Xia De, who was very interested in St. Anthem Square, walked around the square, looking left and right.
He even found a person setting up a stall to gamble with rhode cards on the square.
The person sat on the ground and claimed that if anyone could beat him three times in five games, they would get a rhode card with special rules from him, but each challenge required a 5 pence fee.
Many people gathered there to watch them play cards, and the special card also had a certificate of authenticity, which meant the card itself was real.
However, Xia De heard from the onlookers nearby that this person had been running a stall here for eight years and had only lost once, and no one knew what method he used to maintain his winning streak.
The other party was definitely cheating, but Xia De had no interest in exposing him.
After all, most people who paid 5 pence to play cards probably knew there was a problem here.
It was hard to say whether they wanted to enjoy the fun of gambling with strangers or truly believed they could get that special card.
Xia De also did not forget his purpose for coming here.
According to the information provided by Iluna, the middle-aged man with a turban selling spices often appeared in the southern part of St. Anthem Square, and he would wear rain boots regardless of the weather and place a triangular wooden sign in front of his stall.
These features were clear enough, so Xia De saw him while strolling through the square.
The other party had a cart with bottles and jars on it.
To his left was a hawker selling herbs claiming to cure all ailments.
The hawker wore a long robe that dragged on the ground, and the strange patterns on his body resembled the style of primitive tribes in the southern forests of Carson Rick, looking very professional.
To his right was a general merchant who sold everything, with a cart beside him and a waterproof canvas spread on the ground, holding various miscellaneous items.
Because the herbalist on the left was somewhat insulting to wisdom, Xia De pretended to be interested in the general merchant's goods and stood in front of his cart to examine the items.
This distance was close enough, and the voice in his head gave a reply:
“The turbaned man to your right is a Ring術士, Middle-Ring, and his specific level needs to be confirmed after further contact.”
It seemed that the third task Iluna chose finally had some value.
“Sir, what would you like to buy?”
Xia De had been standing in front of the general merchant for too long, so the small merchant, who currently had no customers, took the initiative to speak to Xia De.
Xia De was not flustered and naturally continued the conversation:
“I have a cat at home, and I want to get some safer small toys for it.
You know, cats always like to swallow all sorts of unclean things.”
The somewhat slender merchant sized up Xia De, as if guessing his identity and the thickness of his wallet:
“Then how about buying this…?”
The merchant picked up a colorful feather:
“This is only 1 shilling.”
“Sorry, you don't have anything I'm interested in here.”
Xia De immediately shook his head; he would not pay so much for a dyed chicken feather.
After thinking for a moment, Xia De reached out and picked up a deck of rhode cards:
“I want to buy this.
I have a deck of rhode cards myself, but I want to get a spare one.”
Actually, after acquiring Treasured Possessions, individual cards might be damaged when used as weapons, so they needed to be frequently replenished.
“These are old cards, 5 pence for you.
Do you need anything else?
Oh, since you are a rhode cards player, are you interested in participating in a non-public, non-profit private rhode cards gambling game?”
The merchant asked familiarly, his eyes bright and a smile on his face.
“Non-public, non-profit private” basically meant an underground illegal casino, similar to the one at the Lucky Southern Cross Club at night.
A general merchant operating in the Lower City actually had the task of soliciting business for a casino.
“No, no, my wallet doesn't allow me to do that for now.”
Xia De said.
So the merchant whispered again:
“Then are you interested in trading special rhode cards?”
“You have those too?”
Xia De asked in surprise.
rhode cards with special card faces generally start at 1 pound, depending on the Circulation and age, while rhode cards with special rules cost at least 40 pounds each.
The small merchant in front of him was probably referring to the former.
“Yes, they are absolutely genuine.
General merchants like me usually stock up on some valuable small items that are easy to preserve, waiting for generous customers to be fleeced… to make a profit.
rhode cards are excellent goods.
Some rhode cards enthusiasts, whenever they arrive in a City, will go to the small merchants in the City to look for those cards until they replace an entire deck with special card faces.”
The merchant introduced them expertly.
Xia De imagined the sense of mission in collecting cards and felt that such people must be very wealthy.
“Of course, some high-end stores even sell rhode cards with special rules, but the price is probably not something ordinary people can accept.”
The merchant currently had no customers, so he chatted with Xia De for a few more sentences.
Xia De also took the opportunity to inquire about the square, focusing on the Ring術士 selling spices next to his stall.
The other party was talking to a customer and did not notice the guy with ulterior motives standing nearby.
“Oh, by the way, since you sell miscellaneous goods here, do you also buy miscellaneous goods?”
Xia De asked after thinking for a moment.
“Of course, but I only buy valuable items here.”
The merchant replied, and then saw Xia De hand over the three books he was carrying.
The merchant raised an eyebrow, wanting to refuse, but Xia De winked at him, signaling him to look inside.
The general merchant nodded in surprise and carefully opened one of them.
His originally squinted eyes immediately widened:
“This… this is really good stuff.”
He licked his lips, and while speaking, hastily flipped through the other two, a very sincere smile appearing on his face:
“This is really good, these three books… how about half a pound?”
This price was quite reasonable.
After all, the quality of these three illustrated books was very high, and even if one had money, it was not easy to buy them.
Xia De knew that general merchants who introduced business to casinos would definitely sell such illegal publications, so he nodded:
“Of course, but then you can't charge me for that deck of rhode cards.”
Xia De selling these magazines was certainly not to make a profit, but to create an excuse to chat here for a while.
And as he expected, after the payment was settled, the general merchant's attitude towards him was noticeably better.
Xia De also learned from this that the spice merchant next to the general merchant had only started selling goods here half a month ago.
Moreover, the other party definitely did not come on Sundays, usually appearing punctually at nine in the morning and leaving at five in the afternoon, which was more slothful than most business people in St. Anthem Square.
Having obtained the basic information, Xia De planned to formally approach the spice merchant to confirm what the other party was doing.
And the other party was definitely a person, not a relic, so he did not intend to conduct an in-depth investigation, merely not wanting to delay Iluna's task.
However, just as Xia De arrived at the spice merchant's side, a familiar figure appeared in the square.
Doctor Bill Schneider walked through the crowd with a briefcase, stopping for a wild dog chasing a large white goose to run past him.
The blue-eyed doctor waved and greeted the turbaned spice merchant:
“Good afternoon, Madison.”
“Good afternoon, Schneider.”
The two shook hands, and then the doctor noticed Xia De nearby.
Xia De's attire today was different from usual, so he didn't see him at first glance:
“Oh, Xia De, why are you here?”
The doctor asked with a smile, warmly inviting Xia De over, and then said to Mr. Alan Madison, who sold spices:
“This is the newcomer Hamilton I mentioned last time from our place.
Xia De, this is Mr. Alan Madison, a student of Success Higher Medical College.”
Success Higher Medical College is a Miracle academy on par with Saint Byron's and Zaras, proficient in alchemy and potions.
Mr. Madison, with a turban on his head, looked at Xia De in surprise and whispered to the doctor, somewhat disbelievingly:
“Schneider, are you saying that this person, who is addicted to rhode cards gambling and even sells pornographic magazines here, is the newcomer to your team?
I noticed him just now.”
It seemed he had noticed the commotion from Xia De's side just now.
“Hmm?”
The doctor looked at Xia De in great surprise, and out of trust in Xia De's character, he explained for him:
“He… is probably doing some commission; he is a Detective… Let's talk somewhere else; it's not safe here.”
Xia De was a bit embarrassed and extremely fortunate that the doctor did not continue talking about this topic.
Next to St. Anthem Square, there was a hotel, the “Three Cats Inn,” with lifelike carvings of three crouching cats on its wooden sign.
The inn had four floors in total and a considerable footprint.
The first and second floors were open-plan restaurants and pubs, except that the center of the second floor had no floor but an atrium, which made the view on the first floor more open, while the usable area on the second floor became somewhat small.
The third and fourth floors were guest rooms with separate partitions, and this was considered one of the better hotels in Tobesk's Lower City.
Doctor Schneider, Mr. Madison, and Xia De found seats in a corner on the second floor of the inn.
No one mentioned what Xia De had just done again, and Xia De learned from the conversation that Mr. Madison, the turbaned man, was a Six-Ring Arcanist and also a team leader for correspondence students, and an old friend of the doctor for many years.
Mr. Alan Madison lived nearby and was very familiar with the place.
When the maid, whose buttons were undone on her chest and collar was very low, came over, Mr. Madison was even able to call her by name and greet her.
“Do you know?
At night, well, after about seven o'clock, there will be some nice girls sitting in the corner here, and if you have money, you can…”
Xia De and Doctor Schneider looked at him in surprise at the same time.
“Don't look at me like that; I heard it from others.
I am a person who keeps himself pure.”
Mr. Madison waved his hand in defense, and then the three of them began to talk about serious matters.
The doctor came to see Mr. Madison because the latter had ordered a batch of relatively sensitive metal powders through Doctor Schneider's connections in the local black market, and Doctor Schneider could get a commission from it.
When talking about the reason for Xia De's presence here, Xia De mentioned the Church's matter:
“The Orthodox Church has noticed the special spices you are selling here.
Because it hasn't attracted much attention yet, they only assigned the task to a subordinate Ring術士 team.
I have a friend in the Church, and he entrusted me to check out the situation.”
“Actually, I wanted to ask earlier, Madison, are you so short on money that you need to set up a stall outside?”
Doctor Schneider also asked curiously.
Mr. Madison shook his head helplessly:
“Of course not for money.
How much do you think this kind of work can earn?
I obtained a special Miracle some time ago, and the learning requirement for the Miracle is a ritual.
My selling spices in St. Anthem Square is part of the ritual.”
“There are such strange learning requirements?”
Xia De asked curiously, while the doctor nodded:
“Of course, the learning conditions for Miracles that can only be used by Middle-Ring and Hexacle are very complex.
For example, the Mystic Lock used by that Thirteen Ring Sorcerer Summoner some time ago, the learning conditions for such a Miracle are even enough to fill a book.
Considering the Miracles that can be used by Middle-Ring, Madison's is indeed overly complex.
Are you sure you haven't been deceived?”