Chapter 670: The Gift Box and the Sword

"You look a bit sad."

At ten o'clock in the morning, at Miss Miss Jia Lin Na's manor in the south of the city, Xia De sat on the sofa with his back to the window, holding a teacup, when the red-haired witch suddenly tilted her head and said.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about some friends."

Xia De shook his head.

"Then, what are you doing bringing this box to me?"

The Duchess raised an eyebrow. On the coffee table between them sat the 【God's Gift Box】. Because she had seen Xia De use this box during the Dark Domain descent incident, she was not surprised by its reappearance.

"The box's property is that a child can take out one gift from it every week. I have been trying for over two months, but only last week, with my two female friends watching, did I manage to take out a relic. I remember it was the 【Universal Key】."

Xia De said with a smile, then bent down to pull out the orange cat curled up inside. Little Mia looked very dissatisfied and meowed at Xia De.

"Are you a child?"

Miss Miss Jia Lin Na asked in surprise:

"Can a man like you, who has slept with young ladies, be considered a child?"

This question brought a smile to Difa, who was leading the maids to serve tea and snacks.

"In any case, that god seems to think I count."

Xia De said, then insisted that Difa stand beside him before reaching out toward the box, which had already slid open.

"Xia De, this is truly a strange superstition of yours."

Although Miss Miss Jia Lin Na said this, she still maintained plenty of curiosity about the "gift" to come.

Thus, under everyone's gaze, Xia De reached his hand into the box and soon touched a medium-sized metal object:

"Oh, an ordinary item, it seems to be a small box."

Taking the box out with slight disappointment, both Xia De and Mia blinked. Neither the man nor the cat, who were "inexperienced in the ways of the world," could immediately recognize what this finely crafted box, with a small key inserted into the keyhole, was.

It looked like a makeup box, but the weight was a bit off. Although it felt like metal to the touch, the lid and parts of the body were made of enamel, looking very exquisite; it must have been handmade.

"What is this?"

Xia De placed it on the coffee table.

"How nostalgic. When I was twelve or thirteen, I loved collecting things like this."

The red-haired witch nodded to Difa, who was standing beside Xia De. The maid hesitated for a moment, then lifted her skirt with both hands, revealing her black buckled leather shoes and part of her white stockings. She carefully crouched down, and while Xia De and Miss Miss Jia Lin Na's gazes were attracted elsewhere, she turned the key on the box three times.

After letting go, she gently opened the lid. The sound of gears turning started rhythmically, and then, accompanied by crisp music, a white metal swan and a girl dancing ballet popped out of the box, spinning and dancing to the music.

The music was very pleasant, and even the Outsider knew it was a very famous folk song from the north of Delarion.

"A music box, it looks very nice."

Miss Miss Jia Lin Na said, and Difa stood up, but Xia De still looked at her:

"Then give it to Difa; it's useless for me to keep."

The black-haired girl did not refuse, but instead lifted the edge of her skirt and bowed with a smile:

"Then thank you for your generosity."

Miss Miss Jia Lin Na raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

The task accompanying this gift was still not difficult; this week Xia De needed to take at least two baths. Presumably, that 【Innocent Creator】 believed this was a good habit that children must develop from a young age.

Of course, Xia De was not visiting Miss Miss Jia Lin Na today to wander around Midhillburg, nor was it just to bring the box to get a gift.

At the same time, he had also brought the sword he had taken from Midhillburg last night, wrapped in a bed sheet. After unwrapping the bed sheet layer by layer, the long sword with bright yellow runes appeared in the manor's study.

"Miss Miss Jia Lin Na, I would like to ask for your help in identifying this. What is it?"

"Oh, this sword really looks quite nice."

Difa picked up the sword and then walked around the coffee table to hand it to her master. Miss Miss Jia Lin Na flicked the blade lightly, then stood up and skillfully performed a sword flourish with the long sword. Members of the royal family had all undergone training in cold weapons and mounted archery; noble ladies of high society were not weak or useless. And as a Duchess with her own fief, Miss Jia Lin Na Cavendish even had a dedicated martial arts arena and mounted archery field in her castle:

"Relic-level long swords are truly rare. Xia De, where did you get this? Also, you actually wrapped this kind of thing in a bed sheet to bring it over?"

"I don't have a scabbard. As for its origin, please look at this."

Xia De lifted the suitcase by his feet onto the coffee table, clicked the lock open, lifted the lid, and deftly rotated the case 180 degrees so Miss Miss Jia Lin Na could see the black stone lying in the bottle inside:

"A severely damaged Balrog heart. Since it just died not long ago, it still has some warmth."

"Balrog..."

The witch opened her mouth slightly, staring at the black stone in the bottle that was emitting an imperceptible warmth, and hesitated for a long while before looking at Xia De:

"Xia De, if I haven't misunderstood, you mean to say that you killed a Balrog?"

"No, no, no."

Xia De hurriedly shook his head:

"It was my friend who did it, and I just happened to get the spoils."

Because he had to keep Doctor Schneider's secret, Xia De did not explain too clearly, only describing the location of the cave in the mountainside, the image of the past within the long sword, and the traces he saw on the other side of the stone platform that were suspected to have been left by a Fifth Era Great Witch:

"I suspect that on the other side of that broken bridge, there are ruins left by a witch. And since that location is so secret, perhaps the mountainside cave corresponding to it in the 【Boundary of Life and Death】 is the mountainside passage sealed by the Witch Emperors. As for these two items, I hope you can help me identify the long sword and find a buyer willing to purchase the Balrog heart."

"I am still curious about who killed a Balrog. Even if it was sealed for hundreds of years as you said, it is not something that a human Ringed Shushi could easily confront."

Miss Miss Jia Lin Na muttered, but seeing that Xia De was unwilling to say, she did not pursue the matter. She brushed a stray hair from her ear, and Xia De's gaze lingered for a moment on the purple gemstone hair accessory on her head.

"Today is Monday, and noon is the time for the Council meeting. Because we need to determine the matters regarding Midhillburg, the Great Witches of the Council will all participate. I will help you ask about a buyer for the Balrog heart. As for this sword, you should go find Grandma Cassandra to identify it yourself; she is the witch among us who is most skilled at identifying relics."

Thus, Xia De and Mia stayed at the manor for lunch. The witches' meeting lasted a long time, so after lunch, Xia De had nothing to do, and Difa took Xia De to the manor courtyard to learn how to ride a horse. As for Mia, she did not run around either, but stayed in the study, taking a nap on the back of the sofa where she could sunbathe.

It was not until three o'clock that Xia De, who had barely mastered the techniques of mounting and shaking the reins, finally waited for Miss Miss Jia Lin Na's return.

She brought good news: there was someone who wanted to buy the severely damaged Balrog heart, but it was not a witch from the Council; rather, Grandma Cassandra had bought it on behalf of Sister Daifulin of the 【Ringed Shushi】.

In order not to let other Great Witches suspect the origin of the heart, she had already given that piece of Balrog heart to Grandma Cassandra, and Xia De could go to Midhillburg to collect the payment. At the same time, she also passed the information about the mountainside cave that Xia De discovered to the Council. The witches attached great importance to this, and even if it was not the seal leading to true death, it was valuable to them, because after all, it was traces left by witches of the Fifth Era.

"Also, Xiwei will arrive in Midhillburg tomorrow."

"So fast?"

"It's already very slow. Who knows what she is doing."

Miss Miss Jia Lin Na snorted, then glanced at Xia De:

"However, what exactly have you been doing in Midhillburg recently? I thought you would be entangled in the matter of the Chosen One, but how did you encounter a Balrog? Also, this Wednesday, when Little Lei Qianya retrieved the kingdom's lost important confidential documents, could that also be related to you?"

"If you are referring to those mechanical documents, it is indeed related to me."

"Your methods for coaxing young ladies are truly impressive."

The witch teased, and seeing Xia De wanted to refute, she signaled that he did not need to explain:

"Lei Qianya is not an easy person to get along with either. She has great ambition, more desire and means than her brothers and sisters. I am quite curious, with your help, just how far she can go."

Saying this, she had Difa bring over a red wine glass and signaled for Xia De to have a drink with her:

"The matter in Midhillburg is coming to an end, and the ritual led by the Nature Sect is about to begin. Since there are rumors that the Chosen One of Death is the key to solving the Boundary of Life and Death, then I think he must be about to appear."

Clinking glasses with Xia De across the air, the witch lifted her fair neck and drank the wine in one gulp:

"Even if Xiwei arrives in Midhillburg, you must be careful. I just heard Grandma Cassandra say that people from the Truth Society have appeared in that city. It seems they have also realized the matter of the third Chosen One. And with the Truth Society, various Ringed Mage organizations will appear."

Compared to when it was the Chosen One of Darkness, this time the speed at which organizations other than the Zhengshen Sect and the Sorcerer Academy heard the news was much slower.

"The Blood Spirit School won't be appearing again, will it?"

Xia De asked hesitantly.

"I don't think so. The Weeper Hermons was seriously injured in Tobesk by that 'Sun Greatsword' who has decided to reside in this diocese. Even if rumors say they found the 【Creation Maternity Ward】, it is impossible for them to heal themselves so quickly. Also, the vampire clan that originally supported them has had a disagreement with the Blood Spirit School because a twelve-ring vampire was caught in the Milwood Forest, it is said."

The witch smiled:

"At least this time, it is impossible for you to encounter the Blood Spirit School in Midhillburg."

"Vampires..."

Xia De remembered the local vampires in Midhillburg, as well as the uncle and nephew Bernhardt who appeared in the local area for unknown reasons:

"The local vampires in Midhillburg seem to have big moves as well."

"That is a matter for Xiwei and Grandma Cassandra to worry about, it has nothing to do with me."

The Duchess placed the wine glass in her hand back on the coffee table, and only then did Xia De notice that he had only taken a sip, so he also tilted his head and drank the wine. The alcohol content of this red wine was far higher than the apple cider he had drunk in Midhillburg, and he was choked into coughing.

Miss Miss Jia Lin Na laughed and signaled for Difa to pat Xia De on the back:

"Xia De, do you have anything else to do this afternoon? Stay for dinner. We can continue to talk about what you learned from the time key you got from Grandma Cassandra. As for the things you need to buy, I have already bought most of them."

Xia De was going to the doctor's place in the evening to deal with the matter of exchanging the 【Corpse-Hiding Mirror】 for the 【Traveler's Travel Door】, so he did not plan to go to Midhillburg today.

Thus, he stayed at the manor and spent this unremarkable autumn afternoon with Miss Miss Jia Lin Na, who was holding a teacup, and Difa, who had been standing behind the Duchess all along.

The withered yellow fallen leaves were almost covering the manor's courtyard. Looking out from the red copper grid window of the study, servants were holding brooms and cleaning diligently, or talking to each other about work while holding miscellaneous items. Outside the manor were the autumn pastures that had already changed color, and further away were forests, rice fields, and then, Tobesk, the City of Steam standing in the northwest of the Old Continent.

Compared to adventures, Xia De preferred these peaceful times.

The date was the seventh day of the Month of Withered Leaves (October), and late autumn was about to arrive. From the height of summer to this world until now, the Outsider had already gained many things he was unwilling to give up.