A single coin was not enough to divine the matter of the third Chosen One. Even though Luvia had advanced from Three Ring to Four Ring by utilizing the Great City Player's time, it did not significantly reduce her "Divination by Price" demand for currency relics.
However, the intelligence she had requested from the Prophet Association headquarters regarding "Middlesburg" finally arrived. It contained extensive descriptions of the 【Between Life and Death】, but it was no longer useful to Xia De, as he would not be entering that place again.
The only thing that surprised him was that the Prophet Association believed Sicar Mountain, this "dormant volcano," was not a naturally formed volcano but rather one formed by external forces. Furthermore, Sicar Mountain still had the potential to erupt, but what it might spew out might not be lava.
"Does the Association believe that once death erupts, the most likely eruption point is the summit of Sicar Mountain?"
Xia De asked in confusion, but Luvia also didn't understand.
He went from his basement to the ruined tower on Sicar Mountain, practiced a hundred sword swings in the forest in front of the tower, and then went down the mountain into the City.
Cassandra Auction House can be considered the most famous chain auction house in the entire Old Continent. And the headquarters of the auction house is precisely in the City center of Middlesburg.
The auction house, along with the local Natural Church, Dawn Church, and City Hall, are all located on Saint Carla Avenue in the City center. Although geographically it is not the very center of the City, but rather to the south, this area is indeed the economic, political, and cultural center of the entire City.
The two ends of Saint Carla Avenue are Oak Street and Punjab Avenue, respectively. Many important border agencies of the Kingdom, such as the Border Management Bureau, are located on the former, while the latter is filled with the offices of various large and small multinational trade groups.
"Wait, Punjab Avenue?"
In the latter half of the harvest month, the leaves on the street trees had already begun to fall. When Xia De dismounted from the carriage at Cassandra Auction House, he was suddenly startled and then turned to look at the intersection of Saint Carla Avenue and Punjab Avenue:
"I remember, on the intelligence report delivered by the Gray Headed Eagle, the Principality of Sett told the Carson Rick people that the goods they helped transport were in a certain warehouse on Punjab Avenue... Wait, what does that have to do with me?"
He immediately forgot the matter he had suddenly recalled, convinced in his heart that the loyal MI6 Major-level agent Xia De Hamilton had no connection with the evil Carson Rick people (Note).
He came to the Carson Rick Auction House today mainly to meet the Great Witch Qi Na, Grandma Cassandra, and Sister Devlin of the Spiritual Cultivation Order. Besides thanking them for their help, he also needed to explain in detail what exactly happened in the Between Life and Death on Saturday night.
Xia De certainly wouldn't say that he and Priest Augustus had both "died" once and then returned from the world of the dead. He only said that he had encountered many strange people in the Between Life and Death, and had even seen a very powerful Vampire from afar.
"The other party was truly strong. Besides the person with wings, perhaps the one who caused the crimson aurora anomaly above Sicar Mountain might also be that Vampire. After all, isn't the power of Vampires often associated with blood red?"
Xia De said without any psychological burden.
He had saved the middle-aged Vampire and his nephew, and the other party was not only of a different race but also a foreigner speaking carson rick. He might never see them again in his life.
"Vampire? There do seem to be some long-term residents here, but haven't they always been acting as ordinary citizens?"
Grandma Cassandra and Sister Devlin conversed for a moment and seemed to have no doubts about his words.
The two also informed Xia De that a total of 17 missing persons, including Priest Augustus, had been successively found yesterday by soldiers of the Delarion Royal Army from the City Hall and Windy Path.
Everyone had lost their memories of the 【Between Life and Death】. This was not only due to the influence of the Level 0 relic itself, but also because living people should not possess any memories related to the world of death.
In short, Priest Augustus had successfully returned to the Dawn Church. After a physical examination and a simple inquiry, he would be able to return to his normal work. The Priest was no different from the other sixteen missing persons; no one remembered what he had done in the 【Between Life and Death】.
Grandma Cassandra knew that Xia De had come to Middlesburg from Tobesk through special means, so before Xia De got up to leave, she told him that if he had trouble in this City, he could come to her for help at any time. Although Sister Devlin of the Spiritual Cultivation Order also heard all of this, she did not show curiosity about Xia De's spatial crossing.
She didn't understand why the Great Witch would be close to a man, but she also promised that Xia De could receive help from the 【Spiritual Cultivation Order】 at any time. She still didn't tell Xia De the location of the Order's headquarters, but Xia De could contact her through the 【House of the Blind】.
After expressing his gratitude again, Xia De then mentioned his desire to acquire special blood, currency relics, and time keys before leaving Cassandra Auction House. As he reached the door, someone called his name again:
"Mr. John Watson!"
Turning his head, he saw the lobby manager of the auction house's first floor, who had just guided Xia De. The brown-haired middle-aged man in a sharp suit hurried over and handed Xia De a brass-colored card.
Xia De initially thought it was the other party's business card, but after looking at it, he realized it wasn't.
"Mr. Watson, this is a VIP card for Cassandra Auction House. It can be used at all auction houses and branches throughout the Old Continent. I forgot to give it to you just now."
He said respectfully. Xia De nodded, took the card, and then inquired further:
"If I want to contact an officer stationed at Windy Path, what is the simplest way?"
The camps of these border troops are all in Sicar Mountain, and Xia De didn't want to go up the mountain along Windy Path, as it was too far.
"Do you know the specific troop number or camp location?"
The middle-aged manager asked, and Xia De shook his head:
"Only the rank and name."
"Then I suggest you go to the taverns in the south of the City to inquire. Officers like to go into the City to unwind in taverns when they are on leave. They know each other well, and you will find the answer."
Seeing Xia De nod, he hesitated for a moment and then said:
"I don't mean to offend those respectable border officers, but they are usually rude and crude. A gentleman like you might find it difficult to deal with them."
This middle-aged man did not know Xia De's true identity, but seeing that he could gain the favor of Ms. Cassandra, the owner of the auction house, he assumed he was a young noble descendant or from a wealthy merchant family.
"What do they like to do in taverns?"
Xia De asked curiously.
"What else? Women, alcohol, and rhode cards."
"I see."
Xia De pondered, believing he would get along well with the local officers.
Because it connects to the most important railway lines in the central and eastern parts of the continent, the density of taverns and inns around the Middlesburg train station, located in the southern part of the City, is astonishing. Even on a Tuesday workday during the day, most taverns along the street are still open, and there are many customers.
It was Just right noon, so Xia De thought of finding a place to eat and gather information. He didn't want to squeeze into overcrowded small taverns, but going to high-end restaurants was not only expensive but also made it impossible to gather information.
He intentionally looked for a large inn similar to the Three Cats Inn in Tobesk's St. Anthem Square, which looked respectable and conducted relatively legitimate business. Just now, when he was in the carriage, the enthusiastic coachman recommended the "Sicar Inn" on Birchwood Street, two blocks away from the train station.
The name was quite straightforward, but it seemed to leave a deeper impression on people this way.
"I wonder if 'Sicar' counts as a chain brand. If so, someone will probably come to collect brand fees."
Xia De thought to himself, amused. Only he understood what these thoughts meant.
Middlesburg is extremely rich in timber resources, but the buildings in the southern district, built in the old era, mostly adopted stone structures due to military and fire prevention needs. The Sicar Inn's area is far smaller than the Three Cats Inn in Tobesk City, but this inn also has four floors above ground, with the upper two floors being accommodation areas and the lower two floors being a restaurant and a tavern.
It was precisely eleven-thirty in the morning when Xia De applied his eyeshadow and pushed open the door to enter the inn. The sun was quite good today, and light streamed through the gray stone window frames, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the tables and guests.
There was a scent of wine in the inn, and at this time, two-thirds of the tables on the first floor were already filled with lunch guests. The bustling restaurant was lively, with people of various languages and identities conversing with each other.
Xia De even heard someone loudly complaining in carson rick about the excessive humidity of Middlesburg's autumn as he entered, a scene only seen in times of peace.
By the wall, a long-haired male Bard with a red hat sat on a high stool, playing a lute, with a silver Carson Rick whistle standing at his feet.
Xia De saw that there were still empty tables near him, so he sat down, asked the waiter for a menu, and chose some food that sounded like it might suit his taste. He didn't order too much food, after all, he had an appointment to meet Priest Augustus in the afternoon, and the Priest still owed him a meal.
While choosing drinks, Xia De unconsciously thought again of the sip of wine Tifa had given him during dinner yesterday. He kept a straight face, returned the menu to the waiter, and then watched the Poet play and sing, waiting for his lunch to be served.
Bards who perform in taverns for money mostly use epic poems and legendary stories as their material. Sometimes, they also cater to the needs of the Kingdom's officials, singing about current political news for a fee.
The Poet in front of him was singing the local legend of the Phoenix. The current verse had reached the end of the story, where the people in the story mourned the Phoenix who had sacrificed for the City.
PS: Chapter 368 mentioned that Xia De is already a Major.
