As the time for the representatives of the Anjou Royal Family to arrive in Tobesk drew nearer, the residents of Tobesk could also feel the importance the City Hall and the Kingdom placed on this matter. But this was temporarily unrelated to Xia De. After leaving the Prophet Association, he bid farewell to the cat lazily sunbathing on his windowsill at home and went to Huntington City through the statue in the basement.
When he emerged from the cellar of the White River Valley Vineyard, the morning sun at the turn of autumn and winter was even a little dazzling.
He raised his hand above his eyes and happened to see Mr. Bernhart, standing in the courtyard of the small manor with his servants and coachman, directing workers to unload goods from a flatbed cart:
“Good morning, Mr. Bernhart.”
“Good morning, Mr. Watson.”
The two greeted each other familiarly. Xia De tightened the collar button of his warm black overcoat and walked over:
“Are you storing food for winter again?”
The middle-aged Vampire hesitated, carefully shook his head, and stood with Xia De watching the workers unload the goods:
“No, it’s tobacco.”
“Tobacco, huh?”
Xia De was a little surprised and lowered his voice:
“You also do tobacco business?”
Whether in Delarion or Carson Rick, the tobacco business was regulated by the Kingdom. Looking at the way they were unloading goods now, it didn’t seem like a legitimate business at all:
“Do you still have smuggling channels? Is it to the New World, or to Delarion?”
Xia De wasn’t particularly surprised; after all, Leia was still doing arms smuggling in Mi Fort.
“No, no, no, I’m not that bold.”
Mr. Bernhart lowered his voice slightly:
“Didn’t we meet Princess Margaret yesterday and help solve the murder case? Her Highness had a very good impression of me. Last night, she sent someone to my manor and gave me a note. These are the princess’s goods, transported from Weilandale, and she asked me to store them at the White River Valley Vineyard first. They will be taken away tomorrow when the steam airship lands.”
Xia De was stunned for a few seconds before he understood:
“Princess Margaret wants to smuggle…”
“How can royal affairs be called smuggling?”
Mr. Bernhart corrected:
“Besides, the airship has so much space; it’s empty anyway, so it’s only right to put some valuable goods in it. I don’t think His Majesty would mind this, but it’s best not to be discovered by others. Of course, even if it is discovered, it can be said that it’s a gift for Delarion.”
Xia De showed a look of understanding, then asked with great interest:
“That princess wouldn’t let you do it for free, would she?”
Mr. Bernhart looked around and then turned to Xia De, gesturing a number:
“This much.”
Xia De calculated it and raised an eyebrow:
“She’s truly generous.”
“After all, excluding the tobacco tax, the cost of these goods isn’t much, but you know the selling price of tobacco.”
This middle-aged noble, who drank alcohol, smoked, and drank blood, shook his head and sighed:
“The Kingdom’s tax department is more like a Vampire than I am.”
It seemed that people of different social strata liked to complain about tax issues, whether in Delarion or Carson Rick.
Today, Mr. Bernhart was busy helping Princess Margaret transport goods, so he wouldn’t go into the city with Xia De. However, he had already organized the information about the local “Lake Goddess” rumors and handed the file bag containing the information to Xia De:
“Actually, similar rumors appear every few years. I heard many when I was a child. If you want to go on an adventure, you can call me along. Winter is coming soon, and I don’t have anything urgent I must do.”
Mr. Bernhart said.
This gentleman originally planned to have his carriage take Xia De to Huntington City, but Xia De chose a horse in the stable, wanting to ride through the countryside himself.
The sky in the countryside was not polluted by smog from steam factories. On a morning at the turn of autumn and winter, the weather was excellent, with large clouds hanging like cotton in the clear blue sky. Xia De, who could barely ride a horse, rode along the country road, looking at the surrounding fields and vineyards.
Riding a horse was indeed colder than riding in a carriage. After dealing with matters in Huntington City, Xia De would also have to consider the heating problem for Saint Delan Square No. 6 in winter.
Princess Margaret and her accompanying private doctor and servants were currently residing at the Rothschild Mansion in the center of Huntington City, which was royal property in the area. However, when Miss Sylvia met Xia De in the council last night, she didn’t ask him to meet at the Rothschild Mansion but gave him the address of the local “Owl Bookstore.”
The Owl Bookstore was located in the middle section of Malfoy Street in Huntington City and had no special features from the outside. The storefront window facing the street displayed popular novels such as “The Secret of Sisyphus,” “The Mad Knight and the Foolish Princess,” and “Eye of the Storm Adventure Guide.” Upon pushing open the bookstore’s door, to the sound of bells, one first saw “Rodels’ Poetry Collection” and “Trog’s Selected Works,” which were serious literature.
On a very pleasant morning, there was a drowsy atmosphere in the bookstore, like a dull Summer classroom. There weren’t many people. After Xia De entered, he walked directly to the counter, tapping the wooden countertop to wake up a young man in a white shirt and brown vest, who seemed to be dozing.
Xia De quietly asked in his not-so-fluent carson rick:
“I’m looking for a book.”
“What book?”
The young man behind the counter, who looked at least seventeen or eighteen, asked with a yawn. His face was covered in acne scars and freckles, as dense as freckles.
“The Theory of Large Numbers.”
“Oh, this way, please.”
The young man lifted the counter’s cover and then opened the door behind him, which almost blended into the wall.
Xia De nodded, about to walk in, and then asked:
“Do you have ‘hamilton detective story collection’ here?”
The young man hesitated, looking at Xia De suspiciously:
“Is that part of the code?”
“No, I’m really looking for this book.”
“Oh, I see. But I’m sorry, that foreign novel seems to still be in translation. If you want to read it, you can ask at the delarion merchants’ guild. Only the delarion version is available now.”
Xia De thought he might find a pirated copy here.
Behind the Owl Library was a building like a large club. This was itself the Ring術士 black market of Huntington City.
Miss Sylvia was already waiting for Xia De here. When the attendant led Xia De in, the lady was holding a teacup and flipping through a book in her hand. That book was exactly the “hamilton detective story collection” that Xia De had just mentioned.
“Good morning, Knight.”
This Great Witch, whose age was even younger than the Outsider’s body, waved the book in her hand at Xia De. She was wearing a black dress today. Her black hair didn’t quite match the black dress, and people of this era were superstitious that black would bring disaster, so this style of dress was the first Xia De had ever seen.
“That’s a book written by my friend.”
Xia De said, pulling out a chair and sitting opposite the Witch. The Witch waved to the young girl standing beside her, who came over to pour tea for Xia De. She was also her follower, but her rank was even lower than Xia De’s.
“Yes, otherwise it would be impossible to describe you in such detail. Miss Jialinna Cavendish has indeed found a good follower.”
“No, I am not Miss Jialinna’s follower.”
Xia De corrected, thanking the girl who poured the tea:
“Only a partner.”
“Yes, I understand, your positions are equal.”
The Witch said, fully understanding the meaning in Xia De’s words:
“However, your friend said in the book that you are very good at mathematics?”
“It’s okay.”
Xia De nodded reservedly. When Dorothy created story characters, she drew heavily from his image. She asked Xia De if he was good at art or if he had unique hobbies, and Xia De said he was good at mathematics.
Dorothy didn’t ask Xia De how good he was, only happily said that mathematics indeed matched a shrewd Detective very well.
“Can you give an answer to this question?”
The Witch pushed the notebook beside her to Xia De. Xia De tilted his head and glanced at it, finding that she had even specially used Delarion text:
“Multivariable equations? The entrance exam for Delarion Advanced College is even more difficult than this. I don’t think you need to ask me such a question, do you? And, is this related to spatial power?”
Xia De knew this information because he had considered going to Tobesk University and obtaining an honorary degree through donations to elevate his cultural level beyond that of a “Sparrow Detective tutor.”
“It’s not related to spatial power, but I’m very curious about your mathematical level.”
Miss Sylvia smiled, turned to the next page, and let Xia De continue to look.
The next page contained some pencil sketches with densely written letters next to them:
“Solid geometry? Madam, although I’m not very good at this, you’ve already selected the coordinate system and reference points, so I don’t think it will be difficult to solve this.”
He picked up the notebook and quickly drew a few auxiliary lines. After half a year in this world, these skills were not unfamiliar to him.
“Very good.”
The Witch nodded again, finally turning to the last page:
“Look at this; I think this might be a bit difficult.”
Xia De continued to look and found that what was written in cursive on the notebook looked very familiar:
“Morse expansion?” (Chapter 201)
In the Outsider’s hometown, this was actually called Taylor expansion.
“You know this?”
The young Great Witch was truly surprised this time. Xia De nodded:
“During the Summer, I attended a few academic lectures and reports held in the Tobesk University District. I didn’t expect you to know this too.”
Miss Sylvia scrutinized him:
“You are much smarter than the Anjou Family girls. I have always believed that learning mathematics well can make a Ring術士’s way of thinking more rational, logical, and organized. Moreover, basic mathematics and geometry have always been inseparable from ritual studies.”
She put away her notebook:
“Mr. Hamilton, you are very good. Now I can ask this question: Are you interested in becoming my apprentice?”
