Chapter 64: The Pearl of Silver Moon

The Sunday evening banquet at the Lake View Manor was the most important thing for Xia De that day. He asked Doctor Shi Nai De about the dress code for the outdoor banquet yesterday, and the doctor told Xia De to just be clean and tidy. This kind of outdoor banquet that allowed strangers to enter was usually quite large in scale, so there was no need to dress too formally.

However, if one was going to the banquet for a beautiful girl, then of course one should dress decently. Xia De still remembered the teasing when Miss Lu Lu Lu Yisha said this sentence, and it seemed she was also very familiar with this set of rules.

Because Baron La Wen De promised to reimburse the travel expenses, Xia De didn't need to go out too early.

The morning time was used for playing with the orange cat and reading books, and of course, waiting for the client to come to the door. Little Mia was the most obedient pet Xia De could imagine. These days, it had basically adapted to the life at No. 6 Saint De Lan Square, and Xia De was very relieved to leave it at home.

After lunch, thinking he didn't have the luck to wait for the client, he went out again and headed to the Old John Pawn Shop.

The address provided by Miss Lu Lu Lu Yisha was indeed the shop not far from the Silver Parrot Milk Delivery Company. When Xia De pushed the door open, the old man who was drowsy in the rocking chair woke up immediately:

"Oh, it's a regular customer. I won't... that cane again..."

He stood up to welcome the detective's arrival, and Xia De said in a low voice:

"Let's not mention the cane. This time I want... some interesting things."

He looked at the crowded shop. The four walls were covered with brass-colored wallpaper, allowing the dim gas lamps to illuminate the room as much as possible. Gas pipes climbed the walls, and between the pipes hung things like broken carriage lamps and long swords with only hilts.

Most of the shop was filled with wooden shelves, and items that looked like trash were placed on the shelves. Xia De couldn't understand what the point was of putting ordinary-patterned Luo De cards and empty glass bottles here.

The shop owner, Old John, had returned behind the counter. A stack of old books was piled on the left side of the counter, and a small steam engine furnace was on the right. The left half had been wiped clean, while the right side was still covered in ash; this thing wasn't there last time he came.

Old John did not show surprise at Xia De's words:

"Everything here is very interesting."

He said, then looked at Xia De quietly from behind the counter.

The old man was slightly chubby, but his eyes were very powerful. So Xia De cleared his throat and said the "code" Miss Lu Lu Lu Yisha told him. To buy mystical supplies or even relics here, one must be introduced by an acquaintance:

"Because one plus one equals two, the sun will rise in the west. Oh, my Maria, I want to kick your... butt hard. Don't go barefoot, or the curly baboon will eat your cavities."

This was the shop's contact code, indicating that Xia De was introduced by a regular customer and was also a Ringed Shushi.

But Xia De highly suspected whether such a code was Miss Lu Lu Lu Yisha joking with him; she was very likely to have plagiarized the crazy words of the patients in Doctor Shi Nai De's clinic.

But Old John understood and waved his hand at Xia De:

"Oh, so you were introduced by Duo Luo Qian Lu Lu Lu Yisha. I haven't seen her for a long time. How is her new book 'The Mystery of the Blood Words' coming along? Last time she said she would give me a copy after it was published."

"The Mystery of the Blood Words" was a detective novel Miss Lu Lu Lu Yisha was recently writing. She intended to serialize this book in the newspaper and had already contacted the newspaper office. Unfortunately, the exam season interrupted her writing plan, so that book only had a beginning. At the study group yesterday, Xia De heard the young female writer complain about this matter.

"If I said I was introduced by Miss Lu Lu Lu Yisha last time, would the price of that cane have been higher?"

Xia De asked.

"Of course not, that time was the highest price. Detective, are you doubting my credibility? Old John Pawn Shop never cheats customers... Yes, never, no need to doubt, that's it..."

Facing the young detective's suspicious eyes, Old John coughed and quickly changed the subject:

"Speaking of which, Detective, I didn't expect you to be a Ringed Shushi too. Well then, what do you need? For the sake of the friendship of that cane last time, I can give you a discount on the first transaction."

Xia De had given Old John a business card, so the other party knew Xia De's profession.

Old John Jones was of course a Ringed Shushi, but as for his specific identity, neither Miss Lu Lu Lu Yisha nor Doctor Shi Nai De was clear.

They only knew that this was a channel for a large organization in Tuo Bei Si Ke City to recover relics and other precious items. As for whether Old John belonged to the True God Church, the Strange Arts Academy, or other organizations, no one could be sure.

The four people in Doctor Shi Nai De's group couldn't even be sure if Old John belonged to Saint Byron's Comprehensive Academy. The old man, who was always smiling at guests, kept his identity a secret, but at least his professional ethics were quite good, and he had a rich collection.

If it weren't for an introduction by an acquaintance, this place wouldn't receive strange Ringed Shushi, which could be considered a convenience of joining Doctor Shi Nai De's group.

"I have been studying strange arts related to 【Silver Moon】 recently, so I want to..."

"Understood. Then what price can you offer?"

The old man asked, twisting his right index finger and thumb.

After paying off the first month's debt, Xia De's savings were actually not much. So far, his biggest income was still the commission related to Little Mia.

But the strange arts of 【Silver Moon】 were related to whether he had the power to protect himself, so even adding the money from selling the cane here, he was still worried it wouldn't be enough.

He hesitated in his heart for a long time before unauthorizedly misappropriating Little Mia's ten-pound "living expenses." Before going out, he specifically hugged the cat to apologize and promised to pay it back as soon as possible. The orange cat, of course, didn't understand, and the drowsy cat had no reaction at the time.

"Around 15 pounds."

Xia De said cautiously, and Old John nodded:

"This price..."

He took out a thick ledger from under the counter to check, and raised his head a few minutes later:

"I do have a Poet-level 【Relic】 that fits your situation, but it's only a price of around 15 pounds. You probably understand that it won't have any major effect, it just helps you feel the power of the Silver Moon."

【Relics】 were usually very expensive, and Xia De nodded in understanding.

So Old John left through the back door of the shop and returned with a wooden jewelry box after about ten minutes.

Placing the jewelry box on the counter and opening it, Xia De saw a round bead on the red velvet. There was a tiny gold hook at the top of the bead connected to it, and a thin thread was tied to the hook.

The bead was milky white, with a luster like a pearl, but the volume was very small. If it weren't for the thread connected to it, it would probably be impossible to find if it fell to the ground.

【You have come into contact with 'Whispers'.】

The voice came late, as if explaining the weakness of this 【Relic】.

"This is the Poet-level Relic 【Silver Moon Pearl】. The last time it was contained was recorded by the Se Ke Sai Si Higher Medical Academy, one of the three major strange arts academies, but that was at the end of the Fifth Era, so even if it is taken out, it won't be treated as stolen goods."

Old John pushed the jewelry box to Xia De. Xia De stretched out a finger to touch the small bead, and a cold feeling immediately surged into his heart. He actually saw that silver moon before his eyes. ===== CHAPTER 65 =====