When Xia De awoke from a long sleep, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. The ceiling wasn't white; it was adorned with brightly colored, solemn religious frescoes.
He stared blankly at the scene of a saint sitting by a river, preaching to his followers, but before he could utter an exclamation like, “An unfamiliar ceiling,” a voice beside him spoke:
“You’re awake?”
“Priest Augustus?”
He turned his head to see the Priest sitting on an iron chair by the bed, holding a newspaper and wearing a white clerical robe. Not far behind him was a wall, covered with brass gas pipes and wrapped steam pipes. The gas pipes connected to gas lamps on the wall, emitting a warm glow.
The gas lamps were highly religious in style, featuring a naked man raising his arms, with light radiating from between them.
By the light, Xia De saw that the newspaper in the Priest's hand was the Tobesk City Evening News.
On the two open pages facing Xia De, the left side reported on Princess Lecia's visit to Carson Rick, the top right section reported on the frequent child abductions in the City, and the bottom section reported on an earthquake in southern Tobesk City, which, according to the report, caused little damage.
“Has there been an earthquake in Tobesk City recently?”
Xia De thought, having just woken up. Then he saw that the current date was Monday, and this newspaper was only published in the evening...
“Finally awake? You’ve been asleep for almost a day; it’s already eight o’clock on Monday evening. How do you feel now?”
The Old Priest criticized him in a joking manner.
“Monday evening? Oh no! Mia!”
Xia De was stunned, and the next second he practically leaped out of bed. He hadn't expected to be unable to return home on Sunday night, and now his poor orange cat at home had been starving for a day and was probably on its last legs.
“Where am I now? A church? Priest, I need to go home! Mia...”
“Don’t worry, you’re at Dawn Church now, and it’s very safe here. Look, your cat is here too.”
The Priest said, gesturing for Xia De to look by the pillow.
Indeed, the small orange cat was curled up there, seemingly annoyed at being woken by the Detective and Priest's conversation. But upon seeing Xia De awake, it happily rubbed its soft face against his hand.
A cat's body temperature is slightly higher than a human's, and Xia De felt the warmth and softness of the just-woken Mia.
“Your cat is very well-behaved, at least when you’re around. Is it Sparrow Hamilton Detective’s pet? I thought a Detective would be more inclined to keep a dog with a keen sense of smell as a pet.”
The Priest folded the newspaper and asked curiously as he reached to place it on the nightstand.
“No, it’s a client’s pet. So I only slept for one day, I thought...”
He had thought that using the “Divine Overflow” power would at least result in two or three days of unconsciousness. If it was only one day, then the cost was acceptable.
“Speaking of which, what was the price for using the last page of that script?”
“Divinity even healed the damage you sustained facing the Evil God, let alone the price of using a relic? From the situation at the time, the price seemed to be gradual hair loss.”
She continued to whisper in his ear, which greatly relieved Xia De.
Stroking the cat, he let out a sigh of relief, and amidst a slight daze, the memories from before he fainted flooded back. Scenes from Lakeview Manor seemed to flash before his eyes—
rhode cards, the grape arbor, the revolver, the Evil God, the Twelve Divinities Sublimation Path, the whispering chapters mentioned by Annette, and... himself before the silver moon:
“Is everything over?”
He sat up, feeling refreshed and full of energy.
“If you mean last night’s events, they are over, at least for us.”
The Old Priest said, seemingly having prepared this answer long ago, just waiting for Xia De to ask:
“We were almost discovered by the Orthodox Church, but with the help of your friend, everyone managed to escape successfully, and no one knows what we did. I brought you back to the church, saying you were my friend, to look after you. Louisa is being looked after by Annette, but the doctor's situation is a bit grim; he forcibly used the power of the Sublimation Words. Although he woke up in the afternoon, he probably won't be able to get out of bed for several weeks. May God bless him... Speaking of which, why did you sleep for so long? But it's good that you're awake, you look well.”
The Priest said, picking up a teacup and handing it to Xia De. He had been unconscious for a whole day, and although he looked better than anyone, he should hydrate.
Xia De thanked the Priest, holding the teacup in one hand and continuing to stroke the unusually lively orange cat with the other after it had been woken up. From Priest Augustus's demeanor, he knew the doctor's problem could likely be resolved:
“Priest, how are you doing?”
“Very well, I’m probably the least injured besides Annette.”
The old man said with a smile. Only then did Xia De completely relax, and he asked again:
“My friend helped us? Aren’t you my friends? Could it be Baron Lavende, but does he have such influence?”
“It was The Lady you mentioned. She proved that we were with her the whole time, and not in a sensitive location. The people from the Orthodox Church didn't even see us.”
The Priest said, standing up and checking the door again, confirming it was closed, then brightening the steam lamp shaped like a man with outstretched arms.
“So it was her.”
Xia De listened, cradling the cat in one arm on his lap, and scratching its chin with his finger. The cat squinted its eyes and tilted its head back.
“However, before we left, The Lady left you a letter, asking you to read it when you woke up.”
The Priest took an envelope from a pocket close to his robe. Xia De took it and pulled out the letter, seeing a short message written in cursive letters. This style of cursive writing was common among nobles, a variant of the common delarion.
“Oh? She wants me to write to the Lucky Southern Cross Club after I wake up to inform them. She wants to see me, and she has something she needs me to do?”
Xia De looked at the letter and raised an eyebrow.
“Isn’t that good? If she helped you for nothing, that would be cause for alarm. It seems The Lady isn’t a bad person.”
The Priest said, then added:
“I’ve also lived in this City for many years. In my opinion, ‘The Lady’ is probably related to the royal family. To have such power, to be able to cover for us in last night’s situation, indicates she’s not an ordinary great noble. Although I didn’t see her face either, there are probably no more than five women in all of Tobesk, no, in the entire Delarion Kingdom, who could do that. I’ve never heard of a high-level Ring術士 in the current royal family before. It seems our intelligence is still insufficient.”
“You know who she is?”
Xia De folded the letter and placed it on the nightstand, preventing Mia from biting it.
“Although I don’t know for certain, there are only a few possibilities. I won’t speculate. If she is willing to trust you, she will let you know eventually. Remember to send the letter soon. While it’s important to be wary of strangers, you shouldn’t be too suspicious of those who help with good intentions.”
The Priest shared his life experience, and Xia De nodded, understanding these principles.
Probably feeling a bit stuffy indoors, after discussing these sensitive topics, the Priest got up and went to the window, pulling back the heavy curtains. He opened the window, and the cool night breeze immediately blew in. The Priest and Xia De both let out a long sigh simultaneously.
Tobesk’s summer nights are cool; July has arrived, and mid-summer is approaching.