Chapter 12: Admissions

Doctor Shi Nai De took a sip of black tea in the middle of speaking, then glanced into the cup with some surprise:

"This black tea is quite good."

"The Church and the Academy?"

Xia De had no mind to spare for the former detective's taste in black tea, nor for what sort of person the former detective actually was; he was busy digesting all this information.

"Yes, the Church can also train Ring Sorcerers. Actually, the proper channels for training Ring Sorcerers, at least in my view, are the five Orthodox churches and the three great Arcane Arts academies. The other heretical churches, secret societies, ancient organizations, and all sorts of odd groups have training methods that are either improper or riddled with hidden dangers. So you can see, the fact that you happened to run into me during your awakening is truly fortunate... fortunate for both of us."

"Then the Church..."

Compared to the academy whose origins were unknown, Xia De was actually more interested in the Church that could cooperate with the kingdom's authorities. The doctor could read this thought as well; he smiled, shook his head in understanding, and explained:

"The Academy and the Zhengshen Sect are not enemies—in fact, they occasionally cooperate. It's just that the Church doesn't like Academy students, whether correspondence or formal; they consider us... trouble-attracting danger generators."

He raised an eyebrow slightly, and seeing that Xia De didn't ask, continued:

"So, we correspondence-course Academy Ring Sorcerers—our existence itself isn't illegal, but we usually don't let the Church know our identities or that we exist. I know you might be interested in the Church, so please answer my question—"

The doctor curved a smile at the corner of his mouth:

"Joining the Church requires a completely clean background. Even if you have a criminal record, you need a complete life trajectory to confirm you're not a dangerous element. Can you provide that?"

Bill Shi Nai De was himself a psychologist, and at this moment he seemed to be consulting a patient.

"You investigated me?"

The words slipped out of Xia De's mouth, but he immediately regretted saying it:

"It would be abnormal not to investigate."

He thought to himself.

"I only looked into some basic information. After all, Academy admissions also require confirming the other party's identity; I can't recommend a dangerous element to the Academy. But because we're only correspondence course, do you understand what correspondence course means? So the identity requirements aren't as strict as the Church's."

Doctor Shi Nai De smiled and looked at the young detective sitting across from him:

"Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi awakening affects the mind probabilistically, which is why you changed from the original Xia De into the Xia De you are now. After investigating your identity, I finally understood what that fear and blankness in your eyes when I saw you yesterday was all about. For you, the moment your talent awakened was when you truly 'woke up,' wasn't it?"

He had probably misunderstood the reason the dim-witted Xia De had become the current Xia De, but Xia De was happy to let him think that way, so he pretended to be seen through and nodded:

"If I took this explanation to the Church..."

"Of course you could, but I'd prefer you first learn about the Academy, learn about what a 'Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi' actually is. Wouldn't it be better to decide that way? I believe you can understand—at the very least, I'm not a bad person."

Doctor Shi Nai De said. Xia De nodded again; the doctor made sense. He answered very solemnly:

"Then alright, thank you, Doctor Shi Nai De. I'm willing to learn about these things first."

The doctor took a pocket watch from his coat and glanced at it:

"We don't have much time. The awakening period usually lasts about 72 hours, though it fluctuates with individual differences. To avoid missing the window..."

"What happens if you become a Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi without guidance during the awakening period?"

Xia De interrupted the doctor apologetically:

"I'm curious about that."

The doctor shook his head indifferently:

"Curiosity is a good sign—it means you don't reject Ring Sorcerers or the arcane."

"Someone like you who knows almost nothing is actually better suited for guidance. People fear the supernatural, dread the mysterious; you haven't shown any rejection, only curiosity, and I'm glad of that. As for your question... I don't have concrete data on hand. I can only tell you that if a Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi's awakening isn't guided, the likely outcome is going mad, the less likely outcome is the head exploding. Yes, have you ever seen the scene of a hammer smashing a watermelon? Pink and white flying everywhere."

The doctor asked politely.

"No need to describe it further—that metaphor is too vivid; I can almost see the scene already."

Xia De said immediately, feeling his empty stomach from skipping breakfast turn a bit queasy.

"Alright then. Of course, there's also a smaller probability of some strange things happening, but we can discuss that later. In short, let me first introduce you to Ring Sorcerers. A simple explanation won't be vivid enough—please come with me."

The doctor stood up.

"Where to? To Saint Byrne's Comprehensive Academy?"

Xia De waved the Academy admissions document in his hand.

"Of course not. We correspondence-course students only become eligible, after fifth year, to go to the Academy hidden beneath the polar ice sheet in the far north of the Old Continent. The Academy's address is secret, tied to certain sub-space entrances and Outsider species attached to the material world. Before then, we continue our own lives and study within the scope of our own lives. Remember, Mr. Hamilton, what we're receiving is adult education—we are correspondence-course students of the Academy."

In other words, even if Xia De joined the Academy, he wouldn't need to study at a secret location like "Hogwarts." That had its pros and cons, but at the very least it meant more freedom while gaining power.

"Now, I'm going to take you to find the person who killed Silesi Hamilton."

The doctor made an inviting gesture.

"What?"

Xia De stood up at once—this was something he hadn't expected.

"Yes, I only discovered this when investigating your identity. Since there was already a supernatural and mysterious presence around you, why not use this opportunity to help you resolve the problem? You must also be worried whether the person who killed the original Detective Hamilton might drag you into it."

He had to admit that even though the original detective had promised not to drag Xia De into it, Xia De was still worried.

"This isn't a troublesome matter, and the other party seems to have not deliberately hidden the traces of their actions because Silesi Hamilton was just an ordinary person. Come with me now—I think we can resolve this before lunch. By the way, do you have a handgun?"

The doctor asked again.

"No."

Xia De shook his head.

"Then please don't stand in front of me. I assure you, as long as you stay behind me, there won't be any danger today. After all, the one across from us isn't a Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi."

Silesi Hamilton had said before dying that the other party was.

"Ordinary people can't tell the difference and tend to lump everyone who can use supernatural power together as Ring Sorcerers. But for a formally employed Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi, it's easy to distinguish. After all, that person has no 【Ring of Fate】, no accumulated Spirit, and can't sense the four elements of 【Miracle】【Revelation】【Blasphemy】【Whisper】—they're just an ordinary person who happened to get their hands on a 【Relic】..."

The doctor paused, then corrected himself:

"No, an unlucky fellow."

"You seemed to mention a lot of terms just now."

Xia De said. In fact, he had already heard about the four elements and 【Relic】, but there was no need to show it now.

"That's fine, we can talk while we walk."

The profession of detective carries great danger; according to the Doctor's investigation, the previous detective, Sparrow Hamilton, met with an accident during one of his investigative activities.

Presumably to prevent Xia De from investigating, before his death Sparrow Hamilton deleted all records of that commission, but the Doctor's intelligence network fully reconstructed that incident.

"Come to think of it, you investigated the whole matter in just one night?"

Xia De didn't forget to ask, but the Doctor vaguely avoided answering, saying he would tell him after this matter was concluded.

"This is the place."

The two took a carriage (the Doctor paid) from the square, and after nearly two hours of travel, crossing the city, they alighted from the carriage on the embankment beside the Osel River.

As the capital of the Northern Kingdom, the city of Tobesk has a well-developed water system, with inland river shipping supporting its prosperous steam industry and commerce.

Multiple rivers run through the urban area of Tobesk, among which the Osel River flows through the northern part of the city. It is now the summer high-water season, and the river's current is torrential.

This area is already near the edge of the city. The Doctor said the City Hall has plans to establish a new factory district nearby, relying on the waterway traffic of the Osel River to seek new development opportunities for Tobesk, and thereby connect with the industrial region in the north of the Kingdom, also serving as a supplement to the Kingdom's steam locomotive railway network.

But at least for now, there are still large tracts of wasteland around here. After getting off and looking into the distance, in the hazy fog only the building clusters of Tobesk could be seen far away.

"To avoid disturbing him, we'll walk from here. I've noticed the boots you're wearing are well-suited for long travel. Mr. Hamilton, you probably haven't had breakfast yet; once this matter is settled, I'll treat you to a meal."

The Doctor said, carrying his own briefcase, and together with Xia De, who had his notebook tucked under his arm, they walked into the grass beside the main road. Before long, the two of them saw a small path.