Chapter 1603

The coin fell, and the gaunt man wiped the water from his face, his expression immediately brightening as he reached for it. But just as Xia De was about to turn and leave, he paused.

"What is that hanging around your neck?"

The man's shirt was soaked through, allowing Xia De to see a strange metal pendant hanging from his neck. Knowing how dangerous Xia De was, the man hurriedly pulled it out. It was a black, circular metal piece shaped like a whirlpool.

"This is the mark of the 'Unifiers'."

"What?"

Xia De asked, surprised. In his preliminary investigation, he had heard nothing of any such faith or legend in the local area.

Fearing another forced sobering, the man hurriedly explained:

"It's a legend in our village. People in the nearby villages believe it too: all things originate from a single point and will return to that original point. As long as you believe in the Unifiers, when the Day of Return arrives, he will lead us to become the final survivors, and then we shall possess everything."

"He? Is the Unifier a human?"

Xia De was even more confused.

"I don't know. I just heard it from others. I don't really believe it either—how could such a good thing exist? But as long as you wear this mark, you're one of the Unifiers. You don't have to offer money or do anything special, and the person doesn't blasphemously call themselves a god... Anyway, it doesn't cost money and it's not a crime, so what's the harm in believing it? Maybe it's actually true?"

The man said. Xia De asked to inspect the badge and determined it was just an ordinary object.

"When did the legend of the Unifiers appear? Where did you get this badge? Where did the others get theirs?"

Xia De asked again, tossing another coin to the man. The man answered with a smile:

"Thank you, thank you! I mean, this legend must have been around for a long time, right? At least my grandfather knew about it. But outsiders definitely wouldn't know; it sounds ridiculous, and only a few villagers in the villages around Green Lake have heard of it. Nobody actively promotes it anyway."

"I picked this badge up. Oh, don't hit me! Don't hit me, I really did pick it up by the lake! I'm not sure where the others got theirs; either passed down from their parents or picked up as well. But very few people wear them. It doesn't sound real, though children do like to use these badges for role-playing games."

Xia De asked a few more questions and determined that the "Unifier" rumor was a regional one. Such rumors appeared to varying degrees in different areas, depending on the education level of the residents, and even if reported to the Church, they would only investigate it superficially.

After all, it didn't involve the supernatural or occultism, and it didn't even constitute fraud. Aside from the strange black badges, people couldn't find any real evidence that the "Unifier" rumor existed beyond word of mouth.

Xia De noted this down and then, following the man's directions, arrived at the Pukhov Village pier. Leaving the village along the lakeshore to the west, after meeting two fishermen fishing leisurely, he saw the courtyard standing on the shore of Green Lake.

Calling it a "villa" was generous; it was just a three-story building surrounded by a courtyard. There was no one guarding the courtyard, so Xia De walked straight in, but there were three people in the yard teasing a black dog.

The three-story building stood in the center, and the curtains on all the windows were drawn. Just as Xia De was seen by the three people who turned to speak to him, the front door of the building opened, and an unexpected person stepped out.

"Professor Boulanger?"

The professor, who had stepped out with two young men in glasses, was the same one Xia De had met in a carriage on his first trip to Mikaela Furnace City.

The professor wore a black formal suit and black boots, holding a document bag. He was quite surprised to see Xia De here:

"Isn't this Mr. Watson?"

"Hello, Professor."

Xia De looked behind the professor and his two students; the man with the eyepatch over his right eye was the last to step out. He glanced at his three subordinates and looked at Xia De with vigilance. Xia De explained:

"Captain Radis introduced me. I have a note here."

"Rotten-Eye" Bally nodded:

"Come in. Anyone introduced by the Captain is trustworthy."

Seeing that Xia De had business, Professor Boulanger didn't continue the conversation:

"Mr. Watson, my two students and I are going to the tavern in the village. If you have time later, you can find us there."

"Certainly, Professor."

Xia De said with a smile, bade farewell to Professor Boulanger, and followed "Rotten-Eye" Bally into the house.

"Hmm?"

The moment he stepped inside, he twitched his nose and looked suspiciously at the man leading the way. The man was shorter than Xia De, had well-proportioned limbs, and very pale skin.

"Is there a foul smell?"

He asked in his mind.

【Yes.】

"The smell of a water ghoul?"

【Very similar.】

Xia De swept his gaze over the interior of the normally decorated house and followed two steps forward.

【Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi, Third Tier.】

"She" reminded him gently, and Xia De frowned.

The one-eyed man led Xia De to the second floor, to a room resembling a reception room, though it couldn't compare to the reception rooms of nobles or even Dr. Schneider's clinic.

Xia De didn't get any hot tea, but he didn't care. He sat down and said to the man sitting across from him with his legs crossed:

"I'm looking for a group of grave robbers. Although Captain Radis introduced me, I will pay for the information."

"Who are you looking for? While there aren't many ancient ruins in the Green Lake area, there are plenty of ordinary grave robbers. Are you looking for those who steal corpses or those who steal burial goods? What are their characteristics?"

The man with the eyepatch sat in the single sofa opposite Xia De. The sofa was quite dirty, as if it hadn't been cleaned in years. His standard De-Larian was quite fluent, more so than most people Xia De had met.

"Three years ago, someone boarded the central island of Green Lake and took some things. I'm looking for that group."

"Three years ago? The central island of Green Lake? Let me think..."

Because he knew the other party was a Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi, Xia De was worried that the man himself was involved in the theft, so he kept observing the man's expressions. Fortunately, the man didn't show any signs of shock.

"Yes, I think I remember that. An outsider hired a local gang of 'Black Rats', claiming he knew of a hidden tomb of the Edwards family."

"Where is that group now?"

Xia De felt a surge of joy. He hadn't expected it to be so smooth; he hadn't even needed to use the clue of the fountain pen. Finding a local snake was indeed very important.

The one-eyed man finally remembered the whole thing, and he frowned:

"They're gone. The Black Rats were a fairly well-known grave-robbing gang locally. Two and a half years ago, when they returned from the island with that outsider, half of them were lost, but those who survived made a fortune. But later, I heard that everyone who boarded the island contracted a serious illness or went mad, and one after another, they all died."

"Isn't that strange? Everyone who boarded the island died?"

Xia De asked deliberately. The one-eyed man looked at him suspiciously:

"Sir, you're not a local, are you? The central island of Green Lake is called the 'Island of Demons' by us locals. Since they dared to go there to rob graves, they certainly wouldn't have a good end."

"Are you sure they're all dead?"

He asked again.

"I'm not sure about the outsider, but the Black Rats members are all dead, at least I haven't heard of them for a long time... If you want definitive information, I can help you check. But the price will be slightly higher. Of course, for Captain Radis's sake, I can give you a slight discount."

He rubbed his fingers together, and Xia De nodded:

"As long as you can find them, money is no object."

"How generous. Then do you want to find out about that island? I might have information you're interested in."

The one-eyed man asked with a smile, and Xia De shook his head:

"I just want to find that group of grave robbers; I'm not interested in the island."

He knew the other party was a Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi, so he didn't reveal too much information:

"When should I come to find you?"

"One day is enough. Tomorrow, Friday afternoon. But you don't have to come here; I have my own territory in the city, come find me there."

He placed a business card on the table and pushed it toward Xia De. Xia De nodded:

"I hope there will be good news by then."

A 1-crown gold coin was flicked by him, landing right on the edge of the coffee table in front of the man:

"This is the deposit."

"No problem."

Saying this, Rotten-Eye Bally stood up and saw Xia De to the door downstairs, then watched as Xia De walked along the lakeshore toward the village.

【Just leaving like that? Don't you want to see what's going on with the water ghoul smell on him?】

"She" asked gently in his ear, and Xia De shook his head:

"Since I'm investigating grave robbers related to that island, it will definitely alert him. Investigating now will only disrupt my own plans. It's better to wait until he gives me the information tomorrow; there will be plenty of time to figure it out later... Water ghouls aren't mermen; these undead don't have populations or reproduction, so the other party definitely isn't some kind of half-water ghoul... Raising water ghouls by the lake? What a coincidence that this happens at this time..."

It was exactly noon, and after returning to the village, Xia De went to the tavern. On one hand, he wanted to talk to Professor Boulanger, and on the other, he needed to fill his stomach.

The tavern in Pukhov Village was no worse than the one in Crossroads Village, and because there were sailors and more merchants, the tavern was very crowded. When Xia De walked into the tavern, many people were gathered around tables watching a game of Tarot, or sitting in twos and threes chatting about trivial matters.

The smell of stale alcohol in the tavern was very strong. Xia De looked around and didn't see anyone with an eyepatch over their right eye. So he walked to the counter and asked the bald man with a towel over his right shoulder and a potbelly: