Whispering Poems

Chapter 1242 The Man Who Always Wins

"I've also heard the story of Mr. Oxenfurt's revival of the family's glory. This gentleman is really amazing. A friend of mine, Delarion, also inherited the property of a declining family. Unfortunately, she is not so lucky. alright."

This is about Ms. Gao De. When Xia De wrote a reply at the beginning of the year, he tentatively joked, "Leave Mia with me from now on", and is still waiting for the lady's reply.

On the face of the woman in the black and red dress, there was a weak smile:

"It's going to be okay, everything's going to be okay."

She also felt that such a conversation was a bit awkward, so this time she brought up a new topic:
"If it's not winter when you come to visit, you can see the flower beds I planted in the courtyard. And in the garden behind the house, I hired a gardener to help me take care of the flowers, and they bloom very well every spring. "

So Xia De chatted with this lady about the manor, and Xia De learned from this that Mrs. Oxenfurt rarely accompanied Mr. Oxenfurt because of her poor health. into town.

There are not many people in the entire Oxenfurt family now, and only the husband and wife and some servants have lived here.Although Mrs. Oxenfurt didn't say it directly, Xia De could also feel that the master seemed to seldom come back, and there were always four or five days in a week where he spent the night in the city.

Especially in today's winter, the pier outside the manor cannot be used, and some private businesses cannot be carried out, so Mr. Oxenfurt comes back even less often.Shad was lucky today. He came here without making an appointment in advance. Generally speaking, he would not meet Mr. Oxenfurt.

Of course, the melancholy woman did not mean to blame her husband.In fact, her emotions seemed a little weak. When talking about these things, there was very little sadness, and when Xia De talked about what she had seen and heard in the Old Continent, she only showed a not very obvious smile.

Xia De couldn't tell whether this was the self-cultivation of the housewife, or the woman in front of him really lacked emotion.

Of course, Xia De did not take advantage of other people's husbands not at home to inquire about too private matters. He could tell that the woman in front of him was a very traditional family lady.None of the girls around him were similar to Haila Oxenfurt, so he had no experience talking to such ladies.

Fortunately, this meaningless conversation finally ended after half an hour.The return of Mr. Oxenfurt allowed the woman at home to finally stop chatting with Shad, and the appearance of the manor's master when he returned was indeed somewhat unusual.

He didn't come back in a carriage, but came back on a horse like Shad.He wasn't the only one who came back, there were five or six men on horses behind him.

To be more precise, they seemed to be racing horses. When a group of people entered the manor, Xia De keenly heard the sound of horseshoes.After getting up and walking towards the window under Mrs. Oxenfurt's signal, he saw a group of men brandishing whips, laughing and rushing into the manor in the snow.

This appearance really doesn't look like a successful businessman or something.

"He always does."

The pale black-haired woman stood up, ready to go downstairs to meet her husband:

"Thank you again for the ring, Mr. Watson."

"It's nothing. I won't mention it to anyone."

He knows what women care about.

Haila Oxenfurth nodded, turned her head slightly to look at the closed door, then turned back to look at Shad, stretched out her finger, as if writing in the air, then turned and left.

"Well what did she write?"

But Xia De didn't have the ability to recognize "air letters".

【"Don't be friends with my husband, he is not a good person. Don't come to this manor again."】

"She" whispered in Xia De's ear, and Xia De turned to look out of the window again, looking at the group of men gathered in the middle of the courtyard, talking loudly about the results of the horse race:
"Strange businessman, strange woman, strange manor, what is the story here?"

Mrs. Oxenfurt did not enter the snowy yard, but waited for a while at the gate of the manor house before Mr. Oxenfurt entered the building on his own initiative, while his "friends" led their horses Went to the garden stables behind the house.

Mr. Oxenfurt also soon learned of Shad's arrival, and seemed very happy to see Shad waiting in the reception room on the second floor.

Xia De's purpose of "returning the ring" has been achieved, but he still has to stay for a while and pretend that he is here to discuss the Rhodes card.

After the two met, he pretended to be very enthusiastic and shook hands with Mr. Oxenfurt, and then confirmed again that there were no traces of elements on this tall middle-aged man.

Mrs. Oxenfurt did not appear again, but the tea was still served by the maid next to the hostess of the manor.After sitting down again, Xia De clearly felt a slight smell of blood on the man opposite him, but he didn't rashly use thaumaturgy to check. Instead, he talked enthusiastically about the Rhodes card.

It can be seen that Mr. Oxenfurt is also very interested in Shad. The two chatted about the recent new deck, well-known players in Randall Valley City, and even mentioned that Shad met in the Prophet Association. Script writer Mr. Antonio.

Before I knew it, it was four o'clock in the afternoon. Mr. Oxenfurt wanted to invite Shad to stay for dinner, but Shad refused:
"Appointed a girl tonight, and went to a remote place for a date."

He said embarrassedly, and Mr. Oxenfurt smiled understandingly.Xia De got up again and wanted to say goodbye, but was stopped by the other party:

"Mr. Watson, I heard from the steward that you came here on horseback?"

"Oh yes. My apologies for visiting without an appointment."

The general rule in this era was that if guests came on horseback or in a private carriage, the host family was responsible for the fodder for the horses.Because the owner needs to pay extra, this kind of visit needs to be booked in advance. It is quite rude to come on horseback like Xia De without saying hello, so Xia De apologized at this time.

Mr. Oxenfurt shook his head indifferently, stood up and put his hands on his chest and asked:

"And are you good at riding, Mr. Watson? My steward praised your horse."

"It's not good at it, it's just a beginner's hobby."

"It's okay, it's okay, before you leave, would you like to race a horse with me? Run along the nearby path, I can get some prizes, just treat it as a relaxing activity in the boring winter, my friends can guide the direction along the way, and Don't worry about going the wrong way."

It's ten past four, time is not in a hurry, Xia De has enough time to catch up with Iluna for dinner.However, he was always wary of the man in front of him, but it seemed too strange to refuse rashly, so he pretended to hesitate before agreeing:
"Horse racing is of course fun, but there's no need for jackpots. It's just a game between friends."

"That's not okay. Since it's a competition, how can there be no prizes?"

Mr. Oxenfurt smiled and shook his head. Compared with Mrs. Oxenfurt, who seemed a little indifferent, he was much more normal:

"So let's go now, oh, this is really exciting."

The two came to the courtyard together, and Mr. Oxenfurt asked Shad to wait at the gate of the mansion, while he walked around to the garden behind the house alone.After a while, Mr. Oxenfurt's friends rode out of the manor with strange screams, and went to the intersection to serve as human-shaped road signs, while Mr. Oxenfurt himself and the old housekeeper each led a horse. Come over, the horse led by the butler is the one Shade borrowed from Miss Lassers.

Mr. Oxenfurt briefly explained the approximate distance to Shad. After the two mounted their horses at the gate of the manor, the old butler pointed a revolver at the sky.

bang~
As the gunfire echoed under the snowy sky and a crow crashed in the distance, Mr. Oxenfurt and Shad rode out riding side by side.

The route of this horse race is probably to run around the vicinity, including crossing the Elon River from the bridge.The wooden bridge nearby is enough to bear the weight of the horses, but the bridge is not very wide. If a horse gallops in the middle of the bridge, the other horse can only follow behind unless it learns to fly.

Therefore, going back and forth across two bridge decks has become the key to this horse race.But for Shad, it is actually not a simple matter to recognize the directions of Mr. Oxenfurt's friends at the intersection every time.

Mr. Oxenfurt is undoubtedly a truly professional rider. The sense of coordination and strength when the horse is carrying him is different from that of the rider in the racetrack. This is a rider who has been trained in the wilderness.So he led Shade at the beginning, but as the corners appeared, the gap did not become wider.It had nothing to do with riding skill or luck, it was purely because Shade was riding a better horse.

The horse lent by Miss Lathers is most likely her or Miss Bernice's mount, and Mr. Oxenfurt's horse is not a bad one, but it is not as good as Shade's. match.

Mr. Oxenfurt was also at least five lengths ahead of Shad when he crossed the bridge for the first time.But when they rushed out from the forest path again, Shade was already clinging to his back.

The second half of the journey was easier, with more curves, which was more suitable for the horse Shade was riding to sprint.

When he could see the faint walls of the manor, Shad had already passed Mr. Oxenfurt, but the latter managed to catch up with him in the end.When they finally returned to the gate of the manor as the starting point, the naked eye could not tell who was the first to arrive.

[It's you, the horse you're riding has a bigger skull. 】

"That's very interesting, Mr. Oxenfurt, you are very good."

Shad jumped off his horse, and Mr. Oxenfurt dismounted too.

"If we swap mounts, I think I'll lose badly."

He said exaggeratedly, took off his gloves and shook hands with Mr. Oxenfurt again:
"This time it's a draw. I can't tell who came back here first."

Mr. Oxenfurt's hand was shaken by Shad, and the former shook his head:
"I never accept a draw. To me a draw is a loss. You have won me again, Mr. Watson. It feels very good."

As he spoke, he waved to the old housekeeper, who gave him a brass-colored shield-shaped medal:

"This is probably some kind of antique. It's yours, Mr. Watson. I hope we can have a chance to race horses together next time."

"Oh yes, you are very generous. Hope to race again next time."

He looked down at the shield-shaped metal medal, but couldn't tell which era it belonged to.And receiving the "prize" means admitting that he has won. Just like when playing cards, "she" reminded Shad again that he had encountered a very small curse of bad luck, and this time it also hardly affected Shad:
"Then I will leave first, and I will make an appointment in advance for the next visit."

So Mr. Oxenfurt and his friends who rushed back one after another returned to the manor, while Shade rode away alone in the snow.

[Looking backward at the house. 】

After driving a certain distance, "she" suddenly reminded that Xia De turned his head immediately, then squinted slightly, relying on his excellent eyesight, saw the second window on the left side of the third floor of the manor house, Oxenfurt The lady was there watching him.Because the lady's skin was relatively fair, Xia De subconsciously thought it was another evil spirit, and then realized it.

He waved goodbye to the window, and then left normally:

"I will definitely come again. Although there is no abnormality detected, I am almost sure that Oxenfurt is absolutely abnormal. However, it seems that this place has nothing to do with the chosen one and the crazy land, so I don't have to focus on it. Margaret is entrusted here to ask her intelligence department to check the family history of the Oxenfurt family and Mr. Oxenfurt. Remember to remind me to tell Margaret not to let her people directly contact the target. , the peripheral investigation is fine."

[Why do you feel there is a problem here?your sixth sense? 】

"Almost, although there is no reaction of the elements, there are many ways to hide the elements. Besides——"

He looked back at the manor gradually hidden in the forest again:
"I've seen rumors that Oxenfurt Manor has been outside the family for seven or eighty years. Almost every owner of the manor will encounter misfortune as long as he lives here. If this is just a coincidence, then Mrs. Oxenfurt's weird manner"

He pinched the mithril metal block in his pocket, but did not notice any reaction:

"No matter what, the most important thing today is the adventure at night."

Xia De calculated the time very accurately, it was less than five o'clock after he returned to the city.So he returned the horse to Miss Lassers, borrowed a pen and paper and wrote a letter to Margaret, and asked Miss Lasses to deliver it on her behalf, and then returned to his home.

It can be seen that Iluna attaches great importance to tonight's actions. When Xia De opened the door to see her in the evening, he also found that she had painted light makeup, which probably would not be effective for the battle.

Although Iluna said that she was treating guests to dinner tonight, under Xia De's insistence, Xia De still paid for it.Although it was already dark after dinner, it was not time to start.Xia De thought for a while and asked Iluna:

"Do you still remember the black market of Ring Warlocks that our group is familiar with? It is a pawn shop independently run by an old man. He said in the past that he didn't want to have too much to do with the Orthodox Church, so I told you about other places. Coincidentally Now that you have time, would you like to go and have a look with me?"

"The other party is not unwilling"

"At that time, Papa John and I were not very familiar. Now I even know what organization the other party is. It doesn't matter. Come with me. Oh, you can say your own name, but we don't want to mention the chosen one." matter."

Iluna hugged Miya, who was full and didn't want to move. Shade searched at home and found the pile of "trash" he found from the bottom of the river in Randall Valley City. The two went to Old John's Pawn Shop together. .

This time when I opened the door and entered, there was still a customer in the store, a strange three-ring warlock.Xia De and Iluna politely did not approach the counter, but looked at the piles of groceries in the store.

After the last customer finished the transaction, Xia De led Iluna over:
"Good evening, Papa John."

"Good evening, detective, this is."

"The guest I introduced, the Ring Warlock from the Church of the Sun, is also my friend."

After finishing speaking, he seriously added:
"Yes, very good friend, you said that you don't want to have contact with the church ring warlock, but..."

"It's okay, since it's your friend, you can trust it."

Old John looked at Iluna, and obviously recognized her after frowning slightly.

"Miss Iluna Bayas. This is Old John. He sells and recycles relics, except for limb relics, and can customize some useful alchemy items. Apart from being very good at bargaining, he has no shortcomings."

"Being good at negotiating prices is an advantage."

the old man emphasized, looking away from Iruna's face.It is of course good to let the chosen person come to the store to buy things. Of course, he did not intend to point out Iluna's identity:
"Detective, you really have a lot of friends. What are you doing here this time? You finally collected enough money and made up your mind to order a five-figure alchemy longbow?"

"No no, this time I'm here to sell something."

As he spoke, he lifted the woven bag under his feet to the counter, and opened it to reveal the contents.

"Why are there still ores? Let me see, rings, earrings, coins. You robbed a jewelry store? You still have change. Are these things coming from the right way? If they are stolen goods, the prices will be lowered."

asked the old man, sorting out coins and rings and arranging them on the counter.

"I picked it up."

"It's all Carsonrick style, and I don't know where you picked it up."

He took out his identification equipment from under the counter, and then handed Iluna a booklet, which is the manifest here.

Although the things Xia De brought this time were very complicated, it only took Old John less than half an hour to sort and identify them.He offered a total price of 1463 pounds. The huge piece of gold ore Old John is not easy to price because he has never directly purchased the ore.In the end, it was agreed that the ore should be placed here first, and if anyone is willing to buy it, then contact Xia De alone to discuss the price.

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(End of this chapter)