Compared to their mortal selves, Grace and Helen's current state was clearly very abnormal. This abnormality referred to their mental state; it seemed that being entangled with the whisper element had, after all, led them to confusion.
Encountering old acquaintances from a long time ago did not make Xia De happy; instead, he felt somewhat worried about the twins' future. At the last moment, as the disaster in Middelburg was about to end, their appearance as The Watcher was clearly not a good omen.
However, Xia De was currently powerless to do anything about it and could only wait for further developments.
After retrieving his Mia from Miss Swift outside the door, Xia De went upstairs to bid farewell to Grandma Cassandra, then took a carriage to Loranta Manor in the northern City. That was Miss Aurora's temporary residence in Middelburg, and the manor itself was Grandma Cassandra's property.
Xia De was going to visit "Reverse-Growth" Joey Barton again in the afternoon, but he would not invite the twelfth-tier Magic Witch Hivi Aurora to accompany him, as he wanted to discuss the sensitive topic of the Chosen One with Mr. Barton alone this time.
As for visiting Miss Aurora at the manor, besides the fact that Xia De had only seen her once at the Fire Worship Festival banquet since the Magic Witch arrived in Mi Fort, so he thought he could see her again if he had nothing to do, he also borrowed her Magic Witch jewelry from Miss Aurora, which was the sage-level relic 【Ancient Magic Witches' Golden Ring - Right One】 that could provide all-around enhancement effects for Ring術士.
Joey Barton was connected to the Truth Society, so Xia De certainly wouldn't rush over without any preparation.
By the time he arrived at the manor, it was already noon. Miss Aurora, who had just entertained a merchant guest, invited Xia De and the Mia to have lunch together.
During lunch, she asked about the "ritual" from yesterday and confirmed that Xia De had already met Grandma Cassandra's teacher.
"Yes, she's someone I knew before. I saw her in Tobesk once, but I didn't know she was a Ring術士 at the time."
Xia De used this excuse to prevaricate. It was clear that Miss Aurora was very suspicious, but she ultimately didn't ask much:
"Just be careful yourself. The prettier a woman is, the more she'll lie."
The Magic Witch said, holding a soup spoon, and signaled a servant to refill her wine glass with red wine.
After lunch, Xia De obtained the ring from Miss Aurora, who asked no questions, and then set off again with Mia.
After parting with Iluna last week, Iluna had already reported The Society of Truth to the Church, and it was said to have made some progress. But for now, it seemed the Church hadn't been able to trace the Crow Club from the Truth Society, because Pig Tail Lane was no different from when Xia De had visited the previous two times.
Even when Xia De knocked on the door, the person who opened it was the same. He still recognized Xia De and naturally remembered "John Watson" who had accompanied two different girls, so he directly led Xia De to the innermost room on the first floor of the club, where he met Mr. Joey Barton.
The room was still the same, only the crow in the birdcage at the entrance seemed to have been replaced with a different one.
When he sat down, Xia De curiously asked what had happened to the original crow. Mr. Barton, wearing a turban, said with a touch of sadness:
"After you left last time, it died for no reason, as if it was scared to death. The crows in the club have all been specially bred and have very high spiritual and human qualities. I really don't know what happened to it; it just suddenly died."
Xia De, holding the Mia, comforted him:
"You also said last time that normal birth and death are natural laws and nothing to be bothered about, Mr. Barton. You should bless it for having lived its life. However, it's rare for a artificially raised crow to be scared to death."
Xia De pretended to look around:
"In recent weeks, I've often heard rumors of ghosts in the City, and even when I came by carriage just now, the talkative coachman also mentioned it. Perhaps you should be careful. Maybe there's something dirty nearby. How about preparing some fine salt and sprinkling it at the door?"
Mr. Barton shook his head:
"Using salt to exorcise demons is just a rural superstition; it can't be used against ghosts. However, there are indeed many reports of ghosts in the City recently. This autumn in Mi Fort is really not peaceful. If you're worried about evil spirits, I can give you an amulet. Oh, of course, it's free. I don't earn money by selling these."
Saying that, he actually wanted to get up and fetch an amulet that could ward off ghosts for Xia De, but Xia De stopped him.
Mr. Barton then asked:
"Mr. Watson, so you came alone this time to continue divining for your pet Mia? I noticed you didn't bring any other female companions."
"Yes, it's still for her divination."
Xia De scratched Mia's chin, then looked around, confirming that there were indeed only two people, one Mia, and one crow in the dim room:
"However, before we proceed with the divination, I'd like to talk with you."
"Of course, you can. I only receive one guest per half-day, and chatting with guests is also part of my job."
"I want to talk about… some private matters. You can understand it as me wanting to gather material for my new book."
"Oh, I see."
Joey Barton nodded, stood up with difficulty, then limped to the door, picked up a pole standing behind the door, and with great effort, stood on tiptoe, using the wooden pole with a hook at one end to open the blue curtain next to the cage, letting the curtain cover the cage.
Actually, he didn't need to do this at all, because that crow looked as well-behaved as the previous one. After Xia De brought Mia in, it just huddled in the cage, not daring to move.
"Sometimes crows' eyes and ears can be very sensitive, and they are very spiritual."
Mr. Barton explained with a smile, then limped back and motioned for Xia De to speak.
"May I ask, what is your view on death?"
Placing Mia on his lap, Xia De formally got to the point.
Mr. Barton was clearly taken aback by Xia De's question:
"That's a profound question indeed, but no matter what, I must remind you not to easily give up your life."
"Please rest assured, there are too many irreplaceable existences in my life."
"That's good."
This man, who was clearly middle-aged but looked like a deformed child, sighed:
"death, ah, I've had many feelings about it in recent decades. Although I don't consider myself an excellent literary figure or Writer, if I were to write down my inner thoughts, it would probably be enough to publish a book. I believe death is the end of a journey."
"Please elaborate."
Xia De made an interested expression. Mr. Barton clasped his large hands together, his two thumbs rotating against each other:
"Perhaps everyone's background and identity at birth are different, and their future growth trajectories are also different, but for us mortals, the fairest thing about life is that everyone will have birth and death."
"Yes, everyone will."
The figures of Helen and Grace behind the curtain jumped into Xia De's mind.
"After a long journey, one falls into eternal slumber with satisfaction and regret. Perhaps some people's lives are a path of blooming flowers and splendid brocade, some are a path of withered bones, some are walking uphill, some are moving back and forth between mountaintops and valleys, and some even walk backward…"
He paused, evidently thinking of himself:
"But no matter what, everything will return to death. All things are equal, all beings die—I revere death for this reason."
"All beings die… Well said, it is indeed so."
Xia De nodded, then showed an awkward expression, while Mia looked up at the birdcage:
"Mr. Barton, it's a bit embarrassing to say, but I had someone inquire about you."
Joey Barton was not surprised:
"Yes, a wealthy person like you couldn't possibly trust a strange fellow like me so easily. However, what I'm more curious about is, what did you find out?"
"I learned some strange past events. After you were born, you suffered from a strange illness. When you were very young, your body aged rapidly, so much so that even though you were still a child, you looked like an old person on the verge of death. But as you grew older, your aging body, like reverse growth, became younger and younger. As for now, Mr. Barton, although you look like a child, your actual age should already be over forty."
"Yes, I didn't expect you to know so much."
"No, no, no, I only know this much."
Xia De quickly shook his head:
"I know some very powerful friends locally, which is why I was able to investigate past records. But I truly don't know your experiences after you left Mi Fort. What I want to understand today are these stories. Of course, if you have any unpleasant memories you don't wish to recall, we can talk about other things."
"Hmm~ I see… That wasn't a pleasant experience, but if you want to know, we can talk about it. I'm not ashamed of my illness."
Mr. Barton sighed, staring at the teacup in his hand:
"Most of my childhood memories are of the sickbed and the scenery outside the window. After it was confirmed that Mi Fort couldn't cure my reverse-growth disease, my parents sent me away, to stay with relatives and continue treatment. My family wasn't as wealthy as yours, so while it was called treatment, it was actually also meant for me to see the world while I was still alive."
"Did you find a cure?"
"The irony of fate is here: the pounds were spent, but there was no effect whatsoever. If it weren't for the medical college being willing to use my body as research material, providing some subsidies, and also because my health improved as I aged, I would have found it very difficult to live to adulthood."
PS: A small detail corrected. In Chapter 711, Sister Devlin mentioned that Joey Barton was 43 years old this year, and he returned to Mi Fort when he was 32. This is corrected to: Joey Barton returned to Mi Fort when he was 40, which was three years ago.
