“Alright then, it seems it really can’t be me.”
Xia De gave an embarrassed smile, sat on the sofa, and stroked the cat beside him.
“Then let’s continue the divination. We still have two blood money and one Atonement Coin left... Even knowing the gender, we’re still not familiar with those ten people... We definitely can’t divine their place of residence. Oh, I want to know when they will leave Coldwater Port.”
Xia De wanted to determine the search range. He could only operate in Coldwater Port and Tobesk City right now. No matter how precisely he knew the other party's identity, if they left Coldwater Port, Xia De would not be able to continue the search.
“Yes, but just like when I first divined Iluna, I can only give vague results.”
First, a Civilization Coin was used, then a blood money was thrown after it proved ineffective, but it was still ineffective.
Luvia glanced at Xia De, and seeing him nod, she tossed the last blood money as well. And when Luvia opened her eyes, what she said was indeed satisfying:
“The second Chosen One will stay in Coldwater Port for about a week, then head to Tobesk.”
“Coming here?”
Xia De showed the same smile as Luvia:
“Then things are much simpler. I’ll go to Coldwater Port to gather information. I have friends there who can try to inquire about the identities of the Ring術士 who escaped last night. Even if I can’t find the exact person in Coldwater Port, as long as I know their identity information, and then in a few weeks, determine which male among them arrived in Tobesk, then the candidate can be confirmed.”
“That’s right, this seems even smoother than when I searched for Iluna’s identity.”
The continuous divinations made Luvia's face look a bit unwell, but getting valid information also made her excited.
Because she still didn't know who the second Chosen One was, Luvia asked Xia De to try and find them first. Even if he found them, he shouldn't contact them immediately, but rather determine their personality and affiliated forces.
What Luvia wanted to do was to unite, secure, and witness The Chosen Ones standing before the final door, ensuring that the number of Chosen Ones on her side at the final door was dominant. But if the other party was a bad person, Luvia had no interest in dealing with them.
“I’ll take care of things from now on. I’ll be responsible for the operations in Coldwater Port before the other party heads to Tobesk. Besides me, everyone else has been infected with the Mermaid curse. I just need to find those who want to lift the curse, and I’m sure to have a harvest.”
He paused, thinking of Darkness, who cheated at cards with him in the tavern and escaped from the pirate ship:
“Also, Luvia, I know the name of one of them. Although after the pirate ship incident, that person probably won’t show up easily in the tavern, I can still track them down. Besides that, there are about nine other people whose identities need to be verified...”
Xia De didn't feel this was a difficult task. Besides him finding people himself, the Church couldn't bypass Coldwater Port officials if they wanted to find people, and Princess Leia certainly had a way to get a list of those under close watch.
“But I’m more curious as to why the other party chose to go to Tobesk in a week. My friend said that this curse is a regional curse. Once they leave Coldwater Port, the curse might mutate.”
This was Xia De's only question at the moment.
“We should know in a week.”
Luvia said, sitting quietly, watching Xia De pick up Mia and constantly stroke her little head. Mia seemed to quite like Xia De doing that.
“Xia De?”
“I’m here, what’s wrong?”
The purple-eyed Diviner shook her head again:
“No, nothing... If your fifteen credits really aren’t enough, I have some unused relics here that you can turn in. It’s a pity, I don’t trust you enough yet to go there with you.”
(Mia sleeping zZ...)
Early on Wednesday morning, the sound of rain tapping on the window woke Xia De. The torrential rain had probably started last night, and by morning, the rumbling sound of rain heard upon opening the window seemed to drown the entire City.
Today was the last day of the thunder moon, and this rain was also the heaviest rain Xia De had seen since coming to this world.
“Seeing rain makes me think of water, and thinking of water makes me think it’s time to give you a bath. Mia, next month, I will definitely give you a bath.”
Xia De said to the cat following at his heels as he went downstairs to get the newspaper and milk. The small orange cat followed Xia De up the stairs, anticipating breakfast, and showed no reaction to what Xia De said.
It felt great not having to go out on such a stormy day, but Dorothy, who braved the rain to Saint Delan Square, was a bit grumpy. She wore rain boots and carried an umbrella, tightly hugging her notebook and books. Even though she came by carriage, she still inevitably got wet from the rain.
Today, Xia De was going to Coldwater Port to see Princess Leia, and Dorothy came to Xia De's place to help look after the cat.
Her main work recently was writing the Detective novel that would be serialized in the Steam Bird Daily starting next week. She happened to need to consult Xia De's Detective records as material, which was why she brought the notebook and books needed for writing. During Xia De's absence, she could also take care of Mia, which was a win-win situation.
“Do you want to see how I go to Coldwater Port?”
Xia De left the Ring of Metamorphosis behind for Dorothy to play with the cat. But the blonde Writer, who was already preparing to write in the study, didn't want to see the dangerous things in the basement, and just waved her hand Boredom ly, telling him not to disturb her.
“Speaking of which, will I be able to see you in Coldwater Port?”
Xia De asked again. Compared to the “familiar stranger” Princess Leia, he preferred to adventure with Dorothy.
“Aside from the mandatory weekly exchange and avoiding danger when it arises, we generally don't switch. Besides, Leia won't help me write manuscripts here.”
Dorothy said annoyedly, lowering her head to start writing. Xia De was quite regretful. After greeting Mia, who was licking her paws, he set off.
Mia had no complaints about Xia De leaving. She knew it was raining outside, and cats don't go out in such weather.
From the basement, he went to the sea cliff cave outside Coldwater Port pier. After surfacing, he found that it was also raining in Coldwater Port today.
By the time Xia De landed on the shore in the rain, the waves, constantly crashing against the shore due to the strong wind, almost dragged him back into the sea.
But the rainy weather also meant he didn't have to change clothes before entering the City. The “ugly merman from the deep sea” shiveringly arrived at the Golden Rose Inn on Hogglenz Avenue, still dripping water when he entered.
The fat innkeeper thought Xia De had gone out without an umbrella and kindly reminded him that there was hot water in the room's bathroom, but he needed to open the steam valve:
“Never turn the valve all the way, or the pressure will be unstable and cause leaks at the pipe joints!”
By the time Xia De finished his shower and changed clothes in the somewhat cramped bathroom, it was already 9:30 AM.
He pushed open the bathroom door, wiping his hair, and was surprised to find someone in the room.
A red-haired girl in a long dress stood with her hands behind her back, looking out at the rainy scenery from the window. The room Xia De rented was on the third floor of the inn, offering a clear view of the entire street.
“Good morning, Prin... Your Highness Leia.”
He was still a bit unaccustomed when greeting her. The princess heard his voice, turned around, and smiled at Xia De:
“Just call me by my name, Xia De, good morning. This should be the first time I’ve officially greeted you with my own body, and it feels really good... Yes, you made me introduce myself the day before yesterday.”
Today she was wearing a relatively ordinary long dress, but even the most ordinary clothes could not conceal her unique temperament. Leia took a step forward:
“Hamilton of Thunder Jeed, good morning. I am Leticia Cavendish, and I am delighted to meet you in Coldwater Port on this gloomy summer day.”
“Good morning, Leia.”
Xia De said with a smile, feeling that the other party was indeed familiar to him.
Then, Xia De inquired more about the aftermath of the pirate ship incident from Leia. He learned that since the night before last, the Church had been searching for the Ring術士 who escaped from the ship that day. The princess had, of course, hidden herself very well, and The Boatman and servants who picked her up had also been properly settled.
She only thought that the Church, after learning about the Sea Offering Ritual, wanted to know more about that pirate ship. But Xia De knew that the Church had already realized that among the escaped Ring術士, there was a second Chosen One.
Coldwater Port would probably see an influx of more strange people.
Xia De then asked Princess Leia for help in inquiring about the information of the Ring術士 who jumped ship at that time, which she readily agreed to. Afterwards, he also inquired about the Mermaid curse, but the princess simply told Xia De not to worry, she would be fine.
“Xia De, you came here to visit me, how can you keep talking about such boring things? Are you always like this when you’re with Dorothy?”
The red-haired girl was in high spirits today:
“Because of the curse, I’ve been stuck in Coldwater Port for two weeks and can’t leave. It’s not easy for someone to come find me, so let’s do something interesting? I can’t teach you for now; I didn’t bring too many books on this visit to Carson Rick. Here’s the thing, I gathered an interesting piece of intelligence yesterday: there’s a Ring術士 here who was infected with the curse and removed it by his own means. Do you want to go see him with me? We’ll visit as ordinary people, first observe if he really removed the curse, and if it’s true, then reveal our Ring術士 identities.”
“There’s such a powerful person? Of course, we have to go.”
Perhaps the people on the ship would also be attracted.
“Does the Church know about this? If this method can be popularized, wouldn’t the Mermaid curse be solved? The Sea Offering Ritual would also be solved.”
He asked again.
“But the premise is that the infected Ring術士 truly removed the curse, so we’ll visit as private individuals first to confirm the specific situation.”
The red-haired girl raised her hand to touch the ruby on her ear, and asked with a smile:
“Hamilton of Thunder Jeed, are you willing to guarantee with a knight’s honor that you will protect the princess you serve today?”
A knight's allegiance is to the king, not the royal family, so strictly speaking, Princess Leia's statement at this time was problematic, but Xia De wouldn't be foolish enough to correct her now:
“Oh, yes, Your Highness.”
He said cooperatively, wondering how the blonde Writer would react when he told Dorothy about this conversation.