After Iluna completed the report according to standard procedures, she lingered, reluctant to leave, but having no reason to stay, she was eventually escorted to the door by Xia De and the Old Professor. However, as they said goodbye, Xia De casually remarked, "I still need to go home at noon to have lunch with Mia."
Iluna blinked, smiled, and waved at him before walking briskly into the fog.
The Old Professor didn't catch the meaning of Xia De and Iluna's conversation. After the door closed again, he shook his head and sighed, "Although Tobesk is the capital of the Kingdom, the solve rate for these theft cases is very low. I think instead of hoping the police find the thief, I should pay attention to the black market myself. Perhaps I can buy the vase back sooner."
"Old Professor, I heard this is a serial theft case, and Leedweich Field takes it very seriously."
"Oh, Detective, taking it seriously doesn't increase the solve rate. The antique tapestry I reported missing ten years ago still hasn't been found. I bet Leedweich Field probably doesn't even have the case file from when I reported it."
Old Professor Manning said with dissatisfaction, then scrutinized Xia De again, "Detective, how about I entrust this theft case to you? I heard you are a very capable Detective, and your case completion rate is one hundred percent."
"Where did you hear that? I remember my advertisement in the Steam Bird Daily didn't boast about myself like that."
Xia De asked curiously. Old Professor Manning invited Xia De to his study to talk, "Everyone says so. Yesterday, I attended an academic conference and even heard about your activities on Tuesday at the Eisberg family and royal wedding banquet... One Penny Detective, right?"
Old Professor Manning chuckled teasingly, "That was truly a clever mathematical problem; I was fooled at first too. Oh, people in the club are now saying that Princess Margaret Anjou of Carson Rick has a very good impression of you. I imagine that's more than just a rumor, isn't it?"
Although Tobesk is large, the upper society of Tobesk is actually quite small.
Xia De came to visit Old Professor Manning about Professor Drake from Huntington City. Old Professor Manning's memory was quite good. Although he hadn't communicated with Professor Drake for many years, he still remembered the history Old Professor.
"Kansas Drake has a high talent in history and folklore. He can be considered an authority on Carson Rick history."
Old Professor Manning spoke highly of Professor Drake, which surprised Xia De a bit, as he had thought Professor Drake was just an ordinary university Old Professor.
"His talent is not only in academic achievements but also in... keenness."
Old Professor Manning, on the study sofa, frowned, trying to describe his thoughts, "Detective, you should be able to understand that 'keenness' isn't quite accurate. Let me think... He can always be the first to notice details that others can't, and he can always be the first to point out what's wrong at an excavation site that others can't find... What word should I use to describe it?"
"Very good luck?"
"No, no, that's not just luck; that's a talent."
Old Professor Manning frowned, trying to find a more suitable adjective.
"Very strong inspiration?"
Xia De said, and as the words left his mouth, he himself was surprised.
Old Professor Manning clapped his hands with a smile, "Yes, yes, Professor Drake is the kind of person with very strong inspiration. Sometimes I even write to him for advice. It's a pity that after that accident, he hasn't had any academic achievements. I can understand, after all, for a folklorist, just sitting at home and in the office won't lead to any scholarship... Detective, has your Writer friend in Huntington City mentioned Professor Drake's physical condition?"
"His complexion isn't very good; he can only move around in a wheelchair. Professor Drake believes he doesn't have much time left to live, and I think this shouldn't be a misconception. He... after all, is also old."
Xia De shook his head. Old Professor Manning was a bit disappointed but immediately asked, "His situation, is it... similar to the pen I encountered?"
He knew Xia De had extraordinary means.
"Possibly, but I'm still investigating. Old Professor, tell me more about Professor Drake's strong inspiration."
Old Professor Manning picked up his teacup, pondering, "We scholars who study history and folklore sometimes encounter ancient murals or stone carvings, which is normal. When staring at some strange ancient relics for a long time, one can feel dizzy... Drake is the kind of person who can quickly notice what's wrong with those ancient relics, then understand their meaning, and be the first to faint."
Xia De pursed his lips and nodded, "Then I propose a hypothesis: if a certain photograph contains the image of a terrifying monster, and with very high inspiration... Never mind, this question isn't important."
Xia De shook his head. He couldn't determine the "inspiration threshold" that triggered the photograph's curse. After all, his own inspiration for anomalous phenomena far exceeded that of ordinary people.
The two chatted about Professor Drake's past again. Afterwards, Xia De suggested that he wanted to look at letters from more than a decade ago. These Old Professors were very careful in collecting letters. Old Professor Manning's academic correspondence with his colleagues was arranged by date, making them easy to find.
Before Professor Drake's accident, he had a lot of correspondence with Old Professor Manning. The Old Professor gave Xia De the stack of letters, telling Xia De to take them back and read them at his leisure, and to return them when he was done. As compensation for lending Xia De these letters, he wrote a letter to Professor Drake, asking Xia De to deliver it to Professor Drake through his "friend" in Huntington City, hoping to persuade the Old Professor to have a greater love for life.
"I remember Drake has children, but they probably don't live with him. He could actually develop other hobbies, like raising a cat like you, which is very helpful for maintaining enthusiasm for life."
Old Professor Manning melted the sealing wax, dripped it onto the envelope's seal, and then pressed his stamp onto it. Only when the red wax seal solidified did he hand it to Xia De.
"Raising a cat?"
Xia De did not express any opinion on this.
After bidding farewell to Old Professor Manning, it was just past eleven o'clock. Before going home, Xia De made a detour to do other things in the city.
Having newly acquired the Four Ring's second Ling Rune, blasphemy 【Lightning】, on Tuesday night, he planned to go to the Black Raven Library to look for Miracles related to this Ling Rune.
Currently, he only mastered 【Lightning Spear】. The pink book also had a Miracle, 【Lesser Paralysis】, that could be associated with 【Lightning】 and was available for learning. Although Iluna had promised to provide Xia De with some lightning-related Miracles, Xia De still decided to go to the Library himself to search; perhaps there would be unexpected gains.
The Black Raven Library was also located in the University District, very close to Cat Tail Lane, where Old Professor Manning resided.
Xia De changed his coat in the intricate alleys for disguise, and after putting on his mask, he knocked on the Library's side door in the alley. The dripping steam pipes were still wasting hot water as they did in the Summer, but there was noticeably less trash in the alley, perhaps because the Library staff simply couldn't stand it anymore.
Xia De came here every now and then, so the man with the anchor tattoo on his arm, who was the doorkeeper, let him in without much questioning.
Stepping on the wooden floorboards that had warped due to dampness, Xia De followed the man along the dimly lit corridor to a room. Along the way, he brushed past a person wearing a black robe. According to the Library's rules, both deliberately avoided eye contact to prevent being suspected of prying into each other's identities.
"Margaret Anjou."
"Just brushing past, and you can tell who it is?"
Xia De asked in surprise in his mind, but did not turn his head.
"The characteristics of the Spirit, the characteristics of the soul, and the characteristics of the alchemical items and relics carried on the body. It's very easy to distinguish."
"So that's how it is... It seems Princess Margaret's trip to Tobesk isn't leisurely either."
