Iluna was much busier than Xia De, so Xia De didn't stay long at Black Stone Security Company and left quickly.
Afterward, he didn't go home. Instead, taking advantage of having free time today, he went to visit Priest Augustus at the Dawn Church again. It happened to be Sunday, so the Priest invited Xia De to attend the service, discussed some religious topics with Bishop Owen, and then had Xia De eat lunch at the church.
Only after lunch did Xia De have time to talk about his own matters. First, he naturally entrusted Priest Augustus with the task of investigating the cult of the Old God, the Unstable Sage. Then, he handed the Priest a notebook containing the improved "Fire Resistance Potion" formula from Miss Violet. Xia De had already changed the fifth epoch names for the materials to sixth epoch names, based on the content of the Witch Echoes.
Priest Augustus took a look:
"Oh? Did you copy this from an ancient book?"
"You know this formula?"
"Of course, but this is an outdated formula."
Priest Augustus said, as the two chatted in the Priest's room in the church. The Priest returned the notebook to Xia De.
"It's already outdated."
Xia De sighed slightly, but also felt quite relieved. This indicated that potionology had been continuously developing, and even the formula of a Thirteenth Ring Great Witch could become obsolete one day.
"Although the details are slightly different, it is indeed that formula. Oh, it was not eliminated because of poor effectiveness. In fact, this is currently the most effective method for preparing fire resistance potions, and it is even referred to as the 'Extreme Fire Resistance Potion' in some books. From the perspective of potionology alone, this formula has almost reached the pinnacle of fire resistance potions."
Priest Augustus said with a sigh.
"Then why was it eliminated?"
Xia De asked curiously, and the Priest pointed to the formula on the open notebook:
"Too expensive."
"What?"
"There is still no definitive conclusion on who invented this formula, but that person was definitely an extraordinary individual in the fifth epoch. The formula fully utilizes the properties of each material, and the preparation method is extremely precise. The chemical reactions and interactions between different materials can be described as exquisite. But the problem is, this formula is simply too expensive."
He paused for a moment after speaking, then added:
"It's simply too expensive."
Xia De showed an understanding expression, which fit his impression of Miss Violet. She was a Witch Emperor who governed a country, and her knowledge was astonishing. Even when improving a formula, she wouldn't consider the cost of materials. He just hadn't expected that, even in the current sixth epoch, this formula was still circulating.
It was originally a formula improved under mental stress and dangerous conditions to cope with a god's trial, yet it was still praised by today's Ring Sorcerers. Although the Witch Emperors were extravagant and indulgent, their power and wisdom indeed matched their status.
As Xia De was pondering, Priest Augustus suddenly frowned and sniffed towards Xia De.
Seeing him like this, the cat, who was sleeping in Xia De's arms, also sniffed with narrowed eyes.
"Xia De, do you remember on Monday at the train station, I smelled a familiar scent on you? Yesterday at Doctor Schneider's, I forgot to ask you, why has this scent become even stronger than on Monday?"
After speaking, he glanced at Xia De's cat:
"And your cat also has that familiar scent."
This week, the only time Xia De took his cat on a long trip to a strange place was when he visited Lake Cherub with Sister Devlin. Combined with the last time the Priest noticed the scent, which was after he saw Lake Cherub but couldn't get on it, Xia De raised an eyebrow, immediately realizing what Priest Augustus had smelled.
"Do you know the Lake Goddess?"
"Xia De, are you talking about the fairy tale of the Water of Wisdom?"
"No, no, this is not a fairy tale, I really encountered her."
Xia De explained his experience in Huntington to the Priest in detail. The Old Priest was quite surprised:
"Now that you mention it, I seem to have some clues. Although it cannot be confirmed, the so-called 'Lake Goddess' is very likely an angel."
Xia De wasn't too surprised:
"That should be right. She is not a relic, but she is definitely not a true great one; I am very certain of that. If she is an angel, then it makes sense. Priest, do you know which angel she is?"
In the current sixth epoch, angels of the righteous gods only appeared on special occasions, angels of the Old Gods had long since departed with their deities, and angels of evil gods were even rarer. Therefore, Xia De wasn't very familiar with angels.
"She should be an Ancient One who has survived from ancient times."
The Priest thought for a moment and said. He possessed the power of the Death Angel, the "First Angel." An angel he would call an "Ancient One" must also be related to the Ancient Gods.
"How interesting, there's actually such an ancient angel in this era."
Priest Augustus made up his mind and said to Xia De:
"I'll help you investigate who this angel specifically is. Since she calls herself 'cherub,' then this word must have a corresponding meaning. If we can confirm her identity, when you undergo the trial, you might be able to figure out her intentions, which could help you solve the trouble faster."
"Priest, don't you want to meet The Lady?"
Xia De suggested. Although the Priest couldn't use the magician's escape box, which only High-Ring Sorcerers could use, as long as they looked carefully, there would always be a way for the Priest to appear in Huntington City.
Priest Augustus shook his head slightly:
"For her to have survived until now, she must have abnormal means, or perhaps she is merely a manifestation of some power, definitely not her true body. We all have our own responsibilities and goals, so I'd better not meet her. Besides, I am only a mortal who has inherited part of an angel's power; we are different."
Priest Augustus was worried about the appearance of the ancient angel. In his opinion, the appearance of any Ancient One meant that a major event was about to happen. However, he did not stop Xia De from continuing to contact the "Lake Goddess." As long as the Old God's angels did not go mad due to loss of control, most of them would not have direct malice towards humans.
"Here, take this."
The Priest extended his hand to Xia De. In his aged palm lay a familiar charred feather:
"Next time you see The Lady, give her this feather. For the sake of being fellow angels, she will slightly lower the difficulty of your trial."
"Is this considered cheating?"
Although he said that, Xia De still took the feather and used it to tickle the cat, who was napping on the table. Mia squirmed, twisting her body to lie in another direction, completely ignoring Xia De.
"What kind of cheating is this? You just give the feather to The Lady, and what she wants to do is her business."
The Priest said, waving his hand.
Sunday was the church's day of worship. Xia De spent the entire afternoon in the church, as he was, on the surface, a core believer of the Dawn Church in this parish. Although Priest Augustus was temporarily called away for business at three in the afternoon, Xia De still held his cat and listened to the Old Father's sermon in the church, and voluntarily participated in the evening activity of distributing relief food to the homeless and vagrants at the church entrance.
This made Xia De, who almost received relief food himself during the Summer time difference, feel a lot of emotions.
The so-called relief food was black bread and seasonal dried vegetables in paper bags, which could be eaten raw or soaked in hot water. And the paper bags used by the church to hold food were also good things for the poor. When Xia De was helping to distribute food, he heard the old monk responsible for transportation say that these paper bags could be cut and used as filters for handmade cigarettes, or kept as excellent fire starters.
The Outsider, of course, would not ask foolish questions like "Why smoke when you can't even eat?" But he knew that with the arrival of winter, the church would increase the frequency of distributing relief food. The first snow had already fallen, and according to past experience, the City would be covered in silver within two weeks at most. This year's weather did not seem extreme so far, but even so, many people would undoubtedly not survive this winter.
The Outsider, standing in the light of civilization, could naturally see those standing in the shadows of civilization. The age of steam rolled in like a tide, and both sides were part of the era. He had heard the saying "best and worst of times" in his hometown, but for Xia De, standing on the earth, all he could do at the moment was reach out to help the people he encountered.
Xia De did not have dinner at the church. After bidding farewell to Priest Augustus, he returned to Saint Delan Square. In the evening, he officially received an invitation from Leia to attend a reading salon hosted by Leia on Wednesday evening. The venue was the Prophet Association. Although the Prophet Association generally did not conduct business in the evening, it could provide services as a club.
As for Leia directly inviting Xia De, that was at the request of Princess Margaret, so the invitation was not abrupt. Xia De held the invitation and thought about the tasks revolving around Princess Margaret, and then he wondered if there were really people who wanted to harm the Princess.
"Although the Truth Society people seemed fierce, Miss Pa Wo had already stated that she only wanted to ask Princess Margaret some questions and did not want to harm her. They were also afraid of the Church's Inquisition. So, currently, the only potential threat to Margaret Anjou is ordinary people."
Princess Margaret's recent itinerary in Tobesk was quite complex; this Princess did not come to Tobesk for travel. MI6 was under immense security pressure. Although Xia De was not directly involved in security work, he knew that his colleagues' work was not easy.
Xia De, who had received a task personally arranged by the King, was ironically the most relaxed among them.
Thus arrived another Monday, the 25th of the frost descent month. Waking up early in the morning, Xia De excitedly got out of bed and reached for the wall, indeed feeling the warmth of the wall.
Although this heating method was unremarkable in the Outsider's hometown, experiencing steam pipe heating in this era still greatly surprised him.
Before breakfast, Xia De also followed the notice issued by the Saint Delan Square district. Accompanied by a sleepy Mia, he checked from the basement to the attic, confirming that his house had no leaks after the steam heating began this winter.
Having confirmed that the heating had started, Xia De was even in a good mood, holding the cat and letting its small paws touch the warm parts of the wall.
Mia was also very surprised by the warm wall. This cat was born in the Spring of 1853 and probably hadn't seen City heating before. She continuously pawed at the wall, as if trying to figure out what else was inside the wall, and her demeanor made Xia De feel even better.
But his mood was about to sour quickly.
