The relic, now in its normal human form, stood in the center of the damaged living room, while Doctor Schneider and the other three stared at the scene in a daze.
Xia De smiled, opened his mouth to speak, but saw a strange thick fog enveloping him. The light in his vision disappeared again, and in the moment, he arrived on an unknown Island, facing a huge stone pillar glowing with golden light.
That stone pillar was precisely the Island Heart Stone Pillar that Xia De had struck with a Lightning Spear when he activated the trial on Lake Heart Island in Schluch Lake.
“She” softly reminded him:
【Trial of Venarus: Capture the non-existent person in Tobesk City, completed. Outsider, you may make a wish to Venarus’s Stone Pillar.】
“I have no wishes.”
Xia De said.
The thick fog disappeared, and Xia De returned to his home, but judging by the expressions of the four people around him, it seemed he had never left.
Xia De opened his right hand, which he didn't know when he had clenched, and a crystal clear blue teardrop-shaped gemstone lay securely in his palm.
“Oh, my God, this is—”
Doctor Schneider looked at the gemstone in surprise.
“Yes, the Academy’s bounty is willing to exchange it for a sage-level relic.”
Xia De nodded, then looked at the black-clad figure standing in the center of the damaged room. Jack the Thief did not leave immediately; as Xia De watched him, he lowered his head:
“You truly caught me.”
The thief in black took out three items from his pocket and placed them on the floor:
“I will never steal from you or your residence again in this life. Choose one, in exchange for my freedom.”
The three items placed on the uneven floor were all relics. From left to right, they were a blue chalk, a stone ring, and a handful of silver time sand:
“【Door Pen】, drawing a continuous line on any wall can create a door of corresponding size. However, there is a chance that what is behind the door is not connected to the space behind the wall, but rather to a dangerous subspace;
【time sand】, its main body is a desert located outside the material world, and these sands are derivatives of the relic. A one-time use item, scattering the sand can pause time in a certain area. The length of the pause is uncertain, depending on the number and strength of individuals and objects with extraordinary power within that area, and it also affects the user. Using these silver sands has a chance of attracting hounds raised by ancient gods to maintain time stability, and after time resumes flowing, the user will suffer a Time Curse for two weeks;
【Moonstone Ring】, wearing the ring transforms the user into a werewolf. Each transformation requires 39 hours to return to normal. In werewolf form, only Miracles related to the moon can be used, amplifying any moon-related power, but there is a chance of never returning to normal. If a living creature is attacked in transformed state and injured, they will transform into a werewolf due to the werewolf curse during the next full red moon phase, and this state cannot be reversed. The relic is for human use only.”
The thief provided the introductions, and these three items corresponded to “Time, Space,” and “Moon,” which were precisely Xia De’s core Ling Runes.
All three relics were interesting, but Xia De didn't choose any of them. time sand was a one-time use item, and it certainly wouldn't be effective against enemies Xia De truly couldn't contend with, such as subspace evil creatures and gods; the effect of the Moonstone Ring transforming into a werewolf was not only extremely limited but also risked spreading the werewolf curse if one wasn't careful. His human form was his most powerful combat state; and while the Door Pen looked very good, it was only very good. Xia De had other ideas.
He glanced at Leia, whose face was flushed with excitement because of his victory, and said to the thief in front of him:
“I defeated you twice. I won't ask you for two relics, but you must additionally hand over the two letters stolen from this lady.”
Leia pursed her lips and looked at Xia De. Xia De knew Dorothy had always felt guilty about this matter. He had always wanted to perfectly resolve the “Dorothy’s Theft” incident; Dorothy shouldn't continue to feel guilty about it.
The thief in the black trench coat remained silent. Two letters were produced, and Xia De used Moving Objects to make the letters float in front of “Dorothy.” Princess Leia seemed very touched.
“I don’t want these three items either. I want another item you recently stole.”
Xia De held the Night Watchman and looked at him:
“And it’s not for me, it’s for someone else. You know who I defeated you with.”
The man in black fell silent for a moment, then a hoarse voice, as if burned by fire, came out:
“Alright.”
The three items in his hand disappeared, and then the thief completely vanished from Saint Delan Square Six.
All five people breathed a sigh of relief. Xia De looked at the wise man's stone in his hand:
“This wasn’t something I obtained alone; we obtained it together. I don’t want to hand it over to the Academy to get a sage-level relic; I want to handle this relic myself.”
“No need to compensate me; the gift you gave me a few days ago is already enough.”
Priest Augustus immediately said.
“No need to compensate me either, this is enough.”
Leia said, holding the two letters.
“I arrived last; I have no credit for this matter.”
The purple-eyed girl winked at Xia De.
“I also—”
Just as Doctor Schneider was about to speak, he saw Xia De toss him a ruby. Only after receiving it did he realize it was a teardrop-shaped relic with cracks on its surface.
“Impure dragon blood, Poet Grade, enhances one’s strength, but carries the risk of dragon transformation. I originally bought it for the 【Strength】 Ling Rune, but now it’s no longer necessary. Too many relics in hand are inherently dangerous. Doctor, this is your hush money. There’s no need for the Academy to know about tonight’s events; we’ll just pretend nothing happened. As long as we don’t speak, the Church is even less likely to let the Academy know.”
On the issue of the Chosen One, the Church and the Academy were also in competition. The Church might let the Academy know about the existence of a second wise man's stone, but they would definitely not easily reveal that it was in the hands of an “ordinary person” who could be drawn in.
“Alright then.”
The Doctor hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not refuse. Although Xia De and the four members of the group had a good relationship, no matter how good the relationship, some things had to be settled, such as credit or advances within the group, which were never arbitrarily waived.
He had the Doctor and the other three return to Room No. 1 first. Xia De cast a spell alone in Room No. 2, restoring the room and the broken knight's sword to their original state with Time’s Breath, before returning to the living room of Room No. 1.
Although the matter of Jack the Thief was resolved, his own affairs were just beginning:
“The Church people should be here soon; we need to deal with the scene quickly. Priest Augustus, Dorothy, please reconfirm that there are no footprints or hair of yours here. Luvia, go to the window and confirm the Church’s movements. Doctor, I’ll put my sword in the basement first, then retrieve something from the basement. Please wait a moment, please hypnotize me, at least let me sleep for 8 hours.”
After the dice story collection ended, Xia De should fall into a coma and lose his memory.
“Alright, but what are you going to get?”
Xia De, holding the Night Watchman, walked out of the room and quickly descended the stairs. Priest Augustus cast a spell on the upper half of the stairs to eliminate traces, and when Xia De turned to the lower half of the stairs, the Golden-haired girl hugged him on the narrow staircase:
“I didn’t expect you to still remember those two letters.”
“How could I forget? I’ve always remembered this.”
Xia De said with a smile. Mia, squeezed between the two, wiggled unhappily. Dorothy’s body released Xia De, and the Golden-haired girl bit her lower lip, her green eyes looking at him:
“Knight, if Dorothy’s body wasn’t still unwell, and you didn’t have to be unconscious, I wouldn’t let you off tonight.”
Saying that, she passionately hugged Xia De again and gave him a deep kiss.
The Doctor soon knew what Xia De was going to retrieve from the basement, because he saw Xia De hurrying back, holding a wooden box. When the box was opened, it was full of gems, jewelry, and ornaments. These priceless treasures glittered in the gaslight, the light of wealth.
“I had Jack the Thief give the relic to someone else. But since we two caught him together, it would seem strange if I didn’t get anything. Rather than letting the Church suspect, it’s better to disguise it myself.”
Xia De explained quickly, letting go, and the box fell to the ground. With a crack, the wooden box fell apart, and gems, diamonds, and ornaments slid out of the box:
“This looks right.”
“What was that sound?”
The Golden-haired girl and Priest Augustus also returned from downstairs at this time. They had already confirmed that the group had left no traces of having been there tonight. Seeing the broken jewelry box on the ground, they were all stunned but understood that Xia De had his own ideas.
Everything was ready, and the Doctor asked one last question:
“Do you need to hypnotize your cat too?”
Xia De glanced at Mia, who was being held by the Golden-haired girl:
“No need, it wasn’t controlled by the dice story collection. Let it move freely; someone will help me take care of it.”
“Alright then, look into my eyes! I’m a Psychologist who charges by the hour, and I’m very good at hypnotherapy.”
Doctor Schneider said in a soft voice, and Xia De looked into the Doctor’s azure eyes. As drowsiness came over him, Xia De, without resisting, slumped onto the floor.
The wise man's stone lay in his right palm, his left hand clutched the knight's sword, and a broken jewelry box, with pearls and gems scattered all over the floor, lay beside his head.
“He is indeed very professional.”
The Doctor commented on the scene, then waved to the other three:
“Let’s leave quickly; I hope we don’t run into a High-Ring Sorcerer from the Church head-on.”
Leia squatted down and placed Mia on the ground. The cat worriedly ran to Xia De’s side, meowed a few times, and seeing no reaction from Xia De, it curled up into a cat ball beside Xia De’s head with a wronged expression.
“Wait a moment.”
She then quickly walked to the fireplace, used a spell to summon a cold wind, and cooled the still-warm embers in the fireplace, which Dorothy had extinguished before leaving the house, to a normal temperature. Only then did the four of them file out of the gas-lit room.
“This is our first joint operation since Xia De joined our group, apart from the Lakeview Manor incident. It feels really good.”
The Doctor said to Priest Augustus, and the Old Priest nodded in agreement.
Luvia and Princess Leia were a bit behind. Looking at the Golden-haired girl’s expression, the purple-eyed girl softly reminded her:
“If you want to do something on Saturday night, remember to bring the youthful immortality leaf; he must have given it to you.”
Leia was startled at first, then her face flushed slightly:
“I know.”
Luvia showed a subtle smile, turned her head slightly to look at the top of the stairs, and then left with her companions.
