“You can tell something is wrong as soon as you hear this kind of last words and requests.”
Xia De, who was holding his hand in front of the bed, didn’t have much expression on his face. But he knew clearly that the detective accurately predicted death and took in a homeless man with a brain that was not very useful before he died. He even left all his property behind for a simple-sounding request. Well, this simple request is anything but simple.
I am afraid that the other party is more than just a detective, but Shade, who has taken over the new body, is not the original guy. Even if the original Shade didn’t know the truth, the current visitor from a foreign land also understands that he shouldn’t easily get involved in something that he knows is wrong as soon as he hears it, otherwise…
“If you don’t agree, I guarantee that after I die, you won’t get even a penny from me, and everything here won’t belong to you. You will become a homeless man again, without gaslights, fireplaces, Without three meals a day, or even a bed, you will return to your original life…”
But Shade must agree, he has nothing in this world. Compared to becoming a tramp and working his way up from scratch, getting involved in a troublesome business and gaining property, Shade knew that neither option was good, but he had to choose one.
Besides, if you have already stood here and heard these words, you have already participated, so it is impossible to withdraw. Shade knows how to assess the situation and how to evaluate his own situation.
“But, is the death of Mr. Sparrow Hamilton related to the supernatural? Is it related to the voice in my head?”
He thought to himself, but was unable to analyze any further conclusion. Unexpectedly, the voice in his head appeared again at this time:
[Related to the extraordinary, he died because of a [relic]. This has nothing to do with you. 】
The voice is still so elegant and calm. Even though the amount of information is short, the murmuring voice still sounds like reciting poetry.
“[Relic]?”
This is a proper noun in the ancient and elegant language of women. Different languages have different information content, and in the language used by women, this proprietary vocabulary has a huge amount of information, and has meanings such as “sealed object”, “contained object” and “cursed object”.
Shad was glad that he understood this language. He read the meaning of “special items that can exert extraordinary power but are extremely dangerous” from the vocabulary.
This gave Shade a rather bad suspicion about the world.
“So, who are you?”
The voice didn’t explain the term, so Shade asked in his mind. From the other party’s answers to his questions, he understands that the other party is also an individual who can think.
【I am you. 】
The murmuring voice answered softly, and the whisper-like way of speaking made Shade’s back hair tingle.
But Shade snorted softly. He was very sure that the body was male, and the voice in his head was not the original owner.
Looking at the glow of the bedside lamp, which illuminated the man’s tightly wrinkled and inactive skin, Shade said to him:
“I understand, sir.”
“Xia De, I still have ten minutes to live. If you have any questions, please ask them together.”
The other party said something very remarkable, and his tone was full of fatigue. But Shade knew that if what the other party said was completely correct, then the next question would be the key to his foothold in this world, and he must be cautious:
“Your death…seems unusual.”
Pretend to speak slowly and look like your brain is not working properly. This way of speaking is quite strenuous. The first question concerns his own situation after the other party’s death. Shade must ensure that the cause of the detective’s death will implicate him.
“We have indeed not talked about this in the past. I also know that you have been worried…Don’t worry about this. My death in a while may scare you, but don’t worry. My death will not affect you. I need you to complete the task in three months, so I can guarantee that the person who killed me will never appear again. After all, we ordinary people are not worthy of each other’s attention.”
The amount of information obtained is very good, and the man on the bed does not intend to hide anything.
“Ordinary…people?”
Xia De was really hesitant this time.
“You don’t need to know, in fact, even I don’t understand much. Those ring magicians, mystics who use the four elements of [miracle], [enlightenment], [blasphemy] and [whisper], the five righteous churches and the three thaumaturgy academies , this terrible world… Forget what I just said, you will live better. Remember, you know nothing.”
The man on the bed tried his best to emphasize that Shade could only write down these nouns and then nodded:
“Okay, I don’t understand anything.”
He guessed that “Circle Warlock” is the title of the mysterious person in this world, and [Miracle], [Enlightenment], [Profane] and [Whisper] are a link in the power system, with the Church of the Righteous God and the Academy of Thaumatology being the main ones. The power of the mystics.
It is impossible for an ordinary detective to know so much. Detective Hamilton really has many secrets.
But Shade did not continue to ask about this topic. He had to make the other party willingly tell more information within a limited time, instead of being suspicious of each other and trying to find out the lies and the truth:
“How will I… live after you die? I don’t understand detectives and I don’t know much about reading.”
Even though time is tight, I can’t speak faster. Not only because of the disguise, but also because Shade is not yet proficient in the language. The fact that he could only walk during the race made him quite anxious. But he couldn’t show his anxiety, so he felt even more anxious.
“It doesn’t matter, just follow what I taught you, it’s enough. You only need to stay here for three months. After three months, sell all your things and go to live in the country. It will be more suitable for you and enough for you to live peacefully.” After all, prices are lower. ”
Probably because he really ran out of energy, the man on the bed did not say more complete words. But Shade had no memory of the past at all and had no idea what the other party had taught him. He asked the voice in his head for help, but the voice did not appear.
“Is there anything else you need to explain to me?”
Xia De asked for the third time. This question was also spoken after careful consideration.
“Remember what I told you in the past three months; remember the simple commission I left in the memo, which you can try to do to maintain the operation of the detective agency; and, in this diary of playing cards…”
The weak man pointed to the bedside. He let go of Shade’s hand, and Shade bent down and picked up the diary. Brown leather cover, fastened with magnetic buckles, this diary is well protected by the user.
Shad handed the diary to Mr. Hamilton on the bed, but the latter shook his head, he was almost speechless.
So Shade opened the diary himself and flipped through it roughly. Each page contained different consecutive dates, and both front and back sides were used. Most of the pages only have one sentence: “Nothing to do today, not much deposit left.” A few pages record the progress of the commissions received by the firm.
Turn to the middle of the diary, the page turning stopped, and a hard card was sandwiched there. Shade controlled not to raise his eyebrows and saw that it was a rectangular card that was less than the size of a palm.
After taking it out, it feels like there is a layer of completely transparent wax on the surface of the card, protecting the card itself from environmental damage. But after rubbing it carefully, it felt like it was a layer of transparent skin. For some reason, Shade suddenly thought of human skin.
The playing cards are not thick and can be seen by the light in the room.
The reverse side that Shade thinks is an abstract pattern of the sun, moon, and stars, a strange combination of shapes superimposed on top of each other; the front side that Shade thinks is a picture of a person who turned his head and couldn’t see all the features, sitting sideways. Lady holding the moon in her hand on a high stool.
Silver hair, a smile on his face, and wearing a robe. But the colors of the playing cards are not rich enough, only white, black and cold colors near the two colors.
The upper right corner of the front is marked with the number 3, and the upper left corner is a small sun symbol. Between the two, in the center of the upper front of the card, there is a black vertical line drawn in a white circle.
Just below the picture of the woman, that is, below the front, there is a slight blank space, and there is a line of small words written there:
[When using this card, you can adjust the number within the range of 1 to 5. 】
The playing cards do not look very new. Looking from the side against the weak light in the room, you can see the damage that is not easy to detect, but you can also see that the owner has worked hard to preserve it carefully.
Xia De actually completely understood the words on the cards, just like he could understand the conversations between men and women.
“It’s really weird. After time travel, I can understand and understand, but I can’t speak.”
He thought in his mind and asked quietly:
“What is this?”
“A very valuable playing card. It is the same as the 54-card set of ordinary playing cards we usually use. It is a card representing [Sun 3] in the four suits of sun, moon, star and flower. But this card It is a special issue with rare patterns and is very collectible. Keep it in a diary. Do not get it wet or fold it in half, and don’t show it to others easily. But if you are really desperate, go to the Birmingham Collection in Tobesk. , people there know its value… Rhodes cards are the most important collection in my life…”
Xia De nodded and wrote down the term “Rhodes Cards”, understanding that this is a relatively common card game in this world, and that [Three of the Sun] is of the same nature as commemorative coins and commemorative stamps. So he put the playing card back into the diary. Although this playing card was a little more refined, judging from the productivity of the times judged by the decoration of the bedroom, it can be inferred that this kind of thing can be made in this world, so there is no need to have too much suspicion.
“Sir, do you have anything else to say?”
Xia De asked again. It was better to let the other party take the initiative now than to ask the question himself.
“Shadow.”
Mr. Hamilton held Shade’s hand again and looked at the young man beside the bed with softer eyes:
“I know I have never been a good person, but I am really sorry for involving you. Leave Tobesk City in three months. This kind of capital city is not suitable for you…. ..
But I think, if you can understand, you will also think that I made the right choice by taking you away from the homeless life. Your brain is not working well. Remember, don’t believe other people’s words easily in the future, especially those who try to make you pay… I have contacted the Tobesk Public Cemetery and made my choice. tomb. The body transporter will come soon, you don’t have to follow. Live in this house for three months, following the life skills I teach you.
Shad, I’m sorry… wish you good luck. ”