Early on Wednesday morning, Xia De received a suitcase delivered by a stranger knocking on his door.
So, after breakfast, leaving Mia in the care of Luvia, who had stayed up late stargazing last night and slept on the first floor, Xia De set off again for Middelburg.
But he didn't go directly to the Mi Fort train station; instead, he went to the Cassandra Auction House and found the Great Witch Grandma Cassandra to ask for help:
"Excuse me, is there a way to completely change one's appearance in a short amount of time?" Xia De asked. The two were conversing in the reception room on the top floor of the auction house, and the silver-haired, aged Witch seemed to welcome Xia De's arrival.
"I have a box of eyeshadow given by Miss Jialinna, but that can only slightly alter one's appearance. In a little while, I need to do something where I absolutely cannot expose my identity, so is there a way to completely change my appearance?"
"How long does it need to last?" the Old Witch asked with a chuckle. Xia De thought for a moment:
"About two hours."
"Is the other party a Ring術士?"
"Most likely not."
Xia De felt it was better to be cautious. Perhaps the person coming to pick up the goods was just like him, forced to complete this task for various reasons.
"Very simple."
Grandma Cassandra then called over a maid, a middle-aged woman of about 5th Ring level, who immediately went to the auction house's warehouse to retrieve something:
"Also, bring the time key."
Grandma Cassandra instructed again, and a few dozen minutes later, two boxes containing whisper elements appeared on the coffee table, indicating that the items inside were relics.
"The time key from the fifth epoch 3024. I know Jialinna is helping you look for a time key from this period. Since you're here, I won't have to give it to her anymore."
Grandma Cassandra gestured for Xia De to open the first box. On the red lining, there indeed lay a very familiar wooden time key.
The time key to the God of Vampires' banquet in the fifth epoch 3014 had already been used all three times. This Sunday morning, he could start a new adventure. He had originally planned to apply for a new time key at the academy during the meeting on Saturday afternoon to explore other time periods, but he hadn't expected Grandma Cassandra to be able to provide one.
"The other item is on loan to you. Open it and take a look."
Xia De opened the other box, and what met his eyes was a metal plate connected to a rusty metal clip.
One side of the metal plate was blank, while the other side contained identity information:
【Second Epoch Historical Research Institute, Typist, ****】
The position where the name should have been was scratched out.
Below this line of identity information was a pattern of an open book, occupying the center of the metal card. This was probably the emblem of the so-called "Second Epoch Historical Research Institute."
Further down, there was a line of extremely small letters, which translated to:
【Without a name, everyone is us.】
"What is this?"
"The Secret Keeper Level relic 【Identity Card of Unknown Name】. This relic has been passed down for a long time, supposedly from the ancient third epoch. Clipping this identity card's small clip to your upper shirt's chest pocket will make you appear as a different image in others' eyes, and each time it's used, the image will be different."
Grandma Cassandra introduced, and Xia De curiously examined the item in his hand:
"This is truly convenient. But why is it Secret Keeper Level? Is it because of a special containment method, or powerful negative characteristics?"
"Containment is simple; no more than 5 intelligent creatures should touch this card within a day. It's because of its powerful negative characteristics, Mr. Hamilton, do you know about Faceless Man?" the Old Witch asked, holding her teacup.
Xia De thought for a moment:
"It seems to be a terrifying creature that lived in the early fifth epoch, surviving by stealing people's faces and identities. Later, it offended a Witch it shouldn't have, and was completely annihilated."
This was something he had read in Miss Felianna's notes.
"Yes, and the negative characteristic of this relic is that if held for too long or used too frequently, the user's face will peel off, and they must peel off others' faces to survive. Once the negative characteristic is triggered, the user will be transformed into a 【Faceless Man】, gradually losing sanity and descending into madness. At the same time, the more faces peeled, the stronger the power, until finally completely degenerating into an unspeakable creature composed of hundreds of faces."
Although speaking of something terrifying, the silver-haired Old Witch's face still held a smiling expression:
"If you only use it for two hours, and it's your first time using it, then you won't encounter any problems. If you're truly unlucky and feel something strange with your face, immediately remove the relic and then continuously recite your name to strengthen your self-awareness."
"Okay, this is very helpful to me. So, what reward do I need to pay for this time key and for lending me this relic?" Xia De asked.
"No, no, no, no reward is needed."
Grandma Cassandra shook her head and said before Xia De could speak again:
"But I need you to do one thing. Do you remember me mentioning last week that my teacher is preparing a ritual that happens once every 22 years?"
Grandma Cassandra's teacher was not a Witch of the Witch Council, but was equally respected by the Council.
"I remember."
Xia De nodded, but muttered to himself:
"Hmm? 22 years?"
"I'd like to invite you to observe that ritual. The specific time hasn't been set yet, but it will definitely be held in the Sicar Mountain before the end of this month. If you have time, please come with me to observe."
"Just tell me the time and place when it's set." Xia De nodded, but he didn't promise to go, after all, he didn't even know what kind of ritual it was.
Bidding farewell to Grandma Cassandra, Xia De, while still inside the Cassandra Auction House, clipped the identity card to the inside pocket of his outer coat. He himself didn't physically transform, but in others' eyes, he had already changed into a different appearance.
This could be judged by looking in a mirror. The Xia De in the mirror now had sparse hair and heavy dark circles, looking like a middle-aged man who practically had "midlife crisis" written on his face.
Afterward, he bought red roses near the Mi Fort train station, put on the pre-prepared gray gloves backward, and clipped a golden fountain pen to his pocket. Xia De carried the suitcase and walked into the bustling train station.
After buying a platform ticket, he checked the train schedule again.
Professor Higgins' last words instructed Xia De to deliver the goods at 9:30 AM today. Xia De was unsure whether the recipient was already in the city and would be leaving by train at that time, or if the recipient was from out of town and would be arriving by train at that time.
There were surprisingly seven or eight steam trains departing around 9:30 AM for Carson Rick and arriving from Carson Rick, which seemed to be one of the busiest times at the station.
Since there were no valuable clues to analyze, Xia De pretended to be a passenger waiting for a train and slowly waited with the suitcase on the crowded, steamy platform.
