While Xia De was unconscious, the Priest took the keys from his pocket and went to Saint Delan Square Six to put items that were inconvenient to bring into the church into his home. He also brought back a change of clothes and used the one-sleeved coat, which had Xia De's scent, to lure Mia, who had no one to feed her temporarily.
"When I opened the door to your second-floor room this morning, your cat almost rushed up and clawed my face. The little fellow probably thought I was a thief."
The Priest said this, but he wasn't angry at the orange cat because of it; he probably liked cats very much:
"However, she is indeed very well-behaved when she's by your side. If you don't have time in the future, you can board her at Dawn Church. Not only for catching mice, but the young nuns here all love cats."
Since Xia De had woken up and it was confirmed that he had no sequelae from directly facing the evil god, the Priest allowed Xia De to go home. Of course, since it was already late, he invited Xia De to have dinner at the church, and during that time, he tried to ask if Xia De was interested in learning about the faith of Mr. Dawn.
Xia De was actually very interested in the true gods of this world, and he had a lot to say about topics of religion, faith, and culture. But he wasn't in the mood to discuss these things at the moment, so he said goodbye to the Priest after dinner.
The two parted ways at Dawn Square, where Dawn Church was located. The Priest didn't forget to remind Xia De to wake up early tomorrow morning, as they were going to visit the injured Doctor Schneider together.
Taking Mia, he walked away from Dawn Square in the night, but did not return directly to Saint Delan Square No. 6. Instead, he spent money to take a carriage on Gret Street, east of the square, heading to Feather Pen Street in the University District of Tobesk City.
As the capital of the Northern Kingdom, Tobesk City has multiple higher education institutions within its urban area. These include the "Delarion Royal Academy of Steam and Machinery," which is related to steam and machinery, and comprehensive higher education institutions like "Tobesk University." These schools are collectively concentrated in the eastern part of Tobesk City, forming the so-called "University District" within the City.
Miss Louisa rented an apartment at Building B, No. 211 Feather Pen Street, Tobesk University District. Although it was rented, the surrounding environmental conditions were no worse than Saint Delan Square.
The winding streets were adjacent to the "Delarion United Theological Seminary." Most of the residents nearby were students or lecturers and professors from the school. This is why Xia De thought she might often live at the school when he first met Miss Louisa.
It was already quite late. When he got out of the carriage with Mia in his arms, they were at the intersection of the wide seminary boulevard and Feather Pen Street. One side of the boulevard was a lawn, and under the gas lamps, there were a few young couples strolling.
In Tobesk City, only near Yodel Palace and here was the public order good enough for people to stroll at night.
He quickened his steps, identifying house numbers and searching for his destination. But he quickly found Miss Louisa's address in the middle of the street, between the towering apartment buildings on both sides.
But before he could walk over and open the door, he saw the apartment door open, and the brown-haired female Diviner stepped out. Miss Louisa, who seemed to have recovered, stood at the doorway bidding her farewell. Miss Louisa was wearing a casual blue long dress, with her golden long hair flowing behind her. The brown-haired Diviner was wearing a very capable, belted long dress, which accentuated her figure.
Miss Louisa was the first to see the Detective holding the cat in the night. After Xia De approached, Miss Annette belatedly noticed him.
The three greeted each other in the light of the entrance hall, and after a few pleasantries to confirm their good health, Xia De explained that he had something to discuss with Miss Annette.
"Oh?"
Miss Louisa curiously looked at the two but didn't ask any unnecessary questions. She simply said she would see them at Doctor Schneider's place tomorrow. She truly seemed to have recovered.
The Diviner knew what Xia De wanted to ask, but after bidding farewell to Miss Louisa, the two didn't chat on the street. Miss Annette's profession was a Fortune Teller affiliated with the Prophet Association. She also had to return to the City center, so she boarded the carriage back with Xia De.
"You can speak now."
After the sound of horse hooves clattering on the boulevard, the woman in the carriage spoke. She had just whispered a spell to ensure the coachman wouldn't overhear their conversation.
"Are you and Miss Louisa alright?"
The narrow carriage made it easy for Xia De to smell the perfume on the purple-eyed girl. He asked, holding the cat, and Mia showed her claws to Miss Annette. The timid cat was showing courage in this way, telling others not to harm her.
"Although you've already asked once, I'm still glad that was your first question. We're fine; the Priest's potion helped a lot."
Miss Annette said. Unlike Xia De, she didn't sit upright in the carriage but leaned back slightly, relaxed, against one side of the carriage:
"Even without divining, I know what you want to ask. Please ask."
She was fulfilling her promise; if everyone survived, she would explain everything.
The carriage turned in the middle of the boulevard, and Xia De's expression in the carriage was serious:
"What is the whispering chapters? An unknowable relic?"
He came all the way here so late just for this question.
"You even know about unknowable relics? Professor Garcia of the History Academy told you?"
Miss Annette raised an eyebrow but then shook her head:
"The whispering chapters is not a relic; it is a great prophecy. Around the end of the fifth epoch, people discovered some of the last Thirteen Witch Emperors' relics. Not all of them were relics with whisper elements; most were ordinary object relics. On those relics were some strange sentences, pieced together from languages of different eras. Based on the diary left by the last Witch Emperor, those sentences happened to form a complete collection of poems, named the whispering chapters."
"What's the content?"
Xia De pressed. Miss Annette didn't answer immediately but tilted her head to look at the night view outside the window. Xia De waited patiently, knowing she must be thinking.
After a long while, Miss Annette, with the night wind blowing, whispered softly amidst the sound of horse hooves:
"The complete content of the whispering chapters, I'm afraid no one knows. I only know that the chapters prophesy major events that will happen in the sixth epoch. Thirteen The Chosen will appear in sequence, like the heroes in ancient fairy tales, or the protagonists in knight novels, and after experiencing various troubles and dangers, they will advance to Thirteenth Ring."
In Xia De's mind, an epic oil painting scroll had already appeared.
"And then? What is the purpose of selecting the Thirteen The Chosen?"
Miss Annette continued:
"When all of The Chosen appear, and all survivors either advance to Thirteenth Ring or all die, a door will open, and then everything in the material world will change."
"A door? What door?"
"I don't know. I also haven't had the chance to ask high-ranking church officials or academy professors for their opinions on the whispering chapters, but my view is that behind the door lies the secret of the Old God's fall and the truth of the true gods' rise. The opening of the door will unlock ancient secrets, and it might even allow the one who opens the door to ascend to godhood, but it could also release terrible things that lead to the world's destruction. This is destruction, and it is also new life.
And what's worse, according to the whispering chapters, that door will definitely be opened."
Xia De frowned. If all the information Miss Annette provided was true, then the matters concerning The Chosen would completely disrupt the world's order. Under this prosperous steam epoch, undercurrents were surging:
"That's terrible. Who are the Thirteen The Chosen?"
"I don't know. In fact, unless one happens to obtain the corresponding part of the whispering chapters, no one can know the identity of The Chosen. I certainly haven't obtained it; I have other methods."
She was still looking out the window.
"Who is Miss Iluna Bayas?"
"I don't know... I know this one."
She turned her head and smiled lightly at Xia De, but there was no smile in her eyes:
"Detective, what I've discussed with you today, I haven't discussed with the Doctor or them. Because you are outside of fate; you absolutely cannot be one of The Chosen. The reason I'm telling you this is because I want to invite you to journey with me."
"To do what?"
Those purple eyes seemed to glow, but they were truly very pretty:
"To seek out and witness the Thirteen The Chosen, to help them. Since the door will definitely be opened, and danger and opportunity coexist behind that door, then I want to personally witness that door being opened and ensure that it does not lead to the world's destruction."
She extended her fair hand to Xia De, her purple eyes meeting his:
"Xia De · Su Lun · Han Mi Er Dun, will you help me?"
