Chapter 1223: Heart of the Earth

"This suggests that the Guardian's mission is related to some extremely terrifying secrets... What is the Heart of the Earth?"

Xia De asked suddenly.

"Rumor has it that Randal Valley is the center of the earth in the material world, and the Heart of the Earth is the active golden rock in the cave in the center of the valley deep underground in Randal Valley. Some unrealistic rumors mention that whoever controls the Heart of the Earth can control earthquakes, soil fertility, and even changes in the terrain of the whole world... Is the secret they want to guard this?"

Miss Bernice suspected, but others couldn't guess it for the time being, and Xia De thought it was impossible for such a powerful "Heart of the Earth" to exist. This should be an exaggerated statement, but it did not exclude that the "Heart of the Earth" had similar effects.

"However, golden rock..."

Perhaps the divinity he perceived referred to this. The source of the crazy earth pollution came from the so-called "Heart of the Earth."

"The notebook says that the inherited guardians all succeed in the form of souls. They have been guarding the land of Randal Valley in the dark, confronting the spreading pollution in the deepest part of the earth, and rarely appear directly, unless there is a problem on the ground that cannot be solved in a normal state, that is, last night... Interesting, the previous generation of guardian Thomas Granger still exists, and the current generation of guardian Mr. Lasse appeared. Then there is reason to believe that the so-called 'guardian' group is also likely not just the two of them."

"A group of undead silently watching the secrets of soil and rocks in the depths of the earth—this kind of statement is quite dramatic."

Luweiya evaluated, thinking that this included Miss Lasse's father, and added:

"I mean, if these are all facts, then they are truly great enough."

"I actually feel that there is something wrong with it. Leaving clues but not explaining all the circumstances, guiding people step by step to the end, and then dying to become a guardian, why is it so like a liar's means... I am not suspicious of them, just have some doubts."

Miss Bernice was particularly cautious:

"Regardless, we must find them. Xia De, what is the next clue?"

The witch asked, and Xia De flipped through the book again:

"Didn't find the next clue, could it be hidden text?"

He handed the notebook to the witch, let her study it after going back, and then asked Miss Lasse:

"Before your father disappeared, did he say anything to you? That is, things that didn't feel abnormal at the time, but now think back are very suspicious. Or, did he specifically tell you that he was going to some special places?"

That was something from more than ten years ago, but Miss Lasse still had a very deep memory. The Golden Dawn, as a sect of the Old God 【Forgotten Elder】, instead possessed a unique method of solidifying memories:

"It was mentioned in the notebook just now about the Heart of the Earth... Two months before Father disappeared, he once said that the local auction house was auctioning an antique that might be related to the rumored 'Heart of the Earth.' He didn't say he wanted to buy it, just asked me to organize the sect's accounts and see how much balance could be drawn for use. Later, this matter was left unsettled."

"Auction house? Which local auction house?"

"Cassandra Auction House, I remember very clearly."

Miss Bernice looked at Xia De immediately:

"Cassandra Auction House is the old witch's industry. As the most well-known auction house spread across the Old Continent, it naturally has branches in important cities like Randal Valley."

Xia De nodded:

"I will go and ask. Cassandra gave me her business card and a special membership badge. No Cassandra Auction House will refuse me. Miss Lasse, please tell me the approximate time of that auction, and I will know by checking the account book."

Miss Bernice looked at him with a strange face:

"Is Cassandra so good to you? I know that kind of membership badge; even her apprentices might not be able to get it... Although you said your relationship with her is very good, but..."

"Don't misunderstand, my relationship with Cassandra is different from my relationship with Miss Galina."

Xia De said hurriedly.

The blonde witch shook her head:

"There is a plenary meeting of the council tonight. I will see if anyone knows about the 'Heart of the Earth.' I won't go to the auction house with you later. I will go to her old house with Xiris to tidy up and see if there is anything else."

"Xia De, I won't go with you either. The local Divination Association might have records about guardians or the Heart of the Earth, and I will go back to check."

Luweiya said. Every lady was decisive and acted resolutely.

"That's good, tomorrow, which is Tuesday afternoon, we will gather at Wang Erde's Opera House again to consolidate the clues in our hands."

Xia De felt that the feeling of cooperating in the investigation like this was truly too good.

The witch's group continued to investigate at the Forgotten Church, while Xia De and Luweiya left together. Places like auction houses must be in prosperous areas of the city, not far from the Divination Association, so Xia De could take the same carriage with Luweiya.

Relying on the badge given by the old witch, Xia De very smoothly obtained the right to view the account books at the Cassandra Auction House. But unfortunately, those were records from decades ago, and during this period, the local auction house had experienced fires, relocations, the person in charge being killed by someone sent by Cassandra because of corruption, and the repair and several repairs of the account books. Therefore, for the rest of the day, Xia De could not see the most original records.

However, the local auction house manager, Mr. Kimberley, promised Xia De that Xia De would definitely be able to see the account books tomorrow morning, and personally took Xia De to the warehouse where the account books were kept to check the situation.

Although the outsider was not a professional accountant in his hometown, when he saw those files piled up like mountains, as well as the labels and records that could not be seen at all, he probably knew what the so-called "terrible account book preservation habits" were.

"That's good, I will come again tomorrow morning, and I must get the account book then."

"Okay, okay."

Mr. Kimberley personally sent Xia De to the door of the auction house, and gave Xia De an envelope containing tickets for the Wang Erde Opera House tonight as an apology. But when Xia De opened it in the carriage, he found that besides the tickets, what was in the envelope was a 50-crown bank draft.

"Ha, he wouldn't think I was a commissioner sent by Cassandra to check the accounts, would he?"

He thought for a while, collected the bank draft, and planned to find time to donate it to the church, or buy some gifts for the old witch, Miss Swift, and the Red Butterfly girls next time he went to Mibao.

(Little Mia is running...)

Monday, 10:00 PM, Witch Council.

As Speaker Isabella announced the end of the meeting, the thirteen councilors either chatted with their companions or stood up gracefully to say goodbye to the Speaker.

Vanessa Bernice, the "Great Witch of the Earth," organized the documents about "Crazy Earth" at hand, put her golden fountain pen into her pocket, and did not get up immediately, wanting to talk to the "Great Witch of Space" about the apprentice issue.

Unexpectedly, besides Miss Sylvia, Galina Cavendish, the "Great Witch of Balance," did not leave immediately either.

The three waited until everyone else had left before starting to talk. The Duchess of Delarion asked Miss Bernice:

"What is Xia De doing recently? He isn't participating in any dangerous things in Randal Valley, is he? I am returning to Tobesk soon, and I really miss him."

"He... is carrying out his own adventure. I have already mentioned the matter of the crazy earth at the council. As for his safety, please don't worry. Since I am by Xia De's side, naturally I won't let anything happen to him."

Miss Bernice said, and the Duchess looked at her:

"I noticed that you call him by his name, Xia De..."

She pursed her lips and said to Miss Sylvia, who was flipping through the contract in her hand:

"You see, in half a month, the relationship between Xia De and Bernice has become quite good. Last month, we were worried that he and Bernice would have a conflict; this is truly ridiculous."

Miss Bernice felt she was being sarcastically mocked, but she had always been upright—at least for now—so she didn't feel she needed to be ashamed of this.

"With Vanessa by Xia De's side, we don't need to worry."

Miss Sylvia put the contract aside:

"I have been busy lately; the opening of the factory is more complicated than I thought. Fortunately, there is the relationship of the Anjou royal family, otherwise, just the expensive urban gas emission fees would be enough to give me a headache for a while."

"What business are you going to do? Just now I saw you asking the Speaker to sign, letting her buy shares in your factory, but you didn't say what you were going to do."

The Duchess asked curiously, and Miss Sylvia revealed an expression of "I was waiting for you to ask":

"It was Xia De who gave the idea and the general direction. Later, in the Pantanal battle, I got more detailed ideas from Enlightenment. I tried for a month before making the finished product. The best finished product currently needs the participation of supernatural power to make. But inferior products can be produced after the steam factory is built... However, to fully enter the market, it will have to wait until autumn or winter."

This speed was fast enough.

"Mysterious, in a month, what can you invent?"

The Duchess asked languidly, actually not caring about this question at all.

In an era when the steam wave was sweeping the world, brand-new inventions appeared every day, and there were countless inventors on the newspaper soliciting investment for themselves. Even if Miss Sylvia's vision was quite good, the Duchess didn't think she could invent anything epoch-making.

"Also, how many shares are you planning to give Xia De? I heard from Lei Qianya that because he gave you 5,000 pounds of investment funds, he even had to consider the expenses for decorating his house. Really, I left money for him in the manor, and he actually didn't go to use it..."

"It's not how many I want to give him, it's how many he wants."

Miss Sylvia blinked:

"If he wants... I can give it all to him. Do you want to see the finished product I made?"

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