Chapter 2332

Unexpectedly, Mr. Chekhov looked much younger than both Mr. Edmund and Old John. Specifically, he appeared to be just over fifty; although he had white hair, most of his hair was actually black.

When Xia De pushed the door open to enter the shop that afternoon, he saw at a glance that the Carsonrick language edition of "The Hamilton Detective Stories" was placed in the most conspicuous position in the old bookstore, and those books were definitely new. In that case, Dorothy's novels were truly popular.

The shop itself was not large, so no clerk was hired. Mr. Chekhov was the one sitting behind the counter repairing old books. Hearing Xia De's voice, the old gentleman looked up at Xia De, and then saw Xia De place a letter in front of him.

Mr. Chekhov unfolded the letter and read it once, frowned slightly, and then looked at Xia De:

"An acquaintance introduced by Old John. Since there are signatures from the three of them, I can certainly talk business with you, but I was not originally prepared to sell that relic."

He put the letter into the drawer under the counter, brought over a teapot, and prepared teacups before he began to converse with Xia De:

"How should I address you?"

"Um... John Watson."

"Very well, Mr. Watson. The value of the 【Star Sword Stone】 lies not in itself, but in the special alloys produced as its byproducts. It took quite a lot of effort for me to get it from the archipelago. If you want to talk price, I can certainly talk with you. But gold pounds or crowns are out of the question; I only accept barter."

Xia De nodded in understanding. He had discussed it with the witches; this relic would certainly not be easy to obtain, so the 【Witch Council】 would pay the purchase price. Even if this relic was unrelated to the Chosen ritual, it was worth the Council's collection:

"Although the relics my friends and I have contained are not many, there are one or two that are valuable. How about this, Mr. Chekhov: you tell me what kind of relic or what kind of knowledge you need. I am also a friend of the Ascetic Society, so we can just discuss it simply."

The bookstore owner behind the counter smiled and agreed:

"You were introduced by Old John. He said in the letter that you are like him when he was young. I thought that meant you were as stingy as him... He wouldn't be trying to say that he was as handsome as you when he was young, would he?"

He took his notebook, wrote a few lines hurriedly, tore off the paper, and handed it to Xia De:

"Five options. Bring any one of the first two, or any two of the last three, and this deal can succeed. Although the 【Star Sword Stone】 is only a Keeper-level relic, you understand its value, so don't blame me for asking a high price. Of course, if the values are not completely equal, we can make up the difference."

"Of course."

Xia De looked down and saw it written:

【1. Spatial storage relic (any level); 2. Two Keeper-level relics that can create safe dark/light-absorbing areas; 3. Brand new intelligence about the "Light-Worshipper Training Society"; 4. Keeper-level relic - Universal Glue; 5. Dragon Scale Coins x 20.】

Xia De raised an eyebrow:

"The second option, is this to resist abnormal light?"

"Of course. Currently, the whisper elements of relics are the most effective means of resisting abnormal light. Although Keeper-level relics cannot fully protect the user, they can at least weaken the infectivity of the light. Recently, in the entire Moon Bay area, the price of such relics has been rising, even more exaggeratedly than the rate of housing price increases in Moon Bay City in recent years. Of course, if you feel you are at a loss, I can make up the difference."

Mr. Chekhov said, but did not explain the purpose of the other options:

"I will keep the 【Star Sword Stone】 for you; you don't have to worry about me selling it to others. In my opinion, the second option is the easiest for you to provide. Of course, I would also be happy if you chose the others."

"What a coincidence, I really do have quite a few Dragon Scale Coins in my hand... You mean the kind taken from the 'Dragon Altar', right?"

Xia De asked, and Mr. Chekhov nodded in surprise:

"Of course, you have this kind of coin? That really is unexpected. You don't need to wonder what I want this for; weapons reinforced after melting Dragon Scale Coins have a huge damage bonus against dragons. 20 coins can reinforce 20 different weapons, and I can make a huge profit by reselling them."

"Then what specifically do you want to know about the 'Light-Worshipper Training Society'?"

"Of course, as detailed as possible. At least tell me what they have been doing recently."

But Xia De and the 【Witch Council】 also really wanted to know what the other party had been doing recently. Ever since the "Light-Chaser" was besieged by the witches and two dragons last weekend and retreated, Xia De had not received any news about the other party.

He was just about to continue asking for specific information about the relic "Universal Glue" when he suddenly felt that the space in front of him was darkening:

"Hmm? Is the gas lamp in the shop broken?"

Only then did he realize that there were no gas lamps lit in the old bookstore at four in the afternoon.

"Something happened outside."

Mr. Chekhov was also slightly startled and then immediately said. He lifted the board to walk out from behind the counter and walked quickly to the street with Xia De.

Standing at the shop entrance and looking up, the sun near dusk did not show any "eclipse" phenomena, nor did large rain clouds suddenly appear to cover the sky. What ordinary people saw was strange black fog rapidly gathering above the city to cover the bright sky, while thin white fog slowly diffused in the air of the streets and alleys.

And what the two Ringed Shushis saw was clearly the thick white fog symbolizing the omen of death, surging out from all directions of the street like a tsunami.

"Undead?"

Mr. Chekhov asked in shock; he was an eleven-ringed shushi, and his perception was very powerful:

"What is going on? What is this death aura that seems like an undead tide is about to appear?"

Xia De stood seriously on the street looking in all directions, while passersby and shop owners along the street, who were also attracted by this strange scene of sudden darkness, were also discussing it on the street.

"The gate of death has opened."

"What?"

Mr. Chekhov heard Xia De's mutter. Xia De pulled his sleeve and returned to the old bookstore with him temporarily. Xia De's speaking speed was very fast; something big had really happened this time:

"That is a metaphorical way of saying it. I experienced the Mid-Hill Castle incident last autumn. This feeling is clearly a large-scale 'edge of life and death' out of control somewhere in the city."

"What? Edge of life and death? No, you don't need to explain, I know this, but in Moon Bay?"

Mr. Chekhov was even more shocked, and Xia De added:

"Don't worry, it is definitely not as large as the Unknown-level relic 'Boundary of Life and Death' in Mid-Hill Castle last year, but judging by the situation, it won't be small either... Mr. Chekhov, in the local legends of Moon Bay City, are there any legends about undead or death?"

"Yes!"

The fifty-something old gentleman nodded immediately, his eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled the relevant content:

"It was probably in the mid-to-late Fifth Era when Moon Bay City experienced a major earthquake. That earthquake and the subsequent tsunami almost destroyed half of Moon Bay, so much so that the Moon Bay area never developed again in the late Fifth Era.

Some documents record that after that major earthquake, incidents of undead resurrection and ghost murders were frequent in the local area for a long time, and later it even experienced a terrifying undead plague. In the end, it was a Witch Emperor who personally took action to suppress that incident... Could it be that the Witch Emperor sealed the out-of-control edge of life and death at that time?"

"It is very likely that the tide of spirits and elements triggered by that major earthquake tore the boundary between life and death, creating this rift. Otherwise, there is no reason why Moon Bay has never had records of this in its more distant history."

Xia De judged, looking at the white fog outside the shop window that could already be called "thick":

"But the disaster about to appear in Moon Bay is light, right... Mr. Chekhov, I am leaving first. Next time I come, I will bring what you need, and please prepare that relic."

"Okay, I'll see you out."

As they spoke, the two walked out of the door and onto the street. The cold feeling in the white fog made one shiver; this was the power unique to death. Xia De turned to say goodbye to Mr. Chekhov, but suddenly felt a flash of light before his eyes.

It was not that the thick fog had dispersed or that someone was walking by with a kerosene lamp, but that the entire white fog seemed to be glowing. Xia De and Mr. Chekhov were both puzzled for a few seconds, and then said almost simultaneously:

"Abnormal light!"

No one would forget the moonlight that was so bright in the nights of the past few days that it kept people awake, and on this strange Sunday, the setting sun also brought a disaster originating from twisted light.

The death fog was not dispersed by the twisted sunlight; instead, the two merged together in some strange state. Although the "abnormal light" was severely weakened by the white fog and had little impact on normal people for the time being, anyone could see that these glowing "death mists" that combined two powers would definitely not be safe.

This thick fog diffusing in the city did not cover the entirety of Moon Bay City. At least in the Chengnan Wharf area and on the sea, only extremely thin death fog could be seen.

But because of the thinness of the fog, on the Chengnan Wharf and the sea of the harbor, the evening sunset even made people unable to open their eyes. The light of the sunset did not carry temperature; it was just that the dim yellow feeling seemed to make people melt into this light and move toward death... Perhaps this was not an illusion.

A strange thing happened on the way to the "Radiant Messenger" at the wharf. Because the fog was too thick to find a carriage, Xia De, who had turned into a cat and was jumping on the roofs, suddenly noticed a pedestrian walking in the fog twitching just after crossing Herring Street.

His dim figure in the fog gradually lit up with strong light, but he did not immediately explode into a ball of light and disappear; instead, he turned into a white light humanoid amidst screams, and then lunged fiercely toward the house by the road.