Chapter 249

As for what followed, there was no need for Xia De to participate. His task was to lure Steve Event, who carried the 【Ring of Metamorphosis】, away from his normal surveillance post and out of the crowded manor.

The maid who left would guide him to where he was supposed to go, and Miss Tifa, the maid, would be waiting for him there.

Of course, Steve Event could not be killed yet, to avoid alerting the cultists. The maid naturally had a way to swap the real ring for a fake one and make Event temporarily forget what he had experienced. As for the specific method, that was a matter for Lady Galina to worry about, and had nothing to do with Xia De.

The plan was proceeding smoothly; Xia De only needed to wait for the signal, then meet up with the maid in the manor courtyard, and he could leave openly and honestly.

While feeling a sense of relief, he also began to worry about the other great adventure to come.

He walked without stopping to the very back of the restaurant and obtained the two valuable auction items he had purchased with the large sum of money provided by the maid. It would take some time for the maid to deal with Steve Event, and during this period, it would be best for Xia De to find a safe place to wait patiently.

The lesson from the Lake View Manor taught Xia De that wandering around aimlessly would greatly increase the probability of encountering bad luck. Especially since tonight was another summoning ritual, he had to be even more careful.

The auction hall in the restaurant was off-limits; if Event returned, he might think of something if he saw Xia De again.

"The third floor is definitely out, and there are too many big shots on the second floor. The courtyard is also out; it reminds me of the Lake View Manor incident, so I'd better go to the first floor."

Thinking this, he carried the two priceless auction items toward the first floor. The banquet still followed a buffet-style service, but Xia De did not touch any of the food here, to avoid accidentally eating something strange.

However, he still stood by the table filled with food for a while, pretending to be curious about the fruit salad:

"Is there anything wrong with this food?"

He asked the woman's voice in his heart curiously.

【At this distance, I don't sense any problems.】

So, pretending to be careless, he wiped his finger across a dark liquid stain that had appeared on the tablecloth at some point.

"And now?"

【There is a very slight, strange sensation, but I cannot distinguish what has been done to the food.】

"Just as I thought."

Standing in a corner alone would make him look very strange. So, after looking around the first floor, he eventually joined a group of people watching others play Gwent.

This time, he unexpectedly didn't encounter any acquaintances he could casually chat with. Xia De just stood in the crowd without speaking. As for what kind of special cards the two sides had, he didn't care at all; he just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

There weren't many Gwent enthusiasts at this banquet, and most were here for the two extremely expensive special cards to be auctioned last. Xia De didn't look out of place standing there, and neither did the people who came to watch and then left.

Therefore, when a strange middle-aged man walked to Xia De's side and watched the ongoing game with him, Xia De didn't pay much attention.

But the voice in his ear gave him quite a start:

【Don't move your eyes, look straight ahead.】

"What?"

【Don't change your expression too much, either.】

Xia De narrowed his eyes and looked at the game, feeling a bit surprised in his heart:

"What happened? Did the Evil God descend early? Hurry and burn the divinity, I..."

【It's not that serious, there's a high-level Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi beside you.】

"Oh, just a Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi."

He breathed a sigh of relief. He could see the middle-aged man out of the corner of his eye. He was dressed in the same black formal wear as Xia De, but was slightly taller, with a medium build—neither fat nor thin.

Because he couldn't observe him directly, Xia De couldn't see more details. It was only after being reminded by the voice in his heart that he suddenly realized the stranger had a very unique aura.

A so-called aura is actually hard to define, but when Xia De noticed him, that strange feeling surged in his heart, as if a massive mountain range were standing beside him, but overall, he only felt the other party was powerful and didn't sense anything sinister.

This led him to a conclusion:

"A 13th-Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi?"

【That should be the case.】

There weren't many 13th-Ring Mages in the entire material world. This person beside him should be Mr. Hog Lundell, the "Sun Greatsword" of the Church of the Sun.

Xia De had never met this gentleman, but the other party might recognize him. Last Wednesday at noon, when Xia De was shot, this gentleman was standing just a few hundred paces behind him and had very likely seen that photo in the newspaper later.

"You can sense that the other party is a high-level Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi, so can the other 'me' of the other party sense that I am a Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi?"

According to Xia De's basic lessons, this should be impossible, but he still asked.

【Rest assured, as long as you don't use any incantations or miracles near him, he absolutely cannot sense us.】

He didn't know if the other party's appearance beside him was a coincidence or intentional, but thinking that he hadn't done anything bad, Xia De didn't feel overly nervous.

Thus, neither of them spoke, instead staring intently at the ongoing game. During this time, Xia De boredly thought about how the miracle he had copied by consuming the 【Witch's Transcription Paper】 was the other party's signature miracle.

Thinking of this, he glanced at the other party again; the middle-aged man's sharp yet warm aura gave Xia De food for thought. He roughly understood what kind of miracle he would obtain.

It wasn't until one of the players in the match annoyingly flipped over a Moon 7, losing to an 18 with 22 points, that the match temporarily ended. Xia De sighed and turned to leave, while Mr. Lundell continued to watch the game.

"Looks like he didn't come here specifically to watch me."

Xia De didn't want to get involved with anyone here. After successfully leaving the side of the 13th-Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi, he thought about finding a cooler place to stay.

Although the auction was only held on the second floor, the rooms on the first floor were also open to guests. The Count's youngest son had brought out part of the family's collection and rented some from friends, setting them up like an exhibition. He claimed it was to show off the family's wealth, while also making the high ticket price seem worthwhile.

Xia De's plan was to find a room with few people to calm down, but as he was walking down the corridor, looking at the portraits hanging on the wall, a dignified middle-aged gentleman holding a wine glass walked out of the room ahead, and both were stunned:

"Doctor Schneider?"

"Xia De?"

The person who walked out of the room on the side of the corridor was none other than the middle-aged psychologist with blue eyes. He looked at Xia De in surprise, and Xia De was even more surprised.

"Follow me!"

After reacting, Xia De pulled the doctor's hand without a word and walked to the window at the end of the corridor, looking out at the manor courtyard in the night.

Confirming there was no one outside the window and no one in the corridor behind them paying attention, Xia De lowered his voice and asked hurriedly:

"Doctor, what are you doing here?"