“Good evening, Hamilton of Leijiede.”
Xia De did not know the young Prince Nasser Cavendish; he was a polite young royal gentleman in a black tuxedo. Prince Nasser, with the Cavendish Family's signature fiery red hair, evidently knew Xia De. After the salon host Leia chatted casually with Xia De at the entrance, he proactively struck up a conversation with Xia De.
Of course, this young Prince was quickly interrupted by Angelina, who, as the King's most favored Princess, clearly held a higher status than Nasser, who was not involved in politics and had no power. But Angelina didn't actually say much to Xia De either, as he couldn't block the entrance, which would affect later guests.
As Xia De expected, Princess Margaret had encountered some incidents at public events in Huntington and Lakeview Manor, so the Church directly arranged for Ring術士 to provide protection at tonight's salon. It was not easy to arrange several strangers who clearly didn't fit the atmosphere into a salon of only thirty-odd people, so the Church disguised them as Prophet Association staff.
Judging by the number of people, it should have been a full 7-person team from the righteous god Lady of Creation, also known as the God of Creation and Destruction. These individuals did not appear directly in the room where the salon was held, but waited in the adjacent room. Because they were all gathered together and frequently used Miracle as if they were scouting, Xia De was able to confirm their location.
Luvia should be waiting for Xia De's news in a room on the third floor, while the servants in the salon were all arranged by Leia. Seeing that nothing had happened for the time being, Xia De entered the room and pretended that he was genuinely there to attend the reading salon.
This was originally the Prophet Association's divination room. Now, all divination-related instruments had been moved to the sides of the room. The fireplace in the room was lit, and soft sofas were somewhat haphazardly placed in front of the fireplace.
Tables with drinks and desserts were placed along the wall for guests to help themselves. In addition to the sofas, several square tables with round stools around them were placed on either side of the fireplace.
The people who had already taken their seats chatted with each other. Compared to banquets and balls, the reading salon was a bit less noisy; at least everyone knew this was a gathering of “cultural people.”
Xia De didn't see anyone he knew for the time being. After casually picking a sofa and sitting down, he placed the hamilton detective story collection he was holding on a small table nearby and casually picked up an essay collection called “Sunset of Dusk” to browse. Shortly after he sat down, Princess Margaret appeared with her entourage and maids.
After greeting Leia at the entrance, she entered the room. While exchanging pleasantries with her companions, she immediately spotted Xia De, who was holding a stemmed glass and reading with his head down.
Recalling the incident when she met Xia De at the Three Cats Inn on that foggy afternoon last week, Princess Margaret already had her own ideas.
She spoke softly to the lady accompanying her, then gestured to Sir Prisia. As a result, the group took seats next to Xia De. Although the sofas were not neatly arranged, some were pushed together. There weren't enough seats nearby, so Sir Prisia, after getting Xia De's permission, sat down next to Xia De.
Due to Xia De's excellent performance at the Lakeview Manor banquet, especially his reputation as the “One Penny Detective,” he became a social celebrity in this City. Guests from Carson Rick naturally all knew Xia De, so even before the salon began, they invited him into their conversation.
Princess Margaret sat on the sofa in front of Xia De. She proactively started a conversation, talking about books she had recently read. While the Princess was speaking to people, Sir Prisia enthusiastically said to Xia De:
“Good evening, Mr. Hamilton, what are you reading?”
“Good evening, Sir.”
Xia De closed the book and shook hands with him, then showed him the book in his hand:
“This is an essay collection written by an unknown Writer from Delarion over three hundred years ago. Many years after his death, the manuscript was discovered and published. From the content of the essays, this Writer was quite down and out during his lifetime. It would have been good if he had received royalties during his lifetime.”
“Sunset of Dusk? Yes, I've read this book. But if the Writer had received royalties during his lifetime, he probably wouldn't have been able to write the articles we see now.”
This Poet from Carson Rick shook his head. After exchanging greetings, he handed Xia De a note:
“The Prince asked me to give this to you.”
Xia De knew that Sir Prisia sitting next to him was no coincidence.
He avoided Sir Prisia's gaze and looked at the content of the note:
“Mr. Hamilton, 6:55 PM, the unmanned staircase at the eastern corner of the second floor. Please be sure to come; I want to thank you for your help during the heavy fog last week.”
Xia De raised an eyebrow, glanced at the Princess who was talking to the female Poet Ms. Lewis, and then folded the note. Giving this note was not just about arranging to meet him a few minutes later; it also meant that Margaret Anjou admitted that she was the one who helped contain the relic with Mr. Alan Madison that afternoon.
“The Prince gave me a math problem, without an application scenario, just a simple sequence solving problem.”
He said to Sir Prisia with a smile.
“The Prince is still bothered by the ‘one penny’ problem from Lakeview Manor last time.”
Sir Prisia slightly raised his head and also looked at the Princess in front. Xia De couldn't tell if he knew the content of the note.
The Sir lowered his voice to remind him:
“The Prince's math teacher, Miss Emma Sylvia, is very strict with her, so the Prince places great importance on her math abilities.”
“I know Miss Sylvia, she is a very famous scholar.”
Xia De replied in a low voice, took out his notebook from his pocket, and tucked the note into the notebook:
“The math problem last time was actually just a trick of the mind. The Prince doesn't need to compete with me at all. wisdom is never a tool for comparison. Perhaps I should proactively admit that I cannot solve this problem.”
He was thinking about what excuse to use to get up and leave.
“No, no, no.”
Sir Prisia immediately shook his head:
“Gentlemen would not admit defeat for such a reason; that would be an insult to the Prince. Moreover, wisdom can only be expressed through a carrier. The question you posed at Lakeview Manor was quite brilliant. Once you fall into your predefined logical trap, it's quite difficult to climb out.”
Literary figures and Writers of this era were usually also proficient in mathematics. Xia De did not understand the reasons behind this, but Sir Prisia in front of him was clearly one such person. Prior to this, Xia De's understanding of this gentleman was merely “Poet noble Ring術士.” The information provided by Miss Daniste did not detail this gentleman's personality.
And this time, having the opportunity to converse closely for a few moments, Xia De discovered that Sir Prisia of Guiding Moon was a very talkative and intelligent gentleman. He could converse with Xia De on any topic, and his Knowledge base included, but was not limited to, literature, politics, geography, history, and mathematics.
Even judging him as a Ring術士, this gentleman could absolutely be called learned and versatile. In the topic of mathematics, his accomplishments were no less than Princess Margaret's, and in the topic of politics, he could also understand the words Xia De had spoken to his neighbor Mr. Smith at the Lakeview Manor banquet.
Xia De's interest was piqued by Sir Prisia, so he decided to wait until Princess Margaret moved before getting up and leaving.
Sir Prisia was also very interested in Xia De. During their conversation, Xia De also learned about his experiences from Sir Prisia. This gentleman came from a close relative family of the Anjou Royal Family. Although his family was quite wealthy, he left the City where the Prisia family was located very early to study in Weilandale City.
Although he had ample living expenses, during his studies, in order to understand the lives of the lower classes and experience the hardship of labor, he worked as a scribe for the Church to supplement his living expenses.
Early independence allowed him to arrange his life and studies according to his own ideas. Unlike Xia De, who had a “illiterate” level of education, this gentleman, who had just turned thirty, held four degrees: literature, mathematics, law, and theology. In addition to being a Poet, he was also a scholar. Of course, these identities were obscured by his noble status; people paid more attention to his background than his own efforts.
Speaking of this, Sir Prisia shook his head with considerable regret:
“The wise are never blinded, but unfortunately, we all know there are no truly wise people, only flawed mortals.”
“Saying that sounds very much like a wise person.”
Xia De said with a smile. His peripheral vision caught Princess Margaret getting up and walking towards the door with her maid. So, while Sir Prisia was shaking his head in modesty, the cup in Xia De's hand tilted slightly, and he accidentally spilled juice on his leather shoes:
“Oh!”
He put down the cup apologetically:
“How unlucky, at least it didn't spill on the carpet. I think I need to go to the washroom to clean it up; it should be easy to wipe off. Sir, I'll be back to chat more in a bit. You truly are knowledgeable and well-informed.”
“Yes, there's plenty of time to continue chatting tonight.”
The middle-aged Poet from the southern country stood up to make way for Xia De to leave. Xia De walked towards the door with a normal expression. First, he asked the servant at the door for a handkerchief to wipe his shoes, then exchanged polite words with the Princess and Princes at the door, and returned to the corridor.
There were about seven minutes left until the salon began, and almost all the guests who were supposed to come had arrived. The second floor of the Prophet Association was very quiet; the Association had not arranged extra staff to disturb the nobles' gathering.
Walking through the brightly lit gas-lamp corridor, Xia De arrived at the unmanned staircase on the east side as indicated by the note. A maid was carefully keeping watch. Seeing Xia De approach, the maid moved a little further away to avoid hearing anything she shouldn't. The Princess with pale golden hair was standing under the gas lamp at the staircase entrance, waiting for Xia De.
The glass lampshade of that gas lamp was spherical, and on its side, there was an oil painting of a Prophet divining with a crystal ball. Who knows what this foreshadowed.
“Good evening, Mr. Hamilton.”
Margaret Anjou extended her hand, covered with a white lace glove, to Xia De.
Xia De smiled:
“Good evening, Margaret—no, Miss Mary.”
Their hands met.
