Chapter 1125

After returning home from Coldwater Port, Xia De, wearing a scarf, left home again with his own cat and the gifts prepared for his friends.

The city was already preparing for the Year-End Festival celebration; beside the fountain statue in St. Theresa Square, workers were stepping on ladders, trying to hang ribbons for the girl holding the water bottle.

Every household had hung mistletoe wreaths on their doors, and middle-class families would even spend extra pounds to decorate their courtyards and fences. And everyone he could meet on the road had a joyous look, and even the carriage driver would wish Xia De a happy "Year-End Festival", and Xia De also gave him an extra tip.

The festive atmosphere enveloped the entire city, and in places Xia De could not see, human civilization was celebrating for the upcoming festival. The story of the fourth Chosen One had temporarily ended, and before the new story began, the Outsider could enjoy this important festival that comes once a year.

The first stop was the University District, which is relatively close to St. Theresa Square, at Professor Manning's home. Although Xia De had not made an appointment to visit in advance, the old professor indeed had no travel plans before the Year-End Festival.

He welcomed Xia De's visit very happily; Xia De hid Little Mia in the inner pocket of his coat, and then handed out a small sculpture in the image of a black cat as a festival gift:

"Over the past year, you have given me quite a lot of help."

Professor Manning accepted the gift quite happily and gave Xia De a very exquisite metal pen holder in return. This is a handicraft, made of pure metal. There is a gear mechanism inside; pressing the button in the decorative floral pattern at the bottom of the pen holder can make a small secret compartment for hiding notes appear at the bottom of the pen holder.

"A few days ago, I received a letter from Professor Drake; he seems to have finally figured it out. There aren't many old friends left; I am really happy for him."

Professor Manning said with a smile; Xia De of course did not forget to prepare a gift for Professor Drake. Of course, that gift was entrusted to be sent by Mr. Bernhardt's old butler in the name of "John Watson"; Professor Drake would probably like the little angel sculpture Xia De sent.

He did not stay long at Professor Manning's place; the next stop was Dr. Schneider's. Xia De did not attend the study group on Saturday, so the doctor already knew that he had embarked on an adventure with that ebony pistol. Seeing Xia De appear safe and sound at this time, the doctor was of course happy.

"Although you said that the demon of proliferating desire was a Year-End Festival gift for you, I think it's better to send something."

In the second-floor reception room, Xia De took out the red silk scarf he had prepared. Of course, it was not pure silk, but a material of cashmere from the northern high-footed sheep of Delarion mixed with silk.

The price of this scarf was quite expensive, but it was also very appropriate as a gift for the doctor. It was Dr. Schneider who led the terrified Outsider onto the path of the Ringed Shushi; Xia De had always remembered this point.

"Why be so polite?"

The doctor smiled and declined a few times, then happily accepted the gift. He also prepared a Year-End Festival gift for Xia De, which was a book called "Emotional Weaving". The content of the book was of course not about weaving crafts; this was a book for Ringed Shushi, recording the story of a giant eight-eyed spider living in the Third Era. Although it was a copy of a copy of a copy of a translated version, it was still possible to obtain spirit runes or miracles by reading it.

"In addition, the dream-entry ritual you wanted, I have also prepared for you."

The doctor gave Xia De a black briefcase, and the box was very heavy:

"I have written down the method of the ritual and put it inside; the materials are not expensive, and I have also prepared them for you. But we must agree, if Annette asks, I will not admit that I knew in advance that you wanted to enter her dream."

The doctor warned; Xia De nodded with a smile and placed Little Mia on the box on the coffee table:

"The dream-entry ritual needs to be prepared in advance and activated when falling asleep. I don't know if the ritual materials contain volatility?"

"No, no, you can set it up in advance, and there will be no problem using it within a week. Regarding the knowledge of dreams, I am very professional."

The doctor said quite proudly; Xia De noted this point and asked again:

"Luvia has already told me that our group's exam time is this Friday, which is the third day of the Moon of Birth in early 1854. Doctor, on Thursday, which is the evening of the second day of 1854, can you come to my house? I want you to help me assist in holding a ritual to enhance the effect of a miracle. That ritual requires the participation of ancient power, but it is not complicated, and it will end in at most half an hour... However, the location of the ritual is demanding; it must be in the clock tower."

Xia De did not want to do this before the Year-End Festival, so he would hold the ritual after the Day of the Red Butterfly.

"Of course no problem; around the Year-End Festival, there won't be many patients coming to me. You helped me hold the advancement ritual, and I help you hold the ritual to sublimate the miracle; what is there to decline?"

Thus Xia De got up to leave, and the doctor sent him downstairs. Although the doctor had no family, he was not alone during the Year-End Festival; most of the doctors in this psychological clinic would bring their families to spend the festival together in the clinic, celebrating the safe end of another year, and the clinic would be very lively then.

Xia De's second stop was the Dawn Church; the church, which was about to welcome the Year-End Festival, was also in a busy and joyous state. The children of the choir, wearing cotton clothes, were building snowmen in the square under the care of the old nun; the believers who volunteered to help were scrubbing the church's glass, while the believers who came to pray for the last time this year were stuffing one banknote after another into the donation box.

The entire church and even the entire square had already been hung with festive decorations; when Xia De got off the carriage, he was even handed an invitation to a grand open-air banquet held in the square tomorrow night, but unfortunately, he definitely would not have time tomorrow night.

A shed had been set up on the west side of the church to distribute Year-End Festival relief meals, while a stage for public performances was being built on the east side of the church. Xia De held Little Mia and watched all this; when he entered the church, which was even livelier than usual, and found Priest Augustus, the old priest was standing under a ladder against the side wall of the church's main auditorium, assigning tasks to the young priests gathered in a circle to visit the elderly in the city.

This was of course not the activity of visiting the elderly at the end of the year in the Outsider's memory, but the church distributing Year-End Festival gifts to the elderly believers who were advanced in age among the core believers; it is a tradition of the Five Gods Church.

The old priest finished arranging things before talking to Xia De; while receiving a fountain pen from Xia De as a Year-End Festival gift, he also gave him three books as a gift in return.

"Why do you all give me books?"

Xia De asked with a smile, but still happily accepted the gift. Unlike the books containing occult knowledge given by the doctor, the three books given by the priest were one religious classic of the Dawn Church, "The Legend of Saint Sidis", and the other two books were "Friends Around Us: A Guide to Cat Care (Part 1)" and "Friends Around Us: A Guide to Cat Care (Part 2)".

Although they sounded very ordinary, the latter two were quite expensive books because the covers and the illustrations and diagrams inside were in color. This was not printing, but handwritten and hand-drawn books, and in the era of steam industry, handicrafts maintained a more expensive price than in the previous era.

"Meow?"

Looking at the colorful cat on the cover of the book Xia De was holding, Little Mia suddenly waved her claws and patted the pages, making a very dissatisfied meow, which made both Xia De and Priest Augustus laugh.

"Priest, there is one more thing."

Although there were many people in the main auditorium, most of them were either praying on the long benches in front or walking by in a hurry, and no one noticed this side, so Xia De lowered his voice a little:

"That relic at the foot of the statue, I will use it on Thursday night... Thursday afternoon, I will come here to pick it up."

The priest's eyes looked around casually and nodded gently:

"No problem; I won't repeat words like 'be careful', but remember to return it after you finish using it. If it goes out of control again, I don't think Annette has the confidence to contain it again."

Priest Augustus would spend the Year-End Festival in this church; the old priest had spent countless Year-End Festivals in this church, witnessing the ups and downs of this church over the past half-century, which even Bishop Owen, who was transferred to the local area from another diocese only when he was in his forties, could not compare to.

So Priest Augustus would not be alone during the Year-End Festival; on the contrary, he was probably the busiest of the four in the group. Seeing that someone else had come to find the priest, Xia De said goodbye to the old man, first went to wish Bishop Owen, who was also very busy, a happy Year-End Festival, and only then set off for the Diviner Society.

Silver Cross Avenue, where the Diviner Society is located, is the center of Tobesk, the capital of the Kingdom of Delarion, and at the end of 1853, as the Year-End Festival approached, the changes here were even more obvious than in other parts of the city.

When the carriage carried Xia De and Mia here in the snow, Xia De looked up toward the distance of the street, watching the ribbons connecting the street lamps on the left and right sides, extending into the snow like door arches toward the distance, until they extended to the end of the road that could not be seen.

The gas street lamps had already been changed to a brand-new style when Xia De did not know; the glass shades of the new lamps looked exceptionally brand-new, and workers were on ladders carrying out final inspections. The fences and walls on the perimeter of Yodel Palace had also been hung with the colorful emblems of the royal Cavendish family, and the national flag of the Kingdom of Delarion was flying on top of every building in Yodel Palace.

Noisy sounds were everywhere; there were exceptionally many pedestrians on Silver Cross Avenue today, and long queues had formed at the entrance of Yodel Palace; His Majesty the King was going to meet many people today, but only a few could enter.

Everyone had a joyous look, and even the newspaper-selling boy could receive more tips than usual. The joyous atmosphere was spreading throughout the city as the festival approached, and no one was willing to keep an unhappy mood at the end of the year.