Chapter 20: Founding of the Silver Moon

Chapter 20: Origin · Silver Moon

The document Dr. Schneider handed to Shard was a very formal explanation of the tuition standards for a higher institution. It was a printed version, even featuring a sun emblem in the upper right corner and a design of three interlocking gears in the lower left as page decoration. Even an ordinary person would find nothing strange about it.

Relative to the knowledge provided, the tuition for a first-year correspondence Ring Warlock was quite cheap, costing only 50 pounds. One had to realize that, according to Shard's preliminary understanding, even the annual tuition for a boy from a middle-class family at a medium-sized boarding school in this world was around 100 to 150 pounds.

He still wore a look of difficulty; forget 50 pounds, he couldn't even produce 5 pounds in cash.

However, there were many of the detective's belongings left in the house. Selling them all would surely be worth at least 50 pounds, and besides, there were several commissions nearing completion, so Shard actually had a way.

"Do I need to provide the cash immediately?"

That was the most difficult part.

"The Academy requires cash in gold pounds, though other currencies are acceptable, provided you check the exchange rate. Of course, if you cannot produce it for the time being, the Academy also has loan programs, but the interest might leave you at a disadvantage," Dr. Schneider explained.

Miss Louisa, with her hands resting on her knees, added kindly

"However, my view is that the group can lend it to you; we have the funds. After all, besides wealthy people like doctors, no one can produce such a large amount of cash all at once."

The blue-eyed doctor rubbed his nose, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"I was the same way back then. It is very common, but you must consider whether you have the ability to shoulder this debt," the blonde lady reminded him benevolently.

"The loan for this tuition carries no interest, but starting from the date of the loan, you will need to repay 10 pounds in the first month, and 20 pounds per month for the following two months," the doctor supplemented.

"No collateral is needed; I will act as your guarantor within the group. Anyway, I know your identity information, so it's not as if you can just leave," the doctor added.

The doctor knew Shard had only just recovered to normal from "Blind Ignorance" and understood his situation well.

Shard finally let out a long breath; it seemed his luck was truly good. Naturally, he did not forget to express his gratitude, as he had truly encountered very good people

"I will repay it as soon as possible, Mr. Schneider, Miss Louisa. Please allow me to thank you once again."

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something. Because of this interest-free loan, he had decided to place more trust in Dr. Schneider and the writer lady in his group, so he took out the notebook he carried with him.

Carefully peeling off the leather cover of the notebook, he extracted a card from the crevice.

On the front of the card was an illustration of a seated woman holding up a silver moon. This was precisely the former detective's most precious heirloom—a Rhode card with the suit "Sun 3." Since Shard had seen that his own door lock could be easily split with an axe, he had chosen to carry it with him

"Excuse me, is this valuable?"

"A special series Rhode card?"

Before Shard could even hand over the card, Miss Louisa recognized it at a glance, but she shook her head, gesturing for Shard to hand it to the doctor.

"I don't play cards often, so I don't know the value of such things. Let the doctor take a look?"

"It is indeed a Rhode card. Not only does it have a special pattern, but it even has a special effect. Is this an authentic piece?"

The doctor took it curiously, inspecting it under the warm yellow glow of the gas lamp on the wall. He had no intention of revealing Shard's identity or background to Miss Louisa, so he used his words to educate Shard on general knowledge

"Although I am not a collector, I know some nobles and enthusiasts who pursue these special Rhode cards frantically. The special patterns themselves are very precious, and if there are special rules... that kind of fanatical collecting habit is even stronger than a man's desire for a beautiful lady; I cannot understand such behavior. I heard that last year, at the Beaufort Auction House not far from where you live in St. Delan Square... Hmm? This is the Silver Moon from the Origin series?"

The doctor asked in sudden surprise.

"What?"

Shard didn't understand, but the blonde lady was very interested and stood up to look at the card.

The doctor placed the card on the coffee table between the three of them and introduced it to the two who were unfamiliar with Rhode cards

"Look, at the top center of the front of this card, there is a vertical line. This signifies that this is a card from the Origin series, the very first series of Rhode cards ever issued. It is said that only 13 cards from the Origin series were issued 500 years ago; each has a different pattern and must possess a special rule. The [Silver Moon] is one of them, which is why it is called Origin · Silver Moon. Furthermore, under the rules of Rhode cards, every card in the Origin series possesses an extraordinary effect..."

"I may not play cards, but I think the rule written on it is indeed extraordinary," said Dorothy Louisa, who had read the effect a step ahead of the others. The doctor also lowered his head to examine the effect on the card. Although he was neither a gambler nor a Rhode card fanatic, he knew that under rules similar to "Blackjack," a card capable of adjusting a number from "1" to "5" would be terrifying.

"Is it authentic? It should be very valuable, right?" the blonde girl asked. Shard also looked on with anticipation, but the doctor shook his head decisively.

"Impossible. It absolutely cannot be authentic. Every single card in the Origin series is equivalent to an entire street of houses around St. Delan Square, or even more—far more. This cannot be authentic. The Origin series was issued five hundred years ago; they would either be damaged or tucked away in the tombs of great nobles or in family collections. They wouldn't appear easily."

He made this judgment because he understood Shard's background.

"If it's not authentic, is it still valuable?" Shard asked, agreeing with Dr. Schneider's assessment but still curious. He also didn't believe it was authentic, after all, it was a 500-year-old antique.

"It's not worth even a penny. People only support genuine cards. Especially with those special series Rhode cards—using counterfeit Rhode cards will lead to a boycott by all enthusiasts. Therefore, imitations are worthless. But this imitation is actually quite well-made."

The doctor handed the card back to Shard with a hint of regret

"Let me lend you the money first... However, as for this Origin [Silver Moon], perhaps you could go and have it appraised. It might be worth a try to test your luck."

"Where can I get it appraised?" Shard became interested as well.

"I know about that. The [Prophet Association]; they specialize in this," the writer Miss Louisa said. The doctor nodded and provided a more detailed explanation, knowing Shard certainly wouldn't know

"The issuance of Rhode cards has always been managed by organizations of the [Prophet Association], so they also provide appraisal services for special cards. It costs 5 pence per appraisal, which is quite cheap. If it is authentic, the Prophet Association will issue an appraisal certificate. If people want to participate in official Rhode card tournaments and include special cards in their deck, they must present an appraisal certificate."

The popularity of Rhode cards in this world was higher than Shard had imagined, though it didn't surprise him much; after all, it was just a card game. In the Steam Age, where productivity was relatively more liberated than a few hundred years ago, certain specialized forms of entertainment were normal.

The doctor continued

"The [Prophet Association] is actually an organization of Ring Warlocks, though they aren't very formal. They cooperate with both the Academy and the Church; they are recognized by us and even have some connections to our group. Their original business was divination, but around the 15th century of the Sixth Era, after they launched the special series Rhode cards to facilitate the promotion of their divination business, their main business became Rhode cards."

The doctor curled his lip, expressing an ambiguous sentiment

"The Association has made a fortune by hosting various Rhode card tournaments; printing playing cards is almost like printing gold pounds... Ahem, I'm not saying I envy that profession. Of course, the [Prophet Association] still provides divination services, but they are also involved in book publishing and newspaper distribution. The locally famous *Three Pence Gazette* is operated by them."

The name of the newspaper was indeed concise.

"The Prophet Association has many branches and institutions in large cities like Tobesk. There is one near St. Delan Square, and it is quite formal. Tsk, living in the city center is truly wonderful. Even in the extremely unlikely event that your card really is the legendary Origin series Silver Moon card, you wouldn't have to worry about the news leaking; it is a very formal organization," the doctor joked.

"If this card turns out to be authentic, remember to tell us. Perhaps it would make for excellent novel material," Miss Louisa joked as well. Her attitude toward the stranger, Shard, was quite good; she likely welcomed the group reaching its full capacity of five members.