Chapter 1044: Anchor of Civilization

"Do not return to Delarion in the future."

Xia De stood by the wooden ladder for boarding and said to the two in the night, but he did not refuse their action of taking out money; this was what he deserved:

"I originally thought about collecting a total of 100 pounds from you, but 60 is enough for me. You still need to find new jobs and continue studying art; there will be plenty of times when you need money."

"Sir, I really don't know how I should thank you."

Mr. Fellinger stood in the night and said, finally giving the sewer blueprints to Xia De. He would never return in his life, and these blueprints were of no use to him.

"Sir... I don't ask for forgiveness... really... loyalty..."

Although he was talking to Xia De, Miss Brown was actually looking at Princess Margaret behind Xia De. The princess stood in the shadows that even the lights on the ship could not illuminate.

Miss Brown was choked with sobs and couldn't speak, and seeing this, Xia De urged:

"Go quickly, go quickly, you've finally reached this point, don't..."

Suddenly, a large light came from the distance. Xia De turned his head sharply and saw a group of people carrying kerosene lamps approaching in this direction, and the leader seemed to be Director Anluosi.

The others on the pier also looked at the group of people approaching along the riverside street.

"MI6! The leader seems to be..."

The maid behind the princess whispered. Princess Margaret subconsciously looked at Xia De, and that beautiful face was revealed from under the cloak.

"Don't worry."

Xia De said in a deep voice, then immediately urged:

"Miss Brown, Mr. Fellinger, you go on the ship first."

Then he turned and walked toward the people approaching:

"Your Highness, don't move here, leave everything to me."

He took off his hat and trotted away from the bridge. Mr. Fellinger carried the luggage and boarded the ship immediately, while Miss Brown, standing behind, turned her head one last time to look at the silent princess:

"Sorry."

Margaret Anjou lowered her head and said nothing at all. Miss Brown bit her lip and was finally pulled onto the wooden ladder by Mr. Fellinger.

On the other side, Xia De had already approached the group of people walking over. The leader was indeed Director Anluosi. Several people behind him wanted to raise their guns, but were stopped by Director Anluosi, who recognized Xia De:

"Oh, why are you here?"

He did not call out Xia De's name. Xia De waved to his superior, then walked forward two steps with him, and the two spoke alone.

Xia De lowered his voice and pointed to the figure of the princess on the bridge:

"Mr. Anluosi, has something happened?"

Without waiting for Director Anluosi to explain, Xia De said:

"That person over there, Margaret Anjou, I accompanied her out to relax. We... um... she took the initiative to invite me."

The middle-aged man looked at Xia De suspiciously, and Xia De smiled embarrassedly:

"Well, she has a batch of smuggled goods that need a final verification, right on that ship; it's local tobacco. Coming out for a walk with me is just a side matter."

"It seems you have done a good job on His Majesty's mission."

Director Anluosi looked far away at the figure wearing a hood on the bridge. After Xia De's reminder, he also recognized that it was Princess Margaret. Of course, at such a time, pretending not to see it was the best choice:

"There is nothing going on tonight either. A defecting agent has returned to Tobesk, and we suspect she has connections with the Gray Gloves."

He did not suspect that Xia De or Princess Margaret would help that former maid; the former had nothing to do with this matter, and the latter was even a victim:

"Do not stay outside for too long tonight."

Director Anluosi said:

"I am leading people to search along the river; after all, the possibility of her wanting to leave by train is not high."

"For such a matter, why would you come out to lead the search team yourself?"

Xia De asked curiously. Director Anluosi was the head of MI6; he generally would not participate in direct operations.

"After all, it is the end of the year, and MI6 also has to accept His Majesty's assessment and year-end bonus evaluation."

He sighed, looking exactly like a middle-aged man struggling for a living:

"So I also have to show some performance; after all, it is the end of the year, and His Majesty is still watching at the Yodel Palace."

Xia De nodded quite understandingly:

"It's not easy for anyone."

Director Anluosi patted Xia De on the shoulder:

"Princess Margaret will leave next week. Your mission still has one week left. I hope that damn Gray Hawk can show up."

He waved to the others behind him:

"Next pier."

Thus, the team turned, and the group continued to search for other ships downstream.

Xia De said goodbye to Director Anluosi, and only after confirming that the group had walked far away did he return to the princess's side by the bridge in the darkness:

"No problem now."

He said softly. Although Princess Margaret was curious about how Xia De persuaded the people from MI6 to leave, she did not ask more.

After loading the last two passengers, black smoke puffed from the cargo ship's chimney. After the steam whistle sounded long, the cargo ship slowly sailed away from the pier and sailed along the river into the darkness downstream.

Princess Margaret remained silent from beginning to end. Until the ship had gone far away, she stood on the bridge and asked Xia De softly:

"Detective, aren't you surprised that I appeared here?"

"Why should I be surprised? I think you wanted to watch her leave with your own eyes, which can be considered a farewell to your own unpleasant experience."

Xia De said. He finally breathed a sigh of relief. The day's running around was so exhausting. He got nothing but a map and sixty pounds, but he still felt quite happy in his heart:

"Seeing Miss Brown board the ship and leave, don't you feel happy?"

"I am a little happy, but I also feel like I have said goodbye to that naive self."

She seemed a bit melancholy.

Xia De's mouth curled into a smile:

"And, you successfully made Miss Brown have something she will feel guilty about for the rest of her life. She will be like you eight years ago, never forgetting what she has done."

Hearing Xia De say this, the face under the hood finally revealed a smile. Xia De continued:

"As long as you are happy, my running around all day was not in vain."

He stretched in front of the princess:

"So, Your Highness, will you mind eating purple cabbage in the future?"

The princess looked at him reproachfully:

"Of course I mind, that kind of vegetable, no matter what, is not delicious."

She looked at Xia De nearby, paused, and then said softly:

"Thank you."

"Why thank me?"

Xia De asked back, then waved his hand:

"Your Highness, I actually have a purpose too. Can you help me contact Sir Pulin? Around Sunday afternoon, I hope to meet him at my house. Besides that, there is also a Ringed Shushi friend of mine. Please tell him that I am a Ringed Shushi, and just say that I am looking for a Ringed Shushi with the power of the moon, and you recommended him."

"No problem, but I will go with you, otherwise the Sir might not agree."

She hesitated:

"There is one more thing, Xia De, in the future, I allow you to call me by my name directly."

The princess's eyes looked at Xia De. Xia De hesitated for a moment, feeling the cold wind of the winter river channel blowing on his cheeks:

"That's good... Margaret?"

The princess revealed a smile again:

"I will return to the country next week. I didn't expect that during my visit to Tobesk, I could still meet a friend like you. I think I probably know why that Duchess is obsessed with you."

Xia De did not comment on this, made a gesture of invitation, and left the bridge with the princess and the maid, walking toward the street with gas lamps lit.

The moon was full and the stars were sparse; the winter city was so peaceful. Princess Margaret was unwilling to talk to Xia De about Miss Brown. When Xia De sent the princess to the carriage, she hesitated and asked Xia De a question:

"Why on earth do you want to help them? Don't say it's really for that 60 pounds. With your strength, you can earn this money more easily by doing anything than this matter."

"Helping others, why do you need a reason?"

Xia De pointed to his chest and said quite firmly:

"If you really want a reason, I also helped many people in the autumn, and they all helped me in the mountains when I encountered danger later. This made me understand that doing good deeds occasionally is not bad. And as a knight of Delarion, I actually still have some knightly spirit."

"But your approach is damaging the interests of Delarion."

The princess said softly, looked left and right, confirmed that no one was paying attention here, and she kissed Xia De lightly on the side of his face:

"Then, knight, this is the reward for you."

After saying this, she got into the carriage and didn't even say goodbye to Xia De before ordering the coachman to drive away from here.

Only Xia De, holding his side of the face, was left standing at the street corner, watching the back of the carriage leave:

"Do the girls of this era all like to use kisses to express gratitude?"

【Perhaps this is a treatment only you have.】

"She" whispered in Xia De's ear with a chuckle.

"However, she touched me directly, why didn't she discover that there is something wrong with me, a man?"

【Her witch power is even less than expected. It seems that Miss Sylvia never intended to let her have any connection with the Witch Council from the beginning.】

Xia De smiled, put his hands into his pockets, kicked the pebble at his feet with his right foot, and watched the pebble jump into the alley to the side:

"I should go home too. Little Mia is still waiting for me at home. After working all day, I want to rest."

He turned and walked in another direction, his pace having an indescribable lightness.

"She" whispered softly in Xia De's ear, and the thin moonlight illuminated the road home for Xia De:

【Sixth Era, 1853, Deep Winter, Month of Slumber. The curtain of civilization slowly unfolds for you. Standing on the land of the Old Continent, you have already understood and become familiar with the struggle between the two great kingdoms of human civilization. The princess sings softly on the stage, the king sits on the throne overlooking the earth, secret agents shuttle through the city, and the giggling Duchess still doesn't know what she is thinking. My dear Outlander, desire weaves a great net, power casts the scepter, money piles up bones, and fate composes the poem. The kingdom is in your hands, and war and peace will be decided by you. This era has become more interesting because of your arrival, and you, what kind of future are you looking forward to?】

"Why say such things at this time? Did I complete some difficult achievement? All along, you only speak in such a tone after I have completed some major event."

【You have become involved with the princesses of two countries at the same time. This is enough to affect the situation of human civilization, because they both have full ambition. Tonight, the anchor of civilization was touched by you.】

"She" answered gently in Xia De's ear with a smile.

"And, why say it as if I am a conspirator behind the scenes of the kingdom, planning to subvert the world?"

Xia De complained softly in his heart, turning again to look at the carriage that had already gone far away:

"According to what you said, it seems I can easily influence two kingdoms. When did I have such power?"

"She" just chuckled, but under Xia De's repeated questioning, she still asked back:

【Outlander, do you wish to possess such power?】

Xia De looked up at the hazy moon in the sky:

"Pursuing power is too tiring; I still choose to pursue strength."

【You have heard that knowledge is power, but isn't strength also power?】

Xia De shook his head and walked toward home. ===== CHAPTER 1045 =====