious rules.
“Good afternoon, Mr. John Watson.”
Her lips moved, and a calm, slow voice spoke. Sister Devlin placed Ms. Jialinna's letter on the table between them, exactly beside her teacup, as if she could see everything in front of her perfectly.
“Good evening, Sister Devlin, I apologize for disturbing you like this.”
Xia De said politely, his peripheral vision scanning the room. This was a reception room on the top floor of a high-end club in the City center, but the decor was surprisingly simple. At a glance, there were no valuable antique furniture or expensive oil paintings to be seen. The room's style was predominantly cool gray, which suited the temperament of the seemingly young Sister in front of him.
“This place should also be one of the Spiritual Cultivation Order's local strongholds.”
Xia De judged in his mind.
“I have read the letter from the Seventh Seat Witch, Mr. John Watson. We have a good relationship with the Witch Council. Since the Witch says you are a very capable person, we are naturally willing to provide you with assistance. Sister Michelle has already told me about your friend. So, what kind of help do you hope we can provide?”
The Sister asked softly. Even though her level far exceeded Xia De's, her tone of voice had a very natural humility when she spoke. This was certainly not because she had glimpsed the secret of Xia De's divinity; this Sister probably always spoke this way.
Not only that, although she also spoke delarion, her grammar was somewhat strange. After some thought, Xia De realized from the “delarion Gift Pack” that the grammar she used was relatively ancient, not the contemporary common grammar. This was a way of speaking that could only be heard in ancient noble families. Xia De was very curious about her background before she became a Ring術士.
“I want to know more about Between Life and death. Perhaps you can provide some information.”
Xia De said, not touching the tea on the table.
“Of course, if this can help you rescue your friend, that would be even better.”
“Also, please tell me, in the past, have there been precedents of rescuing people who fell into the Between Life and death?”
The Sister nodded:
“The world of the death and the world of the living should not have any overlap. Those who should depart should depart permanently. And those who fall into the Between Life and death are those who should not have death but died unexpectedly. Therefore, there have indeed been targeted rescues.”
Xia De looked at her, believing that Sister Devlin could perceive his gaze.
“But we also respect death and hold reverence for it, and we will not disturb those who rest in peace. Therefore, even within the Spiritual Cultivation Order, very few people know information about how to help living people who unfortunately enter another world.”
“May I ask what reward I need to offer for the Spiritual Cultivation Order to help me rescue my friend?”
Xia De asked. Even when he asked Ms. Jialinna for help, he would offer a reward, so he naturally understood that no one would help him for no reason.
“No.”
Sister Devlin shook her head slightly.
“You are not willing to help?”
“I mean, no reward is needed. I am willing to represent the Spiritual Cultivation Order in helping you.”
Xia De was stunned:
“Excuse me, are you saying that you are willing to help me rescue Priest Augustus from that suspected inconceivable-grade relic?”
“Yes.”
The Sister nodded.
This, instead, made Xia De feel a bit embarrassed. He had just thought that the Sister wanted him to pay a price, which was why she had repeatedly emphasized that the Spiritual Cultivation Order respected the laws of life and death.
“Excuse me, please… why are you willing to help me? I thought you would at least ask me to do something for you, complete difficult tasks, or even investigate dangerous relics, before you would help.”
A serene smile appeared beneath the silver blindfold with intricate patterns. Sister Devlin's sitting posture was extremely elegant, her two fair hands clasped together on her lap. Even the princesses Xia De knew probably couldn't display such elegant demeanor.
“Priest Latt Augustus already has old ties with the Spiritual Cultivation Order's predecessors. Moreover, helping a kind person to save another kind person is simply what should be done.”
She had been keeping her head slightly bowed, but now she raised it, her eyes behind the silver blindfold directly facing Xia De:
“Mr. John Watson, please answer a question: If it were you, would you help someone you don't know but who is in urgent need of help?”
This question didn't require any thought. If Xia De wasn't such a person, he wouldn't have turned back when the girl's family was about to be taken away by the evil god; he wouldn't have resolutely thrown that dice when the woman who lost her child sought help; he wouldn't be here now. The last example isn't entirely accurate, because he and Priest Augustus are very familiar.
“I would, as long as it doesn't require me to pay a great price, I am willing to help those who are kind.”
Xia De said very seriously, and Sister Devlin's face showed a smile:
“So, the Spiritual Cultivation Order is also willing to help you. I don't want to preach profound 道理, but this is a bond. The Spiritual Cultivation Order believes that this bond of goodwill can make this world a better place.”
At the moment, Xia De's respect for the Spiritual Cultivation Order reached its peak.
