Chapter 2467: If You Gave Me a Ray of Light (End of Volume)

"This cat's coat is very bright, and its temperament is very gentle—it looks like a pet cat that's gotten lost rather than a stray."

Xia De said suddenly, then explained to the doctor beside him who was looking at him in surprise:

"The commissions I handle most often are finding lost pet cats, so I'm very familiar with this."

Saying so, Xia De beckoned again to the blue cat, which had been scared off by little Xiao Miya but still kept looking back every few steps:

"Do you still remember where you got lost from?"

Then the doctor noticed, even more surprised, that the blue round-faced cat actually turned around to look at Xia De, and then walked back amid the "Meow~ Meow~" of little Xiao Miya, who had been picked up by Xia De again.

Afterwards, Xia De and the doctor spent some effort and found the middle-aged woman who had lost the cat, at a location further south along the riverside street. She just didn't look very friendly—or rather, she was worried that Xia De and Doctor Shi Nai De would ask her for a reward—so after picking up the cat she called "Little Harry," she thanked them in a low voice and hurried off.

Xia De was quite certain he hadn't found the wrong owner, and he didn't much mind the cat owner's attitude:

"Although her attitude wasn't great, at least she said thank you."

"Yes, being polite is already quite good."

The doctor said, teasing Xia De:

"Do you often do good deeds like this when walking down the street?"

"Don't make me sound like some kind of good person—I just happen to have time right now."

The two looked together at the Moon Bay Bridge, now close at hand, and the doctor sighed again:

"When I first arrived here I noticed this bridge—a double-decker tower bridge. Even Tobesk doesn't have a structure like this. I imagine once it's completed it will be very magnificent."

"The river flowing through Tobesk isn't nearly as wide as the Tatum River, so there's no need to build a bridge like this."

"Detective, would you like to go up and take a look with me? Although there are workers, covering us with an illusion should be fine."

Now that the fog had cleared, the workers had also returned to the still-unfinished Moon Bay Bridge to continue construction.

Looking out, the enormous bridge framework stood over the river, surrounded by scaffolding like a metal forest.

The bridge has not yet been joined up; construction proceeds simultaneously on the east and west sides. Among the dense scaffolding, workers—protected by only a single safety rope—carry out their tasks hundreds of meters above the river surface.

Romantics would probably describe the scene with something like "they are dancing among the steel," but the doctor, standing at the bridgehead looking up, asked:

"What a massive project. This will become the new landmark building of Moon Bay—it'll even appear on stamps and postcards. Detective, do these workers get paid well?"

"Not particularly well. Supposedly some of this batch of workers have been owed several months' wages—the foreman says he'll pay them after completion, to stop them from quitting halfway. If it weren't for the heavy fog in Moon Bay recently, we might be seeing a strike right now."

The two stepped onto the bridge deck under construction. The bridgehead was actually already finished; it was just that, because building materials had to be transported, there was a thick layer of dust on the ground.

Sure enough, no one paid them any attention, so the two walked onto the lift connecting the upper and lower bridge decks as if no one else were there. The doctor marveled at this great project:

"But I heard locals say that the Moon Bay City Hall has already invested quite a bit of money in this Moon Bay Bridge."

The lift rumbled and whirred as it carried the two upward. This steam-powered lift was nowhere near as effective as the "occult lifts" at Count Dalmaining's mansion and the mountaintop sacrificial site:

"Doctor, this isn't 'quite a bit of money'—it's a considerable amount of money."

Xia De corrected him, holding out his palm and indicating a number:

"The bridge isn't fully completed yet, and for various reasons the figures the newspapers guess at aren't very accurate. But when this bridge is finally finished, the total cost won't be lower than this number."

The two were conversing in Draguoan, so Doctor Shi Nai De also knew that the number Xia De indicated was in gold pounds rather than Carsonrick krones:

"1.4 million gold pounds?"

The doctor exclaimed in surprise, while Xia De looked at the increasingly clear distant scenery of Moon Bay City during the ascent:

"You know I have special information channels, so this figure should be relatively accurate. Of course, that's the total cost—it includes embezzled and misappropriated portions. The actual real cost shouldn't be that much."

He finished speaking and laughed himself:

"Of course, for a project of this scale, embezzlement is already a cost everyone understands. After all, no one expects that in a project like this, no one would quietly reach into the till."

"Tsk tsk, 1.4 million gold pounds—a figure I couldn't even have imagined. Half the property value of Saint Delan Square would be needed to equal the cost of this tower bridge."

The doctor marveled at this:

"I've only heard that the local vampire species' influence is considerable, but it seems the other 'vampires' are equally influential. 1.4 million... Still, considering the function and significance of Moon Bay Bridge, this money was actually well spent."

With a clang~, the lift brought the two to the upper bridge deck. Because construction on the upper deck was further behind, the deck was covered with all sorts of engineering materials—steel pipes, clamps, ropes, hanging baskets, and so on. The dense scaffolding on both sides cast spiderweb-like shadows on the bridge deck.

Even here, hundreds of meters above the ground, it wasn't quiet—apart from the bustling voices along both banks of the Tatum River, the sounds of the workers' construction were noisy enough on their own.

But Xia De and Doctor Shi Nai De didn't dislike this kind of noise. Compared to the whispers of those eldritch things, or the murmurs of unspeakable beings, the sounds here were truly soothing to body and mind.

The sunshine was bright, and civic life was recovering from that great disaster. Time erases everything, and the peaceful days after a heart-pounding great battle make one cherish them all the more.

"I heard..."

Xia De and the doctor stepped together around a worker crouching on the bridge deck binding steel pieces. The worker was hunched over, his clothes covered in black grease stains—the oil used to maintain steel products had a strong smell.

"Moon Bay City plans to use the completion of Moon Bay Bridge in the second half of the year to celebrate Moon Bay emerging from this disaster. But that should be this winter's business; by then this city will be quite different."

"Winter—time really flies, another year gone by in the blink of an eye. I wonder if I'm getting old; lately I've always felt time passing faster and faster."

The doctor said with a smile, while Xia De stepped over a rope on the bridge deck:

"You're in your prime right now—the priest is the one who's old."

Although the upper deck's construction progress lagged behind the lower deck, the upper deck extended toward the middle of the river about as far as the lower one. The two soon reached the end of the bridge deck, standing at this height with a sweeping view of the City of Wealth under the clear sky.

Although this height didn't match Belindel Great Clock, it was enough to overlook a good half of Moon Bay. The weather was fine; standing here with the summer breeze was refreshing. This summer's temperatures were on the low side, and even the afternoon sun wasn't terribly harsh or blinding.

They stood here together watching the scenery, neither speaking immediately. And although the Outsider had come to this bridge several times, this was the first time he had simply stood here watching the view.

Below the bridge deck was the rushing river and cargo ships passing through; ahead lay the city's scattered but varied building clusters—three-story apartment buildings, two-story street-facing shops, grand banks at street corners, or temporary stalls blocking alley entrances.

Citizens moved along the streets like ants. The more conspicuous carriages, after turning into another road at a street corner, pulled over to the side again to make way for a private carriage bearing a noble house's crest approaching from the other direction.

The warm breeze blew across their cheeks. Although the Outsider had been here for over two months, he had never felt the vitality of this city so vividly.

Probably, he had always been walking too hurriedly and too fast before.

"City of Wealth..."

He heard the doctor beside him sighing thus, so he asked:

"Doctor, would you like to hear my story? In the last few months, I've done quite a few big things here."

"Then tell me about it. I wager most of what's happened in this city in the last two months has something to do with you."

Although the spot where they stood was the farthest point of the bridge's current decking, two narrow steel plates extended forward from there, not touching each other and not very wide.

Xia De and the doctor continued forward; for an ordinary person, walking like this a hundred meters above ground would be an act only a circus acrobat might attempt, but for Xia De and the doctor, it meant nothing.

Thick cables were tied beneath the steel plates; both stopped at the outermost edge of their respective protruding plates. The doctor stood with arms crossed, still gazing at the city, while Xia De sat down, letting his feet dangle, his eyes fixed on the dock district to the right.

"The story begins with me coming to Moon Bay to retrieve a relic. Afterwards, I met an old friend I hadn't seen in years, and made new ones."

He omitted sensitive events and revealed no specific details about Mr. Alber or Mr. Bernhardt, spending half an hour to briefly recount the summer of 1854, the tale Mr. Bernhardt called the "Legend of Moon Bay."

The doctor stood at the edge of the steel plate, listening intently, until Xia De finished and sighed, then offered his evaluation:

"So, real stories are sometimes more thrilling than knightly novels. Detective, most people in this city don't know you, but you truly saved most of them."

"Juggling among the Seven Great Families, mediating tensions between vampires and humans, secretly hunting dragons and madmen, and casually helping those in need. I think someone will remember what you've done."

Xia De used one hand to hold the cat on his leg to keep it from falling, and the other to brace himself on the steel plate, smiling in the sunlight as he shook his head:

"I didn't do any of this to be remembered, but at least it's finally over. If I hadn't talked about this with you, I wouldn't have realized how busy I was this summer."

After a pause, he gazed across the river at the other side of the city:

"Doctor, in your view, what is justice?"

Bill Shi Nai De looked down at him:

"You're joking, Detective—you are justice itself."

"I'm not asking for praise. I'm genuinely asking this question."

The doctor thought for a moment:

"Justice… that's a profound question. Detective, I cannot give you the answer. Some spend their entire lives seeking it, only to realize at last that the pursuit itself is the answer."

Though he did not deliver one of his usual unique insights, Xia De was not disappointed:

"Some are willing to sacrifice themselves; some seek to save others; some seek revenge; some simply cannot tolerate injustice. Justice—pale and humble, powerful yet cruel."

"You understand it well."

The doctor asked with a smile:

"And I already gave you the answer just now: the pursuit of justice is justice itself. Detective, look—your story just now was precisely the tale of an outsider bringing justice to this city."

"Doctor, I told you not to praise me."

Dr. Shi Nai De shifted his gaze away from Xia De, continuing to watch the bustling scenery of Moon Bay along the river under the sunlight:

"I'm not praising you. Look at this, Detective—this scene is your justice."

A vast tower bridge, surrounded by dense scaffolding, teemed with workers; the clamor came from both sides of the river beneath the bridge. Under the sunlight, the city was gray and warm yellow, like a lightly painted oil canvas, or a finely detailed ink painting.

People, like ants, poured endless vitality into the city. A breeze lifted a newspaper bearing Marguerite's photograph; along the riverside walkways, lampposts still bore the church's wanted posters for cultists, issued by the city hall.

Mi Xiao Miya lay lazily on Xia De's lap, her fur glowing golden in the sunlight.

The sunlight was perfect, the warm breeze pleasant. The blue-eyed psychologist crossed his arms, gazing into the distance; the outsider stroked the cat on his lap, watching the city he and his friends had saved.

The wind seemed to drag the light and shadow along their bodies, leaving glowing trails behind. Birds circling overhead flew across the sky toward the distance. The broken bridge amid the architecture blended perfectly with the bustling steam-powered riverside city; the shimmering ripples on the river below mirrored the sunlit tiles of the densely packed houses.

The warm wind carried clouds slowly drifting beneath the blue sky; petals, stirred by the breeze, brushed past Xia De's cheek and flew toward some unknown distance.

The vivid scene under the sunlight was so alive that Xia De finally understood the words Mr. Bernhardt had spoken when they parted—he understood why the man had been so reluctant to let the summer of 1854 end.

A gentle breeze brushed his cheek; he took a deep breath, and the warm air filled him with fullness and contentment. A tender smile seemed to whisper beside him, as illusory as rainbow light in the sun, yet as real as the satisfaction surging within him:

【Sixth Era, Common Calendar 1854, Month of Blooms. Cold dispelled the summer's warm wind; excessive brilliance is not always beneficial. The ancient god's prophecy, sent from the old days, destroyed the ancient city; the new god's hope, taken from death, wrote a new ending. The Gluttonous Dragon soars through the sky; the Bloodthirsty Beast lurks in shadows. When you draw the Sword of Justice against your foes, and the Golden Thunder strikes, where the Eternal Light shines, O outsider who offers sacrifice to the ancient silver moon, across time and fate, civilization and ages shall record all. May you, with this light, journey through the world.】

Xia De tilted his ear, feeling that until this moment, all of Moon Bay's adventure stories had finally turned their final page.

The scene under the sunlight was so beautiful; though there had been sacrifice and sorrow, he believed this was the best possible ending the story could have.

Dr. Shi Nai De, beside him, had no idea what Xia De was thinking—he suddenly extended his right hand, palm upward, as if trying to catch a strand of light:

"Detective, though I just said everyone's justice is different, would you care to hear what I believe justice to be? From the perspective of a psychological doctor."

"Of course."

He sat there, gently stroking Young Lady Gao De's cat.

"Detective, my justice is to bring a strand of light to every patient whose heart is shrouded in shadow."

Speaking of his profession, Dr. Shi Nai De was utterly serious:

"Compared to what you do, this is insignificant. But these two acts share something in common: we cannot solve every problem in the world, and sometimes we cannot even solve our own."

"Yet even so, becoming a strand of light to illuminate a dark soul, a dark life, remains valuable."

"That sounds remarkable."

Xia De praised him. The doctor swung his "capturing" hand forward, as if encompassing all of Moon Bay:

"You cannot save everyone, Detective, nor can you force anyone to do what you think they should."

"So, give them a strand of light—or become that strand—so they may see hope in life and the future. Then, people will follow that light themselves. It was true before, and it is true now."

"I can soothe troubled minds; you can guide people's lives. In my view, justice is something like this: don't think yourself too great, but don't think you can do nothing… Look, you've already become that strand of light. Now, it's not just the sun illuminating Moon Bay—it's you and that gentleman who sacrificed himself."

"Doctor, you're always so eloquent."

Xia De praised him. Dr. Shi Nai De shook his head, but his face clearly held a smile.

"Justice… if you were to give me a strand of light?"

Xia De looked down at his right hand. At the same moment, shimmering streams of light gathered behind him, forming a golden dragon-head emblem. Since Xia De sat and the doctor stood, Shi Nai De merely glanced sideways—and clearly saw it.

But the "well-traveled" doctor showed no surprise, and said nothing. He blinked once—and the glowing circular emblem vanished from behind Xia De.

The doctor crossed his arms, tilted his head slightly, and continued gazing at the scenery across the Tadon River beneath the bridge:

"What a peaceful day. Detective, I don't know what the weather was like the day you first came to Moon Bay, but such a legendary, beautiful story should end on a day like this—ordinary, yet bright with sunlight."

Mi Xiao Miya tapped Xia De's right hand with her paw, demanding more petting.

Xia De therefore gave up looking at his hand, stroking Mi Xiao Miya as he continued gazing at Moon Bay.

From above, the two of them at the end of the construction bridge were but two black dots; viewed from even higher, Moon Bay itself seemed a living, vibrant thing. Sunlight poured over the city; hundreds of sails rested in the harbor. Though disaster may leave dark scars, as long as light remains, hope remains.

"Whether or not I've given others light for life and the future, at least, I am a strand of light in Mi Xiao Miya's 'cat-life.'"

The outsider, a rare occurrence, felt a surge of pride in his heart; at the bridge's end, one person continued to stand while another remained seated, and they would likely stay there for quite a while before departing.

A flock of pigeons flew over their heads, yet only a small patch of shadow flashed by.

The white doves flew over the pier beneath the blue sky, crossed the Moon Bay Bridge, passed Herring Street, traversed Spider Alley, and finally settled in scattered pairs along the upper edge of the clock face on Belinda's Big Ben terrace.

Click~

The hands turned to the next mark.

At the bridge's end, it seemed someone embraced Xia De from behind, and "her" gentle voice drifted on the wind:

【Outsider, you have gained new power.】

(End of this volume)