Although there were some unexpected incidents at the farewell dinner that night, the Carson Rick delegation led by Princess Margaret Anjou officially departed only twenty minutes later than scheduled.
As for what exactly happened at the banquet, most people only heard the thunder overhead, but considering that unusual weather phenomena have not been uncommon in recent years, no one, except for a few, knew that an angel-level relic had been used.
In any case, the Church did not find anything strange around Princess Margaret, and the intentions of Miss Pa Wo of the Truth Society and that Nine Ring professor remained a mystery. To protect the princess's safety, the Tobesk Diocese should soon receive a mission, and Iluna will likely be busy again.
Of course, if the delegation, once outside Carson Rick, truly encountered an accident, then the Kingdom of Delarion would be the most troubled.
Although the princess had left, the Voodoo Society, having been involved in this matter, would likely face a full-scale encirclement and suppression by the Orthodox Church. As for what the Pantanal Evil truly was, or whether it would break its seal, these were not things Xia De could know.
Mr. Bernhardt only learned that the person who appeared on the rooftop to meet the lightning strike was Xia De on his way back from the City to the east of the City. However, he was not surprised at all; he even felt it was normal for Xia De to find him lively and unharmed in the banquet hall shortly after being struck by lightning.
Xia De was naturally curious how Mr. Bernhardt, a Vampire, became friends with a Peace Church priest, and how the latter seemed to have known his identity for a long time. The middle-aged Vampire nobleman shook his head, unwilling to say more, and Xia De, thinking of his dwindling relatives and the fact that his Vampire bloodline was acquired later, felt there must be many stories behind it.
"The Truth Society people will probably leave Huntington City, after all, listening to Miss Pa Wo, they only came for Princess Margaret. But this City will probably not be peaceful next; I hope we won't be as unlucky as Tobesk, Coldwater Port, and Middelburg."
When they arrived at the White River Valley Vineyard, Mr. Bernhardt sighed to Xia De, but Xia De didn't dare to comfort him, because from the current situation, it was possible that something extraordinary truly existed near the City.
On the other hand, the materials that Mr. Bernhardt's servant was asked to copy after visiting Professor Drake the day before yesterday were already copied. Mr. Bernhardt handed them to Xia De, very curious about what Xia De would find.
"If the Lake Goddess truly exists, I would also like to make a wish for a great harvest in the vineyard next year."
When waving goodbye, Mr. Bernhardt even joked. Xia De also waved goodbye to him:
"If all wishes have a price, then the price for this wish would probably just be some fertilizer."
In any case, when the banquet ended and Xia De returned home from the White River Valley Vineyard, it was already close to eleven at night. Dorothy had already left, but Luvia was at Saint Delan Square Six, holding a reluctant Mia, sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine on winter ladies' fashion design.
Seeing Xia De return, she smiled and asked:
"Xia De, how was the banquet tonight? I met Dorothy here around eight, and she said you went to an out-of-town banquet."
She released Mia, and the cat immediately ran aggrievedly towards Xia De. The brown-haired, purple-eyed girl walked up to Xia De, took the document bag from his hand to help place it on the coffee table, and then curiously asked:
"Why are you wearing this to a banquet? Don't Carson Rick banquets require formal attire?"
"It was formal attire originally, but then I encountered some minor trouble... I was struck by lightning, but it's not a big problem."
Xia De explained, then spread his palm, and some electric arcs danced between his fingers. This was not a spell, but merely the most primitive manifestation of extraordinary power, similar to when he officially became a Ring術士 at Doctor Schneider's, where he could char a piece of paper just by looking at it.
He gained this primitive ability not only because he was directly struck by lightning containing faint divine power just now, but also because he had been diligently studying "The Book of Raging Thunder" for the past two months. 【Thunder】 was the second Ling Rune Saint Byron's recommended to him after 【Light】.
"Struck by lightning?"
Luvia blinked suspiciously, but given Xia De's consistently miraculous experiences, being struck by lightning was completely insignificant compared to other things like witches, gods, and relics, so seeing that Xia De was healthy and unharmed, she didn't ask further.
Mia, however, was very interested in the arc light at Xia De's fingertips, as it noticed its fur standing on end automatically.
"So, Margaret Anjou and her party have already left Huntington City?"
"Yes, they departed Saturday night and should arrive here by Monday morning, approximately."
Xia De nodded, pulled a coin from his pocket—the blue dandelion coin:
"Luvia, I now have three coins. I'm going to use one now and want you to help me with a divination."
"No problem, these are your coins anyway. What do you want to divine?"
The two sat on the sofa, Xia De holding the cat wiggling in his arms, its four legs kicking back and forth.
"Tonight, I encountered a Cultists who held a brass-colored box and believed in the Evil God 【raging storm】. He's a low-ring, a bit taller than me but very thin, and has no eyebrows. His relic is the Angel-level 【Wrath of the Gods】. I hope you can help me divine his situation."
Luvia's divination was ineffective against gods, so it was naturally impossible to help Xia De divine the origin of the box, but the man holding the box was just an ordinary Ring術士:
"【Wrath of the Gods】? I haven't heard of this relic. Regarding that man, is this all the information you have? Also, what exactly do you want to know? His origin? His current location? Or his actions for a period in the future?"
She asked many questions in one breath, and Xia De, pouring himself some tea, said:
"That's all I know for now. What I want to know is his whereabouts for a period in the future."
Xia De said, Luvia took the dandelion coin, closed her eyes, and tossed the coin into the air. Xia De and the cat looked up simultaneously, only to see the coin rapidly decay at its highest point, disintegrating into a pile of Ashes and disappearing before it fell.
"Why are you looking for such an ordinary Ring術士?"
Luvia opened her eyes, the purple glow in them gradually fading:
"He's too ordinary, so I got more information than I expected.
Ka Er · Lai Bi Xi, 38 years old, believes in the Evil God 【raging storm】. Due to his high affinity for this Evil God's power, he is one of the rare Ring術士 who can use the relic 【Wrath of the Gods】, thus even as a low-ring, he became an upper-level priest of the cult.
Half a month ago, those Cultists active in the ocean region were hired, and thus he and several others were sent deep into the interior. After tonight's failed operation, he will go to Tobesk with his companions, likely arriving before next weekend. The specific time cannot be determined yet, but it can be confirmed to be related to Margaret Anjou."
"Coming to Tobesk? Yes, as expected, but it's great to be able to confirm this."
Xia De smiled, feeling this was even better. Compared to Huntington City, Tobesk was the Outsider's stronghold. As long as the other party dared to show up, he could just call Doctor Schneider to act together. The Doctor is now a Hexacle and wields demonic power; his combat strength is the strongest in the group.
"Do you need further divination? With another coin, I can get more detailed information about when the other party will arrive in Tobesk and what they will do afterward."
Luvia suggested again, which was indeed a very attractive proposal, but Xia De thought about it and finally shook his head, refusing.
He only had two coins left now, and there might be a need for divination regarding the "Lake Goddess" later. Moreover, the next Chosen One might appear tomorrow, and the coins in hand should be saved for that.
"However, I plan to use this tomorrow morning."
Xia De again pulled out the time key from his pocket. Mia immediately extended her paw to paw at it. This time Xia De didn't stop her, which instead made the cat look at him somewhat timidly, and in the end, it gave up trying to paw the key off the coffee table.
"It seems you've found what you were looking for."
The purple-eyed girl said with a smile, Xia De shook his head slightly:
"Just preliminary clues, still a long way to go. However, with the latter half of the frost descent month approaching, even for next month's year-end exam, I must act quickly."
"Then I wish you luck, my knight."
Luvia lingered at Saint Delan Square Six on this Saturday night, claiming she needed to check her stargazing equipment on the third floor. Thus, she naturally stayed overnight at Xia De's home.
This was originally Leia's time.
The next day, Sunday morning, while Luvia was still fast asleep, Xia De had already washed up and prepared for a brand new spatiotemporal adventure. After three weeks, he was even a little excited to enter the past again.
"The time point is 5177, the late fifth epoch."
He stood at the door of the side bedroom with the key in his hand. Mia lay on the sofa watching Xia De, accustomed to this scene. The time was six o'clock on Sunday morning, and the usually energetic cat, seeing Xia De up so early, knew that breakfast would likely be served earlier today.
"The information the History Academy gave me is not valuable for reference. The Witch living in seclusion in the Black Forest sacrifices her apprentices and summons an Evil God, but is then captured by the Witch Emperor in advance—this is too ordinary, it doesn't look like something I should be facing. I wonder which god I'll encounter this time... Please don't be an Evil God, please don't be an Evil God..."
With this thought, Xia De softly spoke in Elvish:
"May the World Tree protect me in time."
Click~
The key turned, and behind the opened side bedroom door was a silky white mist. Xia De looked forward to the adventure about to unfold.
"Mia, no need to rush, I'll prepare breakfast for you when I get back."
He said, his back to the cat, and then heard a "Meow~" sound, seemingly Mia yawning. But when Xia De turned his head, the cat was obediently lying on the sofa again, as if embarrassed to let Xia De see its wide-open mouth.
A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he waved at Mia. The cat, with its front paws tucked under, stared at him with wide eyes, having no intention of waving its paws to bid him farewell.
Xia De stepped into the misty door before him.
---Extras---
PS: A large number of character cards have been added. If interested, you can go and like them. If any important characters are missed, you can leave a message in the book review section or here.
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