Whispering Verse

Sparrow is dead, and Shade wants to respect his last wish and let the story of "Grey Headed Eagle" end at No. 6 Saint Teresa Square without anyone knowing. Therefore, he will not do that task, even if it means 2,000 pounds, a huge amount of money that 99% of people in this world will not be able to earn in their lifetime.

While there was nothing else going on on Thursday, after having lunch with the cat at noon, Shade took his formal clothes to the clothing store on Silver Cross Avenue and commissioned them to be cleaned, and agreed to pick them up early tomorrow morning.

Then he didn't go home directly, but went to the Prophet's Association, which was also on Silver Cross Avenue. Having not seen Luvia for half a week, Shade wanted to invite her to go out for dinner tonight and, if she had time, go to the opera.

Tomorrow is the opening ceremony of the "1853 Great City Players Rhodes Contest", and the entire Prophet's Association has been re-decorated. The banners were put up, the interior of the association was cleaned, and brand new paintings and promotional boards were piled in the lobby on the first floor for placement.

Everyone here is very busy. Even for tomorrow's opening ceremony, the association will only open the Rhodes brand appraisal business today, and other businesses will be temporarily suspended.

Since the association is not conducting divination today, Shade cannot use the excuse of "wanting to divination for cats" to see Luvia. But because he came so many times, and each time he asked Luvia Anat for divination, people also knew that this rumored "Lover of the Duchess" was for people, not cats, and Frequently appears in the association.

The receptionists on the first floor smiled and found Luvia for Shade, but when Shade said his invitation, the purple-eyed girl shook her head regretfully:

"Tomorrow is the opening ceremony. I even plan to live in the association today. There are still many things that have not been done. The Tobesk branch finally won the right to host this year. President Stan and Vice President Mark decided to I have to run this year’s competition, so I don’t have time to go out to dinner with you tonight.”

"That's really a shame."

Shade also understands.

"But maybe we can go out tomorrow night."

She said with a smile again and looked at Shade:

"I haven't thought about those troublesome things this week. I also noticed that I was in an abnormal mood some time ago. Let's have dinner tomorrow night and then watch the opera. However, I want to call Iluna, she will be very happy. "

Although it was not in Shade's plan for the three of them to have fun together, it was not a bad idea:

"Of course. Then I'll book the tickets first. I hope it's not too late now."

Luvia and Iluna were busy, making Shade seem a little idle. In order to prove that he was also working hard, after leaving the association, he went to the apartment where Ms. Black lived in the south of the city.

Among the four tasks left by Detective Sparrow, only "helping Miss White find her missing sister Miss Black" has not yet been completed. Shade came to visit this girl who was actually just a runaway last week, but she went to the countryside for a vacation to cool off and won't be back until this week.

But when Shade came to visit for the second time, he learned from his neighbor that Miss Black had indeed returned from the country. But what was very unfortunate was that on Tuesday, she packed up her luggage and set off for Fort Midhill, known as the "Mountain City" in the southeast of the kingdom.

This is a city built on the northern foot of the Sikar Mountain and built on the mountain. It is the most important mountain entrance through the Rommel Mountains that stretches across the eastern and central part of the Old World. It is also the most important transportation hub in the entire southeastern part of Delrayon. city ​​of.

"Fort Midhill" was originally a military castle on the border between Kasenlik and Delrayon. It took three centuries of changes to become the city it is today.

Not only is it a transportation hub, but the tourism and mining industries here are also very developed. Relying on the trade between the two countries and the rich local mineral and forest resources, an extremely prosperous steam industry has been developed.

In short, Miss Black went to Fort Midhill for a trip and would not be back for about half a month.

But this time Shade's visit was not in vain. Miss Black's "disappearance" was actually due to her quarrel with her sister. In order not to worry her sister, she left a letter explaining her whereabouts to the detective who came to look for her. In the letter, Miss Black hoped that Shade could tell Miss White about her trip to Fort Midhill. She even left a one-pound note in the envelope for this purpose.

The two sisters appear to be very wealthy.

"However, judging from the detective records, Detective Sparrow has never met the client, Miss White. The other party sent a letter to entrust the client. At that time, Detective Sparrow was still curious about Miss White's identity, so he guessed that the other party was A very distinguished female aristocrat.”

Shade thought in his mind, thanked the old gentleman who was about to go out to walk the dog, and then raised his head to look at Miss Black's apartment:

"The quarrel between the two sisters made me make a fortune. But why are they obviously sisters, one with the surname Black and the other with the surname White? Reorganizing the family? Or is it for other reasons?"

He thought to himself as he grasped the door handle of the apartment downstairs. I originally wanted to confirm whether the door was locked, but I didn't expect that as soon as my hand touched the cold metal door handle, I heard a voice in my ear:

[Outlander, you have come into contact with whispers. 】

"What?"

He looked at the door in front of him in surprise and took a step back, as if he was worried that some monster would suddenly break through the door:

"Is there a relic here? Can I finally encounter a relic?"

Every time he encountered a relic before, it was because of someone else. Shade had never encountered a relic on his own.

[No, the whisper element is very light, lighter than the derivatives of the relic, and lighter than any whisper element you come into contact with. There is even reason to believe that no one but you can detect such slight traces of elements. 】

"Oh, that is to say, a long time ago, a relic appeared near here."

Now Xia De felt more relieved. Today was indeed a peaceful day.

He packed the letter and planned to write a letter to his client, Miss White, when he returned home, informing him of Miss Black's whereabouts:

"I hope that Miss Black, who is traveling, can return safely and let me finish this commission. Otherwise, of the four detective commissions, the only truly normal one is to find little Mia."

The time has finally arrived on Friday, and the "Big City Players Rhodes" tournament that the outsiders have known about since they first set foot in the Prophet's Association is finally about to begin.

The full name of this competition should be the "1853 Torbesk Players' Rode Competition", and the player who wins the final victory can receive the "King of Rode Card in 1853" after the competition. " title.

This is the issuer of Rhodes Cards, a title officially recognized by the Prophets Association, and is recognized by card players all over the world. When playing cards with others, saying that you are the champion of a certain big city player gives you more face and honor than bragging about how many opponents you have defeated with your cards.

Even outsiders who have always claimed that they don't have much desire are full of interest in this title.

After breakfast on Friday morning, Shade first went to Silver Cross Avenue and picked up the formal clothes that had been commissioned to be cleaned. After getting home and packing up, I went out at 9:30 and headed to the Prophet's Association.

As soon as I turned into Silver Cross Avenue, I noticed that this street was very lively today.

The carriages parked at the entrance of the Prophet's Association almost filled half the street. Gentlemen speaking various languages ​​and using various accents gathered from all over the New World and the Old World with smiles on their faces. The entrance of the Association had already been decorated. The flowers and red carpet are ready to welcome the challengers.

If Queen Diana's birthday party not long ago was a feast for the nobles, then today is a festival for players all over the world.

The opening ceremony was held in the large conference hall on the third floor of the Prophet Association. Only people who had received invitations were eligible to come. The opening ceremony started at ten o'clock in the morning and ended around eleven o'clock. The card players were looking forward to playing cards, not listening to lengthy speeches, so the main content was to announce the rules of this session of "Big City Players".

Shade also walked into the Prophet's Association with a smile on his face. As soon as I entered the lobby on the first floor, I saw Vice President Mark walking towards me in a hurry:

"Oh, Mr. Hamilton, I finally saw you. When they sent you the invitation, they actually forgot to put this in the envelope!"

Vice President Mark looked like he was about to be out of breath. He said hello and handed Shade a Rhodes card:

"this is for you."

The Rhodes cards he handed over were not cards with special rules, but cards with only special card faces.

The suit color is Sun Three, which is the same as Shade's [Original Silver Moon]. The special card face is the silhouette of the Tobesk branch of the Prophets Association located on Silver Cross Avenue. On the left side of the card, "Ayoshiro Player 1853" is written vertically, and on the right side, "0003" is also written vertically.

"What's this?"

Shade was very curious. This was the first special card he got. Although it did not contain rules, he still liked this card.

"This is the [Big City Player] series of cards, and it is also the qualification."

"qualifications?"

"Yes, after paying the registration fee of one pound, you can get this special card for free. You are a specially invited player, so the number is at the front. This not only represents the qualifications to participate, but also is a card that can be used on the table. "

Vice President Mark introduced with a smile:

"Mr. Hamilton, I know that your [Original Silver Moon] is Sun Three, but you can't take out that card in every card game. Therefore, Sun Three was specially chosen for you so that you can replace each other. "

“Will [Ayota Players] series of cards be released to the public?”

Shade asked again.

"Of course not, you can only get it after signing up."

"This is really nice."

Shade flicked the cards, took out his own deck and inserted it. He could only sigh that these fortune tellers were so business-minded.

He admired such business acumen very much. Although the registration fee of one pound for the competition was high, it was offset by the unique and special Rhodes cards.

Players who really want to participate will definitely be satisfied with being able to participate and get "free" cards, and all the Oracle Association needs to pay is only the design cost and printing cost.

It's a true win-win.

There are approximately one to two thousand contestants in each session of "Big City Players". Although it sounds like a lot, it is already very few compared to the number of Rhodes players in the world.

It’s not just the high registration fee that discourages low-level players from signing up. Moreover, the entire competition process lasts for two weeks, which does not have a great impact on locals, but not any outsider can spend two weeks in a foreign country just to play cards.

Therefore, "big city players" not only refers to the size, but also refers to the competition being held in big cities as much as possible to attract more players. In each competition, the number of local players can account for at least one-third, which can also provide convenience to the association where the host city is located.

The Rhodes players selected in this way are the real powerful or wealthy Rhodes masters. The gathered players will compete in several rounds of preliminary rounds, semi-finals and finals within two weeks to determine the final winner. The winner will also receive honors, the [Big City Players] series of special rule cards and Monetary rewards.

The "Big City Players Rhodes Competition" is a competition officially supported by the Kingdom, because each competition can increase the popularity of a city, and the Prophet Association has spent decades making people accept this kind of gambling. As long as both parties are well-dressed, it's a very classy game.

Therefore, when Vice-Presidents Shad and Mark came to the third floor of the association, which is usually open to the public, they discovered that today’s opening ceremony included not only the vice-presidents of the association who had come all the way from Lane City, the capital of the Principality of Ragson, the headquarters of the Prophet Association, but Mr. Longrick and even the mayor of Tobesk City Hall, Mr. Johnson Voight, showed up.

This was a amiable man wearing a silk formal suit and a potbelly that looked like a businessman rather than an official. He even took the initiative to find Shade while waiting before the opening and chatted with him about some boring weather topics.

Shade didn't know much about the mayor. After all, although he was the mayor of Tobesk, this was the capital of Delarian. The current king of the kingdom, Lalus III the Fire-Leaper, unfortunately happens to be a person who cares a lot about power. Therefore, in a sense, the mayor of Tobesk is actually a slacker.

"Good morning, Shade!"

Shade's friend Baron Lavender arrived, as well as Baron Rwanda, with whom he had trouble dealing. The three of them greeted each other and gathered together, talking about the upcoming competition amidst the noise.

The bustling crowd filled the auditorium, and the Rhodes paintings on the walls were collectibles that everyone wanted. The men in formal suits are not discussing political topics here. All they care about is the playing cards.

In short, on the first Friday of the Autumn Harvest Moon in the year 1853 of the Universal Calendar, the card players with enough status to be invited gathered at the Silver Cross Avenue in the center of the city of Tobesk, the capital of King Drarion, and made predictions. On the third floor of the Association, we celebrate the official start of the "1853 Big City Players".