Chapter 576

On Sunday, the 15th day of the Harvest Moon, it was also the last day of the 1853 City Player semi-final stage. Xia De went to the university district of Tobesk this morning to participate in his last multi-player card game.

Thus, after six card games lasting five days, Xia De locked in the victory with 25, 25, 19, 25, 23, and 24 copper coins respectively. Winning six games in a row gave him a total of 91 copper coins. (Note)

Xia De was not sure he could rank first, but he was very sure that this was enough for him to enter the final finals.

Thus, after accepting the copper coin statistics at the Prophet Association at noon this day, he did not wait for the final statistical results to be announced in the association like other card players, but went to Coldwater Harbor to check his entrustment for acquiring special blood.

There was no news from Mr. Edmund, but in the Seven Brooms Tavern in Coldwater Harbor, someone was indeed very interested in Xia De's acquisition and left relevant information. However, Xia De didn't think that the blood of magical creatures like "Silver-Blooded Toad" or "Three-Headed Seahorse" would meet the requirements of that vampire god.

In the Sixth Era, these creatures were already very rare, but in the Fifth Era, these were common creatures.

Instead, after returning to Tobesk from Coldwater Harbor, Miss Miss Jia Lin Na sent someone to send a letter, saying that she had found suitable blood there, which was provided by Miss Shivi Aurora. Specifically, it was actually found by the deep-sea mermaids attached to the Aurora family.

That was the blood of a creature named "Abyssal Eye Dragon Squid." This creature lived in the deepest seabed abyss in the sea area between the Old Continent and the New Continent. Just by hearing the name, one knew that they had dragon blood. But exactly what kind of creature the pure-blooded dragon and what kind of creature produced this terrifying and terrible descendant, the contemporary Ringed Shushi group did not have a definite answer.

Mermaids believed that it was a pure-blooded dragon and some kind of evil thing with tentacles living in the subspace that gave birth to them.

But no matter what, the blood of this terrible creature was absolutely precious from any angle. And, although this kind of blood had toxins, it would not kill people directly. Drinking the blood of the dragon squid would connect to the seabed abyss in a dream and peek at the terrible abyss scene in the dream.

This was somewhat similar to the effect of the mermaid curse. As long as the spirit was strong enough, although sleep would be affected within a few weeks, there was no need to worry about life danger.

"How much money does Miss Aurora want?"

Xia De was very satisfied with this kind of blood.

"She said she didn't want your money, but I felt she was up to some bad idea. So, I copied a small section of knowledge about marine biological populations from Miss Feilian's notebook to her, which was considered paying the bill for you."

Miss Miss Jia Lin Na said.

Xia De's home did not have the conditions to store this precious blood, so this blood was first placed with Miss Aurora, and when needed, Miss Miss Jia Lin Na would take the blood over through the 【Witch Council】.

In this way, Xia De only needed to find one kind of blood, but this was also not easy.

"Precious blood, eh? It doesn't necessarily have powerful power, but it must be rare, or have a story... I have already helped you find it, but you also know that this is not easy. However, are you looking for blood or wine?"

At Old John's Pawnshop, Old John, who had just finished dinner, welcomed Xia De who came to visit.

"I do know a story related to 'blood and wine', but what I need is blood, not stories or wine."

Xia De was quite troubled.

Old John behind the counter glanced at him and handed the newspaper in his hand to Xia De:

"Forgot to congratulate you."

On the *Tobesk Evening News*, which still had a slight smell of ink, the finalist list of "City Player" was published. Because it involved honor and vanity, the header of the list provided by the Prophet Association also specially emphasized that this was a ranking based on "semi-final results."

The name of Xia De Suren Hamilton was ranked first, and among the people Xia De knew, Baron Lu Anda was unlucky and stopped at the preliminary stage, Baron Lavender and Mrs. Sangmei of the Three Cats Inn failed to enter the finals. Instead, Mr. Virgil Cameron, the lover of Grand Duke Seth, successfully entered the finals.

This meant that the monitoring mission given to Xia De by Director Anluosi, he had to execute.

"Not surprised, I expected myself to enter the finals long ago."

Xia De put the newspaper aside and continued to talk about blood:

"Old John, I know you have wide connections, is there really no way to help inquire again?"

"I have already helped inquire about acquaintances in the surrounding areas of Tobesk. If I inquire again, I can only write to old friends in other places, but this takes time."

The waiting time for opening the key would end tonight. But without two kinds of blood, even if Xia De entered the past again, he could not participate in the banquet.

"Is one week okay? I can accept any price below 4000 pounds."

"You counted the prize money of the City Player too?"

Old John asked in surprise, but still nodded:

"Since you are willing to take out so much money, one week is definitely enough. Even if there is no stock in the hands of my old friends in other places, I can inquire about friends in the New Continent. However, the storage of blood is a big problem, I have to calculate your transportation fee... If you really win the City Player championship, I can wipe out the transportation fee for you."

"Old John, when did you become so generous."

Xia De asked suspiciously, and then thought of something:

"You didn't bet too, did you?"

"Don't talk nonsense, I'm not someone who goes to the underground casino to bet."

The old man picked up the newspaper again and hid his eyes behind the newspaper. But before Xia De left, he couldn't help but ask:

"How high do you think the possibility of you winning the championship is?"

He must have bet too.

"From the odds, I am the one with the highest possibility of winning the championship."

This is a relatively objective statement.

"I know from the odds... cough cough, I'm asking about your own feeling."

"More than sixty percent probability. I haven't looked at the grouping situation yet. Maybe the opponent's special cards just happen to restrain the effect of the special cards in my hand."

Xia De was still relatively conservative.

"Sixty percent... high enough."

The eight card players who entered the 1853 City Player Rhodes Card Tournament were Knight Xia De Hamilton (Delarion), Baron Shepard (Delarion), Mr. Dirac, a mechanical engineer from Tobesk (Delarion), Mr. Kubrick, a merchant (Karsenrik), Professor Wang Erde, a mathematician (Karsenrik), Baron Cooper, a foreign noble (Principality of Lagerson), Mr. Virgil Cameron, a noble advisor (Principality of Seth), and Captain Butler, who had dual citizenship and sailed between the New Continent and the Old Continent all year round.

The names of the eight people appeared not only in the evening newspaper on Sunday evening, but also in the morning newspaper early Monday morning. Although the front-page headline was the public speech of *His Majesty the King on the Important Instructions for Autumn Harvest Work*, the attention attracted by the City Player still made this autumn Tobesk even more lively than in previous years.

The grouping situation was announced early Monday morning. Xia De's first opponent was Professor Wang Erde, a mathematician from Karsenrik. According to the gossip Xia De heard from the Prophet Association, the other party took the opportunity of coming to Delarion for a meeting from school to participate in this year's City Player, and his ranking in the semi-finals was second only to Xia De.

The final stage of the City Player was all held at the Prophet Association. Besides having a special invitation letter, each contestant could invite a companion to watch the game.

Xia De originally wanted Director Anluosi to send someone to appear with him, so that he wouldn't have to continue to pay attention to that Mr. Virgil Cameron. But Director Anluosi obviously thought that doing so might lead to the connection between Xia De and the identity of the Military Intelligence Section 6 agent, so he rejected Xia De's request.

However, Director Anluosi mentioned that Mr. Cameron's itinerary in Tobesk was normal, and so far no suspicious people had contacted him. Seeing that the City Player had reached the final stage, Mr. Cameron even bought a train ticket to leave the local area and return to the Principality of Seth, so Section 6 was doubting that the information they received was problematic.

"Grey-Headed Eagle" was dead. If someone appeared to connect, that would be the thing that would make Xia De feel strange.

On Monday, Xia De invited Dorothy to accompany him to participate in the duel with Professor Wang Erde. It just happened that the female writer was free, so she agreed and witnessed Xia De killing the professor in two quick games.

After the competition ended that day, Mr. Virgil Cameron sent someone to pass a note again, wanting to talk to Xia De alone, but Xia De declined because he had an appointment with Dorothy for dinner. During dinner, Xia De didn't forget to bring the high-end red wine from the Rossell Winery that he took out from 【God's Gift Box】 this week, which greatly reduced the cost of this meal.

On Tuesday, Dorothy had to go to the *Steam Bird Daily* newspaper office to proofread the novel manuscript, so Xia De invited Luweiya as a female companion to accompany him to conduct the duel with Captain Butler. Although Luweiya was a staff member of the Prophet Association, not all staff members could enter the venue.

Tuesday's duel was held in the afternoon, and Xia De still brought the cat. I don't know if it was the luck brought by Luweiya or the luck brought by Little Mia, but although Captain Butler won by a narrow margin in the first game, Xia De won the remaining two games.

At the same time, the duel between Mr. Dirac, a mechanical engineer from Tobesk, and Mr. Virgil Cameron, a noble advisor from the Principality of Seth, which was unfolding on the other side of the venue, also decided the winner, and it was Mr. Cameron who won.

Mr. Cameron twisted his neck to relax his neck, which was a bit stiff because of being too focused. He tilted his head and looked to the other side of the venue, just meeting Xia De's eyes.

Xia De smiled and nodded politely, but Mr. Cameron had a nervous expression on his face. The latter looked away. Xia De was not surprised by this. The other party was probably very puzzled why he, who held 【Founding·Silver Moon】, had been refusing to meet him.

"This kind of life is really comfortable, without thinking about being an outsider, being able to let me, an outsider, enjoy the style of the steam age."

Xia De stretched and stood up, walking toward the outside with Luweiya.

Outside the window, the green leaves on the branches gradually turned withered and yellow. With the wind with some coldness, the leaves drifted and fell behind the running newsboy, lying on the gray long stone bricks and being crushed by the wheels.

The Harvest Moon was about to enter the late stage, and summer had completely ended.

The newsboy wearing patched suspenders and a dirty flat cap ran on the gray, foggy street with a stray cat. The newspaper he waved in his hand, which smelled of ink, showed the silhouette of the Prophet Association and two Rhodes cards cut together on the front-page headline.

"The champion of the 1853 City Player will be produced between Knight Xia De Hamilton of this city and Mr. Virgil Cameron of the Principality of Seth."

That tender but loud voice seemed to spread throughout the streets and alleys of Tobesk. With the sound of four-wheeled rental carriages crushing stones and shoe soles rubbing against the road, and with that spreading thin fog, it spread to every household.

In the distance, the towering chimneys sprayed black smoke into the sky, and the traffic on the Silver Cross Avenue was intertwined. As the lights came on, Princess Agerina saw Xia De and Luweiya passing by the street from the window of Yoder Palace.

The wind and steam trains would carry this news to farther places.

"City Player 1853" could be considered the liveliest thing in Tobesk city this autumn.