Chapter 2001: Unexpected Neighbors

The light of dusk covered Xia De's figure after he threw out the crystal shoes and disappeared. At the same time, on the top floor of the Belindell Big Ben, the tallest building in the city. The lady who was looking at the night view of the city under the dim sky from the railing beckoned to the person behind her:

"Divination cards."

The maid with her head down immediately walked over holding a stack of playing cards. The lady with fluffy blonde hair shuffled the cards quickly, then drew three of them, and then frowned deeply. There was a strange dark red birthmark on her brow, but that mark made her whole face look even more seductive:

"Strange result. A non-human thing that walked out of an ancient dragon lair and once conquered the dragon of time and space will completely affect my life in the not-too-distant future... I just wanted to know what to eat for dinner, what is this result?"

The maid didn't know how her master could get such a specific result just by relying on three playing cards. She kept her head down and didn't dare to ask.

"Dragon lair... powerful power, dragon of time and space, ha?"

Although she thought this result was ridiculous, there was a very cautious look in her golden eyes:

"Matilda, go and investigate whether there are any dragon-born Ringed Shushi in the city recently. Also, isn't the summer practice of the three major colleges about to start? Go and contact our friends in Seksais, ask if we can get the list, or at least ask if there are any dragon-born among the Ringed Shushi students going to the Moon Bay region this time."

"Yes, Miss."

The maid said cautiously with her head down. Baroness Bella Belindell continued to look at the stack of divination cards:

"Did I get it wrong? But fate shouldn't be wrong. It just happened to be when that prophecy was about to come true, and such a thing happened..."

She took off her white lace gloves, washed the remaining playing cards again with a special technique, and then placed her slender hand on the top playing card:

"Then, fate, please tell me how to deal with it."

The playing card was turned over. A silver cat and an orange cat leaped toward the high sky together, and in the sky were the intertwined silver moon and scorching sun.

The Great Witch of Fate was silent for a long time:

"In my divination cards... is there this card? It seems that my Sage-level relic 【Alien Painting Divination Card】 has played a role again, but what does this mean?"

She looked at this card with a quite beautiful picture, and couldn't interpret the specific meaning no matter what:

"If the silver cat refers to the silver dragon, what does the orange cat refer to?"

Her eyes looked at the Moon Bay Bridge still under construction on the Taton River in the distance. The bridge that would become an "arch" shape after closing was actually the best design scheme she chose through the City Council after divination. The last afterglow of the sunset barely penetrated the clouds and shone on the witch's beautiful face, but the Great Witch of Fate could not always successfully interpret the fate she did not know.

(Little Mia is running...)

Xia De, who had strolled around Moon Bay City for an afternoon

Thus, Xia De, who was just preparing to go out to take Little Mia to eat, waited at home for quite a while. Just as that cat was meowing and looking like it was about to go crazy, the carriage sent by the Duchess finally stopped downstairs at 6 St. Deran Square.

As Miss Miss Jia Lin Na's "secret" lover, Xia De naturally could not eat in public with the Duchess and the country's Princess, so the location for the meal remained a secret club in the city.

And besides the ladies who issued the invitation, Ajielina also appeared along with them. During the meal, the three Cavendish women also listened to Xia De recount what he had seen and heard that afternoon, and one by one, they examined the dragon-script gold coin that Xia De had brought.

Ajielina was very envious of this ability of Xia De's:

"Being able to appear in a distant city so casually, and being able to leave the noisy big city very conveniently when you are in a bad mood to go see the scenery in the distance, this is really amazing."

Miss Miss Jia Lin Na looked at her young grandniece with a smile, and then handed the gold coin back to Xia De:

"You don't need to look up the information; I know what you encountered. The dragon altar in that dragon nest has been recorded since the Ancient Dragon Empire period of the Third Era. The appearance of these altars seems to be related to the 'Light' Old God—the Radiant Dragon, but they can only be worshipped and used by dragons or dragon-blooded races. It's not that such altars cannot be found at all in the modern era, but most have lost their function. However, I know there is one at the Schluch Lake Higher Medical Academy, which is why they have the most dragon-born students there."

"I see... and what is this gold coin?"

Xia De asked again, and the witch explained for him:

"Currency used in the Ancient Dragon Era. Calling it currency is actually more accurate to call it an alchemical material. This gold coin, when added to metal smelting, can enhance the hardness and strength of the metal, causing dragon scale marks to appear on the metal surface. If the quantity is large, it can even allow ordinary metal to directly possess supernatural abilities. Keep it; this is already very rare in this era. Although the altar at Schluch Lake is more powerful than the one you found, it doesn't produce many gold coins either. Doesn't your home have a special door that can strengthen alchemical items? This can be used as a material."

Xia De nodded to show he understood, and although the Cavendish family's female sorcerers were also interested in the dragon nest and the altar, it was a pity they could not go there.

After finishing the matter of the altar, Princess Lei Qianya said to Xia De again:

"You came to find me this morning saying you wanted to help me, and I wasn't prepared for much at that time. Before we say goodbye tonight, remember to take the letters and tokens. I have many people in Moon Bay, and you can mobilize them directly by holding the tokens."

"If it doesn't delay your affairs, this is naturally very good."

Xia De touched the cat that was squatting on the high stool waiting to be fed:

"I happen to need some manpower... how many people do you have there? I mean absolutely trustworthy ones."

Princess Lei Qianya thought for a moment:

"Twenty-three people. But if you count the helpers who don't know the truth, as well as the hired laborers, I'm afraid there are hundreds."

"So many?"

Ajielina explained for him:

"Almost all forces have their own intelligence and spy strongholds in the City of Wealth, Moon Bay. Although Coldwater Port is also an important port on the west coast, it is strictly controlled by Delarion. Moon Bay's independence makes it impossible for Casenrick's Grey Gloves to have complete control over the overall situation. And I heard my father mention it when chatting with Director Anluosi of the Intelligence Agency; this is also because the Moon Bay City Council allows it. The situation there is very complex; you must be careful."

The little Princess reminded him softly, while the red-haired witch sipped her red wine:

"Xia De, you are a member of the Intelligence Agency, why don't you go ask your superior about the situation? The abnormal weather and plague in the summer have kept both the northern and southern countries busy dealing with domestic affairs; at least a full-scale war will not break out before this summer ends. Therefore, both countries are stepping up their infiltration of the Moon Bay region. Once war breaks out, the importance of Moon Bay is self-evident. Director Anluosi should have a lot of brand-new intelligence on the Moon Bay region."

That was a good idea. Xia De nodded, and was also pondering whether he could find traces of Detective Sparrow in Moon Bay.

Ajielina used her knife and fork to elegantly handle the food on her plate, and spoke again:

"Casenrick seems like an unfriendly neighbor to us. If they were like neighbors in reality, knowing that since no one can move, they should just live in peace and occasionally give each other some gifts, that would be great."

Although these words were a bit naive, Xia De, Princess Lei Qianya, and Miss Miss Jia Lin Na still showed smiles. Princess Lei Qianya had the heart to point out the complexity of the relationship between the two countries to her sister, so she said to her:

"Although neighbors in reality sometimes look amiable, in fact, you don't know what they are saying about you behind your back."

"But aren't our neighbors very good?"

Ajielina said, and then noticed three gazes fixed on her at once.

The little Princess looked hesitantly at Xia De and her relatives:

"Um... what's wrong? Oh, sorry, sister, I shouldn't have contradicted your words."

"That's not the issue. Princess Lei Qianya, when did you have neighbors? Miss Miss Jia Lin Na, does Yodel Palace have neighbors?"

Xia De asked with a frown. Princess Lei Qianya and the red-haired witch both shook their heads:

"I don't remember Yodel Palace having neighbors."

Yodel Palace, located on Silver Cross Avenue, has the Kingdom Parliament on one side and the Royal St. James Palace, where official banquets are held for the royal family, on the other. Diagonally opposite the Yodel Palace complex are the Prophet Society and the Platinum Club. Members of Parliament during their lunch breaks and nobles waiting to enter Yodel Palace like to gather at the Platinum Club to enjoy a moment of leisure.

As for directly opposite Yodel Palace, it is a branch of the Delarion Royal Academy of Sciences. The headquarters of the Royal Academy of Sciences is in the University District; the role of the building opposite Yodel Palace is more for exhibitions than as a workplace for researchers. Therefore, it is more like a museum, used to allow Delarion to showcase its national technological strength to the outside world.

Therefore, Yodel Palace actually does not have so-called "neighbors." If Ajielina calls the room next to hers a neighbor, then her neighbor should be one of her sisters.

"Who are our neighbors? What do they do?"

Xia De and Miss Miss Jia Lin Na both became serious. Princess Lei Qianya also put down her knife and fork and looked at Ajielina. The latter was a bit scared, but still puzzled:

"Isn't it Mr. Goodman and Mrs. Goodman... they have always been our neighbors. Mr. Goodman is an accountant at a factory, and Mrs. Goodman is already pregnant and is a full-time housewife. They also keep a Miltilis sheepdog; that little dog is about the same size as Little Mia."

She described it in great detail, but this made the other three even more puzzled. Seeing that Ajielina still did not realize what had happened, Miss Miss Jia Lin Na gave Xia De a look. Xia De stood up, came behind her under the little Princess's puzzled gaze, and then placed his hand on her forehead. Her face turned red instantly, and Xia De maintained this action for dozens of seconds before letting go:

"No strong whisper elements detected, the contact time is not long, and the degree of influence is not deep."

Princess Lei Qianya was then slightly relieved and continued to ask Ajielina:

"Are you sure we really have neighbors?"

"Yes, since I was born, the Goodman family has lived next door to us."

She recalled carefully, certain that her memory was not wrong:

"Is there something wrong with them?"

The witch said to her with concern:

"Either something is wrong with your memory, or something is wrong with the memory of everyone in the world except you. Let's go, let's pay a visit to our neighbors."

"But it's already so late."

"That's why we have to deal with it as soon as possible."

Xia De said, picking up the cat and standing up with Miss Miss Jia Lin Na and Princess Lei Qianya. Thus, Ajielina followed the three of them in confusion, preparing to leave, but despite racking her brains, she still didn't know what was wrong.