Chapter 916: The Folklorist

After completing the transcript according to standard procedure, Yin Yi Yi Lu Na lingered, reluctant to leave, but since she had no reason to stay, she was ultimately escorted to the door by Professor Xiadehe. As they said goodbye, Xia De casually remarked:

"I'm going home for lunch today, to eat with Leaving Xiao Xiao Miya."

Yin Yi Yi Lu Na blinked her eyes, smiled, and waved at him before stepping lightly into the mist.

The professor didn't catch the implication in Xia De and Yin Yi Yi Lu Na's conversation; after the door closed again, he shook his head and sighed:

"Though Tobesck is the kingdom's capital, the clearance rate for theft cases is still very low. I'd rather keep an eye on the black market than rely on the police to find the thief—maybe I can recover the vase sooner."

"Professor, I heard this is a serial theft case, and the Reidvich Field takes it seriously."

"Oh, detective, seriousness doesn't raise clearance rates. Ten years ago I reported my antique tapestry stolen, and it's still missing. I suspect the Reidvich Field doesn't even have my old case file anymore."

Professor Manning spoke with clear dissatisfaction, then studied Xia De again:

"Detective, how about I entrust this theft case to you? I've heard you're an exceptional detective with a hundred percent case resolution rate."

"Where did you hear that? I remember my advertisement in the Steam Bird Daily never boasted such a thing."

Xia De asked curiously, and Professor Manning invited him to the study:

"Everyone says so. Yesterday I attended an academic conference and heard you were the 'One Penny Detective' at the Esboge family and royal wedding on Tuesday, right?"

Professor Manning chuckled teasingly:

"That was a clever math puzzle—I was fooled at first. Oh, people in the club are now saying Princess Margaret of Carcassonne has a very favorable impression of you. I suppose that's more than just gossip?"

Though Tobesck is large, its upper society is actually very small.

Xia De visited Professor Manning regarding Professor Deleike of Huntington City. Professor Manning had an excellent memory; though he hadn't corresponded with Professor Deleike in years, he still remembered the historian:

"Kansas Deleike had exceptional talent in history and folkloristics—he could be called an authority on Carcassonnean history."

Professor Manning held Professor Deleike in high regard, which surprised Xia De, who had assumed Deleike was merely an ordinary college professor.

"His talent lies not only in academic achievement, but in acuity."

Sitting on the study sofa, Professor Manning frowned, trying to articulate his thought:

"Detective, you should understand—the word 'acuity' isn't precise. I mean, he's always the first to notice details others miss, the first to spot anomalies at excavation sites others overlook—what word describes that?"

"Good luck?"

"No, no—it's not mere luck. It's a gift."

Professor Manning frowned, searching for a better term.

"Strong inspiration?"

Xia De said, and as the words left his mouth, he himself was startled.

Professor Manning clapped his hands with a smile:

"Yes, yes! Professor Deleike is the kind who possesses strong inspiration. Sometimes I even write to him for advice. But after that accident, he produced no further academic work. I understand—it's hard for a folklorist to do scholarship sitting at home or in an office. Detective, has your writer friend in Huntington mentioned anything about Professor Deleike's health?"

"His complexion isn't good—he can only move in a wheelchair. Professor Deleike believes he won't live much longer. I don't think it's an illusion; he is, after all, very old."

Xia De shook his head. Professor Manning looked disappointed, then asked again:

"Could his situation be similar to my missing pen?"

He knew Xia De possessed extraordinary means.

"Possibly. But I'm still investigating. Professor, tell me more about Professor Deleike's strong inspiration."

Professor Manning lifted his teacup and pondered:

"We scholars of history and folkloristics sometimes encounter ancient murals or stone carvings—it's normal. When you stare too long at strange ancient relics, you feel dizzy. Deleike was the kind who'd immediately notice something wrong with those relics, understand their meaning, and be the first to faint."

Xia De pursed his lips and nodded.

"Then let me propose a hypothesis: if a photograph concealed the image of a terrifying monster, and someone had excessively high inspiration—never mind, this question isn't important."

Xia De shook his head; he couldn't determine the "inspiration threshold" triggering the photograph's curse. After all, his own sensitivity to anomalies far exceeded ordinary people's.

The two chatted further about Professor Deleike's past, then Xia De requested to see letters from over a decade ago. These elderly professors were meticulous archivists; Professor Manning's academic correspondence with colleagues was organized chronologically, making the letters easy to locate.

In the days before Professor Deleike's accident, he and Professor Manning exchanged many letters. The professor handed the entire stack to Xia De, telling him to take them home and study them at leisure, returning them later. As payment for lending the letters, he wrote a letter to Professor Deleike and asked Xia De to deliver it through his "friend" in Huntington, hoping to encourage the professor to rekindle his love for life:

"I recall Deleike had children, though they probably don't live with him. He could develop other hobbies—like keeping a cat, as you do. It helps sustain one's passion for life." M.

Professor Manning melted sealing wax, dripped it onto the envelope's flap, then stamped his seal upon it. Only after the red wax hardened did he hand it to Xia De.

"Keep a cat?"

Xia De offered no comment.

After bidding farewell to Professor Manning, the time was barely past eleven. Before returning home, Xia De ran other errands in the city.

On Tuesday night, he had newly acquired the fourth-circle sacred rune Profanation: Lei Ting. He planned to visit the Black Raven Library to search for occult arts related to this rune.

So far, he only knew the technique 【Thunder Spear】. The Book of Pink also listed one related occult art he could learn: 【Weak Paralysis】. Although Yin Yi Yi Lu Na had promised to provide him with some lightning-related occult arts, Xia De still intended to search the library himself—perhaps he'd find something unexpected.

The Black Raven Library was also located in the university district, very near Cat's Tail Alley where Professor Manning lived.

Xia De changed his coat in the labyrinthine alleyways for disguise, donned a mask, then knocked on the library's side door. The dripping steam pipes still wasted hot water as they had in summer; the alley's trash had noticeably decreased—perhaps the library staff had finally grown tired of it.

Since Xia De visited the library occasionally, the doorkeeper—a man with an anchor tattooed on his arm—let him in without asking questions.

Stepping on the warped, damp wooden floorboards, Xia De followed the man down the dim corridor toward the rooms. Along the way, he brushed past a figure in a black robe. Following library rules, both deliberately avoided eye contact to avoid suspicion of spying on each other's identities.

【Margaret d'Anjou.】

"Just passing by, and you can identify who that was?"

Xia De asked inwardly in surprise, without turning his head.

【The characteristics of the spirit, the soul's signature, and the alchemical artifacts and relics they carry. It's easy to distinguish.】

"I see. So the Princess's journey to Tobesck isn't as leisurely as it seems."