Chapter 25: The Cat-Finding Commission

Stepping out of the doctor’s psychological clinic, the sun was already setting. The sight of the sunset filtered through the misty city gave Xia De, walking along the street, a surreal sense of detachment, as if he were living in another world.

Only half a day ago, he had been an ordinary person; now, he could ignite a piece of paper with his thoughts.

"It’s not actually that different, really."

Upon reflection, he had obtained everything he now possessed with almost no effort, which felt almost too fortunate.

"But according to the doctor, besides the mandatory credits earned through study, one must also complete practical assignments for the Academy each academic year to earn practical credits. Otherwise, even if one reaches the Second Ring, one would still be held back."

Life seemed to be truly getting on track, creating a sense of unreality for this outsider who had been contemplating applying for relief rations just yesterday. His plans could now be further updated; with this newfound power, he could continue the work of the detective agency.

Xia De had already decided to complete the three-month tasks left by his predecessor. Of course, this was conditional on completing at least one formal commission to see if he was truly cut out for the job.

To save money, he walked home, though he treated himself to dinner at a restaurant to celebrate.

It was seven o'clock by the time he returned. After studying the doctor's notes for a while, he learned that the Academy provided formal courses for both Arcana and Curses. However, regarding Spirit Runes, everyone’s exploration was unique, which could give birth to personal Arcana. These could be traded or kept for one's own learning.

In this light, rather than researching Arcana on his own, it would be better to wait for textbooks and learn some standard ones first. Nevertheless, Xia De could not suppress his curiosity and spent the rest of the night exploring his Spirit Rune.

Thought influences matter; the mind interferes with reality. By the time he went to bed, he had failed to stir the power of [Space-Time] in the slightest. Xia De could only manage to make his fingertips emit a faint silver glow—the Arcanum of the [Silver Moon] rune.

The light was very tranquil, and gazing at it brought him a sense of peace.

"Useless... though I suppose it might save a bit on the gas bill. Speaking of which, do I need to pay the water, gas, and steam bills for this house myself?"

He drifted off to sleep in his exhaustion, plagued by such dismal thoughts.

Outside the window, the three moons hung high in the night sky. The brightest phase of the Silver Moon had passed, yet it still shone down upon him.

Although both the doctor and the young lady writer believed that the impact of becoming a Ring-bearer would not be easily ignored—predicting that the detective would likely need three days of bed rest—Xia De, who woke up promptly at six-thirty the next morning, felt no different from the day before.

He lay in bed for a while, contemplating the relationship between the world and his life, before his dire financial situation dragged his thoughts down to a lower, more realistic level.

Only then did he extend his fingers toward his face and see the faint silver glow at his fingertips. He stared at the light for a good while before finally letting out a long breath. His foul mood, caused by thoughts of his empty wallet, instantly improved; he even stopped worrying about the gas bills he had fretted over the night before.

He got up, washed, and at a little past seven, waited at the door for the newspaper and milk. He hadn't seen the paper yesterday because he had woken up too early; in fact, when he returned home last night, he had seen the *Tobesk Morning News* and the *Kingdom Daily* lying on the doormat.

Of course, starting next month, he would have to pay for the newspapers himself.

After drinking two bottles of milk, he headed out for breakfast and tucked the empty bottles into the milk crate at the door. Although Dr. Schneider had told Xia De to rest for three days, Xia De felt no abnormalities and attributed this to the powerful soul of an outsider.

Therefore, he intended to try his hand at one of the commissions left by his predecessor today.

If the commission did not go well, he would consider pawning the detective’s legacy to pay off his debts.

He had no intention of interfering further in the investigation of Mr. Lawrence’s mistress for the time being. He would wait three days to ask the doctor and the others about the pebble ring before making any further plans.

Of the remaining three commissions—finding Miss White’s missing sister and inquiring about a doctor who could treat eye diseases—both seemed rather difficult. Thus, today’s task was to find a lost orange cat for a Miss Mia San Gold.

In truth, the former Detective Hamilton had already found the cat, but had not handed the case over, intending to leave simple tasks for Xia De. So, Xia De only needed to retrieve it and return it to the client.

He ate breakfast at a restaurant near Saint Deran Square, tucked the rolled-up newspaper under his arm, and walked east along Charide Avenue. He waited at the next intersection, watching the crowds of people preparing for work in the Monday morning mist.

Only then did he turn left into the somewhat narrow Purple Iris Lane, glancing at the wild grass growing unusually lushly in the corner due to the arrival of summer, and carefully avoiding the barefoot children racing through the alley. According to the detective’s notes, he stopped beneath a building displaying a sign that read, "Kind Peter’s Pet Shop."

He could already smell the scent of fermenting animal waste. But just as he was about to knock, the pet shop door opened on its own. A girl with long, brown hair stepped out; she looked very young and was clutching a red ladies' handbag.

She was startled to see Xia De, but nodded politely, bypassed him, and walked east along Purple Iris Lane.

Xia De’s gaze followed her as she merged into the flow of people at the end of the alley.

"She..."

This was certainly not love at first sight. The moment he saw her, Xia De had suddenly experienced a strange sensation.

"It was as if, in that moment, the surrounding light had suddenly dimmed, and a single spotlight shone upon her, making her the protagonist of a stage play..."

"That is someone from the Church of the Sun, young man. You had best not harbor any unnecessary ideas."

Only then did he notice a middle-aged man with a large, bulbous, wine-red nose standing in front of the pet shop behind him, watching Xia De as he turned.

The man smelled even more strongly of a mixture of fermenting animal waste and food scraps. He wore blue denim overalls over an old, indeterminate-colored coat, and black boots caked in mud.

"Is there something you need?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Hello, I am from the Hamilton Detective Agency. I’m here to pick up... please wait a moment."

Xia De shook off the strange sensation from a moment ago and looked at the note in his predecessor’s journal:

"An orange cat, about six months old, with a pure white tail. It has orange markings on its left front leg, and its other legs are pure white. Its name is Mia."

He described the features of the orange cat, but to his surprise, the man’s expression changed drastically.

"You aren't about to tell me that the cat is lost, are you?"

Xia De’s expression also changed. He pressed his hand against the doorframe and asked in a low voice. The former detective had already paid for the cat to be boarded here, and the client—described as a "generous lady"—had offered two pounds and three shillings to find the cat, even allowing for the reimbursement of reasonable expenses during the search.

Such a high price was extremely unreasonable, but it also indicated the cat owner’s desperation. Given such a high reward, if it weren't for the fact that "Kind Peter’s Pet Shop" was closed on weekends, Xia De would never have chosen the case of Mr. Lawrence’s mistress as his first commission.