It was getting late. After leaving the riverbank, Xia De didn't linger in Huntington City and rode his horse directly back to White River Valley Vineyard, then returned home.
Because he had wasted some time in the riverside cave, it was already quite late when he got home. The lights of Saint Delan Square were just coming on, casting the warm yellow glow of the gas lamps through the first-floor curtains into the room.
At this time, Luvia, who had agreed to have dinner with Xia De, had already finished work. When Xia De went upstairs, she was playing with Mia in the living room. Xia De had told the maids of Jialinna Manor to send Mia to the Prophet Association in the evening, so he didn't need to leave the city again and waste time.
Hearing Xia De coming upstairs, both Luvia and Mia went to the second-floor entrance to greet him. Luvia immediately saw Xia De holding a box as he appeared around the staircase corner:
"Xia De, was your trip to Huntington smooth today?"
"It was quite smooth. I found some things, so it wasn't a waste of time."
He lifted the box he was holding:
"Luvia, wait for me. I'll go change, and then we'll go out for dinner. Oh, it's so late. Sorry to have kept you waiting so long."
He casually placed the box he was holding on the cabinet by the door and then walked into the bedroom to pick out clothes for going out.
"I'm not in a hurry, but your Mia is probably about to lose it. I fed her some cat food, but she only ate a few pieces."
Luvia said with a smile. Mia wagged her tail and followed Xia De into the bedroom, happily jumping onto the bed to play with the fish training ring Xia De threw to her. Xia De had rinsed the ring at the vineyard, making sure there was no mouse smell.
Luvia had originally wanted to follow him into the bedroom, but thinking that the night was still long and there was no need to rush, she casually opened the wooden box Xia De had placed on the cabinet.
"Mia knows I'm going out for dinner tonight, so she's waiting for a big meal."
"Oh~"
As the wooden box opened, the purple-eyed girl felt her eyes immediately illuminated by the box of jewelry. She let out a small gasp, and her slender fingers delved among the jewels, carefully checking to make sure it was a whole box of jewelry, not just a shallow layer:
"Detective, did you rob an unfortunate jewelry store in Huntington City this afternoon? Or did you plunder the manor of some cruel noble?"
She looked at the carved wooden box:
"Or, did you win this playing rhode cards?"
"Of course not. I found the stronghold of a Ring術士 who died more than ten years ago. This is his property."
Xia De said vaguely. Luvia heard the sound of him throwing clothes onto the bed.
So, the purple-eyed girl, holding the wooden box, also walked into the bedroom. The gas lamp in the master bedroom was bright, and the curtains were tightly drawn. Xia De stood in front of the wardrobe by the desk, its double doors open. He was bare-chested, taking out a white shirt supported by a hanger, while Mia squatted on the bed. Or rather, Mia squatted on the clothes Xia De had taken off, watching him intently with an expectant expression.
"Nice figure."
Luvia looked at Xia De's profile and praised him with a smile, placing the box on the bedroom desk.
"Before we go out, check the coins inside. One of them is a relic, but I don't recognize it. It should just be a Poet Grade relic. I think its original owner had no idea what it was."
Xia De turned his head and said. He had put on his shirt and was about to button the first button at the collar when Luvia walked in front of him, her left hand grasping Xia De's raised right hand to stop him from buttoning, while her fair right hand rested on his chest.
"Xia De, you really can never stay idle."
Luvia said. Xia De looked at her. The purple-eyed girl, so close, gently pulled her right hand down slightly, but her palm didn't press against Xia De's skin; she merely rubbed with her index fingertip, moving three or four centimeters to stop at his stomach.
"Hmm."
Xia De hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back:
"Are we still going out for dinner tonight?"
"Of course, otherwise your Mia will definitely be angry with me."
"She's not that smart... Okay, she actually is that smart."
Mia, squatting on the bed, had a sulky face and looked a bit impatient.
"I'll help you with your buttons."
Luvia said, her right hand leaving Xia De's skin and joining her left hand to help him with his buttons. Xia De spread his arms to make it easier for Luvia to work:
"I ran to quite a few places this afternoon and encountered a rat that cursed. Although I did find a clue, I don't know if this clue can lead to the truth."
"Having a clue means you didn't waste time."
Luvia said, fastening the bottom button and then glancing at Xia De's wardrobe:
"Have the Summer clothes been put away already?"
"Yes, the maids Miss Jialinna sends to clean my house every Saturday put those Summer clothes in the master bedroom's walk-in closet and even left me a note explaining the location. I have to admit, living in this bedroom is indeed more convenient than the previous one."
Luvia picked a black warm vest and a thick coat from the wardrobe and helped Xia De put them on:
"We can talk about your afternoon adventure at the dinner table later, or after we get back. Didn't you say you had something that glows to show me tonight?"
She asked with a smile, tugging at Xia De's sleeve. Xia De felt that Luvia still hadn't understood what he meant, but explaining now was certainly not the right move, so he could only respond in silence.
The purple-eyed girl then asked generously:
"I said this morning that I bought new pajamas. Do you prefer purple or white?"
"I like both."
"She" understood Xia De's thoughts perfectly, but what Xia De actually said was:
"Although this might be a bit cliché, I prefer you, and that has nothing to do with pajamas."
Luvia playfully hit Xia De:
"Hurry up and get dressed! Really, Detective, these words weren't taught to you by that princess, were they?"
The smile at the corner of her mouth was definitely not faked.
After changing, Xia De, carrying the increasingly hungry Mia, went with Luvia to the restaurant on Silver Cross Avenue where they had a reservation. During dinner, Luvia listened to Xia De recount his afternoon's experiences while playing with the coin he had found.
For her "special divination," Luvia had specifically collected and searched for containment information on monetary relics. Although Xia De didn't recognize what it was, she easily identified it after comparison and confirmation:
"Poet Grade relic 【Coin of Cat and Dog】."
She stood the gold coin on the table with one hand, and with a gentle twist of her finger, the coin began to spin. The coin was about the size of a one-pound gold coin. What Xia De considered the obverse was the portrait of an unfamiliar woman, and the reverse was a simplified symbol for the number "one," which is the basis of contemporary mathematical symbols.
The side of the coin had a circle of incised text:
"Cat and dog, you and I."
"Give this coin to any cat or dog, it can be a mixed breed, but the cat or dog bloodline must exceed fifty percent. Give this coin to such a creature; if the creature willingly accepts it, then a contract is established. The creature accepting the coin voluntarily becomes the pet of the creature offering the coin, absolutely loyal, absolutely reliable, willing to sacrifice, and will never betray. Before the 'master' dies, this relationship cannot be severed by any means. You can view it as 'life money' for cats and dogs. Isn't it interesting?"
Luvia pressed down on the coin just as it was about to fall. Xia De, who was cutting his red wine sauce steak with a knife and fork, glanced at Mia, who was eating nearby:
"Can this kind of coin be used to enslave another soul?"
"It can be understood that way."
Luvia nodded, also glancing at Xia De's Mia.
"Is this a coin forged by a Demon?"
"Yes, you guessed it right."
Luvia held the coin, lifting it slightly. The light from the crystal chandelier above made it seem to glow:
"The negative characteristic is that once the coin is given, after both parties die, a terrifying existence, presumably the Demon that forged these coins, will appear and take one of their souls, leaving the other to continue on."
"Which soul is taken?"
Xia De asked with great interest, wondering if Demon Scholar Sean Asmon would be interested in this kind of coin.
"It's decided by the pet. Yes, the pet decides whether to sacrifice its own soul to protect its beloved master, or to let the soul of the master who deserves to die be taken by the Demon."
Luvia said softly, pushing the coin back to Xia De. Xia De then thought of the stories about third epoch Demons that his friend, Demon Scholar Sean Asmon, had told him:
"They truly are full of malicious humor. Miss Felianna was right: cherish your soul and stay away from Demons."
After dinner, Xia De didn't immediately take Luvia home. Instead, he went with her to the Dawn Church and donated fifty percent of the banknotes and coins he found in Huntington City that afternoon to the church.
Winter had already set in, and the church was customarily raising donations for the poor. This money would be used to purchase relief food and post-snow relief supplies. The reason Xia De donated part of the cash was that it wasn't his money to begin with, and he decided to keep the box of pretty jewelry, so donating this unexpected income felt right.
That night, Xia De still found an opportunity to show Luvia the flying stone slab he had obtained, but Luvia didn't care at all, merely vaguely suggesting it might be some kind of key.
Xia De's stone slab didn't pique the girl's interest; instead, her new pajamas piqued Xia De's interest. Luvia was clearly prepared, and Xia De, who had originally intended to look through the books found in Huntington during the evening, didn't get a chance to go to the study to get a book until he turned off the lights and went to sleep at two in the morning.
"Xia De, oh Xia De! How can you be so decadent and slothful? Have you forgotten the year-end exam review plan you made earlier?"
So, upon waking up on Tuesday morning, Xia De's first thought was to complain about himself.
