Chapter 2243: The Second Information Exchange

Xia De nodded to show understanding, asked no further questions, and then Mr. Bernhardt proceeded to ask Captain Rudolf about several other matters, naturally including 【Blood Sorrow】; Captain Rudolf held nothing back, answering almost every question as if they were merely chatting.

Naturally, he was also unclear about the situation regarding 【Blood Sorrow】 in this locality:

"Perhaps in your eyes, our kin here seem very bold, daring to do anything. But in reality, compared to the humans of this city, we have merely adapted to the tide.

The wealth of the City of Wealth would not accumulate to such an extent through hard labor alone; since humans can act boldly, our kin residing here naturally can as well. After all, this is the era of humans, and the Bloodkin can only go with the flow."

The captain used these words as a conclusion, and both Xia De and Mr. Bernhardt understood the meaning he wished to convey.

And when Mr. Bernhardt signaled that he had finished asking everything and wished to express his gratitude, that burly Bloodkin instead laughed:

"Gentlemen, since I have helped you so greatly, how about you help me in return?"

"What help is needed?"

Mr. Bernhardt asked, while Xia De, sensing something, looked toward the staircase leading to the underground floor where they currently were.

"Besides you, another troublesome group intends to visit me; please help me block them. If kin can still be trusted, then those humans associated with the New Continent are far too dangerous."

Speaking thus, he tilted his head to signal Mr. Bernhardt to look behind him:

"Look, they have arrived just in time."

Thus, Mr. Bernhardt and Xia De together saw John Flynn, the owner of the "Sword of the Wind King" of the 【New Continent Mutual Aid Society】, descend the stairs alongside his companion who wielded a flail.

Captain Rudolf stood up from across the table:

"You seem to know each other; the expressions on their faces are quite amusing. I'll leave it to you; it seems you have some common topics to discuss. In any case, do not drag the troubles of Moon Bay into my affairs; I am unwilling to be swept up in the vortex of such troubles... If you need help, you may come to me again next time. Next time, we shall not arm-wrestle; we shall play cards."

The last half-sentence was directed at Xia De; having finished speaking, he beckoned his subordinates to leave with him. When passing the young John Flynn, he patted his shoulder, and the latter made no attempt to stop him.

The departure of such a large crowd did not significantly alter the atmosphere in the tavern. Once that blonde young man and the seemingly burly middle-aged man sat opposite, Xia De sighed and said:

"I didn't expect to encounter you like this. Speaking of which, you and your companions total four people; you wield a sword, the one beside you uses a hammer, your female companion appears to be a Zhou Fa Master, and the one we met last time at the Spider Inn seemed more like a priest...

Hmm, yes, a typical adventurer party, and moreover, an adventurer party entering a strange city. This usually signifies that a legendary story is about to begin."

John Flynn shook his head, waiting until the waiter carrying the menu left before speaking:

"We also did not expect to meet you here, especially since you met that eccentric captain beforehand. He has always been wary of us; this meeting itself was hard-won."

"It seems you wasted this opportunity, but there is no need to regret it; he knows nothing. He is merely a slippery fellow who only wishes to escape trouble, knowing absolutely nothing about 【Blood Sorrow】."

Mr. Bernhardt also spoke; the two across the table did not doubt his words but instead appeared somewhat dejected:

"Although we anticipated that matters here in Moon Bay would be complex before arriving, obviously the situation still exceeded our expectations... Shall we exchange information as last time?"

Mr. Bernhardt looked at Xia De, and Xia De nodded lightly:

"Of course. What do you wish to know? And what can you offer?"

The waiter brought wine glasses and a plate of stir-fried green beans on a tray; after he left, that middle-aged man with a large beard spoke in a muffled voice:

"We wish to know everything regarding the incident at Belindel Big Ben yesterday morning. The church has already revealed that it seems related to an Ancient One, but we are more concerned about the light at that time... As for what we can offer, it mainly depends on what you wish to know now."

"We do indeed know some inside information regarding that matter, but not much. As for what we wish to know... Is there any news regarding other Holy Swords?"

"No."

"News regarding other Chosen Ones?"

"None either."

"Then what do you know? My information carries significant weight."

Xia De asked thus, and John Flynn, holding his wine glass, thought for a moment:

"Is information regarding the 【Worshippers of Light Study Group】 acceptable? This news should be important enough; naturally, if you suffer losses after the information exchange, I can provide compensation here."

Thus, both sides, just like last time, wrote down their information on slips of paper.

The two across the table frowned deeply at the information that "the Sword of Light indeed appeared, but the one who drew it was not human, and wielding the Sword of Light seems to consume an enormous amount of energy."

What Xia De and Mr. Bernhardt saw was—

【The Thirteenth-Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi of the Worshippers of Light Study Group, the Light Chaser, is in Moon Bay; we once witnessed him appearing outside the city, and he is researching local elf legends.】

"Although news of the Thirteenth Ring is indeed important, it is not valuable enough compared to ours."

Mr. Bernhardt said.

"But your information merely confirms a hypothesis."

The man with the muffled voice replied, but was stopped by John Flynn from continuing:

"They are right; indeed, our information is not valuable enough. Since we agreed on a fair trade, I certainly will not let you suffer losses; then let me simply add another piece of information as a gift."

He quickly wrote two more lines; the content this time was—

【The folk organization operating in Moon Bay City, Eternal Light, has evidence proving it received funding from the Worshippers of Light Study Group. However, the former is not an affiliate of the latter, nor was it established by the latter.】

"Hmm?"

Both Xia De and Mr. Bernhardt frowned:

"But according to our investigation, the frequent beheadings occurring locally were actually created by the Worshippers of Light Study Group using special light, and most of the deceased were related to Eternal Light, mostly those who wanted to expose Eternal Light."

"Yes, the 【Worshippers of Light Study Group】 did indeed provide much assistance to 【Eternal Light】. But not because the two were originally one entity; rather, because the 【Worshippers of Light Study Group】 wanted to infiltrate and control 【Eternal Light】, but has not yet succeeded."

John Flynn nodded:

"This is also information we obtained through other channels.

【Eternal Light】 was truly established by ordinary people who wished to resist noble rule and had suffered injustice; initially, they had no Ring Sorcerers behind them, but later some joined them. Now, they have merely been targeted by the 【Worshippers of Light Study Group】; the relationship between the two is one of mutual exploitation. As for more specific details, that is beyond our knowledge."

This young man who had traveled far from the New Continent placed considerable value on this fair information exchange model. Although, hindered by the dockworkers about to finish their shift, the place would soon be overcrowded and no longer suitable for such private conversation, so he did not discuss matters in greater detail with Xia De and Mr. Bernhardt that afternoon, before parting ways, John Flynn wished to arrange a time and location for the two to meet again:

"Perhaps such information exchanges can continue between us. In this city overflowing with desires, it is rare to find people like you who are willing to sit down and discuss matters and who also possess great ability."

But this proposal was unanimously rejected by Xia De and Mr. Bernhardt; they did not yet wish to have deeper interactions with these newcomers from the New Continent.

At least before Luvia arrives in this city, Xia De's interest in this fellow, who did not appear to be the first candidate, was not very great.

Not long after leaving the Golden Lion Tavern, Xia De also bid farewell to Mr. Bernhardt; the two would meet again tomorrow morning. Subsequently, Xia De did not return home immediately but took a carriage to the vicinity of the Margaret Manor, then transformed into a silver cat and slipped into the heavily guarded Princess Manor.

Relying on the badge hidden in his fur to sense the Witch's location, he found the study on the third floor of the manor before transforming back into his original form.

The two maids at the door were both followers of the Witch; seeing the cat that had darted out from nowhere approach, one of them even bent down to touch it. But then seeing that silver cat transform into Xia De, they were surprised; seeing Xia De make a hushing gesture, they smiled and said no more.

Xia De stepped forward and knocked on the door. After hearing Margaret ask "What is it?", he pushed the door open and walked in. Before the door closed, the maid young ladies all heard the Princess's delighted voice.

"What made you think of coming over here?"

Besides Margaret and Miss Sylvia, there were three maids helping with paperwork in the study. Two were true maids deeply trusted by Margaret, and one was a witch's follower skilled in such paperwork, but they all sensibly left the room with smiles.

Miss Sylvia generously gave Xia De a hug, then invited Xia De to sit down on the sofa.

"I was thinking that after you arrived at Moon Bay, although we've met, I haven't visited privately, so I came to see you... am I disturbing you?"

"Of course not."

Margaret also stood up from behind the desk and, right in front of Xia De, stretched in a very unladylike manner. Seeing Xia De looking at her, she smiled at him:

"This morning, the Grey Gloves sent over some confidential documents from Moon Bay. Teacher Sylvia and I looked at them all afternoon... Oh, we even missed afternoon tea. As expected, even leaving Verdelle, one can't easily rest."

Now, seeing that her teacher didn't mind, the Princess of the Sixth Ring also gave Xia De a hug. After the three sat down on the sofa, the maids outside knocked on the door at just the right moment to bring in tea and refreshments.