Chapter 935: Another Angel

Iluna was much busier than Xia De, so he did not stay long at the Black Stone Security Company and soon departed.

Afterward, he did not go home, but instead took advantage of having time to visit Priest Augustus at the Dawn Church. Since it was Sunday, the priest pulled Xia De into attending the service, discussed some religious topics with Bishop Owen, and had Xia De stay for lunch at the church.

Only after lunch did Xia De have time to discuss his own matters. First, naturally, was the commission for Priest Augustus to investigate the cult of the Old God, the "Uncertain Sage." Following that, he handed over the notebook containing the improved formula for the "Anti-Fire Potion" provided by Miss Sylvia. Xia De had already converted the Fifth Era terminology for the materials into Sixth Era terms based on the content of the "Witch's Echo."

Priest Augustus took a look:

"Oh? Did you copy this from an ancient book?"

"Do you recognize this formula?"

"Of course, but this is an obsolete formula."

Priest Augustus said, and the two chatted in the priest's room within the church. The priest returned the notebook to Xia De.

"It's already obsolete, huh."

Xia De sighed slightly, but was also quite gratified; this meant that alchemy had been progressing, and even a formula from a Great Witch of the Fifth Era could be superseded.

"Although the details differ, it is indeed that formula. Oh, it wasn't phased out because it was ineffective; in fact, it is the most effective anti-fire potion configuration method known to date, and in some books, it is even called the 【Ultimate Anti-Fire Potion】. From the perspective of alchemy alone, this formula is almost at the pinnacle of anti-fire potions."

Priest Augustus said with considerable emotion.

"Then why was it phased out?"

Xia De asked curiously, and the priest pointed to the formula on the open notebook:

"Too expensive."

"What?"

"It is currently unknown who invented this formula, but that person was definitely an extraordinary figure in the Fifth Era. The formula fully utilizes the properties of every material, and the preparation method is extremely refined; the chemical reactions and interactions between the different materials can be described as exquisite. But the problem lies in the fact that this formula is simply too expensive."

After finishing, he paused and added:

"It is simply too expensive."

Xia De revealed a look of realization; this was consistent with his impression of Miss Sylvia. She was a Witch Empress ruling a country, with astonishing knowledge, and she would not have been concerned about material costs when improving a formula. He just hadn't expected that this formula would still be circulating in the Sixth Era today.

It was originally just a formula improved under mental pressure and in a dangerous environment to cope with a god's trial, yet it was still praised by the Ringed Shushis of the present day. Although the Witch Empresses were extravagant and dissipated, their power and wisdom were indeed commensurate with their status.

Xia De was pondering this when Priest Augustus suddenly frowned and sniffed at Xia De.

Seeing him act this way, the cat that Xia De was holding for its afternoon nap also sniffed, squinting its eyes.

"Xia De, do you remember when I smelled a familiar scent on you at the train station this Monday? I forgot to ask you yesterday at Dr. Schneider's, but how has this scent become even more intense than it was on Monday?"

After saying this, he glanced at Xia De's cat:

"And your cat also has that familiar scent."

Xia De had only gone on a long trip to a strange place with his cat this week when he visited the Lake of Cherub with Sister Daelin. Combining this with the fact that the last time the priest discovered the scent was when he saw the Lake of Cherub but failed to board it, Xia De raised an eyebrow, immediately realizing exactly what Priest Augustus had smelled.

"Do you know about the Lady of the Lake?"

"Xia De, are you talking about the fairy tale of the 'Water of Wisdom'?"

"No, no, this is no fairy tale; I really encountered her."

Xia De explained his experience in Huntington to the priest in detail, and the old priest was quite surprised:

"Since you put it that way, I have some inkling. Although I cannot be certain, the so-called 'Lady of the Lake' is highly likely to be an angel."

Xia De was not too surprised:

"That should be correct. The other party is not a relic, but she is definitely not a true Great Being; I am very certain of that. If she is an angel, then that explains it. Priest, do you know which angel she is?"

In the current Sixth Era, the angels of the True Gods only appeared on special occasions; the angels of the Old Gods had long since departed with their gods, and the angels of the Evil Gods were even rarer, so Xia De did not know much about angels.

"She should be an ancient one who has remained since the ancient ages."

The priest thought for a moment and said. He possessed the power of the "First Angel," the Angel of Death, and an angel he could call an "ancient one" must also be related to the Old Gods.

"How interesting, to think there is such an ancient angel in this era."

Priest Augustus made up his mind and said to Xia De:

"I will look into who exactly this angel is. Since she calls herself 'Cherub,' this word must have a corresponding meaning. If we can determine her identity, you might be able to figure out her intentions when you undergo the trial, which could help you resolve the trouble faster."

"Priest, don't you want to go and see that angel?"

Xia De suggested. Although the priest could not use the 【Magician's Escape Box】 available to high-level Ringed Shushis, as long as he put his mind to it, there would always be a way for the priest to appear in Huntington City.

Priest Augustus shook his head slightly:

"The fact that she could remain until today means she must have abnormal methods; it is even possible that she is just a manifestation of some power, and definitely not her true self. We all have our own responsibilities and purposes, so I had better not go see her. Besides, I am just a mortal who inherited a portion of an angel's power; we are different."

Priest Augustus was deeply worried about the appearance of an ancient angel. In his view, the appearance of any ancient being meant that a major event was about to occur. However, he did not stop Xia De from continuing to contact the "Lady of the Lake." As long as an angel of the Old Gods had not gone mad due to loss of control, most would not have direct malice toward humans.

"Take this."

The priest reached out to Xia De, and in his withered palm lay a familiar charred feather:

"The next time you see that lady, give this feather to her. For the sake of being fellow angels, she will slightly lower the difficulty of your trial."

"Does this count as cheating?"

Although he said this, Xia De still took the feather and used it to tickle the cat that was napping on the table. Mia squirmed, turned her body to lie in the other direction, and ignored Xia De entirely.

"What do you mean cheating? Just give the feather to that lady; what she does is her own business."

The priest said, waving his hand.

Sunday was the church's day of worship, and Xia De spent the entire afternoon in the church, as he was still a core believer of the Dawn Church in this parish on the surface. Although Priest Augustus was temporarily called away by business at three in the afternoon, Xia De still stayed in the church with his cat to listen to the old priest finish his sermon, and voluntarily participated in the activity of distributing relief food to the homeless and destitute at the church door in the evening.

This made Xia De, who had almost received relief food himself during the summer, feel deeply moved.

The so-called relief food consisted of black bread and seasonal dried vegetables packed in paper bags, which could be eaten raw or soaked in hot water. The paper bags used to hold the food were also valuable to the poor; when Xia De was helping distribute the food, he heard the old monk in charge of transporting the goods say that these paper bags could be cut up to serve as filters for hand-rolled cigarettes, or kept as excellent tinder for starting fires.

The Outsider naturally would not ask silly questions like "If you can't even afford to eat, why do you still smoke," but he knew that as winter approached, the church would increase the frequency of distributing relief food. The first snow had already arrived, and according to past experience, the city would be covered in silver within at most two weeks. This year's weather did not look extreme so far, but even so, many people would surely not survive the winter.

The Outsider standing in the light of civilization naturally saw those people standing in the shadows of civilization. The era of steam rolled in like a tide, and both sides were part of the era. He had heard the saying about "the best and worst of times" in his hometown, but for Xia De, who was standing on the earth, what he was doing for now was simply reaching out to help those he encountered.

Xia De did not eat dinner at the church, and after saying goodbye to Priest Augustus, he returned to St. Theresa Square. In the evening, he officially received an invitation from Princess Lei Qianya to attend a reading salon held by her on Wednesday night. The venue was the Seer Association; although the Seer Association generally did not conduct business at night, it could provide services as a club.

As for Lei Qianya inviting Xia De directly, that was at the request of Princess Margaret, so the invitation was not abrupt. Xia De held the invitation, thinking about the tasks surrounding Princess Margaret, and then wondered if there was really anyone who wanted to harm the princess.

"Although the people from the Truth Society look fierce, Miss Pawo has already explained that she only wanted to ask Princess Margaret some questions and did not want to harm her; they are also afraid of the church's Religious Inquisition. Therefore, the only threat to Margaret Anjou at present is likely from ordinary people."

Princess Margaret's itinerary in Tobesk was quite complex recently; this princess had not come to Tobesk for travel. The security pressure on the side of MI6 was immense, and although Xia De was not involved in direct security work, he knew that the work of his colleagues was not easy.

Xia De, who had received a task personally arranged by the King, was the most relaxed one among them.

And so, another Monday arrived, the 25th day of the Frost Moon. After waking up early, Xia De reached out to touch the wall, and sure enough, he felt the temperature of the wall.

Although this method of heating was unremarkable in the Outsider's hometown, experiencing steam pipe heating in this era still made the Outsider feel quite amazed.

Before breakfast, Xia De even followed the notice issued by the St. Theresa Square district, checking from the basement to the attic with the sleepy Mia following behind, confirming that there were no leaks in his home after the steam heating for the winter began this year.

Confirming that the heating had started, Xia De even felt quite good, holding his cat and letting its small paws touch the warm part of the wall.

Mia was quite surprised by the wall heating up; this cat was born in the spring of 1853 and had probably never seen city heating. It kept stretching out its paws to scratch at the wall, as if wanting to know what was inside, and that appearance made Xia De feel even better.

But his mood was about to turn sour very soon.