Early on Saturday morning, after breakfast, Xia De first went to Middlesburg and retrieved information about local legends and the Between Life and Death from the House of the Blind.
At the same time, he heard good news: the Spiritual Cultivation Order had acted very quickly and already found a suitable entrance to the Gap. The preparations for the ritual would take about a day, and the ritual could be performed tonight.
This was much faster than Xia De had expected. In his imagination, even if the Order didn't ask him to pay any price, they would at least say that important materials were missing and ask Xia De to collect them, and then Xia De would have to undertake subsequent tasks like defeating monsters and evil spirits, delivering letters, mediating family disputes, and exploring ancient relics, before finally completing the ritual after countless hardships.
But now, he really didn't need to do anything. This was good, though; rescuing the Priest earlier was better than constantly worrying about it.
It was already ten in the morning when he returned home. Since he had a meeting in the afternoon, he didn't go out again. Instead, he meticulously studied the acquired information to prepare for the evening's operation.
After lunch, Luvia, Dorothy, and Psychologist Schneider arrived one after another. The Psychologist shared the latest news with Xia De, and it was good news:
"Because of the disappearance of their own students, the academy forced the Church to give an account of the situation in Middlesburg. The Church relented yesterday!"
The blue-eyed middle-aged Psychologist seemed very happy:
"Since mid-last month, there have been frequent disappearances in Middlesburg. As of the Priest's disappearance, there have been a total of 32 similar disappearances within one month. And this is just a rough estimate; the actual number will be higher, as mountain dwellers in the mountains are difficult to include in official statistics."
"Isn't that almost one person disappearing every day?" Dorothy asked in surprise.
"There were 32 incidents, but most involved groups of people disappearing together. Roommates vanished together, and young people who went on collective expeditions to Sicar Mountain never returned. The total number of missing persons, conservatively estimated, should be greater than three digits," the Psychologist said.
"I looked at the past data Dorothy gave me, and the number of disappearances in the local autumn in previous years was nowhere near this high. Dozens of people disappearing in one autumn was the average phenomenon," Xia De said. The Psychologist nodded cautiously:
"The academy's information to me states that this year is a special situation. There's a big problem underground in Middlesburg, and the Church began preparations last year to reinforce the seal, and the devout Old Priests were gathered in Middlesburg with the hope that they could join the ritual."
"Did the academy mention anything about the Between Life and Death?" Luvia also asked.
"Actually, the Church was also vague. We only know that once there's a problem underground, the entire Sicar Mountain will turn into a ghost realm, which could even affect the entire eastern Old Continent. But there's no need to worry too much; this high-frequency disappearance phenomenon hasn't occurred since last Wednesday. Priest Augustus was among the last group of people to disappear."
Xia De raised an eyebrow, unsure whether "Priest's disappearance" or "disappearance phenomenon stopped after Wednesday" was the cause or the effect.
But the matter in Middlesburg seemed to be another major event, no less significant in scale and impact than the "Tobesk 1853 Summer Divine Descent Event" or the "Coldwater Port Shadow." Since the Outsider arrived, this world has truly not been peaceful.
"Is devouring living people the way that seal maintains stability? The sudden halt in disappearances doesn't seem like a good sign either," Dorothy speculated, frowning.
The Psychologist shook his head, his expression very serious:
"The Church doesn't want to tell other Ring術士 groups because they're worried that if the news leaks, hostile forces might disrupt the upcoming large-scale ritual. This matter absolutely cannot have any mishaps, or the consequences would be no less than the descent of an evil god. Moreover, the academy also mentioned that this ritual is related to some Chosen One... I apologize, this part of the information from the academy is very messy; they just told us to wait patiently and not meddle."
Xia De raised an eyebrow and looked at Luvia beside him; the purple-eyed Diviner also glanced at him.
"The academy said they would definitely rescue Priest Augustus, and told us not to worry," the Psychologist said, full of confidence.
"When did the academy become so concerned about Letter-based Ring術士 like us?" Dorothy asked strangely.
The Psychologist hesitated, then lowered his voice:
"The academy told me not to say this... They suspect that Priest Augustus is that 'Chosen One.'"
Luvia pursed her lips, and Xia De's mouth twitched. Hearing Psychologist Schneider say this, it was indeed possible that the Priest was a Chosen One. The Church's special actions clearly indicated that the third Chosen One would appear in Middlesburg; they had already deciphered this part of the content from the whispering chapters.
And the Priest himself indeed possessed very special abilities; the blessing he bestowed could even allow Xia De to safely traverse the Darkness Domain.
Although that ability seemed to come from a Level 0 relic encountered during the Priest's youth, it was also possible that it was simply the Priest's own power. Coupled with Priest Augustus's inexplicable fall to the edge of life and death, and his consistently miraculous performance, not to mention the academy, even Xia De at this moment felt suspicious.
"With the academy and the Church cooperating, I believe Priest Augustus will definitely be rescued!" Dorothy's voice pulled Xia De back from his scattered thoughts. He nodded, then saw Luvia wink at him, and said:
"But we can't stop our efforts either, because no one knows what will happen next."
"You're right, Xia De, you'll have to work hard for this," the Psychologist patted Xia De's shoulder beside him:
"But there's no need to rush as much as in the past few days. Now our main task is to wait for the Church and the academy's actions. As for our efforts, they only need to serve as a backup option."
His original intention was to let everyone relax a bit, but he saw Xia De shake his head seriously:
"Although the Church and the academy have intervened, whether they can succeed is uncertain right now. In fact, I've already found a way to rescue Priest Augustus."
"What? That fast?" Psychologist Schneider was very surprised.
"Did you know yesterday? Why didn't you tell us?" Dorothy frowned slightly, while Luvia immediately understood, her purple eyes looking at Xia De:
"Wait, Xia De, you're not planning to enter that strange place and rescue Priest Augustus, are you?"
Although Xia De hadn't said anything, Luvia still guessed it immediately, which might be the unique talent of Diviners.
"Yes, and it's tonight. To be precise, it's after sunset—"
"What? That won't do!" The Psychologist's reaction was more intense than anyone else's:
"We've already lost Priest Augustus, and we can't lose you too. This group, this group—"
The blue-eyed Psychologist's eyes widened, his chest heaving violently, as if he couldn't breathe:
"We can't lose anyone else! I swore I would protect everyone, just like—"
He didn't say the name of the former group leader, but Xia De could understand the Psychologist's feelings:
"Calm down, Psychologist, this is currently the best and most feasible method. None of you can go to Middlesburg; only I can go, so this is something I should do."
"Xia De!" Dorothy's serious voice interrupted Xia De's conversation with Psychologist Schneider. The Golden-haired girl stared at him:
"You're going on another adventure?"
"If I don't take risks, I'll never be able to grasp the actions I want," Xia De's right palm faced upwards, making a grabbing motion in the air. Before Dorothy could object, he turned to Luvia and said:
"You're not going to object to me too, are you?"
Looking into Xia De's eyes, the purple-eyed girl pursed her lips and surprisingly said nothing.
"The ritual is tonight. You can wait here for my good news."
Xia De had already decided to take this risk, and from the information he had so far, this risk was far lower than breaking into the Darkness Domain or accidentally entering the Fishbone Pirate Ship.
The other three remained silent. After a long while, Psychologist Schneider finally sighed:
"You're going on an adventure; what can we do for you? If you had told us in advance, we could have prepared some relics or alchemy tools for you."
"I don't need any of those; I have my own preparations. However, we need to raise 3,000 pounds for material costs. My friends in Middlesburg can help me for free, but we have to pay for the materials ourselves. My funds are currently tied up..."
Because he still had to acquire special blood, and the cash Xia De had on hand was only the 2,000 pounds he got yesterday. Without selling valuable items like the Queen's ruby ring, he was truly very poor right now.
The Psychologist interrupted Xia De:
"No need for such trouble; I'll take care of these 3,000 pounds first. It just so happens that betting on you winning the Great City Player championship made me some money, so I'll use this money to save Priest Augustus. Even though he's not in Tobesk, he really is constantly reminding us not to gamble."
No one laughed at this cold joke; only the orange cat, who understood nothing, yawned and then patted Xia De's arm, wanting to be held.
"I was actually going to suggest that the three of you each put in 1,000 pounds first," Xia De raised an eyebrow, and then Dorothy asked everyone's question, as Psychologist Schneider's behavior was very suspicious:
"Psychologist, how much did you actually bet on Xia De?"
The Psychologist had originally said he would bet 800 pounds, but now he could so easily produce 3,000, clearly meaning he had won a lot.
"Oh, that," the Psychologist touched his nose and turned to look out the window:
"Since my luck has always been bad, how could I possibly miss out on an opportunity that might finally bring good luck, right? Our Detective, hasn't he never lost at cards?"
The female Diviner then gestured a "5" to the other two, unsure if it meant 5,000 pounds or a five-figure sum. It should be 5,000 pounds, after all, even for this wealthy Psychologist, it would be absolutely impossible to easily produce a five-figure sum in pounds.
There was nothing worth discussing in this week's study session, and the meeting ended a little after two in the afternoon. The Psychologist temporarily returned to his clinic to bring the 3,000 pounds in cash to Xia De. However, he immediately left again, as waiting in Saint Delan Square wouldn't be of any help.
Luvia went upstairs to continue installing the stargazing instrument and look after Mia, while Dorothy went to find Luvia. Originally, Her Royal Highness had planned to leave Yodel Palace today to teach Xia De about Sleep.
"What a pity," Xia De said as he saw Dorothy off downstairs, and then the Golden-haired Writer suddenly stood on tiptoe and kissed Xia De on the cheek:
"Be careful tonight."
As for Xia De, he didn't waste time in Tobesk. After bidding farewell to Mia at home, he took the prepared items and went directly to Middlesburg.
Of course, before leaving, he didn't forget to remind Luvia, who was busy on the third floor, that several maids would come to clean in the afternoon.
He walked out from behind the hidden wall and used Raglai's Leap to go from the basement of the ruined tower to the ground. The bat swarm was gone, probably realizing that it was no longer safe there after Xia De's attack last time.
After walking out of the ruined tower, Xia De, as usual, first went to the back of the tower to gaze at Middlesburg, which stretched north in the distance, before turning and entering the forest.
He had walked this path more than once. As he traversed the mountain forest, he used the position of the sun to determine direction, and if there were insurmountable obstacles, he would use "Raglai's Leap" to continue forward.
The time he entered the mountain forest this time was precisely in the afternoon, and not long after Xia De left the ruined tower, a fog rose in the mountains.
In the past few days, he had seen the misty miasma of Sicar Mountain from the city, but today, as he walked, he was suddenly enveloped by fog surging from the mountain. It was somewhat like snowflakes scattering during an avalanche, or like seawater engulfing land during a tsunami.
Rolling thick fog poured in, and in just a moment, the mist swirling through the mountain forest made everything around him hazy.
