The exit Ed chose was near the deserted beach of the bay. The stone hills are abrupt, and pale ivy covers the surrounding rock walls, like the arms of an old woman.
After using the one-eyed spider to check that no one was around, he gently opened the vines and took off his hat. A moist and salty breeze blew from the bay, gently blowing the hair on his forehead.
"My lord," he used the word with a smile, removing the vines that had wrapped around Catalina's armor.
She took off her helmet and took a deep breath of fresh air. The smell of the putrid blood of the ghoul on his body was quickly diluted by the sea breeze, and the golden patterns on the black gold plate armor turned orange-red under the sunset.
"You're right, Ed." After a while of sea breeze, she finally regained her composure, "This armor is really hot to wear."
Black is a strange color. It absorbs all light but does not reflect any color.
"Shall I help you take it off?"
Seeing Catalina nodded, Ed asked her to sit on a huge rock half a person's height, and removed the breastplate, shoulder armor, skirt armor, and arm guards one by one until she returned to the familiar chestnut-haired girl. girl.
The setting sun is gradually distorted by the transpiration of the sea surface, and begins to become shadowy. The black line of the coastline divides the sky into two parts - the upper part is a thin and warm blood orange, and the lower part is a thick and cold ink blue.
"Want a soda?"
Ed suddenly took out a bottle of Sunny Sky soda from his coat like a magic trick. The drink in the slender bottle was blue and clear, like the waves rising and falling in the gravel under his feet.
This was taken out in the attic restaurant. Since he had left the meal money on the table, the unopened soda couldn't be wasted.
"But...only one bottle?"
Katarina's hand that she wanted to reach out retracted.
"We can share."
He pressed down the marble, raised the soda bottle in mid-air, and poured it down. The sweetness of the sea salt mixed with the mysterious fruit aroma arrived as expected.
"Here." He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and handed the soda bottle to Catalina.
She hesitantly took the soda bottle and drank it like Ed did. She was immediately choked by the spicy carbonic acid and coughed.
"How does it feel?"
"Not bad..." She held the glass bottle, lowered her head and sniffed the lace cuffs, frowning, "I smell terrible."
"A knight can't always smell good. You can wash up in a public bath before going home, and rent a single bathroom stall for twopence."
"Can I ask you a favor, Ed?"
"As commanded, my lord."
"I can't explain the origin of this armor to my family, so I need you to save it for me."
"No problem, I will help you brush it cleaner than the mirror."
Ed sat down next to the rock and patted his chest as he promised.
"Then I'm going back." Catalina lifted her feet and fell off the rock, handing the glass bottle back to Ed, "Thank you for the soda."
She drew her sword and gave Ed an impeccable sword-holding ceremony as a farewell:
"If you need help, remember to put a bouquet of flowers on the street lamp at the south side door of Oakland Mansion in the West End. I can see it from the bedroom, and I will go to the detective office to find you then."
"Understood, my lord." Ed responded by pretending to raise his cane.
Halfway through, she suddenly turned around, smiled and made an elegant female curtsey, and then trotted away.
Alas, the invincible Miss Blackadder...
Ed shook his head and drank the Clear Sky soda in one gulp. There happened to be a broken oak barrel washed ashore on the desert beach. He stuffed the armor into it and prepared to move it back to the detective station later.
[I have to say, that girl is really stupid in the right way. 】
Now that Ed was the only one left, Sylvie appeared at the right time and said.
Okay, stop making sarcastic remarks. Why don’t you tell me what this is when you have time. He lowered his head and pulled out the card:
"Crystal Arc Blade 'Epieus'"
[A fantasy weapon, 'Epieus' is an Elvish language, meaning "Shadow Moon's Broken String". 】
Fantasy weapons?
[Meaning that it does not really exist and can only have entities in dreams. 】
Doesn't that mean that this thing is of no help to me?
Ed was a little depressed. If this was the case, then his trip would have been in vain.
[On the contrary, its potential is beyond your imagination, and there is a way to make it briefly appear in reality. 】
any solution?
[The ancient elven magic swordsmen were obsessed with the "Crystal" secret text, breaking down gems into fine crystal clusters to enchant the sword blade, and even temporarily repair the broken blade. You can also use 'Epieus' as a template and use the "Crystal" secret text to project it into reality. 】
So that's it...can it still be like this?
Although I still don't know anything about the "Crystal" secret text, at least I still have a direction.
Ed put away the card happily. It was getting late and it was time for him to go home.
…
When he returned to the detective station, it was getting late, and he unexpectedly found that the door he had locked in the morning had been opened.
Has Miss Quinn been discharged from the hospital?
No, it's not possible. The doctor said that her injury will require at least two or three days of rest, and you should know that it has only been a day.
Could it be...
He opened the door and saw Mr. Eaton sitting at his desk, holding a corncob pipe in his mouth and looking down at the documents. Deep eyes as gray as his beard and hair looked at him:
"Good evening, Ed."
"Uh... Good evening, Mr. Eaton, aren't you still...?" Are you still in the suspension investigation period?
"Dr. Rowan Shire notified the bureau of Quinn's injury. The branch director ended my suspension investigation early after learning about it."
He lowered his head and flipped through the piled pages, then raised his head and said:
"It seems like a lot has happened over the past week."
Not just a lot, but very, very many...
Mr. Downston's Cat, Old Werewolf George, and Mr. Quinto's Body Robbery. There were three cases alone that he wrote in his reports and work diaries.
What's more, I also expanded a large network of contacts: Tia, Downston, Father Dylan, Buck, Catalina... these were not included in the report.
"By the way, Dylan sent me a bill and a letter yesterday."
bill? This is quite similar to what Father Dylan would do... Ed knew that this guy couldn't pay for it out of his own pocket.
But that letter... He wouldn't have told Eaton my secret, right?
"Father Dylan is an excellent clergyman. What did he say?" Ed asked without changing his expression.
"He said you showed extraordinary intelligence and courage during the East End Cemetery robbery."
Mr. Eaton slowly exhaled a puff of smoke and continued:
"...and persuaded me to let you skip the internship stage and directly become an official investigator of the Bureau of Divine Investigation."
