Chapter 154 White Stone Crystal and Maid
"Where is Miss Galina?"
As Genesis: Silver Moon appeared and astonished the members of the Prophet's Society, Shard quietly asked the black-haired Maid beside him, who looked at him in surprise:
"Miss dislikes meeting strangers, so you'll meet her after you win tonight's bet. Why, do you need to see her now? I can go and ask."
"Not for the moment."
Shard said, then reached out to shake hands warmly with Mr. Hamilton again.
Before the duel started, it was necessary to check both players' decks to prevent forged Roder Cards. The Old Duke's deck had already been checked, so only Shard's was left now.
Shard's deck originally contained only three special cards, and Miss Galina had given him two more this time, which the Maid handed over to Shard for examination before they were directly swapped into his deck of 54 cards.
These two cards were Mark Nine, Sunflower Suit 10 from the Primal Steam Engine Series, and Tis Lake, Sunflower Suit 8 from the Eastern Old Continent Scenery Series.
The special effect of the former was that when this card was drawn, if there were already at least two cards in hand and they all were of the Sunflower Suit, the number on this card could be adjusted between 9 and 10.
The special effect of the latter was that upon drawing this card, one could guess a number of an undisplayed card of the opponent; if correctly guessed, one could then choose to forcibly add one to the number of that opponent's card after it was shown. If the opponent revealed the card first, Tis Lake would have no effect.
Functionally speaking, both cards were certainly not as practical as Shard's Silvermoon and were akin to the entertainmg effects of Matchstick Girl. But special Roder Cards were treasures in themselves, and Shard surely wouldn't disdain anything.
It's worth mentioning that Miss Mia Sun Gold, the owner of Mia Cat, seemed to be from the countryside near Tis Lake. Shard had seen that area on the map when he initially researched the "Mia Cat Returns Home" route.
During the wait for the inspection, Shard saw that all the members of the Prophet's Society were busy and the Duke's servants were waiting on the side, so he stealthily asked the black-haired Maid a question
"Do you know what White Stone Crystal is?"
It was inconvenient to describe the pattern at the bottom of the bottle without pen and paper, but it seemed wise to ask about this mineral-like substance.
The black-haired Maid looked at Shard in surprise, her attractive eyebrows slightly furrowed:
"Detective, where did you hear about this? It's not a common mineral."
"Is it very precious?"
Shard nervously asked, actually wanting to know if it was very expensive. Considering that Miss Luisa had never even heard of White Stone Crystal, he was prepared to hear a frightening price.
"It's not particularly expensive, but it is very rare, extremely rare. This mineral is a rare accessory mineral. There's basically no use for it for ordinary people and Circle Sorcerers.
White Stone Crystal is produced in small quantities in the central part of the Old Continent at Yalahar Desert and in the open-air precious metal mines of the large valleys in the New World, its most common use being in very large ceremonies to stabilize space, but it is needed in very small amounts and there are many similar materials that can replace it."
Being the personal Maid of a Witch Council's Witch, she indeed was exceptionally knowledgeable.
"So where can one find it? What's the going rate approximately?"
Shard further inquired, scanning the surroundings; everyone was busy, no one noticed their conversation here.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
The black-haired Maid, Miss Tifa Servet, thought for a moment, her voice was very pleasant:
"It's hard to say the market price because this item basically does not enter the trading channels. Some mineral collectors do like to collect it. The Tobesk Mineral Association might have some in their museum. And Miss has some too, just so you know..."
Shard looked at the Maid, and the Maid looked back at him, both waiting for the other to speak first.
"Would Miss Galina sell it to me?"
After locking eyes for a few seconds, Shard took the initiative as the one in need.
"Miss wouldn't care about such impractical items, I could just take it and she wouldn't say a word. But, Detective, Miss said that everything comes at a price."
The Maid winked at Shard, then her eyes narrowed into a smile. The black hair and eyebrows, along with the brown eyes, were a familiar combination of hair and eye color to Outsiders.
"Well then, Miss Servet, what do you need?"
Shard asked again, knowing she probably didn't want money. After all, a single piece of jewelry the Maid wore could be worth several Mias.
Tifa Servet turned her head to look at the members of the Prophet's Society inspecting the Roder Cards and said softly:
"Help me with something, I can't speak of it now, but your only task tonight is to help Miss win the duel. Later, I will bring the White Stone Crystal to visit you. You can decide whether to accept the... assignment, since you're a detective, you'd probably be keen to accept this sort of offer."
"Yes,"
Shard nodded. If the other party's request was too excessive, he could refuse, then try his luck at the Tobesk Mineral Association.
"At such a close distance, can you sense the Maid's Circle Sorcerer level?"
He asked in his mind while smiling.
[Not a High Ring, but stronger than your doctor friend, Lassoya, and the Heart Collector. Likely a Sixth Ring, but could be Fifth or Seventh Ring. I need you to touch her, or even have further contact, before I can provide a more accurate answer.]
Shard nodded but didn't make any reckless moves; he couldn't help but marvel that even a young Maid could possess such strength. The Witch Council must hold incredible power and secrets.
Since there were only five cards needing detailed inspection, and they all came with certification documents, the appraisal didn't take too long.
After it ended, the group from the Prophet's Society walked ahead while Shard, the old butler, and Miss Maid with black hair walked in the middle; the servants of the Old Duke's residence walked at the rear, a group of more than thirty people heading together to the third floor.
The third-floor banquet hall had been converted from a large house's dining room used to entertain guests; it was obviously not as good as the one at Lakeside Manor, but it was still nearly three times the size of Shard's first floor. In Tobesk City Area, it was rare to find such a large space.
The already arrived guests had started conversations with familiar people, most accompanied by their female partners. Well-dressed gentlemen and ladies in less formal long dresses thrived under the enchanting light of chandeliers suspended from the ceiling. But since most of the invitees were lovers of Roder Card, the conversations largely revolved around the tense and exciting Roder Card game.
The original long tables of the banquet hall had been removed, now only a Roder Card table was placed in the center, flanked by two simple high-back wooden chairs.
Along the walls, a row of sofas and coffee tables were arranged, all facing the center, not grouped in twos or threes. Now, the Duke Lucas's household servants were preparing fruit plates, snacks, and red tea on each coffee table.
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The paintings hung on the walls must have been swapped in temporarily, as it was irregular for a banquet hall or dining room to have Roder Card games depicted in its paintings.
As Shard entered with the others, he quickly scanned the surroundings, very concerned about seeing familiar faces such as the female writer, Old Cleric, Diviner, or the blue-eyed doctor. Fortunately, they indeed had nothing to do with tonight's events, but as he looked around, he unexpectedly locked eyes with a young Maid with brown hair, who was bending down to arrange tea settings.
"Hmm?"
The Maid quickly bowed her head while Shard's eyes widened slightly. Then, he naturally turned his head, observing her with his peripheral vision:
"Miss Beyas?"
Shard could not see his own expression at the moment, but he had seen surprise in Miss Beyas's eyes just now.
She wore a thick Maid dress with uniform accessories and her face was powdered, making her complexion look dull and obscuring her normally attractive features. The young girl with brown hair wasn't old, but now she seemed somewhat mature, her hair tied back with a white lace-banded headband.
Seeing Shard still observing her with peripheral vision, she gestured to him while bending down to arrange the tea settings. Shard understood the simple gesture this time, which meant for him not to keep looking this way.
Turning away, Shard continued to scan the guests and unexpectedly spotted some people he had met while playing cards at Lakeside Manor, though Baron Lavende and Baron Rwanda were not present.
"What is Miss Beyas doing here dressed like this?"
Shard pondered to himself, scanning the area, trying to spot if there were other people from the same Circle Sorcerer team as Miss Beyas, but found none.
"So, just like with Lucky Southern Cross Club, this is still an operation of her own... Should I leave immediately after playing cards? I have a feeling something unusual will happen if I encounter her here."
The Old Duke, dressed in a red historic military uniform with a white belt and a wheat sprig decoration on his right shoulder, had been talking near the entrance with two elderly gentlemen, one wearing a cubic pendant around his neck.
Upon seeing the door open and the people from the Prophet's Society walking in, the duke, with gray hair but robust as an old lion, apologized to his companions and instantly walked over with a smile, greeting Vice-President Mark with a handshake.
He was not very tall, but he appeared exceptionally solid.
After exchanging a few pleasantries about the weather with the local Vice-President of the Prophet's Society, he stood in place, watching as Shard and Miss Tifa approached.
"Detective, this is Duke Lucas."
The black-haired Maid clasped her hands together naturally, hanging them in front of her as she introduced with a slight bow, and Shard immediately extended his hand.
"Duke, this is the Roder Card player invited by the lady, Hamilton Detective."
The Old Duke's expression showed he was already aware of Shard's identity, so he naturally extended his right hand, gripping Shard's firmly. He started smiling warmly, though his grip was very strong. Shard had previously learned about the Old Duke's background; in his youth, he was the commander of Draleon's First Army:
"Mr. Hamilton, I've heard of you."
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