Waking from a long sleep, when Xia De opened his eyes and saw the somewhat familiar ceiling, the time had already moved from Wednesday night to 7 PM on Thursday evening.
After twenty hours of deep sleep, his spirits were quite good. He lay on an unusually soft bed, covered by a soft purple quilt. The light gauze hanging from the golden bedposts told Xia De that this was not his home. He was wearing silk pajamas he had never seen before, and the room was filled with a comforting incense scent. The room temperature was also exceptionally pleasant:
"Miss Jialinna's manor?"
"Meow~"
A familiar meow made Xia De turn to his side. Mia, curled up like a cat ball by the pillow, was staring at him with wide eyes. The cat brought her furry face closer and affectionately rubbed against Xia De's cheek. When Xia De sat up from the bed, she jumped onto his stomach.
Pulling open the curtains by the bed, Xia De stroked the cat and looked out the window. At seven in the evening, the sun had completely set, and he was somewhat surprised to find large snowflakes falling outside the window. Using his dark vision, he saw that the vast wilderness outside the manor had been dyed silver-white, and even the windowsill was covered with snow.
"Is it snowing again?"
The falling snow symbolized the complete arrival of winter. Xia De stared blankly at the snow, feeling as if he had slept through an entire season.
"Are you awake?"
The door opened a crack, and a young brown-haired maid cautiously poked her head in. After receiving Xia De's affirmative reply, she lit the gas lamp in the room for him, then hurried away, holding her skirt, to inform the manor's owner of the good news.
"That maid just now was Wendy Marcus, sixteen years old, became a Ring術士 this spring, and is now a 1st Ring."
Xia De recalled in his mind, then looked down at the pajamas he was wearing. Just as he was about to get out of bed, hurried footsteps already appeared at the doorway.
The Black-haired maid pushed open the room door, her eyes initially showing a hint of anxiety, but upon seeing Xia De sitting up with the cat in his arms, she relaxed and smiled.
Tifa, dressed in a black and white maid's uniform, said:
"Mr. Hamilton, you're awake."
She only addressed Xia De by his name when they were alone. Maids streamed in behind her, some drawing the curtains, others helping Xia De choose clothes from the wardrobe, or standing by with dinner trays.
"The lady went to the Witch Council and will be back soon. Would you like to lie down a bit longer and have dinner here, or would you like to wash up now and prepare for dinner? The lady will be back within twenty minutes."
Tifa asked.
"Good evening, Tifa. It's really nice to wake up and see you right away. Let's have dinner together; I'll get up now."
Xia De said, hesitating for a moment:
"That 【wise man's stone】 is currently at—"
Tifa walked to the bedside, bent slightly, and pulled open the drawer of the nightstand. As Xia De averted his gaze, she took out a wooden box from the drawer. The box contained the gems and jewelry from the broken jewelry box, and lying on top was the tear-shaped blue crystal:
"This belongs to you. Of course, nominally, the Church asked the lady to inform you that this box of jewelry is all a gift from her to you."
She said with a smile.
Xia De also smiled. The Church's arrangement allowed him to retrieve the jewelry, explained its origin, and even gave Miss Jialinna more leverage. It was truly the best arrangement.
Placing the cat, who was rubbing against him, onto the quilt, Xia De took the box of jewelry. After thinking for a moment, he said to the maid:
"Pick one at random."
Tifa blinked, bent slightly, and reached in to pick out a pearl the size of a fingernail. She didn't immediately straighten up, but gently kissed Xia De on the side of his face, and the maids standing behind the head maid pretended not to see.
Many things actually happened on Wednesday night. Xia De, affected by the 【dice story collection】, only walked back to Saint Delan Square from Silver Cross Avenue. However, to tie down the Church, several Ring術士 from illegal organizations, including Miss Pa Wo, the Vice President of the Truth Society, engaged in battles with the Orthodox Church's Ring術士 teams in various areas of Tobesk City, east, west, north, and south. However, due to concerns about being in the City, the intensity of the battles was not strong.
While the 【dice story collection】 was unfolding in the core area of Tobesk, in the northern district of the City on Wednesday night, the cult organization All Numbers Return to One Society encountered a humanoid Sage-level (Level 2) relic, 【Potion Master Kagura】, who could also serve as a Keeper, and began a trial of "making Abyssal Sin Potions"; in the eastern part of the City on Wednesday night, Miss Pa Wo of The Society of Truth clashed with the Ring術士 organization 【Jade Alchemy Association】. After Mr. Sari Pirot, the Thirteen Ring Sorcerer "Steel Right Hand" of the Creation Church, arrived, the chaotic battle between the two sides led to a City-wide fire, but fortunately, it was extinguished in time.
And on the day Xia De woke up, Thursday, the Orthodox Church, following a new fragment of a poem provided by Zaras School of Spellcraft, found the keeper-level relic 【Human Puzzle】 in the ancient sewers of Tobesk.
It consisted of 108,000 small pieces of human skin. The poem fragment indicated that this puzzle was also related to the Old God 【Guardian Mentor】 and could also be considered a type of Keeper.
In short, in the day Xia De was unconscious, the story of Tobesk City did not halt because of his absence. While waiting for Miss Jialinna to return from the Witch Council, Tifa informed Xia De of these events.
And when the slightly tired Great Witch arrived at the dining room to have dinner with Xia De, Xia De finally learned what else had happened concerning 【Jack the Thief】 and the 【dice story collection】 after he fell unconscious.
"The Church has confirmed that you were only accidentally involved and firmly believes you are an ordinary person. Their physical examination, with Yiluna's cooperation, found nothing at all. I have to admit, Xia De, even I couldn't have done better than you in this matter. Your and Yiluna's double act was excellent. I think from now on, the Church will absolutely not suspect you are a Ring術士 unless you actively expose your identity."
The maids pushed the dining cart into the dining room, and the Duchess, who had been busy all day, teased him. Her fatigue did not diminish her usual striking beauty; on the contrary, her languid demeanor made the Red-haired Duchess even more charming.
She chuckled:
"In the end, I was the one who brought you over. Although Yiluna helped you avoid some unnecessary examinations, she couldn't actively suggest sending you to Saint Delan Square Six. Xia De, you should thank me. I've also been feeding your cat. Although Yiluna was a bit unhappy, as soon as Tifa appeared, your cat ran to her side."
It was actually Tifa who fed the cat, but the Black-haired maid stood behind the Duchess, pursing her lips and smiling, without pointing this out.
"How will they explain so many people fainting at Leia's literary salon?"
Xia De, eating his pre-dinner dessert, was very concerned about this. Outside the window, snowflakes were falling. Being able to enjoy delicious food in a warm room on such a cold winter night would put anyone in a good mood.
Although only two people were dining, the number of maids serving them was quite substantial. In the past, the Outsider would have felt the Duchess was sometimes too extravagant, but in Fifth Epoch 5177, after seeing Miss Violet, the Witch Emperor, who brought a team of pretty maids even when going on adventures, he felt that the Great Witches of the sixth epoch were so frugal.
"You don't need to worry about that. A gas pipeline leak at the Prophet Association caused mild gas poisoning. Except for a certain unlucky gentleman, everyone else only fainted for a very short time and was rescued. The Church confiscated everyone's timekeeping devices before waking them up and then kept them at the Prophet Association for a long time after they regained consciousness, so they couldn't discover the discrepancy in time.
So, Xia De, who was that unlucky gentleman?"
Jialinna Cavendish smiled happily. She held a stemmed glass in her right hand, and her unrestrained smile made her beautiful face even more striking.
"I suppose it was me."
He laughed after saying it:
"So the information I should know is that I unfortunately suffered gas poisoning and was then brought here for recuperation?"
The baked snails had already been brought to the table. The cat, lying on the table to show she wouldn't move, kept her body still but turned her head like a pulley towards the steaming dish.
"Yes, and this also involves the conflict between me and Leia. Your misfortune at her salon made our relationship even more strained. It's well-known that she and I don't get along, so everyone believes this explanation."
Miss Jialinna put down her wine glass and picked up a silver dinner knife:
"Gas poisoning, there are a few such accidents every year, only this time it happened at the Prophet Association. The Church has already discussed it; the Prophet Association will take responsibility, but besides you, no one else suffered any fatal injuries. They estimated you would wake up late tonight or tomorrow morning, without any sequelae. The Prophet Association asked me to tell you to go to Dawn Church tomorrow morning; Dawn Church will be responsible for helping you negotiate with the Prophet Association to discuss the compensation issue this time. Of course, we also need to discuss this one—"
The Witch said, her golden eyes looking at the box by Xia De's hand:
"Keep this 【wise man's stone】 yourself. Although I don't know why you chose to expose it, you must have your own reasons. The Church told me to tell you that this box of gems is a gift from me to you, and that blue crystal among them is the most expensive, more expensive than all the others combined. They told me to emphasize this point to you, and that you absolutely cannot give it to anyone else."
"Then what's your reason for giving me this box of jewelry?"
Xia De asked curiously. The Witch thought for a moment:
"The Church didn't say anything about that; they told me to come up with my own reason. Let me think..."
Her slender, fair fingers snapped in a very unladylike manner. She smiled and waved to Tifa, and the maid brought a glass of plain water. After rinsing her mouth, the Witch looked at Xia De with a hint of a smile in her eyes.
The beautiful lady in a red and white dress then beckoned to Xia De again. Xia De suspiciously leaned his head forward, and the Red-haired Witch then held the back of his head with one hand and kissed him under Tifa's gaze.
"This is for that, your reward."
Jialinna Cavendish carefully wiped her lips with a napkin. The gas lamp illuminated her golden eyes, which held a slightly alluring smile.
