Chapter 2309: Night Banquet

The two diviners nodded in unison:

"Yes, there is no doubt about that. The consciousness within the notebook is believed to be its owner, 'Richard,' but further investigation into him has not gone smoothly."

It is currently known that 【Richard's Notebook】 originated in the mid-Fourth Era, and its hidden, indiscriminate killing ability has made it notorious. No one is perfectly righteous, Xia De, no one.

Under normal circumstances, it is very difficult to resolve this relic. Although one could investigate the identities of the victims to figure out who currently holds the notebook, the moment Richard occupies that body, he would abandon the current identity without hesitation."

"How strong can 'Richard' be when holding the notebook? Does he get stronger the more he kills?"

"No, no."

Miss Belinder shook her head, looking at him with considerable worry:

"Richard, who hides in the notebook and controls the holder, is himself a diviner; finding him is difficult enough as it is. What you are doing now—constantly stopping him from killing—is one way to draw him out. But there is actually a faster method: murder the sinner he has chosen in his stead, and he will appear to stop you."

"Why?"

The witch recounted secret knowledge that could only be accessed within the 【Witch Council】:

"It is not because you have disrupted the fate he selected for the sinner; this requires you yourself to possess great sins, and to use the most cruel means to deal with the sinner. Richard will believe that you have no qualification to judge the sinner, and that your own sins are even more severe; therefore, he will take the initiative to appear to stop and end you. This is... a very cruel ritual."

Luvia continued:

"The death curse in his notebook is currently ineffective against you, so once you do that, the probability of him appearing will increase significantly. But do not let him touch your body, not even through your clothes; every time he touches you, an extremely difficult instant-death check will be triggered."

"I heard from Luvia that your instant-death resistance is very high, but no one is completely immune to instant-death abilities. We don't know exactly what methods you have to deal with him, but remember, absolutely do not let him get close to you."

The Countess also said worriedly, and Xia De nodded again, frowning as he looked at the black tea cup on the coffee table in front of him:

"Paranoid justice leads to irreversible tragedies. But actually, ever since I first heard about the seventh Chosen, I've had a question: what exactly is justice? Balance, death, darkness, space, earth, knowledge—these are all objectively existing things, while justice is our subjective judgment."

The purple eyes looked at him tenderly:

"Do you remember, Xia De? The characteristics of the seventh Chosen are light and justice. If you cannot judge whether something is just, then go and feel those stories and those actions to see if they can make you feel light and warmth. Just deeds are like a ray of light, guiding people toward a better direction, just as you have always done."

"Luvia, you don't need to praise me like that."

Although he said this, a smile still appeared on Xia De's face:

"There will be other people present tonight, so I won't take 【Night Watcher】; I'll use 【Angel's Right Arm】 instead. I'm worried that 'Richard' won't be judged as evil by 【Night Watcher】 at all. Don't wait for me for dinner; I don't know what time I'll be back yet."

"I'll have the maid prepare a late-night snack for you... are you really not going to eat a few bites before you go? You didn't eat at noon."

"No need. If I resolve this matter, I can get another dragon scale, which is the most important thing."

As he said this, he handed the cat on his lap to Luvia:

"Help take care of it; I'll come to pick it up tonight."

Afterward, he kissed Luvia on the side of her face, then kissed the Countess on the side of her face, and only then hurried toward the basement.

The two fortune-tellers sat on the sofa, and the blonde Countess asked Luvia worriedly:

"Was he like this before? Although I've heard you mention things about his past, what exactly is he in such a hurry about?"

"Xia De always has his own ideas. Just as I said before, in the process of moving forward, it is his light that guides us."

Thus, Miss Belinder teased her peer:

"Your relationship with him is truly deep."

Luvia smiled and shook her head:

"Bella, if you want to deepen your relationship with Xia De, the point isn't having more stories experienced together or going through life and death together. He is actually a very easy person to understand; as long as you understand the loneliness and fear in his heart, you don't have to worry about him running away from your side... from this point of view, little Mia is doing quite well."

"Meow~"

The cat let out a meow.

The Countess nodded and pondered for a moment:

"Let's go, we shouldn't be idle either. There's half an hour until dinner; before Xi Wei and Miss Eilisse return, let's go see what Xia De needs. After dinner, we'll continue to study those three dragon scales. If the total number of dragon scales is seven, then we should be able to rely on these three to find a better way to locate the other four."

Luvia nodded. After the initial discomfort, Bella Belinder found that Luvia was actually a very easy person to get along with. She roughly understood why the witches who had met Xia De before her all held Luvia in high regard.

As for herself, although she still felt a palpitation occasionally when seeing those beautiful purple eyes, this did not prevent her from thinking that Luvia Annette was a person with great personal charm.

The orb inside her shoulder was slightly hot, as if it wanted to tell her something. Just like in the past, the Witch of Fate was once again conquered by the Daughter of the Time of Destruction, only this time it was not because of ability and personal charm, but simply because of the Outlander.

"What late-night snack should I prepare for Xia De?"

When the fortune-tellers with short brown hair and long golden hair left the room together, the latter was still worrying.

"Let Tifa prepare it; she knows Xia De's appetite very well."

"Oh, you really are trusting of Galina's black-haired maid. Luvia, I'm not speaking ill of people behind their backs, and Miss Servit certainly doesn't have any bad intentions, but you should be careful of her."

"Why should I be worried? Shouldn't Galina be the one to worry?"

"That's also true."

Thus, the corridor was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, while the Duchess, far away in the northern city of Tobesk, finished her busy day and was sitting in a carriage preparing to return to No. 6 St. Deran Square. She suddenly sneezed, and then was very puzzled, thinking that a high-level witch like her shouldn't catch a cold.

Night, 10:00 PM.

Although the moonlight of the third month could not completely pierce the black fog shrouding the urban area of Moon Bay City, this tranquil moonlight could still bathe the suburbs north of the city.

The Heart Orphanage located on a small hill had already turned off its lights, but in a barn in the rice fields not far from the orphanage, a faint light still shone under the moonlight.

The night wind was slightly cold, rustling the treetops and fallen leaves. Moon Bay tonight was not particularly bright, making the barn seem somewhat eerie.

From the sound of the wind, one could hear singing coming from the barn; it was a woman's voice, an ancient nursery rhyme with the meaning of warning children not to go out at night. In this slightly cold night, the sound dissipating with the wind made the long night seem even more strange and bizarre.

Inside the barn, a blonde little girl with her eyes closed lay on a stone table covered with bedding, while Mrs. Jude, wearing a gorgeous golden banquet gown, a pearl hair accessory, and blood-colored high heels, sat at the edge of the table.

The chest area of her gown was snow-white, and her specially made-up face wore a delicate and joyful smile. This high-class noblewoman formed a sharp contrast with the messy straw and crude farm tools piled up in the barn.

This was the special ritual of this vampire species; twice a month, when the moonlight was dim, she would come here alone to put on her best clothes and enjoy a moment of leisure.

Squinting her eyes while holding a red wine glass, she sang that ancient and eerie nursery rhyme. The soft and smooth voice echoed in the barn, and the light from the worn-out kerosene lamp on the table made the noblewoman's shadow tremble on the wall like a demon.

Although some unpleasant things happened during the day, she did not want to be disturbed by those unseemly matters at this moment. This was a night that belonged solely to her, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, eating alone in the most beautiful posture; she could not imagine anything more wonderful than this.

The night wind seemed to have grown stronger, blowing the leaves of the big tree in the barn courtyard, making them rustle.

Mrs. Jude looked up through the small window above the barn at the three moons tonight, then smiled and looked down at the little girl sleeping on the table, and finally turned her head to look behind her.

The wooden door at the barn entrance had been left ajar, but at this moment, a man holding a long sword was standing there. He faced the light of the kerosene lamp, with his back to the moonlight outside, and the serious expression on his handsome face made Mrs. Jude slightly startled. Afterward, she stood up from the stone table, the hem of her skirt and the decorative tassels on her cuffs swaying gently:

"Why, did Bernhardt send you to make me behave?"

Xia De did not speak, but walked inward from the barn entrance with the long sword in his hand. Black boots, black trousers, and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up—this was also not an outfit that should appear in a barn at night.

"You don't think I really can't beat you, do you?"

Mrs. Jude asked with her back to the table. The wind blowing from outside made her shadow on the wall tremble even more violently:

"That day in the alley behind the Cassandra Auction House in the city, I didn't want to cause too much of a stir, which is why I didn't fight you. Besides, I wasn't carrying any relics on me at the time. Do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

The expression on her face gradually became ugly, because Xia De was still walking inward without saying a word. Even though he hadn't made a move yet, this momentum already made the noblewoman in the gown feel somewhat uneasy.

Thus, the plump face covered in powder quickly lost its moisture and became shriveled, and sharp teeth also protruded from her mouth. She took a small step back in her high heels, and then her entire figure faded little by little, until she completely disappeared into the light of the kerosene lamp.