The Whispering Verses Chapter 18: Fake Philosopher’s Stone
The piece of paper that attracted Shade's attention was made of something like parchment. One corner was covered by the book "Psychology and Abnormal Psychology", but it only blocked the signature and did not affect the main content:
[College Reward Order
The illegal organization [Mercury Blood] appeared in Tobesk City and surrounding areas carrying a Keeper-level relic [Fake Philosopher's Stone]. Offer a bounty to all college correspondence ring magicians in the area, and pay close attention to the movement of [Mercury Blood]. If you submit a [Fake Philosopher's Stone] to the college, 5 points of practical credits for this academic year will be deducted, and the academic assessment rating for this semester will be automatically Promoted to 'Excellent', and the rest of the rewards will be interviewed by Rutgers Professor of the School of Mechanical Engineering.
Note 1: This task is extremely dangerous. It is not recommended that students below level 3 (inclusive) have direct contact with the [Mercury Blood] organization in any form.
Remark 2: For specific information about the relic [Forged Philosopher’s Stone], please contact the academy for detailed consultation.
Note 3: The Zhengshen Church has obtained this information. If you intend to complete the task, please be careful not to expose your identity to the church. 】
The following is a blocked signature, which seems to be an announcement jointly issued by the Public Affairs Management Office of St. Barons Comprehensive College and the School of Mechanical Engineering.
"What if you are exposed to the Zhengshen Church? I forgot to ask the doctor just now."
Xia De thought to himself, then put the document bag on the table and sat back on the sofa.
So far, no one knows the secret of his ability to understand various strange languages, so the possibility that this thing is also a doctor's forgery is not high. On the contrary, the appearance of this college reward order proves that what the doctor said is most likely true.
"However, credits, academic assessment... are really scary words. I didn't expect that in the era of steam civilization, we could encounter such things."
Xia De thought silently, recalling his life in his hometown. This made him more determined to get in touch with the mystery and find a way back.
I just didn’t expect that I would still have to study and take exams in a different world. What's more, you may even need to write a paper.
"There are always more solutions than difficulties."
He thought to himself and waited patiently for the doctor to come back.
Although the doctor just invited me to have lunch at a goose restaurant not long ago. But because the horrific scene he saw that morning was so impressive, Shade didn't actually take a few bites.
At this time, I had plans for the future, felt better, and felt hungry again. So before the doctor came back, I asked Mrs. Carla for some snacks and said I wanted to have afternoon tea.
The doctor probably told Shade that he was a distinguished guest, so when the maid in a floral apron knocked on the door and entered, Shade saw that she was actually carrying a porcelain plate.
"This is Mr. Schneider's collection."
The middle-aged maid smiled. She looked to be in her forties, a little older than the blue-eyed doctor. The plump figure is in line with Shade's imagination of middle-aged women from ordinary families in this era.
Although there are no great Eastern countries in this world, there is still porcelain, and porcelain is still precious. Only the special soil and technology in special areas can produce such fine products.
Shade thanked Mrs. Carla and didn't pay much attention to the porcelain plate. He looked at the delicate yellow fluffy little cake on the plate and the reflective red cherry on the top of the cake, and swallowed subconsciously.
"Xia De, don't embarrass people from other worlds!"
The foreigner who came here for the first time said to himself in his heart, and then as expected, he heard the pleasant laughter of the woman in his mind again.
We agreed to meet at two o'clock, but the doctor never showed up. If Shade hadn't found that no one was stopping him from walking around when he went to the bathroom, he might have suspected that he had fallen into some kind of trap.
Because this was someone else's place, after making sure he could leave at any time, Shade returned to his original room and waited. He didn't have the bad habit of looking through other people's things, and he was worried about seeing documents he shouldn't see again, so he sat on the sofa boredly and looked at the interior decoration of the room.
I have been in this world for nearly 40 hours, and I have a higher understanding of the development level of the country I am currently in. The characteristics of the steam age appear in all aspects of life, not only gas lights and steam pipes, but also the exquisite mechanical buckles that appear on various furniture, and the lifting platforms controlled by large gears, pulleys and ropes on the sides of bookshelves. These are all Schade's I have never seen it in my own world.
He never thought that he would be able to come to this kind of world. While hesitating, he also tried to exchange his knowledge for money. But he really didn't know much, and he didn't have an extremely good photographic memory. He was actually still full of uneasiness about the rest of his life.
Dr. Schneider showed up at half past two. He changed into a coat. His current coat was black.
As soon as he opened the door and came in, he started to apologize:
"I'm really sorry, something completely unexpected happened. I ordered a batch of sensitive drugs on the black market. No, don't show that expression. It's not for patients in the clinic. I don't do that. This happened. I wanted to use my own research, but something went wrong when I received the goods. It was really bad luck."
As he spoke, he sat down again, and the maid also walked in and provided the two men with a new pot of black tea:
"So, have you decided yet?"
The doctor asked solemnly, looking into Shade's eyes with his blue eyes. Shade observed the color of his body's eyes in the mirror. They were still the same dark brown color that looked like black, which was the same as before.
"It's decided."
Xia De sat up straight, nodded, and gave the answer solemnly:
"I want to try to get in touch with that poet-level relic [The Dream of St. Byrons Comprehensive College]."
The doctor had a big smile on his face:
"Although my luck is not good today, I found that, Detective Hamilton, anything related to you will always go smoothly."
St. Byrons Comprehensive Academy, as one of the three major thaumaturgy academies, has the ability to deliver [relics] remotely. But Shade is not yet an official ring warlock, so naturally Dr. Schneider will not let him know what this method is.
After waiting alone in the room for more than ten minutes, the doctor pushed the door open and walked in holding a black cardboard box.
It was really a black carton, with nothing but black. Shade didn't even notice where the seams of the carton were at the first time.
"[The Dream of St. Byrons Comprehensive Academy] is a product of the previous era, that is, the product of the fifth era. At that time, the academy had just been established, and the legendary founder, the thirteen-ring warlock Mana... Miss Felianna got this [relic] after a summer nap. This [relic] must be stored in a black space, and it is a relatively simple [relic]."
"Is the academy only established in the last century?"
Xia De was a little confused. He thought this was the kind of ancient organization that had been passed down for several eras.
"Actually, the five major righteous churches and the three major thaumaturgy academies all appeared in the last era. Remember this common sense, the fourth era is an era of darkness and chaos, where evil and distortion are rampant in the world. The fifth era It was the era of witches. Only women had the ability to cast spells. Powerful witch emperors divided the world. City-states fought with each other. Civilization made no progress in the fifth era. It was a wild and primitive era, but it was equally terrifying in the sixth era. Era, the extraordinary is not revealed, and human civilization can develop to the present era in the hands of ordinary people."
The doctor didn't introduce the older era, and Shade didn't ask, because the two were sitting on the sofa, and Dr. Schneider had already opened the box.
Looking around, I saw that the carton was covered with straw, and lying on the straw was an exquisite snuff bottle with enamel filigree, the size of a palm. The body of the pot is generally blue, with bright yellow sunflowers painted on it, connected with each other by golden lines, which makes people think of the joyful time in summer.