Chapter 842: The Witch Short on Money

"You really do know how to find trouble for me."

That evening, in the Duchess's manor in the southern suburbs of Tobesk, Miss Galina sat on the sofa with a teacup, speaking to Xia De.

Xia De had just returned from Huntington City. The murder case at the White King Club had ended with Miss Martha's arrest, the tobacco merchant and university lecturer being taken away, and the deceased Earl's reputation being ruined. Yet, Xia De had still visited Mr. Bernhardt's manor as promised.

Holding the cat, Xia De thanked Tifa, who was pouring tea, his face wearing a very sorrowful expression:

"I don't know how I ended up running into her either. Thinking about it now, rashly coming into contact with a relic that brings luck really wasn't a good idea. I feel that ever since I walked out of that wine cellar, fate has seemed to guide me into being dragged into that inexplicable matter, and then I met Miss Sylvia. Should this be considered good luck or bad luck?"

"Meow!"

The cat opened its mouth and meowed, dissatisfied that Xia De's petting speed had slowed down.

"This should be considered good luck; that young Great Witch seems to have a very good impression of you."

Miss Galina had already finished listening to Xia De's description. She sipped her tea with her red lips and then added:

"Every Great Witch who has met you so far has had a decent impression of you."

"Oh, Miss Galina, please don't tease me."

Xia De said, then heard Tifa laughing. But when he looked up at the beautiful black-haired maid, she clearly had no expression, instead blinking her large, beautiful eyes in confusion twice.

"Speaking of good luck, is it alright if I stay at the manor tonight?"

Xia De asked. Miss Galina raised an eyebrow:

"What does good luck have to do with staying over? Are you planning to take advantage of today's good luck to try your luck in my bedroom?"

This was definitely a tease. The two were quite close now, and this level of joking was not excessive.

"No, no. I used the relic 【Golden Lucky Rabbit Foot】 today and am worried there might be problems tonight. If I stay at the manor, you can help me if I run into trouble."

"That's certainly no problem. But the 【Golden Lucky Rabbit Foot】... the Keeper-level one? You really are impressive to be able to find even such a thing."

"However, why exactly did the Pantanal Voodoo Society use an ordinary person to poison and murder the Earl in Huntington City?"

Xia De asked again.

"According to your account, that Earl's social and interest connections were so complex that there must have been many people who wanted him dead. However, the Pantanal Voodoo Society was also unlucky this time. They specifically had a Ringed Ringed Ringed Shushi provide support just to prevent accidents, but in the end, the Earl died in front of the Princess, and they even ran into you, and then ran into Sylvia. I can't think of anything unluckier than that."

The Duchess chuckled. She had nothing to do with this matter, so she could treat it as an amusing story to tease:

"However, for a Ringed Ringed Ringed Shushi organization to take action against an ordinary person and get caught, that directly violates the rules established by the Church. The Huntington Diocese probably won't be peaceful for a while."

Miss Galina looked lazily at Xia De:

"I'm not quite sure if you had any other business in Huntington City besides bringing me a few bottles of local red wine and snacks."

Xia De hadn't come empty-handed at the time, and those red wines were gifts from Mr. Bernhardt.

"But Xia De, try to involve yourself less in matters involving nobles and Ringed Sorcerers, otherwise, you'll be dragged into big trouble."

"I understand. I went to Huntington City to find something, not to provoke bigger trouble."

Xia De nodded, but it wasn't until he took the carriage back to the White River Valley Vineyard that he remembered why he had gone to that strange city today. Fortunately, the vampire clan Mr. Bernhardt belonged to was very well-informed locally and could help inquire about news, so Xia De hadn't wasted his time today.

Outside the study was the brilliant starry sky of early winter. With the Frost Month more than halfway over, winter had truly arrived. However, the first snow in Tobesk usually appeared at the end of the Frost Month, so it hadn't snowed yet, and the night temperature wasn't unbearably low.

At least in the manor's study, even without the fireplace lit, it was still warm and comfortable. Miss Galina chatted with Xia De about meeting Princess Lei Qianya at the Yodel Palace today, then asked Xia De about his preparations for the next Time Key.

After these topics, Xia De mentioned the bounty on "Poison Ivy Majisi" and said somewhat uncertainly:

"Is that Miss Emma Sylvia very short on money? It might be my imagination, but she seemed quite concerned about that 3,000-pound bounty."

"She is different from us. Although the young Thirteenth Seat inherited a large fortune from the previous generation of witches, she doesn't yet have industries in her hands that can provide continuous profit. I once told you that Sylvia is the kind of girl who is very smart and looks far ahead in her actions. If looking only at assets, she isn't particularly short on money, but from the perspective of the future, she is indeed short on money. After all, witches need money to develop their own followers."

Miss Galina smiled at Xia De:

"Moreover, she shouldn't be particularly concerned about a small sum like 3,000 pounds. The 3,000 pounds you mentioned should only be the bounty from the Church of Nature alone. For guys like this who have high bounties from the Mainstream Churches, they definitely don't just carry one warrant. Calculating it this way, that Ringed Ringed Ringed Shushi from the Pantanal Voodoo Society is worth at least a five-figure sum in gold pounds."

"Oh, that really isn't a small sum."

Xia De sighed softly, but he didn't feel that Miss Sylvia had greedily taken his money. After all, she had captured that bald man alone, and she also had to find a way to claim the bounty herself; Xia De couldn't have done those things.

"Tifa, what time did Sylvia and I agree to meet?"

But thinking carefully, the contribution Xia De made to Military Intelligence 6 was completely worthy of his salary.

"Is it a job provided by Miss Galina for you?"

Miss Sylvia asked with great interest. Xia De didn't mind chatting with her about these things:

"Yes, now the weekly salary is five pounds."

He opened his palm.

"Major-level treatment."

Miss Sylvia nodded, knowing a lot about this:

"That's really not bad. I serve as a tutor and private doctor for the royal family. After deducting laundry fees, the salary I get in a year is only... converted into gold pounds, about 235 pounds."

For a tutor, this is a very high salary, most of which should be the salary as a private doctor. After all, according to Xia De's understanding, women in this era serving as tutors cannot earn much money. Dorothy did it for a few months when she first moved out of her home, but soon gave up because it delayed writing time and the income was too low.

"Actually, I am very curious, may I ask what your main source of income is? Oh, sorry, this question might be a bit presum

The white fog dissipated, and light of unknown origin illuminated the somewhat dim interior of the Council. A vintage stone round table was placed in the center of the circular flat ground, surrounded by tiers of steps leading upward. The Council was empty now; it seemed Miss Sylvia hadn't arrived early.

"We discussed a matter when we held a meeting a while ago."

Taking back the necklace from Xia De's hand, Miss Galina found her own stone-backed chair and sat down:

"Sister Daifulin has become an important partner of the Council, and the Speaker is currently discussing with us whether to grant her the qualification to attend the Council."

There were far more true witches in the Fifth Era than now. Although only thirteen had the qualification to hold a seat, other witches could also obtain the qualification to attend meetings, though they had no voting rights.

"Attend meetings? What benefit does this have for the Sister?"

Xia De asked while looking around.

"She can participate in our discussions on important issues and can obtain the qualification to enter the Council alone with restrictions."

Miss Galina said. Tifa stood behind her, the cat on Xia De's shoulder looked around everywhere, and Xia De looked suspiciously at the witch:

"Enter the Council alone?"

"Yes. Besides the thirteen pieces of gold jewelry, Ringed Sorcerers who attend meetings can enter the Council with restrictions through credentials issued by the Speaker. Oh, Xia De, don't look at me. I am not the Speaker, and besides, if I gave you credentials, what could you do by entering here?"

She thought she had seen through Xia De's thoughts:

"Entering the Council requires singing that song completely in an empty environment, so it cannot be used as a temporary refuge when encountering enemies. Even if I gave you credentials, you wouldn't be able to use this place."

"I understand."

Xia De nodded. He was just thinking that if he could enter here at any time, then the voting rights he obtained through the two witch remnants might be able to explore more uses.

As the two were talking, footsteps came. Miss Emma Sylvia, with her short black hair, appeared in the Council as if walking out of the air. She was still wearing a long red dress, just a different style than in the afternoon. Besides that, she had a long-sleeved white half-shawl on her upper body; the night in Huntington City must have been quite chilly.

She first saw Miss Galina, who was already seated, and bowed respectfully. She was not surprised by Tifa's appearance, but when she saw Xia De, her brows furrowed deeply:

"So, this gentleman is really a lady?"

As she spoke, she found her seat. And when the second Great Witch sat down, the surrounding light became stronger.

"No, of course he is a man. I have checked."

Miss Galina said. Seeing Miss Sylvia looking at her suspiciously, she added:

"I only confirmed he is male from the perspective of physical structure, but I think my judgment shouldn't be wrong. Then, let me tell you what the situation is exactly."

Miss Galina signaled Xia De to walk over. Then, under Miss Sylvia's gaze, the red-haired Duchess raised her arm to let Xia De lower his head, then wrapped her arms around Xia De's neck and kissed him. It was a long time before she looked back at the surprised young witch:

"Xia De Hamilton, male, a male who can also come into contact with witches, a male who can use witch power. In the rumors of Tobesk, he is my lover."

Miss Sylvia hadn't expected to hear such news right from the start. She hesitated:

"Then the reality is..."

"About the same as the rumors, but not as excessive as the rumors."

The red-haired Duchess smiled, but it was a terrifying look where the expression smiled, but the eyes didn't smile at all:

"Sylvia, I think you should know what the existence of Mr. Hamilton means to the Council." ===== CHAPTER 843 =====