Chapter 11

Dr. Schneider took a sip of his tea between words and then looked into the cup with some surprise:

"This black tea is quite good."

"Church and academy?"

Shade had no interest in the former detective's taste in black tea or what kind of person he was. He was processing this information.

"Yes, the Church can also cultivate Ring Mages. In fact, the formal channels for cultivating Ring Mages, at least from my perspective, are the five orthodox divine churches and the three major magical academies. Other heretical churches, secret societies, ancient organizations, and miscellaneous groups have either irregular or risky methods of cultivation. So, it's fortunate for both of us that you happened to meet me during your talent awakening."

"Then the Church—"

Compared to the unknown origins of the academy, Shade was more interested in the Church, which could cooperate with the kingdom's official authorities. The doctor could see this and nodded with a smile, indicating his understanding, and explained:

"The academy and the orthodox divine churches are not enemies; they even occasionally cooperate. However, the Church doesn't like academy students, whether they are correspondence or formal students. They believe we are trouble magnets and dangerous creators."

He raised an eyebrow slightly, and seeing that Shade didn't ask, he continued:

"So, we correspondence academy Ring Mages are not illegal, but we usually don't let the Church know our identities or existence. I know you might be interested in the Church, so please answer my question—"

The doctor's lips curved into a smile:

"To join the Church, you need a completely clean background. Even if you have a criminal record, you need a complete life history to ensure you are not a dangerous individual. Can you provide that?"

Dr. Bill Schneider, being a psychologist, was now somewhat in the role of a doctor consulting a patient.

"Have you investigated me?"

Shade blurted out but immediately regretted saying it:

"It would be abnormal not to investigate."

He thought to himself.

"Just a basic investigation, after all, the academy needs to confirm the identity of applicants. I can't recommend a dangerous individual to the academy. But since we are correspondence students, do you understand what correspondence means? The requirements for identity are not as strict as those of the Church."

Dr. Schneider smiled at the young detective sitting opposite him:

"Ring Mage awakening affects the mind, so you transformed from the original Shade to the current Shade. After investigating your identity, I understood the fear and confusion in your eyes when I met you yesterday. For you, the moment of talent awakening was truly the moment of 'awakening,' right?"

He probably misunderstood the reason for Shade's transformation from someone with low intelligence to the current Shade, but Shade was happy for him to think that way, so he nodded as if his thoughts had been seen through:

"If I use this explanation to explain to the Church—"

"Of course, you can, but I hope you first understand the academy and what a 'Ring Mage' really is. Wouldn't it be better to make a decision after understanding? I believe you can understand that I am not a bad person."

Dr. Schneider said, and Shade nodded again, agreeing with the doctor. He answered solemnly:

"Then, thank you, Dr. Schneider. I am willing to learn more about these things."

The doctor took out a pocket watch from his pocket and glanced at it:

"We don't have much time. The duration of talent awakening is roughly 72 hours, but it can vary. To prevent missing the time—"

"If there is no guidance during the awakening, what happens to a Ring Mage?"

Shade interrupted the doctor, feeling a bit embarrassed:

"I am curious about this."

The doctor shook his head indifferently:

"Curiosity is good; it shows you are not averse to Ring Mages and the mysterious. You, who know almost nothing, are actually more suitable for guidance. People fear the extraordinary and the mysterious, but you show no aversion, only curiosity. I am pleased about that. As for your question, I don't have specific data, but I can tell you that without guidance during the talent awakening, the most likely outcome is madness, and the less likely one is a brain explosion. Yes, have you seen a hammer shatter a watermelon? Pink and white splatter everywhere."

The doctor asked politely.

"No need to describe it; the metaphor is vivid enough. I can almost see the scene."

Shade said immediately, feeling a bit uncomfortable in his stomach from not having eaten breakfast.

"Alright, of course, there is an even smaller probability of something peculiar happening, but we can discuss that later. In any case, let me first introduce you to Ring Mages. Just talking about it isn't vivid enough; please follow me."

The doctor stood up.

"Where are we going? To St. Byron's Comprehensive Academy?"

Shade raised the academy's admission brochure in his hand.

"Of course not. We correspondence students only qualify to go to the academy hidden in the polar ice cap of the Old Continent after the fifth year. The academy's location is a secret, related to some subspace entrances and alien populations in the material world. Before that, we continue our lives and study within our own scope. Remember, Mr. Hamilton, we are adult learners, correspondence students of the academy."

In other words, even if Shade joined the academy, he wouldn't need to study at a secret location like "Hogwarts." This had its pros and cons, but at least he would have more freedom while gaining power.

"Now, I will take you to find the person who killed Spire Hamilton."

The doctor made a gesture inviting him to follow.

"What?"

Shade stood up, surprised by this unexpected turn of events.

"Yes, I discovered this while investigating your identity. Since you have encountered the extraordinary and the mysterious, why not take this opportunity to help you solve this problem? You might also be worried that the person who killed the original Detective Hamilton might implicate you."

Shade had to admit that even though the original detective had promised not to implicate him, he was still worried.

"This is not a very complicated matter, and the other party seems to have not deliberately hidden their actions because Spire Hamilton was just an ordinary person. Follow me; I think we can resolve this before lunch. By the way, do you have a gun?"

The doctor asked.

"No."

Shade shook his head.

"Then please don't stand in front of me. I guarantee that as long as you stay behind me, you won't be in danger today. After all, the other party is not a Ring Mage."

Spire Hamilton had said before his death that the other party was.

"Ordinary people can't tell the difference and tend to view anyone who can use extraordinary powers as a Ring Mage. But for formally employed Ring Mages, it's easy to distinguish. After all, that person doesn't have the 'Wheel of Fate,' hasn't accumulated spirit, and can't sense the four elements: 'Miracle,' 'Inspiration,' 'Blasphemy,' and 'Whisper.' They are just a lucky—"

The doctor paused and then corrected himself:

"No, an unlucky fellow."

"You mentioned many terms just now."

Shade said, though he had already heard about the four elements and the 'relics,' it wasn't necessary to show that now.

"It's fine; we can talk as we walk."

The detective profession is very dangerous. In the doctor's investigation, the former detective Spire Hamilton had encountered an accident during a detective activity.

To prevent Shade from investigating, Spire Hamilton had deleted all records of that commission before his death, but the doctor's intelligence network had fully reconstructed the event.

"By the way, did you investigate the entire matter in one night?"

Shade asked, but the doctor was vague and said he would tell him after this matter was resolved.

"Here we are."

The two of them took a carriage (paid for by the doctor) from the square and, after nearly a two-hour journey, arrived at the riverbank of the Oser River, which runs through the northern part of the city.

As the capital of the northern kingdom, Tobask City has a well-developed water system, with inland navigation supporting its thriving steam industry and commercial trade.

Several rivers run through Tobask City, and the Oser River is one of them, flowing through the northern part of the city. It is currently the summer flood season, and the river is surging.

This area is close to the edge of the city. The doctor mentioned that the city hall plans to establish a new industrial zone nearby, leveraging the Oser River's waterway to find new development opportunities for Tobask City and connect it to the northern industrial zone of the kingdom, supplementing the kingdom's steam locomotive railway network.

But for now, there are still large areas of wasteland nearby. After getting off the carriage, they looked around, and in the mist, they could only see the buildings of Tobask City in the distance.

"To avoid alarming him, we will start walking from here. I noticed that your boots are suitable for long walks. Mr. Hamilton, you probably haven't had breakfast. After we resolve this, I will treat you to a meal."

The doctor said, carrying his briefcase, and walked into the grass by the road with Shade, who was holding a notebook. Soon, they saw a small path.