Chapter 628

It happened to be lunchtime, so Granny Cassandra invited Xia De to eat with her, wanting to chat about Miss Miss Jia Lin Na. Xia De also needed to find a place to eat, so he agreed.

The two did not eat inside the auction house, but at the Wood Restaurant on Oak Street. This was a high-end restaurant located in the city center, and Granny Cassandra, as a wealthy merchant, was naturally received with enthusiasm.

The specialty of the Wood Restaurant was that all the tableware here, except for the knives and forks, was made of wood. Of course, if customers requested, they could be replaced with metal or porcelain tableware.

As the oldest living witch of the Witch Council, Granny Cassandra knew many things. It was from her mouth that Xia De learned that Miss Miss Jia Lin Na's teacher was also a member of the royal family, but not a direct descendant of the Cavendish family; based on the blood relations of that year, her succession ranking might be after the fifteenth place.

Of course, this did not mean that the Cavendish family had become a Ringed Shushi family like the Afurola family; before Miss Miss Jia Lin Na and her cousin, no royal family members had appeared in the witch seats.

Granny Cassandra was very talkative and even mentioned to Xia De some interesting stories about Miss Miss Jia Lin Na's childhood—the kind of stories that, if Xia De dared to bring them up, he would likely be thrown out of the Witch Manor.

Moreover, she even talked to Xia De about Sister Daifulin of the 【Spirit Cultivation Sect】. The hundred-plus-year-old Qina Cassandra had known the Spirit Cultivation Sect in her youth and had witnessed the succession of three chief nuns of the sect. Even the current leader, Sister Daifulin, had been discovered by Granny Cassandra to be a gifted person.

"Daifulin is truly gifted, especially those eyes of hers that can see through death; that is a very rare talent."

The old witch gave this evaluation, while a platter of vegetable salad was placed in front of her.

"Then why didn't you choose her as your successor?"

Xia De asked curiously, and the old woman across the table shook her head:

"I consulted my teacher's opinion, and she believed that compared to the power of a witch, Daifulin was more suited for the Spirit Cultivation Sect. The sect she leads can exert more power for this world. Judging from the current situation, the teacher is indeed worthy of being a teacher."

When Granny Cassandra inherited her seat, the previous generation's Great Witch unfortunately passed away early, so her teacher was another Ringed Shushi; Xia De had heard this mentioned by both Sister Daifulin and Miss Miss Jia Lin Na.

"Then your teacher is..."

Since the other party mentioned this news, Xia De took the opportunity to ask curiously.

"Oh, I cannot casually speak the teacher's name. However, the teacher happens to be in Midhillburg as well, preparing for a ritual that happens once every twenty-two years. When the ritual comes, I can introduce you."

Granny Cassandra said with a smile, and Xia De nodded without asking further. However, combined with the currently known information, Xia De highly suspected that the teacher of this old woman was a 12th or even 13th Ring Shushi.

After all, her age was even greater than Granny Cassandra's.

"Oh, speaking of which, is there any Ringed Shushi in Midhillburg who is extremely skilled in death power? They don't have to be very strong, but they must be skilled. I have some matters that I need such a Ringed Shushi to help with."

During a break in the meal, Xia De asked casually, and the witch, who had already heard the news of the third Chosen One, naturally gave an answer:

"Did Miss Jia Lin Na ask you to help me? No, young man, it's not necessary; I will investigate this matter myself. I know you are very capable, but do not easily intervene in matters related to the 'Whispering Poem'."

"I understand."

Xia De did not ask more, to avoid arousing the witch's suspicion. In his heart, he thought that Sister Daifulin also knew about the 'Whispering Poem', so he could not ask the Spirit Cultivation Sect for help either.

After finishing lunch, Xia De bid farewell to Granny Cassandra and headed to the Midhillburg Mechanical Academy.

Interestingly, after the true "Midhillburg" of the old era—the castle camp used for defense—was abandoned, it was not demolished but became the site of the later established Midhillburg Mechanical Academy.

The castle was located at the foot of Mount Xikaer, and its main body was in the shape of the character "Hui" from the Outsider's hometown.

The entire academy, in addition to the castle itself and the large open space in the center of the castle, also included parts separated by independent outer walls, as well as other teaching buildings built next to the castle later.

Compared to the Saint Bairunsi Comprehensive Academy (Note), which Xia De already knew had an area larger than a city, the old-era brick and stone castle with spires that he saw after getting off the carriage was more in line with his imagination of a "magic school."

Unfortunately, this was just a local ordinary higher education institution; no one would fly on broomsticks here.

Unlike the university district in Tobesk, which was composed of several well-known schools in the kingdom, Midhillburg only had two well-known schools. The older Midhillburg Mechanical Academy was directly connected to the steam factory area at the foot of the mountain, which could be considered an integration of production, education, and research.

Near the castle, one could see countless chimneys towering and spewing black smoke; at the same time, one could see carriages passing hurriedly on the streets, and merchants walking around frequently. Compared to the city center, this area looked even more bustling.

The weather was still gloomy, and it was even drizzling when Xia De got on the carriage, but the rain had stopped by the time he got off. Xia De had never been here, so to find Professor John Deng En, he had to ask someone.

While he was looking around, a figure walking hurriedly from his left side suddenly locked eyes with him.

"Hmm?"

"Hmm?"

The man wearing the Royal Army uniform was none other than Captain Lades, the "Eight-Gun Captain," whom he hadn't seen for more than half a month. And although Xia De was now wearing the eyeshadow given by the witch and clothes he had never worn in Tobesk, Captain Lades still recognized him:

"Ha... Mr. Hamilton?"

Of course, this burly officer was not very sure that what he saw was Xia De Hamilton. Tobesk and Midhillburg were too far apart, and because of the influence of the eyeshadow, Xia De indeed looked different from before.

Xia De thought about many things in an instant, but finally nodded:

"It's me."

Since he had already been recognized, pretending to be here on a business trip was fine; as long as he didn't appear in the newspapers in Tobesk for any reason in the last two weeks, he wouldn't be exposed.

So he signaled Captain Lades to go to a secluded spot under the willow tree by the wall to talk. Captain Lades was very excited to see Xia De in Midhillburg:

"Oh, Detective, why are you in Midhillburg? Just now, I almost didn't recognize you."

He shook hands with Xia De enthusiastically, truly treating Xia De as a friend.

"Because of a troublesome commission."

And the detective from Tobesk pretended to be very troubled:

"I only arrived here a few days ago. A client in Tobesk asked me to come here to investigate a matter related to an illegitimate child. That client's identity is very sensitive, so I cannot expose my purpose and must leave after the investigation is finished. Captain, I am currently using the pseudonym John Watson, a writer, so please call me by this name."

"John Watson? Oh, I'll remember that."

The captain nodded, quite understanding of the reason Xia De gave:

"Matters like illegitimate children are indeed troublesome. Is it a great noble? Oh, I shouldn't ask. But Mr. Watson, you could have completely refused this commission; after all, it takes a week to get here by train from Tobesk... Is the other party very powerful?"

Captain Lades thought he had found the answer and couldn't help but frown:

"Did they threaten you?"

"No, no, I know Duchess Miss Jia Lin Na; who would dare threaten me? It's because the other party paid too much."

Xia De rubbed his fingers, and at this, Captain Lades understood Xia De even more; the middle-aged man couldn't help but smile:

"Then what are you doing now? Do you need my help? I am very familiar with this city."

"To investigate the matter of the illegitimate child, I used connections to get in touch with a local wealthy merchant. But that merchant wants me to help find a lost antique before he will give me help. Captain, do you know where the folklore professors of the academy usually are?"