novelonline Chapter 3692 The Song of the Moon and the Unexpected Event at Dawn
Chapter 3692 The Song of the Moon and the Unexpected Event at Dawn
Chapter 3692 The Song of the Moon and the Unexpected Event at Dawn
This trip was only to see a performance, so neither of the princesses' maids accompanied them. The three of them took a horse-drawn carriage from the street corner of the square to the north of the city.
Nightlife in the city center of Tobeskoye is not very vibrant, and wandering aimlessly at night might attract the attention of patrolling police. However, the northern part of the city, the lower district, is much more lively at night. In the northern district, centered around Anthem Square, pedestrians can still be seen on the main streets even after the gas streetlights have been turned on.
As for the Three Cats Hotel, it was even more lively than during the day because of a theater performance tonight.
Because he was busy with matters on the snow mountain, Xia De hadn't been here since the end of the year. After paying 5 pence for tickets at the entrance, Mrs. Sangmei, the hotel owner, personally brought Xia De drinks upon his arrival.
She didn't recognize Adelina and Lacia, but she was as enthusiastic towards Shad as ever:
"Detective Hamilton, why haven't you patronized my business since the end of the year?"
"My detective agency hasn't had much business either. The heavy snow before the New Year seems to have buried all the criminals in the snow."
Shade chuckled as he spoke, and Mrs. Sangmei then added a couple of sarcastic remarks about how Shade always appeared with pretty girls before turning and leaving. Lacey, of course, recognized this woman who ran a shrewd inn in the heart of the lower city.
"Mrs. Sangmei is no ordinary hotel owner."
She whispered a reminder, and Shad nodded:
“I know. It would be strange if someone ran such a big business in a place like this without any connections.”
Lacey then asked with a smile:
"Then guess what Mrs. Sangmei's background is? You guessed right."
She lowered her voice, but Adelina, who sat next to her, could still hear her:
"I'll give you a reward tonight."
Shad certainly wouldn't rack his brains for the so-called "reward," but he was still quite willing to try his hand at solving riddles. He recalled his interactions with the Three Cats Inn and Mrs. Sangmei, trying to find some clues from the resourceful innkeeper that he could use to deduce the truth.
Then Shad discovered that his deepest impression of him seemed to be that the other party had once lost to him with a special card - [King's Decree: Substitute] (Chapter 473).
"Hmm, she has an official background?"
Shad, holding his wine glass, asked quietly that the performance was about to begin, and he and the two princesses were seated on the right side of the stage against the wall. Although the location wasn't ideal, at least they wouldn't have to worry about being disturbed.
Lacey's lips curled into a smile:
"You really guessed it? Then guess in more detail, what exactly is Mrs. Sangmei's official background? You guessed right."
She didn't continue speaking, but instead looked at Shad with a meaningful and alluring gaze, causing Adelina, who was standing next to him, to feel her palms sweating slightly.
Xia De casually said:
"Could it be that we're colleagues?"
The red-haired princess smiled brightly:
“Alright, it seems I have to give out that reward tonight. Yes, I’ve heard Galina mention that your department has a special channel for gathering information in the Lower City. I later happened to see a few documents, and although I didn’t see the specific files, Mrs. Sangmei is most likely your colleague.”
As he was speaking, Xia De felt a leg brush against him from under the table.
He turned his head slightly towards the counter, somewhat surprised:
“I’d like to say I was a little surprised, but upon closer inspection, it makes sense; the nail is in the perfect spot.”
"Alright, stop looking at other women. The show is about to start tonight, let's focus on the performance."
Lacia reminded her again, then took Shad's right hand; she liked the atmosphere of this date. As for Adelina, the little princess wondered if she had disappeared from her sister's sight, but when she subconsciously reached for her wine glass, Lacia glanced at her, and Adelina realized that her sister still cared about her.
The Jasmine Opera Company will be performing "Song of the Moon" tonight, a rather poetic title. It is a play adapted from a very ancient legend from the North.
The story tells of a maiden born from moonlight, worshipped and revered by the people living on Earth, but ultimately leaving them due to their greed and returning to the moon. The core of the story is "the fallen moon rising again," which contains both a satirical commentary on human greed and a praise of the moon maiden's purity.
Although the story has a mythological element, this kind of enduring story is very popular.
Especially when the actress playing the "Moon Maiden" appeared barefoot, softly singing an ancient ritual song, the entire tavern's audience held their breath. The actress's voice was exceptional, with an ethereal and enchanting quality, like a cold spring splashing on solid ice in winter; even outsiders thoroughly enjoyed her singing.
“Dorothy recently shared a sheet of music with me. She said it was given to her by the Countess of Moon Bay when she last went to the snow mountain.”
During the performance, Lacey casually remarked:
"That piece of music and this piece of music have very similar meanings; both refer to the fallen moon rising again. Shad, you're not going to do something dangerous again, are you?"
Claire had just mentioned this to Shad today, and Shad knew their concerns:
"I promised I wouldn't do it again."
He looked at the stage and spoke, and Lacey didn't continue the conversation. Just as Shad believed that she and Dorothy had promised not to do such a thing again after their mistake of trying "soul fusion," they also believed Shad's promise.
The theatrical performance at the Three Cats Hotel ended at 9:10 p.m., and on the way back, Adelina happily discussed the evening's show with Shad and Lacey. Unlike Lacey, the little princess didn't have many opportunities to participate in such "commoner activities," so she found it all very interesting.
Upon returning home, Shad didn't immediately begin his "nightlife." He first comforted Mia, who was at home with the maids, and then went to the basement to retrieve the [War Ring].
The cat, who loves all kinds of rings, surprisingly showed little interest in this one, suggesting it lacked the potential to become the "Cat of War." And when Shad handed the ring to Adelina, the little princess admitted that for a moment she had indeed been overthinking things.
"A ring forged from the Ring of Fate, is it?"
Lacey asked, and Shad nodded:
"Let Adelina try it on and see how it compares to directly touching the Ring of Fate before."
Adelina then accepted the ring and carefully put it on the middle finger of her right hand—a gesture signifying being deeply in love.
Although her life ring didn't directly manifest this time, Adelina did indeed become significantly stronger in Shad and Lacey's perception:
"The increases in strength, spirit, and mental power are similar to last time. Furthermore, another person told me that this ring grants me several additional abilities:"
The more people on the battlefield I participate in, the stronger I become; the range and effect of my group buffs or debuffs are enhanced; after wearing the ring, I gained the ability to overlook a certain area, similar to 'Eagle Eye'; and when entering the 'battlefield' area, my luck and that of people of the same faction will improve slightly.
However, there's a downside: I can easily incite people to start wars.
As she said this, Lacey raised an eyebrow, looked at Shad as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she held back and said nothing.
Shad nodded:
"This ring was made for you, but it's still somewhat dangerous for you right now. For now, having the Soul Gem and the King of Covenants is enough for you, so I'll keep it with me for now. Agelina, I'll give it to you when you're strong enough."
Adelina obediently took off the ring and returned it to Shad. She didn't really care about the ring's power; she was just thinking that if her sister wasn't around next time, maybe she could ask Shad to put the ring on her wrist himself. That was a privilege her sister never received.
Lacia clearly had no intention of giving Shad another lesson that evening. She didn't even let Shad continue practicing the silver flute, and around 10 p.m., she pulled Shad and closed the bedroom door.
"I said I'd give you a reward, I'm not the kind of girl who lies."
But three hours later, at 1 a.m. on Sunday, Adelina, who was sleeping alone in the next room, was awakened from her sleep by a sound. It wasn't coming from the next room, but from the direction of the square.
She then noticed a strong reaction from the elemental source. Feeling scared and worried, Adelina left the room in her pajamas, clutching her pillow. The maid on night watch was already looking warily toward the window, and the other two maids who lived on the first floor also came upstairs. So, Adelina boldly knocked on the door of the master bedroom next door.
If Agelina could be woken up, then Shad and Lacia, who were still awake, would naturally notice something was amiss.
As Lacey, still sporting some chafing marks on her skin, hurriedly put on her pajamas, opened the door for Adelina, Shad, wearing pajama bottoms but shirtless, stood cautiously to the side of the curtains, peeking out with his fingers. A sliver of moonlight pierced through the layers of mist, illuminating his profile, and Shad squinted.
The bedroom lights were off, but Adelina possessed dark vision. She could see the hickeys on Shad's neck, she could see Mia standing in the cat bed on the table, also looking out the window, and she could even see her older sister's underwear scattered on the floor.
She subconsciously glanced at Lacia, who was talking to the maids at the bedroom door. When she came to her sister's side, she found that her sister had only buttoned up two buttons on her pajamas, obviously she had also been in a hurry to get dressed.
P.S.: The illustration in this chapter is from "Lacia in Pajamas".