After leaving the Crow Club, Xia De sent Iluna back to the local Sun Church, and then the melancholy Outsider returned to Tobesk.
He first went to Old John to order alchemical items for the sealing ritual, and chatted with Old John about the latest news. Tobesk had been peaceful lately.
It wasn't until the sky outside darkened that Xia De bid farewell to Old John, took Mia to dinner, and then waited for Luvia at seven in the evening.
After informing the purple-eyed girl about Joey Barton, The Society of Truth, and Founding·Death, she was almost certain that Iluna's view was completely correct: Joey Barton was the primary candidate for the death Chosen One.
"Why are you so sure?"
Xia De was very interested in this.
"Xia De, haven't you noticed yet? Every time the all things are impermanent card appears, it means a Chosen One has appeared. You got Genesis · Balance from the tree in the underground ruins of Tobesk, and Iluna just performed her ritual; you got Genesis Darkness from Queen Diana in Yodel Palace, and Darkness immediately went there to steal the hilt of the Dark Sword."
Luvia summarized, and Xia De hesitated for a moment, pointing to the bedroom that originally belonged to Sparrow Detective, a room he still hadn't used:
"But when I got Origin · Silver Moon in the master bedroom over there, the Chosen One didn't appear. There were two people present at the time: Sparrow Detective died, and only I was left. Could it be that I am the Chosen One of the Moon?"
"Of course not!"
Luvia immediately shook her head:
"Anyone could be the Chosen One, except you. Therefore, inferring the Chosen One based on the appearance of the all things are impermanent card is only a rough estimation method. Ultimately, I still need to perform a divination to confirm the answer."
As she spoke, she picked up the six coins, thought for a moment, and picked out a blood money to hand to Xia De:
"Keep this; we're still waiting to find other coins."
So she still had five coins in her hand, but after thinking about it, she picked out the 【Diviner's Silver Coin】. This silver coin was not only given to Iluna by the church, but it was also very useful for a Fortune Teller, so it could be saved.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, two blood money, one 【Dragon Blood Treasure Coin】, and one 【Upright Coin】 were tossed into the air.
And as the coins reached their apex, large patches of rust finally appeared successfully on their surfaces.
As they fell, the rust marks on the coin surfaces became increasingly severe. Before they finally landed, they turned into dust and disappeared.
"Meow~"
The cat, looking up, was very interested in this.
"No problem this time."
Luvia opened her eyes, a smile on her lips, and a purple light flashed in her eyes:
"The Chosen One is Joey Barton."
Xia De let out a long breath:
"Very good, very good. After half an autumn of work, this matter is finally coming to an end."
As he spoke, he pulled the cat, who was squatting beside him, into his arms with a smile, holding it with his left arm and quickly stroking its small head with his right hand. The orange and white cat narrowed its eyes and purred, seemingly not unhappy.
Luvia was also in a good mood and was amused by this scene:
"Xia De, don't rush. Because we have a lot of information beyond the divination, this divination yielded even more information. All three candidates you provided are candidates for the Chosen One. Yes, all of them."
"All of them? What about the priority?"
That was the key.
Luvia paused to organize her words:
"Joey Barton, suspected to be the 【Reverse-Born】 of The Society of Truth, is the first in priority. Sister Devlin, the Flame-Holding Nun of the Spiritual Cultivation Order, is second. Our friend, the seemingly unremarkable Priest Latt Augustus of the Dawn Church, is third. Additionally, according to my divination, you also encountered a candidate with an even lower priority today, but I don't know who that is."
"This is so complicated this time?"
Xia De nodded suspiciously, then shook his head:
"We won't consider the people further down. The lower the priority, the weaker the Chosen One's talent. And unless the three above all die, the people behind them won't have a chance. I really didn't expect all three of them to be candidates."
The current situation was even more complex than when Ivan Darkness appeared. For Darkness, Xia De only needed to consider how to eliminate him. But for Joey Barton, Xia De was still undecided on how to deal with him.
According to the information collected by Sister Devlin, Joey Barton was a very good person. This was not a pretense; it was truly the case. And yet, there was a high probability that he was connected to The Society of Truth, or rather, funded by The Society of Truth.
Luvia also thought of this problem, but she was very open-minded about it:
"Xia De, try to contact Joey Barton again next week and test him. If you determine that he has no possibility of cooperating with us, then give up on this Chosen One and let Iluna inform the church directly."
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yes."
The purple-eyed girl nodded, her expression serious:
"I just want to witness the thirteen Chosen One, and eventually open that door. But I won't murder innocent people because of it, just as you wouldn't murder him to get that 【Founding·Death】. Of course, I very much hope that our friend Priest Augustus obtains this identity, but setting aside Joey Barton, Xia De, would you murder Sister Devlin, who is second in priority, because of this?"
Xia De immediately shook his head.
This was not just a matter of morality, but also because the nun was a genuine Eleventh Ring, and she had more than one angel-level relic on her. Xia De even thought that a Twelfth Ring might not be able to defeat her.
"So, go see Joey Barton again next week. If he's a good person, we'll try to cooperate with him, but only to a limited extent, as he's not a permanent resident of Tobesk. If he's a bad person, report him. Xia De, your mission in Middlesburg is about to be completed."
Luvia leaned back on the sofa, quite relaxed:
"Handing the matter over to the church means we don't need to divine the Selected One Ritual, we don't need to pursue someone, and we don't need to search for someone. Now, we just wait quietly for the Selected One Ritual to be completed."
"So... it's over?"
Xia De was a bit hesitant.
"What else are you expecting?"
The Fortune Teller asked, then added after a thought:
"Yes, the Gap problem hasn't been resolved yet. But Xia De, that's not your responsibility."
The Outsider certainly didn't think solving the Between Life and Death was his responsibility; he just thought that this matter could absolutely not end so easily.
"However, I can indeed rest for a while."
He said, planning to rest until Monday. On Monday, he had already arranged with Grandma Cassandra to witness her "teacher's" ritual.
"Speaking of which, the Detective agency hasn't had any business for half a month. Also, I plan to deal with the third-floor issue soon. The materials need to be bought at Coldwater Port, and the precious metal rings ordered from Old John will take a few more days to get. Things in Mi Fort are coming to an end, but there are still many things to do at home in Tobesk."
He pointed upstairs.
"The Astronomical Academy's autumn stargazing event is also coming to an end. The Star Sea Whale will appear within ten to fifteen days. The Astronomical Academy considers the appearance of creatures that can penetrate space walls as the end of the autumn stargazing event."
Luvia said, looking at the cat Xia De was holding, and inexplicably remembered Xia De mentioning earlier that Joey Barton's eyes were temporarily blinded for a moment after looking at the cat.
"But this cat... is very normal."
The gas lamp on the wall illuminated the Outsider's home in this world. The purple-eyed girl, related to the homeowner, held a teacup, narrowed her eyes, and pondered the past and future. The cat, kept by the homeowner, lay on his lap, feeling sleepy from its comfortable life, its orange fur gleaming like the sun even in the night light.
As for Xia De, he sat in the middle of the long sofa, tilting his head to look at the reflection of the room in the window, contemplating the impending conclusion in Middlesburg. In a daze, he actually saw a Red Butterfly fly past the window, but when he blinked again, he saw nothing.
【In the fifth epoch, 1853, withered leaf month, late autumn. Unceasing time has brought you to this moment, but those mysteries have yet to be answered. The Vampire race, the Twin Red Butterfly, the Flame-Holding Nun, and also, the person of death chosen by fate. Outsider, the story of Middlesburg is about to come to an end. Have you, who have spent most of autumn here, seen through the ending that will eventually arrive? death is in Vibration, and ancient and primordial forces are about to break free from their shackles. Behind the curtain, all actors are in place. When the curtain of the Mountain City is drawn, will you, watching this scene from below the stage, choose to change the outcome of this disaster?】
The whispers in his ear almost made Xia De feel as if "she" was right behind him.
Xia De smiled, looking at his reflection in the window:
"Change? Are you saying I should use the power of divinity to stop all this?"
He gently flicked Mia's small ear. Mia, with her head resting on her two furry front paws, let out a soft meow. That meow was very gentle.
【Outsider, we will witness the coming story together. The primordial end may engulf the Mountain City, but the courage and wisdom of mortals may also save everything. Sitting beneath the elusive stage of fate, will you pursue the Red Butterfly that is about to depart, or follow the guidance of the First Fire? All mortals must die, all things must end. Perhaps the answer awaiting you is a tragedy that spans years and time.】
"She" chuckled. Xia De leaned back on the sofa, raised his left hand, and touched the corner of his mouth with his thumb:
"Are you trying to say that the ending of Mi Fort won't be too good? No, no, it's not time to conclude yet, but I think it's not far off."
His fingers unconsciously tapped the sofa cushion, and the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner was exceptionally clear at this moment. Time was moving forward, and all Xia De could do was wait.
"Oh, and the Gaddis Library matter."
Thinking of Miss Olanorde, he seemed to see that yellow moon again. Under the gaze of Luvia and Mia, he slightly raised his right hand, and in his palm, a small, yellow moon's phantom was suspended.
This was not a Miracle or a spell, just a small application of Moonlight:
"May the moon protect me."
PS: Remember, besides Joey Barton, the nun, and Priest Augustus, there is at least one more named candidate in Mi Fort, who should be considered the fourth in priority. This is very important.
