“Civilization?”
As Shade pondered the meaning of the word, Old John said with a smile
“Yes, it is very close to your answer. Every item here bears the imprint of society and civilization; they all carry the traces of people from different social strata. Every old object has experienced different stories by the side of different people. To me, they are the best kind of merchandise.”
“So, you are proficient in the brass-colored [Enlightenment] element?” Shade asked, sounding slightly surprised.
According to the common knowledge of Circle Practitioners he had learned, although the [Enlightenment] element originated from civilization, people tended to acquire [Enlightenment] through books. For example, Miss Louisa's Circle Practitioner system leaned toward fairy tales, using a certain classic ancient fairy tale to link the first four circles and construct Words of Sublimation, resulting in a clear and simple logic.
In contrast, Circle Practitioners who approached the [Enlightenment] element purely from the perspective of civilization itself were actually quite rare.
This required immense talent, wisdom, and perseverance, as well as a touch of unpredictable luck; it was not something an ordinary person could achieve. However, generally speaking, Circle Practitioners who used civilization itself to enlighten themselves were quite powerful, possessing many unimaginable and unique mystical arts.
“Yes, Detective. For an old man like me, this kind of life is the most wonderful. My hobbies can be satisfied, and I can continuously improve on the path of a Circle Practitioner. What could be better than this?”
The old man spoke with great satisfaction, then sized Shade up before he could ask more
“Speaking of which, Detective, have you heard about the incident at Lakeside Manor?”
It seemed all the Circle Practitioners in the city liked to talk about it.
“Of course I’ve heard. I was actually at Lakeside Manor that day, playing cards with others.”
There was no need to hide this.
“You were there too?” Old John said suspiciously, likely thinking of that [Silver Moon Orb], but since Shade was far too weak, he didn't make the connection: “What a coincidence. The rumored Thirteenth Circle Practitioner is also proficient in [Silver Moon], just like you. I heard that the individual displayed the posture of The Hanged Man under the moonlight, and then casually dealt a heavy blow to the Silver-Eyed One with a single kick. I bet the posture of The Hanged Man is a specific requirement for casting.”
“Mm.”
It seemed the people of Tobesk had various misunderstandings regarding Shade's performance that day.
“Perhaps, but the opponent was truly too strong.” He praised himself.
“Indeed. The Thirteenth Circle, with three complete Words of Sublimation—that is a height many people will never reach.”
Old John sighed, putting his reading glasses back into their case, but he didn't forget to remind Shade
“Detective, since the opponent acted so high-profile, they might still be in Tobesk. Perhaps we will have the chance to meet them again in the future. Such high-level Circle Practitioners must be very wealthy. If you know them, remember to introduce them to me to buy things; I can give you a commission. Old John's Pawnshop has everything.”
After finishing the small talk, they finally began to discuss the reason for Shade's visit. He was, of course, here to buy something
“I am looking for a relic with the function of being able to extract energy or something similar—either physical or non-physical—from a living organism and then pour it into the user's body. As long as it has that function, it will do. Whether it is the primary function or if there are severe side effects, I won't consider those for now.”
He described his requirements in as much detail as possible.
Although the request sounded a bit strange, Old John didn't ask too many questions
“Damaging others for one's own benefit... Hmm, so what is the price range this time?”
After patting his pocket and confirming that "having no money" was not an illusion, Shade finally said
“You give me a quote first, and give me some time to raise the funds.”
The price of a relic would not be cheap. Even with the previous detective's wallet, it certainly wouldn't be enough, especially since he had just spent a large sum.
“Your new bargaining strategy? That's not bad, but wait a moment, I need to check.”
He turned away from the counter and entered the backyard of the pawnshop through the back door. He didn't stay away long, returning empty-handed in less than ten minutes
“There is indeed one, but it isn't mine; an acquaintance is selling it through someone else. The quote is 300 pounds. If you accept, I can arrange for you to meet, and you can negotiate the price yourselves.”
“300 pounds?”
Shade calculated how many Mias this was equivalent to, but if he sold *Founder: Silver Moon*, it should be enough. However, after the Lakeside Manor incident, he somewhat wanted to keep that card, so he had not yet made a decision.
“Looking at your expression, I can tell you can't afford it.”
Old John shook his head and then said
“In that case, I will keep an eye out for similar relics for you during this period. If there is news, I will write to your address. Remember to raise the money early, otherwise, I will sell it to someone else.”
“That goes without saying... Actually, I can accept anything within fifty pounds.”
This was because fifty pounds was the limit for furniture and detective relics at St. Theran Square that wouldn't affect his livelihood after being sold.
“That makes things much easier, then. Just wait for my news. This time, it's not that I don't have what you want, but that you can't afford it, so don't say my shop's inventory is incomplete.”
This sentence actually made Shade doubt whether the "300-pound relic" truly existed.
Because his timing was precise, he arrived back at St. Theran Square at exactly six o'clock. Although he was in a good mood today, out of consideration for saving expenses, Shade did not go to a restaurant for dinner. He had eaten quite full at noon, so it was fine not to eat in the evening.
But he couldn't skimp on little Mia's dinner. After Miss Gaude sent the remittance not long ago, Shade had already prepared cat food for the cat. High-end cat food in this era cost more than the price of food for an ordinary person.
However, Shade wanted to be conscientious, so the cat food he chose for little Mia was quite good; at least the young orange cat loved eating it.
Since he hadn't been home all day, the visitors naturally couldn't find him and could only leave messages. Shade saw a total of two letters stuffed into the doorway. One was from Sir Lavender, who wanted to discuss the matter of the [Ancient Fairy Tale: The Little Match Girl] with Shade; the other was from Captain Lades, who was very regretful of his behavior at the banquet after sobering up. He wanted to apologize to the detective, but he did not mention the antique revolver.
“How did the Captain know I live here?”
The suspicious Shade thought to himself, then realized that the business cards he had distributed at Lakeside Manor had done their job.
He did not arrange any outings for himself tonight, but instead learned the mystical art [Satiating Meal]. Learning this mystical art was very simple, but the materials were complex. Among them, the "stomachs of three types of female viviparous animals that died of overeating" and the "birth hair of a male infant born under the waning crescent moon of the Red Moon" were the hardest to find, which was also where most of Shade's money for materials had gone.