Chapter 2208

Although Xia De and Priest Augustus did not know how Mr. Taylor had managed to get on stage, it was clear he had failed to convince everyone downstairs. Amidst the heckling and laughter of the audience below, three men rushed up from the side of the stage—the King and two dwarves, trying to drag the hunter's apprentice down by force.

The four were practically wrestling, yet the young Vincent Taylor, despite being outnumbered three to one, was still shouting loudly:

"We do not desire war; our only wish is peace, but those damn Southerners do not deserve our pity. The ugly nature of the Carsonric people is driving them to try and unify the world through force, and I... oh, don't grab my **!"

Sounds of pain, vulgar heckling, and the audience's laughter mixed together, and combined with the costumes of the four wrestling figures, the scene became incredibly farcical. People did not seem to care much about the speech that had not yet been recited; most clearly believed that this amusing farce alone was worth the price of their tickets.

After all, operas happen every day, but a play featuring a King and dwarves beating up a hunter's servant probably only happens once.

Vincent Taylor was finally dragged off the stage, and Lady Marian, who had hurriedly come downstairs, ascended the stage herself to apologize for the farce just now.

But most of those who came to watch the play were acquaintances, so everyone expressed that the performance just now was quite interesting, and it would be even better if such a thing could happen once or twice every few days in the future.

Thus, the play proceeded normally, with a substitute actor taking the place of Vincent Taylor to play the role that was actually not important.

As for Vincent Taylor himself, to prevent him from jumping back on stage, the troupe members pulled him into a small two-story room backstage, where Xia De and Priest Augustus volunteered to guard him, which meant talking with him.

The meeting place for the three was still by the window on the second floor; after the troupe members left, Vincent Taylor, who looked about the same age as the body of the outsider, arrogantly adjusted his collar, then raised his head slightly to size up Xia De and Priest Augustus.

Vincent Taylor was not very tall, at least not as tall as Xia De and Priest Augustus, who claimed to have become shorter due to old age. He had a mess of brownish-black hair, and some freckles were still visible on his made-up face. Of course, his makeup had been completely ruined during the wrestling match just now, so looking at that arrogant face, Xia De had to struggle to hold back his laughter.

"I am curious, what image do we have in your eyes?"

Priest Augustus asked with a smile, his voice very kind; probably even the most outstanding actor in the Jasmine Opera Troupe could not perform such a professional "old grandpa" image.

The young man then said:

"You look like a poor librarian or a church clergyman. Your family is happy, you have children and grandchildren, your daily work is very leisurely, so you believe that because of your great age you understand more truths than young people, thus you very much enjoy preaching to others, and gain a sense of satisfaction and pleasure from it; this is the greatest joy in the few remaining days of your life, and you use this to combat the unease and fear generated by your own aging."

Xia De glanced sideways at Priest Augustus and found that the priest still wore a cheerful expression.

"As for you."

Vincent Taylor looked at Xia De again, sized him up from head to toe, and then continued speaking without any courtesy:

"Relying on your good-looking face, you mix among a large crowd of Misses, yet refuse to give anyone an answer, so that you can take advantage of everyone at the same time. Your life must have been smooth sailing; people would be more willing to help you because of your looks, and you also believe in your heart that you are the chosen one, and arrogantly think that most of your peers around you are not as good as you, those younger than you are more childish than you, and those older than you are only more powerful because they have lived a few more years and have taken advantage of society's bad rules."

Xia De thought he was finished, but he only paused for a moment before continuing to say:

"You may indeed have some ability, but your ability falls completely short of what you imagine. Occasionally, when you are alone, you ponder the meaning of your life, but you will soon sink back into the pleasures of wine, women, and song. You are likely suffering from kidney deficiency..."

Xia De covered his stomach, then moved his hand to the position of the kidneys amidst "her" laughter.

"And because of an irregular lifestyle, you suffer from insomnia and vivid dreams, night sweats, and frequent trips to the toilet at night."

Xia De covered his head again.

"And I dare bet that you also have a deeply hidden psychological illness, which involves loneliness and self-doubt, and also..."

"Alright, alright."

Priest Augustus smiled and interrupted him, not letting Xia De add even more illnesses for no reason:

"I am Lat Augustus; you are right, I am a priest of the church."

"I am a detective. Also, I do not have kidney deficiency."

Xia De said simply, shook hands with the other man, and confirmed that there were indeed Whisper elements entangled in the other's soul and body.

"Oh, I forgot to ask, what do you two want with me?"

Vincent Taylor asked curiously:

"Could it be that you have come to listen to me talk about the international situation? But this is not a good place for conversation; let us go somewhere else to talk. How about the Three Cats Inn? Let's have a drink together."

The priest still wore a smile:

"We do need to go somewhere else, but not the Three Cats Inn. I mean, do you mind going north out of the city with us? There are MI6 spies everywhere in the city; you know, the Royal Family always thinks people are plotting rebellion, so they station spies everywhere to eavesdrop on what people say. The city is not safe at all; even complaining a few words in the toilet could get the King to find out. I suspect the Three Cats Inn might be an MI6 outpost in the city; let us go outside the city, I know a good place."

The young man very much agreed with what the priest said:

"Exactly!"

Xia De looked at the priest without speaking; the priest then reached his hand into his pocket:

"Of course, we will not let you waste your time for nothing; here is the reward. In fact, we have many like-minded people who want to hear your speech."

He pulled out several one-pound banknotes and stuffed them into Vincent Taylor's pocket; the latter tilted his head up:

"Of course, I knew it; there must be people who support me. In such a huge kingdom, there must be many people who share my views and can see the current situation as clearly as I do. I couldn't find them before only because they were hiding out of fear of persecution by the kingdom."

Saying this, he gestured for Xia De and Priest Augustus to go downstairs and leave with him.

The priest thus walked in front, Xia De walked at the back, letting Vincent Taylor walk in the middle.

【You seem a bit unhappy.】

While going down the stairs, "she" asked gently; Xia De lightly "hmphed," and only continued speaking in his heart after they bid farewell to Lady Marian and went out to the street to find a carriage:

"Doctor Shi Nai De's psychotherapy still seems unable to completely cure the priest's problem."

Due to safety reasons, rental carriages in the city, except for the route to the Chengnan noble estates, would not drive out of the city; this was even more true for carriages in the northern poor district. Thus, the three got off the carriage at the city's edge, then entered a small village outside the city that existed attached to the city, followed the crooked roads, passed through dense rows of low shanties and two-story simple houses in the suburbs, stepped through mud, smelled various strange odors, and continued forward.

Country dogs raised by the villagers barked at them from a distance; hens making clucking~ sounds flocked together in yards by the roadside searching for food on the ground; children running wildly would subconsciously avoid these strangers; and country women washing clothes in the yards watched them alertly.

Unlike the bad weather in Moon Bay, the weather in Tobesk on Saturday morning was quite good; Vincent Taylor originally thought their destination was this small village, and those waiting to hear his speech were probably in a country tavern.

But Priest Augustus, who was leading the way ahead, kept walking without stopping until the three passed through the village and arrived at the woods outside the village, where he finally stopped.

Xia De was very familiar with this place; continuing north along the forest path, one could see the cemetery where Mr. Corps was located after a short while.

But Vincent Taylor did not know this place, and even if he was as foolish and his self-confidence as inflated as he was, he now realized that something was wrong:

"Old gentleman, what do you mean by this?"

He also stopped, turned slightly to look behind him, and saw Xia De with his head down, thinking about something unknown.

Priest Augustus turned around in the woods; the smile on his face gradually faded as he looked at him with his eyes:

"The curse of prejudice is truly too deep."

"What prejudice?"

A very forced smile appeared on the young man's face; if there were only this old, frail-looking old man in front of him, he would still have the confidence to turn and run, but that tall detective who had hardly spoken the whole way was clearly not someone he could deal with, especially since the other was not the kidney-deficient person he imagined:

"If you do not agree with my views, we can actually talk; there is no need to do this kind of thing."

He took a few steps back and laid out Ji De Xiang Fa completely:

"There are some matters I believe I see quite clearly. If you do not share this view, you may tell me your thoughts. Violence is not advisable, and I am a poor man; harming me will gain you nothing."

Father Augustine said solemnly:

"Most conflicts between people stem from the prejudices of the heart. One person can never truly understand another; once two people live together for long, conflict and strife are inevitable. This is the weakness of human nature and the flaw of all living beings. Yet conflict and strife arise from misunderstanding, and misunderstanding springs from prejudice. I am sorry, Mr. Taylor, but prejudice has taken root in your heart. I cannot save you."