Chapter 700: [Genesis·Death]

"Mr. Barton, what's wrong with you? Do you need to call someone?"

Xia De stood up, wanting to get close to the other party, but Joey Barton immediately waved his hand to stop Xia De from coming over:

"I'm fine, I'm fine, don't call anyone. I just... overused my eyes. This kind of strange talent cannot be used frequently. Yes, the gifts of fate always have other costs."

Although he said he was fine, he still covered his face with his palms, and his whole body was trembling.

Iluna, who was "quiet" on the side, did not stand up like Xia De. Her eyes scanned the surroundings, and then she gently hooked her right finger. The Tarot card thrown on the coffee table turned over automatically under the traction of the spell, and Xia De's gaze was attracted to the card face.

The card face only had white, black, and cold colors near the two colors. A human figure standing with its back to the outside of the card face wore a black robe with a hood. The exposed head was a skull with bone spurs on the back of the head. The right hand held a sharp scythe, and the left hand held a short knife with filth. Both hands were rotting flesh.

The background of the card was dense, tombstone-like towers, and there were shadowy, blurry white shadows between the tombstones. Further away in the background was a body of water without a depicted end.

The tombstone under the human figure occupying the center of the card face was the clearest. There were bone-like patterns on the tombstone, and Xia De actually interpreted the meaning—

【World (First Era Year 1 to Present)】

The number 6 was marked on the upper right of the front, and the small logo of the sun was on the upper left. Between the two, that is, in the center of the top of the card face, a black vertical line was drawn in a white circle. This was the logo of the "Genesis" series.

At the bottom of the card face, there was some blank space, where two lines of small characters were written:

【If this card is drawn and the total points exceed 21, choose a card from the used cards and exchange it with this card. The special effect of the chosen card is invalidated.】

"Sun 6, 【Genesis·Death】! It really is 【Genesis·Death】!"

Xia De widened his eyes and subconsciously wanted to reach out, but immediately withdrew his hand.

Seeing that Mr. Barton's hand was about to be taken away from his face, Iluna lowered her eyelids, and her fair fingers picked again. The Tarot card immediately flipped back to the back-up state, and even the position had not moved at all.

Xia De withdrew his gaze from the Tarot card, suppressed the throbbing in his heart, and asked the bleeding Mr. Barton opposite the coffee table with concern:

"Are you really okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

He used his thick fingers to laboriously pull out his handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his eyes, with an embarrassed expression on his face:

"The feeling just now was like looking directly at the sun... Oh, it seems I really have been overusing my eyes recently."

His left hand wiped the blood flowing from his left eye. Because his vision recovered, he noticed the Tarot card on the table, and his right hand immediately took it back:

"Sorry, I might not be able to continue the divination for you today."

The apology in his tone was sincere.

"It doesn't matter, as long as you are fine. After all, if I really knew that this cat would die of old age in a few decades, I would be very sad instead... It is just a pet with a very short lifespan after all."

Saying this, Xia De also pretended to be sad and touched Mia's head. The ginger cat, which was looking around, looked up at Xia De. Seeing that he was fine, it rubbed against that hand and continued to observe the surroundings.

"Actually, you don't have to be sad for the departure of loved ones and close people."

Mr. Barton put down the handkerchief in his hand. Because of the "reverse growth" characteristic, his limbs and body proportions looked very abnormal, but only those black eyes were very spirited:

"Mortals will eventually die; this is a stage that life must experience. Normal birth, normal death—I have always believed that this is a miracle bestowed upon mortals by the Great Ones."

Combined with Joey Barton's identity as a "person of reverse life," such a sentiment could truly only be spoken from a deep feeling for life.

"Yes, every ordinary and plain daily life we experience may be a miracle that happens continuously."

Xia De was also very emotional. The Outsider had experienced so much in this world and understood even more how precious it was for ordinary people living in this world to have a peaceful life.

"Yes, yes."

Mr. Barton agreed with Xia De's words very much:

"You mentioned that you are a writer. Oh, if you publish works in the future, please be sure to tell me. Yes, an ordinary and plain life is so precious. Normal birth, parents both present, normal growth, enjoying childhood, normal maturity, encountering love, and then..."

He took a deep breath, adjusting his expression:

"Please don't refuse, Mr. Watson; today I must have a drink with you."

Saying this, he stood up from the sofa, but this made Joey Barton's body look even weirder.

He was indeed the size of a child, but his body was thin, and his limbs were abnormally thick. Besides that, he seemed to have difficulty coordinating his body, walking with a limp. But he still came to the desk not illuminated by the gas lamp and took out a bottle of red wine and three wine glasses from the mahogany wine cabinet on the side. After Miss "Agatha Holmes" indicated that she did not drink, Xia De and this Mr. Barton drank together.

After drinking, the visit time for this appointment came to an end. And to compensate for not being able to complete the divination this time, in addition to only charging half the fee, Xia De also received a promise that he could come again next Tuesday afternoon—Mr. Barton was going to rest for a week, so he would not see any other guests this week.

Mr. Barton, although only a First-Ring, seemed to have a lot of power in the Crow Club. He personally arranged for someone to send Xia De and his "fiancée" to the door. And when Xia De was holding Iluna's hand, preparing to take a carriage at the street corner, a four-wheeled rental carriage stopped steadily at the entrance of the Crow Club.

Thus, after the gentleman carrying the suitcase got off the carriage, Xia De and Iluna left in this carriage. As the carriage slowly drove away, he glanced out of the carriage window and saw the servant who opened the door bowing to the man who entered.

Iluna cast a silence spell.

"The person just now is the person who fought with us in the forest of the Midhillburg Mechanical Academy at the Fire Festival banquet."

Xia De said, and Iluna nodded:

"It's him. Although he was disguised, my eyes wouldn't recognize the wrong person. He entered the Crow Club? Is he also here for divination?"

"Probably not. Joey Barton said he wouldn't receive guests for this week. The servant couldn't immediately disobey his order. Moreover, when the man entered just now, he didn't show a crow badge, and the person who opened the door was very respectful to him... Interesting."

Xia De, holding the cat, tapped the armrest of the seat in the carriage with his left hand:

"My friend here told me that Joey Barton's experience of becoming a Ringed Shushi is still a mystery."

On the way here, Xia De had already told Iluna the information Sister Delyth had said. The seventeen-year-old girl frowned slightly:

"So, the person of reverse growth Joey Barton accepted the funding of the 【Truth Society】 for treatment and thus became a Ringed Shushi?"

Her understanding of the 【Truth Society】 was much more than Xia De's:

"Yes, this possibility is very high. The 【Truth Society】 indeed likes to do this kind of thing."

"The 【Truth Society】 studies forbidden knowledge, right? How did it become a disabled person assistance association?"

"They help poor people with strange physical disabilities; is it really out of kindness?"

Iluna hummed, probably not wanting to affect Xia De's mood, so she didn't say much:

"This is quite interesting, the Truth Society and Joey Barton... Xia De, I will return to the church in a while and let the local Ringed Shushi team investigate the man's boarding location."

Iluna pointed to the coachman:

"I won't mention the Crow Club for now, just let the church investigate the man's boarding location. After all, if Joey Barton hides, we won't be able to find him. I can almost be sure that he is the person we are looking for after meeting him just now. But... if the church finds Joey Barton, we must also accept reality."

"It doesn't matter. It's better for the church to find the Chosen One than to be mastered by the 【Truth Society】. Besides, aren't you also a Chosen One found by the church?"

Xia De said with a smile, and Iluna also showed a smile.

"But how are you going to explain the source of the information? You sneaked out today."

He asked again. The carriage turned at the street corner and drove into the prosperous area of Midhillburg. Although this was also a big city, Midhillburg was still not as good as the Northern Pearl, Tobesk.

"This is not important. Now the church completely believes any of my words. Even if I say I dreamed of it in a dream, they are willing to believe it. After all, I am the person chosen by the "Whispering Poem," the protagonist of the era."

After speaking, she looked at Xia De suspiciously again, hesitated for a moment, and then asked the question she really wanted to ask:

"I wanted to ask since we got on the carriage just now, Detective, why is there the perfume smell of our diviner friend on you?"

Xia De opened his mouth slightly, and Iluna sighed, shaking her head to let him not speak:

"She is under so much pressure, it's good to have someone to accompany her. Even if there is that Gate of Darkness in your basement, I am still very worried that one day she will collapse and lose control herself... She carries too many things, more than I carry."

The doctor had said similar words.

"However..."

Her lips twitched slightly. The seventeen-year-old girl looked at Xia De carefully and asked in a low voice:

"In the future... will you still dance with me?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"That's good... It's a deal. We have to walk together, always, always, until the very end."

She murmured, her eyes looking at the void in front of her.

Xia De nodded, and while Iluna showed a smile, he turned his head to look at the streetscape passing by the street. Everyone had their own troubles, even the protagonist of the era had to face the trivial matters of life.

【Genesis·Death】 had appeared, and the candidate for the third Chosen One had also been determined. It seemed that the story of Midhillburg this autumn was about to reach the last page.