“No problem, but what else do you want to divine when the fourth Chosen One is about to appear? Are you in trouble?”
Luvia asked with concern, and Xia De shook his head:
“Dorothy’s rented house was robbed, suspected to be Jack the Thief, who slipped into the study through the window. Since he dared to steal from Dorothy, I naturally can’t let him go. Oh, Luvia, I know this is a waste, but I can’t pretend this didn’t happen.”
“No need to explain to me, I’m actually very happy that you’re so good to Dorothy, it means that on the path of pursuing the epic, you still remember to care about the people around you.”
Luvia smiled, but didn’t pick up the coin:
“If you want to catch him, I don’t think I need to help. The Five Gods Church is certain that the relic is the ‘invisible man’ corresponding to Vennars’ trial. The Church paid the price for the Prophet Association to perform a divination. As a thief, we can’t determine his whereabouts at all, but the Association divined the items he will steal this week.”
“Oh? There’s such a thing?”
“Do you have a Tobesk map on you?”
“Of course.”
Xia De rummaged through the small items in his pocket for a while, restored the map, and spread it on the table. This was a map left by Sparrow Detective, not only extremely accurate but also had unique markings:
“If the divination result is not misinterpreted, this week, that thief will repeatedly commit crimes in this area.”
Luvia reached out and drew a circle in the center of the map, roughly encompassing Yodel Palace, Saint Delan Square, and the surrounding areas, and even a part of the area across the Terraril River. In other words, this was the core area of the entire central district of Tobesk.
“The stolen item is related to the royal family, was directly touched by King Larus III in 1853, and itself symbolizes identity and status.”
Luvia said, and Xia De moved Mia to the edge of the map, letting her hold it down:
“But in such a large area, the things the King has touched are probably more than five digits, right? Not only inanimate objects, but the King’s children, relatives, horses, pets, mistresses, these all belong to ‘symbolizing identity and status’.”
Luvia said, pointing at Yodel Palace, while Mia lay beside them, watching the two converse:
“The scope is indeed a bit large, the Church suspects here the most.”
“Yodel Palace? Yes, this can be considered the most valuable place to steal in the entire Tobesk City.”
“Besides Yodel Palace, the parliament and the nobles and high-ranking civil servants living in this area could also become targets of theft, you know, noble medals, letters of appointment, the King has directly touched these.”
Luvia then pointed to Saint Delan Square on the map:
“Of course, that also includes you.”
The purple-eyed girl said with a smile, and Xia De deeply agreed.
He decided that when he slept these next few days, he would tie a string from Mia’s paw to his wrist, so he would always know if Mia had been carried away by someone. The divination only revealed one of Jack the Thief’s actions, which did not mean that he would only steal once this week. Perhaps after visiting Leia’s house, the thief suddenly became interested in the Detective’s cat.
“What does the Church plan to do? Launch a large-scale ritual in the surrounding area that can turn the City into a sanctuary? Or urgently dispatch Thirteen Ring Sorcerers from surrounding areas to grid the area and manage them separately? Or find seven or eight targeted angel-level relics to counter this relic?”
“No, no, no.”
Luvia quickly shook her head:
“Jack the Thief grows stronger with stronger opposition. If overly powerful forces are used for defense, it might cause the relic itself to lose control. But if only ordinary strategies are used for defense, the Church is almost certain to let him escape. Therefore, the current plan is to maintain a low-intensity contact battle readiness, not setting up large perception rituals, but requiring all Ring Sorcerer teams of the Five Gods Church to be fully deployed.”
“That’s not bad, but I don’t know if other organizations like the Truth Society will also get involved besides the Church. I heard from Yiluna that quite a few organizations are mixed up in this matter.”
Xia De pondered:
“It’s a pity I don’t know the exact time and location of Jack the Thief’s actions, otherwise, I would definitely take action. Even if not for the wise man's stone, then for Dorothy. Luvia, you don’t know how down Dorothy was when she came to my house this morning.”
“Is it really good to talk about another lady in front of a lady?”
Luvia raised an eyebrow, then said:
“However, I do know the time of Jack the Thief’s action, just not the exact location.”
She was satisfied to see Xia De’s surprised expression:
“By this.”
Luvia took out an ancient silver coin:
“Remember it? The Diviner’s Silver Coin, which can assist Diviners in divination. With this relic, and that sudden inspiration, I glimpsed the coming fate. Today is Monday, two days later, on Wednesday night in the heavy fog, Jack the Thief will commit another crime.”
Xia De frowned slightly. Jack the Thief himself had anti-divination powers, so no matter how excellent Luvia’s divination skills were, it was impossible to divine with such precision. He vaguely understood that this was related to Luvia’s unique “other self,” similar to how Luvia knew what the large book in Miss Pa Wo’s hand was, but he didn’t expose this point:
“Wednesday night, Wednesday night I will be here, at the Prophet Association, attending the reading salon hosted by Princess Leia. Yes, this location is very good, I can directly see Yodel Palace. If I can find any clues, I will try to take action. Even if there’s no chance, I will help the Church. Although I am only a Four Ring, I should still be able to play some role. In any case, that thief must be caught.”
“Alright.”
Luvia helped Xia De fold the map:
“I will stay at the Association on Wednesday night, and maybe I can help you then.”
Although both she and Xia De were Four Ring, she had already tacitly agreed that Xia De’s combat power was stronger.
“Okay.”
Xia De then thought of Dorothy saying this morning that she also wanted to help, but Leia would also appear at the Prophet Association on Wednesday, and due to the repulsion between their souls, the Writer would definitely not be able to come.
“Then let Dorothy come to Saint Delan Square Six on Wednesday night to help me look after Mia. I might encounter a battle on Wednesday, and I can’t casually bring this cat.”
Xia De made up his mind, then hesitated whether to let Luvia bring the Night Watchman to the Prophet Association in advance. Although this sword was an angel-level relic, it only had extremely strong effects when fighting evil, otherwise, it was just an extremely sharp sword.
And the information on Jack the Thief shared by Yiluna showed that although he was a thief, he would not be judged as “evil.”
“Do you want to have dinner together tonight? If you come back late, I can wait for you at your house.”
The purple-eyed girl suddenly asked again.
“What? Oh, of course, I was distracted just now. I mean, of course, we’ll have dinner together.”
Xia De thought again of the book with silver corner protectors that contained one-third of the Knowledge. He couldn’t show it to Dorothy last time, but maybe he could show it to Luvia this time, perhaps she would know what it was:
“I got a pretty flying glowing item last week. After dinner, you can come to my house to see it.”
As soon as Xia De finished speaking, Luvia immediately showed a mischievous smile, an expression Xia De had seen on Dorothy’s face over the weekend:
“Xia De, isn’t that reason a bit too old-fashioned?”
Dorothy had also said that, but the next sentence was Luvia’s “original”:
“But I also bought a very pretty nightgown, you might like it.”
(Mia running)
Jack the Thief’s stealing range was the urban area of Tobesk, so Miss Jialinna’s manor, located outside the City, was very safe.
This Monday, Xia De planned to go to Huntington City to deal with Professor Drake’s matter. Considering that this matter would most likely involve relics or even more terrifying things, Xia De temporarily placed Mia at Miss Jialinna’s manor before departing.
However, Miss Jialinna had gone to the City with Tifa. The officials accompanying Princess Margaret had indeed brought some trade proposals. Since Saladir County was also involved, Miss Jialinna also had to attend the meeting.
But fortunately, Mia was familiar with this manor, and the maids in the manor also liked this cat very much. Xia De left her here, so he didn’t have to worry about Mia being wronged, but when Xia De was at the manor gate, preparing to board the carriage back to the City, he saw the cat on the study window sill watching him from afar, and at that moment, he was truly very worried.
After returning home, he brought the Night Watchman, wrapped its scabbard with cloth strips, and carried it in his hand, then went to Huntington City through the basement.
By the time he arrived at White River Valley Vineyard, it was already eleven in the morning. Xia De rode directly to Bernhardt Manor, also in the west of the City, but unfortunately, Mr. Bernhardt was not there.
The Old Butler knew that Xia De was Bernhardt’s good friend, so he directed him to the White King Club in the urban area, which was also where Mr. Bernhardt had invited him to dinner when Xia De first came to this City.
Xia De could not enter the White King Club directly; it was the most exclusive club in Huntington City, only members or accompanied by senior members were allowed inside. Fortunately, it allowed for finding people. After Xia De explained his purpose to the doorman at the entrance, a waiter immediately went to find Mr. Bernhardt.
Soon, Mr. Bernhardt personally came to the entrance to greet Xia De, and he seemed to be in a good mood:
“Oh, Mr. Holmes, we were just talking about you. Come with me quickly, I’ve found all the information you were looking for.”
“We? Do you have other friends here?”
Xia De followed the sophisticated middle-aged Vampire into the understatedly luxurious club, and Mr. Bernhardt nodded:
“Yes, I want to introduce you to my friend, Father Nobel of the Peace Church, he’s an old friend of mine.”
The two, led by a waiter, entered the club’s restaurant. The restaurant was very quiet, local gentlemen conversed softly, and the distance between each table was very far, a setting designed for private conversations.
“Father Nobel? That surname is not common.”
Xia De had already seen the middle-aged Father in a black uniform robe, who turned to look at the two.
“It really is him.”
Father Nobel was the Eight-Ring Warlock who appeared in the battle the night before Princess Margaret left Huntington. The Miracle he used on the rooftop, similar to a “white dove suicide bombing,” left a very deep impression on Xia De.
--- Aside ---
PS: Extra update.
It’s so hot lately.
