Chapter 593

"Rest assured, why would I go into a place like that?"

Xia De shrugged:

"The priest can only walk out on his own, and all I can do is figure out exactly what needs to be done to help him walk out."

Tomorrow is Saturday, and the four of them have agreed to temporarily hold this week's study session at No. 6 St. Deran Square. Afterward, the doctor left first, while Dorothy stayed behind to help Xia De look after the cat.

Luweiya was in no hurry to leave either; she made a request to Xia De:

"I am participating in the astronomical activities held by St. Byrons' Academy of Astronomy this autumn. The scale of this year's event is relatively large, and the academy sent me a set of specialized stargazing equipment, but my apartment's orientation is wrong, and the space isn't large enough..."

Actually, it wasn't that the space wasn't large enough, but that the open area wasn't large enough. For diviners, stargazing isn't just about setting up a telescope and an armillary sphere; they need enough open space to draw ritual arrays and need room to place star charts and various professional instruments whose specific uses Xia De didn't know.

"That's fine, go ahead and pick a room on the third floor. The third floor doesn't even have furniture; I've been using it as a ritual practice area myself."

"Alright then, I think I'll borrow that place for the autumn; your house has a great orientation."

Luweiya nodded, and Xia De found a spare key for her, telling her to move those stargazing instruments over in the next few days so she could come to stargaze whenever she wanted.

He also entrusted Dorothy to look after Mia, as he might return very late, and then headed to the first floor with the letter of introduction given by Miss Miss Jia Lin Na.

On the sofa, Luweiya and Dorothy sat facing each other. Mia crouched on the coffee table, shaking her head from side to side as she looked at the two young women, finally jumping to the side of Dorothy, whom she was more familiar with.

The blonde young lady picked up the cat and asked the female diviner, who was fiddling with the key, with a smile:

"How do you plan to pay the rent? The property prices in the St. Deran Square area are very high, you know... You wouldn't be using yourself, would you?"

She asked teasingly.

Luweiya shook her head, her short brown hair brushing against her shoulders:

"Xia De won't charge me rent."

Dorothy smiled and didn't continue the joke:

"However, stargazing in such a 'haunted house,' aren't you worried it will affect your stargazing results?"

"Stargazing is different from divination. Although both are affected by the environment, stargazing is very little affected. Besides, Xia De believes that there are no more problems in his house now."

Luweiya looked up at the ceiling.

"If there really are no problems, why haven't I seen any living creatures other than Xia De and Mia in this house for the entire summer? No mice, spiders, flies, or ants—nothing at all."

Dorothy said while petting little Mia, who didn't seem very satisfied with Dorothy's petting technique.

The smile on Luweiya's face faded:

"I used to think it was the influence of the underground, but now that I think about it, perhaps it's not necessarily just the basement that has a problem. Xia De doesn't seem to intend to move out of here; perhaps only someone as special as him can make this house look normal."

She stood up as she spoke, intending to hire a carriage to transport her stargazing equipment. It would only take two or three trips to transport everything, but assembling it was very troublesome.

"Since you are stargazing on the third floor, the main thing that could affect the results should be the anomalies on the third floor. Come to think of it, what happened on the third floor of Xia De's house? I remember him mentioning it once."

Dorothy stood up, also preparing to leave together; she needed to go home to get her writing documents and materials.

She had wanted to take Mia with her, but Mia didn't even want to go out with Xia De most of the time, so she immediately jumped out of Dorothy's arms. It jumped onto the living room windowsill, basking in the autumn afternoon sun, preparing to take a good nap.

Dorothy knew this cat didn't want to go out, so she didn't try to catch it again. The two young women disappeared along the staircase, and their voices came from downstairs:

"I remember, it seems like someone entered the third floor and never appeared again, right? Oh, that's very similar to what Priest Ao Gu Si experienced."

"Meow~"

The cat on the second-floor windowsill stretched, the sunlight shining on its fur. Squinting its eyes, the orange patterns on the back of the cat, which was tucking in its two front paws, really looked as if they were emitting golden light.

That was the radiance of the sun.

(Little Mia is napping zZ......)

On the other side, Xia De once again appeared in the ruined tower in the mountains outside the city of Midhillburg through the ancient god statue in his own basement.

This time there was no need to worry about being discovered, so he left the basement directly using "Lagley's Leap." Afterward, he didn't immediately head to the city along the path he had walked before, but stood behind the ruined tower, looking out at the city stretching out at the foot of the mountain in the distance.

"Midhillburg......"

Grid-like streets divided the city, and pedestrians and carriages like ants moved at a constant speed. Besides the Church of Nature in the city center, the most conspicuous things in the city were the factories near the foot of the mountain and the railway that passed through Midhillburg and then entered the mountain pass; this was the most important passage through the Rommel mountain range in the eastern part of the Old Continent.

"How does this look like a volcano?"

Xia De muttered, then turned and walked down the mountain.

It was already afternoon, and just like yesterday, a thin mist had risen among the mountain forests. Although these mists didn't particularly obstruct his vision, they were still very troublesome for Xia De, who was moving through the primeval forest without a path.

Even though it was a path he had already walked once, it still took him about the same amount of time as it did yesterday to walk down the mountain.

He first passed through the small village at the foot of the mountain, then passed through the mining factories from the early days of the city's development, and finally found a carriage after approaching the urban area, which took Xia De to No. 15 Ruff Lane.

Miss Miss Jia Lin Na gave Xia De the way to contact the 【Ringed Shushi】, but Xia De felt that rather than rashly contacting a ring warlock he didn't know, it would be better to have an acquaintance introduce him.

As the "Home for the Blind" for the Blind Mutual Aid Association, it was always open during the day. When Xia De visited again, Ms. Michelle was providing psychological counseling to a lady who had come to seek help, so Xia De waited for nearly half an hour before seeing Ms. Michelle walk over in a hurry.

In her normal state, she used a linen strip to cover her eyes, but this did not affect her movements at all. Xia De guessed that perhaps the linen strip was actually translucent, or she had abilities like "mind's eye."

But when Xia De took out the letter written by Miss Miss Jia Lin Na and Ms. Michelle took off the strip in front of her eyes to read it, he realized that the nuns of the Ringed Shushi were not really able to "see things while blind."

"Witch? Mr. Watson, do you know a witch?"

Ms. Michelle frowned slightly and looked at Xia De. Xia De nodded; of course, he hadn't forgotten to tell Miss Miss Jia Lin Na that his alias was John Watson:

"Yes, when I was in Tobesk, I did some things for a lady of unknown identity, and only later did I learn that 'that lady' was a witch. Hearing that I was coming to Midhillburg to find a friend, 'that lady' had her servant give me a letter. I originally thought I wouldn't need it, but I didn't expect that just after arriving in this city, such a thing would happen to Priest Ao Gu Si....... Is this letter enough for the sect to provide some help?"

"Of course it's enough; that lady gave you a very high evaluation in the letter......"

Xia De didn't open the letter, so he didn't know how Miss Miss Jia Lin Na had praised him.

Because she knew the attitude of the 【Witch Council】 toward men, Ms. Michelle was very hesitant about this letter. But since Xia De had already taken it out, she had to pass it on.

Therefore, Ms. Michelle let Xia De rest temporarily in the Home for the Blind, while she went to personally deliver the letter to the sect's leader, Sister Daifulin.

The 【Ringed Shushi】 was a very interesting organization. Everyone in this organization was addressed as Sister So-and-so or Brother So-and-so, so just by the title, it was difficult to judge who was the true leader.

If Xia De had gone to find the local great witch first and then the 【Ringed Shushi】, he might have been able to go directly to the sect's true headquarters and would definitely have been treated with courtesy. But with such an indirect introduction, he could only wait honestly, and it was uncertain whether that eleventh-ring Sister Daifulin would be willing to see him.

This depended on whether Miss Miss Jia Lin Na's face was big enough.

Waiting from two o'clock in the afternoon until three o'clock, Ms. Michelle finally returned to the Home for the Blind in a hurry. She first expressed her apologies to Xia De for making him wait so long, and then let him board a carriage to go with her to see the leader of the Ringed Shushi, that eleventh-ring Sister Daifulin.

The 【Ringed Shushi】 was a ring warlock group outside the church. Its scale was slightly larger than the 【Mercury Blood】 Xia De had encountered, but far inferior to the Prophecy Association. They also didn't cooperate fully with the Orthodox Church like the Prophecy Association, and even had a sense of excluding the Orthodox Church. Therefore, Xia De, who had only gained preliminary trust, could not go directly to the sect's headquarters to meet Sister Daifulin.

The final meeting place was not the Home for the Blind, but a club two blocks west of the Home for the Blind, on the same street as the local Church of Creation.

That club, with its quite impressive decoration and facade, was called the "Disciple Club." From the name, it was difficult to judge the nature of the club. Sister Daifulin met Xia De alone in a reception room on the third floor. When Xia De pushed open the door, the first thing he saw was the side profile of this nun.

She looked to be in her twenties, with hair that presented a decaying gray-white color. Like the nuns Xia De had seen in the 【Dark Domain】, she wore a silver crown-shaped blindfold to cover her eyes. And the patterns on that silver crown were more complex than any Xia De had ever seen on the faces of other nuns.

She wore a relatively traditional dress combining gray and black, looking like the style of a nun's habit, with a black shawl that looked like silk fabric draped over her black top. The shawl looked very thin, and when Xia De sat down, he felt it was like the material of gauze.

No matter who saw this lady for the first time, they would think this must be a nun who strictly adhered to the rules.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Watson."

Her lips moved slightly, and a calm and slow voice said. Sister Daifulin placed Miss Miss Jia Lin Na's letter on the table between the two, just to the side of the teacup in front of her, as if she could see everything in front of her perfectly.

"Good evening, Sister Daifulin, it is very presumptuous to disturb you like this."

Xia De said politely, his peripheral vision scanning the room. This was a reception room on the top floor of a high-end club in the city center, but the decoration style was unexpectedly simple. At a glance, he couldn't see any valuable antique furniture or precious oil paintings. The indoor style was mainly cool gray, which was quite in line with the temperament of this young-looking nun.

"This place should also be one of the local strongholds of the 【Ringed Shushi】."

Xia De judged in his heart.

"I have already read the letter from the seventh-seat witch, Mr. Watson. We have a good relationship with the council. Since the witch said you are a very capable person, we are naturally willing to provide you with help. Regarding your friend's matter, Sister Michelle has already told me. So, what help do you hope we can provide you?"

The nun asked softly. Even though her level far exceeded Xia De's, when she spoke, there was a very natural humility in her tone. Of course, this wasn't because she had peeked into Xia De's secret of possessing divinity; this nun should always speak like this.

Not only that, although she was also speaking Delarion, the grammar was a bit strange. After thinking about it, Xia De understood from the "Delarion Language Gift Package" that the grammar she used was relatively ancient and not the grammar commonly used in contemporary times. This was a way of speaking that could only be heard in those ancient noble families. Xia De was very curious about the other party's background before becoming a ring warlock.

"I want to know more about the 【Boundary of Life and Death】; perhaps you can provide some information."

Xia De said, not touching the tea on the table.

"Of course, if this can help you rescue your friend, that would be even better."

"Also, may I ask if there have been any precedents for rescuing those who fell into the boundary of life and death in the past?"

The nun nodded:

"The world of the dead and the world of the living should not have any overlap. Those who should leave should leave permanently. And those who fall into the boundary of life and death belong to those who should not have died but died accidentally, so there have indeed been targeted rescues."

Xia De looked at the other party; he believed Sister Daifulin could perceive his gaze.

"But we also respect death and maintain reverence for it, and will not disturb those who are sleeping peacefully. Therefore, even within the sect, very few people know information about how to help those living people who unfortunately entered another world."

"May I ask what reward I need to pay to have the sect help me rescue my friend?"

Xia De asked. Even if he asked Miss Miss Jia Lin Na for help, he would pay a reward, so he naturally understood that no one would help him for no reason.

"No."

Sister Daifulin shook her head slightly.

"You are not willing to help?"

"I mean, no reward is needed; I am willing to help you on behalf of the sect."

Xia De was stunned:

"Sorry, you mean, you are willing to help me rescue Priest Ao Gu Si from that suspected unknowable-level relic?"

"Yes."

The nun nodded.

This instead made Xia De a bit embarrassed. He had just thought the nun wanted him to pay a price, which was why she emphasized multiple times that the sect respected the laws of life and death.

"Sorry, may I ask... um... why are you willing to help me? I thought you would at least let me do something for you, complete tasks that are difficult to complete, or even investigate dangerous relics before you would be willing to help."

A serene smile appeared under the silver blindfold with fine patterns. Sister Daifulin's sitting posture was very elegant, with her two fair hands folded together on her lap. Even the princesses Xia De knew probably couldn't show such an elegant temperament.

"Priest Rat Ao Gu Si already had old ties with the predecessors of the sect, and helping a kind person to rescue another kind person is something that should be done."

She had been keeping her head slightly lowered just now, but at this moment she raised her head, and the eyes behind the silver blindfold were facing Xia De:

"Mr. John Watson, please answer a question: If it were you, would you help someone you don't know but who is in urgent need of help?"

This question didn't need to be thought about at all. If Xia De weren't such a person, he wouldn't have turned around when the girl's family was about to be taken away by an evil god; he wouldn't have resolutely thrown that die when a woman who lost her child sought help; he wouldn't be appearing here now... The last example wasn't appropriate, because he and Priest Ao Gu Si were very familiar people.

"I would, as long as it doesn't cost me a great price, I am willing to help those kind people."

Xia De said very seriously, and a smile appeared on Sister Daifulin's face:

"Therefore, the sect is also willing to help you. I don't want to say profound truths, but this is a bond. The sect believes that this bond of kindness can make this world a better place."

At this moment, Xia De's respect for the 【Ringed Shushi】 reached its peak.