Besides the relic, curse, and nursery rhyme matters, Princess also wanted to buy some books from the lighthouse to pass her recent boring time. So, after their conversation by the sea cliff ended, Xia De and Princess were finally invited into the lighthouse.
The interior of the brick lighthouse was small but at least clean and free of strange odors. The bottom floor was the lighthouse keeper's living area, while the upper floors were the work areas. Edmund treated them to inexpensive tea, and Princess ended up spending 78 pounds to buy two books.
One was the study notes of a Ring術士 proficient in the Enlightenment Element, and the other was an old book that might grant the Ling Rune 【Ocean】 upon reading.
Xia De had acquired an old book related to 【Wind】, "The Abyssal Winds," from Lemeir's safe house that morning. While Princess was choosing old books, Xia De took it out and asked Edmund to appraise it. The old man ultimately offered a price of 41 pounds and 4 shillings, which was much lower than the "Sea Soul Record" Princess bought.
After all, "The Abyssal Winds" was considered a foundational book for the elemental Ling Runes of earth, wind, water, and fire, and the copy he held was already a handwritten transcription after two original translations, so a lower price was normal.
Instead of keeping it, Xia De directly sold the book to Edmund. If he wanted to obtain the Ling Rune 【Wind】 in the future, he could simply borrow a book from Saint Byron's Library; it wasn't a valuable book. And with the Red Moon Witch's connections, he didn't have to worry about not being able to borrow books.
It was a pity that Saint Byron's did not give practical credits for recovering similar occult books; otherwise, Xia De's pressure of 15 credits could have been eased a bit.
The two spent the remaining hour and a half of the afternoon in the old lighthouse. By the time they bid farewell to old Mr. Edmund, the western sky was already aglow with the evening sunset.
They didn't leave immediately but stood by the sea cliff, looking out at the sea and sighing in relief, as the lighthouse had been too stuffy inside.
The calm sea surface was now bathed in a fiery red, and the shimmering waves were almost dazzling. Seagulls circled in the distant sky, and the sound of a ship's whistle drifted from even further away, mingling with the sound of the waves.
"That curse..."
Xia De hesitated, while Princess reached up and removed the mask she was wearing. Xia De saw her face; she was a very pretty lady, and her expression occasionally revealed a look that was very familiar to Xia De.
"Don't worry, even though it's a curse caused by an angel-level relic, hasn't it been suppressed now?"
She wiggled the golden ring on her right index finger. The sea breeze blew, her sideburns swayed with the wind, and her emerald green eyes reflected Xia De, who was standing close by.
Xia De looked back at the lighthouse behind him and also took off his mask. He hesitated, met Princess's gaze, then turned to look at the sea. In both his past and new lives, he had never lived in a coastal City. And although he had been to Coldwater Port City before, he had never had the chance to quietly watch the sea under the setting sun like this.
Neither of them spoke. When a seagull flew overhead, its distant cry echoing through the long sky, Xia De suddenly spoke:
"If you trust me... could I touch your forehead with my finger? I have a peculiar ability that can detect curses."
Xia De wanted to rely on close skin contact to detect traces of the whisper element. Although Princess and Xia De had no particular relationship, since they met by chance and she had kindly helped him, Xia De wanted to do a good deed.
However, not only for ordinary people but also for Ring術士, allowing someone to touch one's head with a finger is a very dangerous act. Many mind control and necromantic Miracles and spells require touching the head as a condition.
"Of course I trust you."
Contrary to Xia De's expectation, Princess did not tactfully refuse, nor did she even think twice, but nodded in agreement. Seeing him in a daze, she smiled and asked:
"What's wrong? Do you need to prepare anything extra?"
"No, no more."
As the sun set in the west, the sea breeze also became a bit stronger. Princess raised her right hand to brush aside the stray hairs on her forehead, then tilted her body slightly and extended her head.
Her skin was very good, with no visible pores or acne marks. As she leaned closer to Xia De, her face held a very relaxed smile, which instead made Xia De somewhat hesitant:
"Is her favorability towards me a bit too high?"
But thinking of her dedicated help and that she was cursed by a sage-level relic and didn't have long to live, Xia De extended his right index finger and placed it on her forehead.
Her skin was warm, making Xia De feel a little embarrassed:
"Please wait a few minutes."
He said, then asked in his mind:
"Is this contact okay?"
"Yes, the whisper element has been detected. It is indeed a very strong curse."
Xia De waited quietly for a while, keeping his hand on her forehead. With neither side speaking, the atmosphere became a bit awkward. At close range, Xia De could also smell the pleasant perfume on her.
The scent was very faint and not at all pungent. He had never smelled a similar scent on anyone else; even the three-pound-a-bottle perfume Iluna mentioned didn't seem to smell as good as this.
"It's done."
"What's the result?"
"The whisper element is very strong and inextricably intertwined with her Soul. The ring she bought and the ruby earrings she wears can suppress this curse, but neither can completely cure it."
"Can I help her?"
"Completely extract her Soul from her body, then use your Soul Echo to tear the Soul apart inch by inch, and illuminate it with Moonlight."
"Okay."
Xia De nodded and withdrew his hand:
"Sorry, I don't think I can help you either."
"It's fine. If a curse spread by a sage-level relic could be so easily lifted, then we would have to question whether this relic is qualified to be rated as Sage-level."
The Golden-haired girl said, a look of regret on her face, but not because Xia De couldn't help her:
"It's already evening... Today passed so quickly."
The sunset by the sea was exceptionally dazzling, and Princess's long hair shimmered in the sunlight. She sighed towards the sea under the setting sun, then turned to look at Xia De:
"Well, Mr. Watson, we still have one last item on our agenda today. After this, our employment relationship will end."
"Hmm... Okay. Where are we going next?"
"There's a small Ring術士 auction here, and I happen to have an invitation. But attending the auction requires formal attire."
She looked at Xia De's attire:
"How about we each go back and change, then meet in an hour at the Conch Street intersection in the Wharf Area?"
"An hour... I didn't bring any formal wear in my luggage."
Xia De said with some embarrassment. An hour was simply not enough time to go home and back; he was quite far from the beach where they had landed.
"But if we're any later, we'll be late."
Princess stared at him.
"Oh, actually, I could just go to a ready-to-wear store and buy a suit."
Xia De was just reluctant to spend this extra money. The price of formal wear for formal occasions was not calculated based on fabric and craftsmanship. One outfit could be worth several weeks' salary for an ordinary person.
"Actually, renting one would also work."
He nodded and said.
"No need for such trouble. I happen to have a men's suit, which I prepared for an outing in disguise last time."
Princess said.
"But... will it fit?"
Xia De was quite embarrassed; he was much taller than Princess, and the young Sorceress was rather petite.
"It should fit, roughly."
She said in a relaxed tone, but didn't seem worried at all.
So the two first walked from the secluded old lighthouse sea cliff back to the Wharf Area, then took a carriage back to the Robin Hood Street apartment in the Southern District of Coldwater Port City.
Because the journey was a bit long, by the time they pushed open the door and entered the apartment again, the streetlights outside had already lit up.
Princess pulled open her wardrobe and actually took out a men's suit from it. Jacket, shirt, trousers, leather shoes, tie, belt, and even a tie clip were all included.
Since only the narrow washroom in the apartment was completely separated from other spaces, Princess asked Xia De to change in the washroom, while she would change outside.
Xia De naturally agreed. However, after he had changed, he found that the suit was not just suitable; it was a perfect fit.
He looked at himself in the mirror in the washroom after changing, adjusted his tie, and became even more puzzled by the lady who was changing outside:
"This can't be explained by coincidence anymore... Could it be Jialinna, whom I haven't seen for a week, playing a joke on me...?"
But the lady outside was clearly not a Witch, and there was no apparent connection to that Duchess. However, Xia De thought of the contents of the diary he had seen that afternoon, the inexplicable sense of familiarity he felt with Princess, and all her abnormal behavior today:
"Could it be..."
Xia De frowned.
Princess changed into a very nice blue gown, her jewelry unchanged. After they tidied up, they left the apartment and took a carriage to the Wharf Area.
The carriage took them all the way to the pier in the Wharf Area. They got out after putting on their masks, then walked onto the pier side by side.
The sun had completely disappeared below the horizon several tens of minutes ago, and night had fallen over Coldwater Port City. By the sea, even though it was still Summer, it felt a bit cold in the sea breeze.
Even a small-scale auction would not be daring enough to take place in the Coldwater Port City area, under the watchful eyes of the Five Gods Church. The specific location was at sea, on the deck of a cruise ship, where a masked banquet was held for local Noblewoman and gentlemen. Since it was masked, it was not difficult to imagine what people attending such a banquet intended to do.
Ring術士, under the guise of being participants in the deck banquet, reasonably wore masks to board the cruise ship. After the cruise ship sailed away from the coastline, they would participate in the small auction and return to the port at midnight. Noblewoman and gentlemen would slip out of their cabins under the cover of night, kiss strangers goodbye, and depart, while Ring術士 could also conceal their identities in this way.
In a free-spirited and chaotic port City, Outsiders can encounter more unimaginable things.
