Chapter 899: The Foggy Great Lake

"Miss Witt" looked at Xia De, then at the maid holding the cat. She hadn't noticed it before, but now she realized that the maid's figure was truly excellent:

"Truly spectacular, Knight Hamilton. I certainly did not expect that such a card game could occur."

This could no longer be described by a simple "spectacular." The rules of the two Tarot cards influenced each other, causing Xia De, who was originally destined to lose, to win after flipping over the fourth card. Even the final matches of the Dacheng Player tournament were not this exciting.

Xia De also let out a long breath. He, of course, did not know what his fourth card was; he was simply very confident in his luck:

"Miss Witt, your card skills are also excellent. This is likely the reason why Tarot cards can attract us."

Although his voice was normal, it was still on the verge of being drowned out by the loud discussions of the people.

Miss Witt, whose real name was "Miss Pawo," stood up and reached out to Xia De. Xia De also reached out and shook her gloved hand.

"You won. I hope there will be another chance to play Tarot cards together. Knight, congratulations; you are worthy of being the champion of Dacheng Player 1853."

The sorceress said, then left the place with her silver notebook, having no intention of continuing to speak with this group of men. Xia De was left alone as the winner, standing by the card table under the grape trellis to accept people's congratulations, but his eyes were still watching the direction in which Miss Pawo had left.

The sorceress walked toward the direction of Schluch Lake, which was also the direction where the witches claimed the "Keeper of Secrets" would soon appear. And for such an important matter, Xia De did not believe that this six-ring sorceress had no other companions.

One must know that when she plotted a conspiracy against Princess Margaret, who appeared to be an ordinary person in Huntington, she had brought two companions to increase the probability of the operation's success.

Xia De narrowed his eyes slightly. Although he was still dealing with those who were congratulating him on his victory, he had already reached a conclusion in his heart:

"The cultists of the 【Fury Storm】 are likely also at the Lakeside Manor. This time, no matter what, I cannot let them leave."

As the final winner, Xia De obtained the 【Life Ritual: Wedding】 card with the suit of Flowers 5. Even if his original goal was not to win this card, when this beautiful Tarot card was delivered into his hands, Xia De still could not help but reveal a heartfelt smile.

Although the "Lakeside Manor Early Winter Tarot Tournament" had ended, people were unwilling to leave, instead gathering in groups of three or five to discuss the "thrilling" card game that had just taken place. The two gentlemen boxing under the grape trellis, the cheating in the card game being caught, and the final spectacular match—all of these were enough to make this Tarot match a topic of conversation among local players for the next few weeks.

Baron Lavender and Baron Lu Anda even wanted to invite Xia De to stay and play another round, but Xia De pointed to Difa, who was standing to the side holding the cat:

"I am going for a walk by the lake with Miss Servet... she is Miss Galina's personal maid."

"Oh, so it's Miss Servet. I did feel she looked familiar just now. We won't disturb you then."

The two barons wore knowing expressions and made an appointment with Xia De to play cards at the Prophet Society again when they had time.

After saying goodbye to his friends, Xia De left the lively area under the grape trellis with Tifa and walked in the direction Miss Pawo had left.

Once they left the grape trellis area, the surroundings suddenly became quiet, and even the heart that had been excited by the Luo De cards gradually calmed down. Tifa, holding Mia, followed by Xia De's side, looked up at the young detective's profile and whispered:

"Was there a problem with that Miss Witt just now?"

Being chosen as an apprentice by a Great Witch, she was naturally quite sharp.

"A Ringed Shushi of the Truth Society, Sixth Ring."

Xia De lowered his voice, one hand tucked into his pocket and the other touching his ear. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked into the darkness ahead; by now, he and Tifa had walked into a garden path not illuminated by gas lamps.

The shore of Schluch Lake was only a few hundred meters away. The temperature by the lake at night in winter was very low, so there was almost no one else here. Xia De had already sensed an abnormal distribution of elements; the Whisper elements were diffusing, but it was as if they were imprisoned by an invisible force, merely circling the lakeside:

"She probably came for the matter of the Chosen One as well, but that is not important to me. I have other things, very important things, to confirm. It might be a bit dangerous ahead, Tifa, do you want to come with me?"

"She is a Sixth Ring, and I am also a Sixth Ring."

The maid reminded him.

"Very well, prepare your spellcasting materials and weapons. This time, I actually hope an accident occurs."

Because some time was wasted collecting prizes and accepting people's congratulations, five minutes had already passed since the end of the card game when Xia De and Tifa set off to find the Truth Society's female Shushi.

But fortunately, although the back garden of the Lakeside Manor was vast, it ultimately had boundaries. Plus, Xia De had roughly guessed where the other party wanted to go, so he soon saw the lady in the black-and-red dress again by Schluch Lake.

During this wedding banquet, all areas in the manor's front courtyard and back garden, including even the forage room, cow sheds, and stables, were open, but there were certainly still remote areas with almost no one. At this moment, Miss Pawo, the Sixth Ring female Shushi of the Truth Society, was standing in a remote spot by Schluch Lake. There were no gas lamps here; behind her was a large tree with only a few withered leaves hanging on it in early winter, and in front of her was Schluch Lake under the starry sky.

The surroundings were extremely quiet. The moonlight did not illuminate her in the shadows of the trees; instead, the lake water, reflecting the starlight, cast shimmering ripples at her feet, illuminating that pair of black patent leather high heels.

The silver notebook had now turned into a large book with a silver cover, floating in front of her and slowly turning pages automatically. Miss Pawo's appearance had returned to how it looked when Xia De first met her in Huntington City.

She stood before the open large book, her eyes tightly closed, her arms spread in an embracing posture, as if she were manipulating the automatically turning book.

The pages made a rustling sound. There were only a few small boats on the calm Schluch Lake under the moon, and the light rippling on the lake water even appeared somewhat dreamlike under the starry sky, revealing a splendor that did not belong to mortals.

Xia De and Tifa stood in the bushes watching this scene, the maid's right hand forming a "spell seal," using the witches' secret arts to cast an illusion to conceal their tracks.

Even with Tifa's concealment, Xia De still controlled his breathing frequency. They did not dare to get too close, but he could still feel that the large silver book shining in the moonlight was also a Relic, and its level would not be lower than Sage-level (Level 2).

"What exactly is Miss Pawo's identity in the Truth Society?"

Besides the elemental changes caused by that book, a layer of white fog had risen on the lake surface at some unknown time. The white fog gradually obscured the lake surface reflecting the starlight under the starry sky, spreading toward the shore, but it never left the range of the lake water. Something was indeed appearing; the 【Space-Time】 core Spirit Rune allowed Xia De to sense the changes in space. In the center of Schluch Lake, a location-type Relic that should not have existed was about to appear.

"Meow~"

The cat, which had been sleeping and resting in Tifa's arms, suddenly opened its eyes. In the dark night, the two eyes were as dazzling as candlelight. The young cat did not know what was happening here, but vaguely seemed to smell a very pleasant scent.

It wanted to open its mouth to meow, but Xia De's hand reached in front of Tifa's chest and touched the cat that had opened its eyes. Thus, Little Mia obediently closed its mouth, waiting for the delicious food to be proactively offered by Xia De.

Around the white fog diffusing from the center of the lake, it was clear that Miss Pawo was not the only one waiting, but everyone was very patient. Xia De tried his best to empty his mind to perceive the situation around him. After confirming that no one was peeking nearby, he opened his mouth to signal Tifa:

"Disguise us."

The maid nodded, fished three pebble runes from her pocket, kept one for herself, handed one to Xia De, and placed the other under Little Mia's paw. The cat did not like this strange thing, but it did not throw it away either.

The pebble runes originally only had runes drawn in ink; as Tifa whispered an incantation, the runes flickered with a faint pink light. There were no other abnormal phenomena, so Tifa nodded gently to Xia De to indicate it was ready.

She and that lady from the Truth Society were both Sixth Ring, and she was personally taught by an Eleven Ring Witch and possessed the power of a witch herself, so Xia De trusted her disguise ability very much.

Once prepared, Xia De did not directly launch a long-range attack from behind Miss Pawo, nor did he take a step out to appear directly behind her and stab with a sword. Instead, he deliberately made some noise in the bushes and then brought Tifa into the shadows of the woods by the lake.

The white fog swirled here, as if trying to divide the boundary between the abnormal world and the normal world. Miss Pawo was manipulating the Relic, performing a very difficult spell, but she was still able to turn around at the first moment upon hearing the sound, only the large silver book stopped turning pages automatically because of this.

"Who are you?"

The woman asked with a frown.

"Isn't it a bit too silly to ask such a question now?"

Xia De shook his head slightly. Miss Pawo sized him up and the ugly woman holding a dog behind him.

"Woof!"

That "dog" barked.

"Are you also here for the Chosen One?"

Miss Pawo's expression remained unchanged. Although she turned to look at the two, her hand raised again to manipulate the glowing large book to continue turning pages.

"No, no, we are here for you, lady of the Truth Society."

Hearing Xia De say "Truth Society," Miss Pawo's expression changed slightly, but she remained calm:

"Wise men do not only seek what is before their eyes, and those good at planning do not only see the scenery before them. The moonlight is perfect tonight; since you are not enjoying the moon but appeared here at this time, I think we probably have a common goal."