Chapter 2242: "Bigmouth Sparrow

Chapter 2242: Chapter 2242: "Bigmouth Sparrow

With so many people dining together, the dining table at home was naturally too small. Fortunately, when the house was initially renovated, the basement had been left with extra furniture. So, three tables floated askew into the stairs and were carried upstairs. After temporarily moving the furniture to the sides of the walls, the combined tables were enough for everyone to sit together.

The maids were initially unwilling to sit with their masters, but with Miss Galina’s insistence, they joined in. Shard was now quite familiar with the maids from Galina Manor; he could recognize most of them, like Miss Rachel Delavin of the High Ring and Miss Courtney Mitchell of the Inner Ring.

The sky outside gradually turned dark, and the farewell dinner went smoothly. Certainly, the Duchess did not forget to raise her glass to wish them a smooth journey, emphasizing that upon reaching Moon Bay, they should first obey Shard’s orders, then Lecia and Head Maid Tifa’s orders, and lastly, the orders of the local Great Witch of Destiny.

This request was quite practical. Shard had long been regarded as the male master of Galina Manor, so he didn’t say any redundant words like "don’t listen to me." However, when Angelina raised her glass to bid farewell to her aunt, Miss Galina gave her special advice:

"Angelina, you’re a grown girl of seventeen now. Although my maids will take care of you at Moon Bay, you must also look after yourself. This time, taking you to Moon Bay is not asking you to contribute anything; it is merely hoping you understand what we are facing."

She arranged for Angelina to sit beside her, allowing her to reach out and hug her:

"You and Lecia are the girls I value the most in the family. Lecia has already gone farther than you, Angelina, you need to grow up... in various aspects."

Saying this, she started laughing, and even the maids, Luviya, and Dorothy covered their mouths and laughed. Angelina immediately blushed, quietly thanked, and sat down again, stealing a glance at Shard.

The girls’ luggage had already been sent to the train station in advance, so after dinner, the maids changed out of their maid uniforms into their everyday clothes. They took carriages waiting at Saint Delan Square, went around the city seperately, and then arrived in batches at the Tobesk Train Station.

Although everyone felt a bit reluctant, it was time to part ways. Shard was on the platform with the VIP compartments, hugging and saying goodbye to Tifa, Dorothy, and Angelina. The black-haired Head Maid smiled, saying "See you at Moon Bay," while Dorothy reminded Shard and Luviya:

"Don’t forget to help me request leave from the doctor on Saturday afternoon, and explain that I’ll be back next week. I haven’t forgotten next Sunday’s exam."

Angelina only sobbed twice during her embrace with Shard, this was, after all, her first time away from Tobesk without family accompanying her. She thought she was strong, but at the moment of goodbye, she realized her self-recognition was quite lacking.

"Why cry? I’m not going with you to Moon Bay?"

Dorothy blinked, and Lecia’s spirit arrived. She spoke to Angelina, expressing her dissatisfaction with a frown:

"Girls of seventeen, why are you crying?"

Though not familiar, the familiar tone helped Angelina stop sobbing. Just as she was about to apologize, Lecia hugged her:

"Be careful when you’re out there, remember what I told you. Angelina, I’m very proud of you."

"Miss, while I’m not around, please take care of yourself."

Tifa respectfully bowed to Miss Galina as well, and Miss Galina merely nodded indifferently. She even glanced at Shard while Tifa said goodbye. Shard was pretty sure that he and the black-haired Head Maid understood her meaning.

This was the first long-term separation since Tifa became Miss Galina’s maid. Although she pretended to be indifferent on the surface, the red-haired Duchess embraced her Head Maid and apprentice:

"Be careful of everything."

She advised, but didn’t say anything more.

In conclusion, the Maid Squad, along with Dorothy and Angelina, left Tobesk City by train at seven o’clock this evening, amid the farewell voices of Shard, Miss Galina, and Luviya. The trio waved goodbye from the platform as the train left, and when the tracks truly became empty, all three felt very sentimental in their hearts.

"I will surely go to Moon Bay before the end of the month; are you really not going?"

Lowering her hand, Luviya asked Miss Galina again, who shook her head:

"I can’t leave Tobesk for long. If it’s really necessary to go, it would be using spatial movement to join the final battle. We were too high-profile in the previous times."

To avoid attracting attention, the previous carriages had already left. Shard actively went out to find new taxis, while Miss Galina and Luviya strolled leisurely behind. They were both wearing floral dresses, just one was purple and the other was blue and white. Their hats covered half of their faces, and even though Luviya was shorter than the witch, walking side by side didn’t feel out of place.

The girl with purple eyes looked up to see Shard walking away, and only then smiled and asked:

"Did you purposely send Tifa to lead the team to Moon Bay alone this time, wanting her and Shard to make a mistake?"

She pursed her lips and smiled; this was not teasing:

"Since your apprentice and Shard have long been entangled, why not intentionally give them a chance? In this way, if they really cross that meaningless red line you drew, the guilt they feel toward you would ensure their relationship is always under your control. You would forever stand on the moral high ground when dealing with them."

"Luviya, what image do I hold in your mind?"

The Duchess wouldn’t admit it, and she also looked forward, confirming that Shard had gone far, and thus asked:

"Want to bet with me, bet on whether Shard and Tifa will... at Moon Bay?"

Luviya shook her head with a smile:

"Of course not, what benefit would that bring me? But in my view, before you loosen your grip and agree, neither Shard nor Tifa would be able to do such a thing. I am not incredibly familiar with Tifa, but I know Shard’s personality very well."

The red-haired lady sighed:

"That’s why I am troubled; this makes me seem like the villain. But if you make me agree... hmph~ I might as well see how long they can hold out. Luviya, I’m not as ’generous’ as you~"

Luviya smiled without speaking. Even without performing divination, she knew Galina Cavendish would most likely end up shooting herself in the foot. As for being evaluated as generous... the purple-eyed girl silently smiled, partly for greater reasons, but also because Shard would feel guilty towards her for life.

It was thus decided that she would always be the first in Shard’s heart. And this is the little scheme of the girls.

When the three returned home, the maids who stayed behind had already restored the living room to its original state. Luviya and Miss Galina seemed like they had no intention of leaving tonight, and Shard naturally wouldn’t rush anyone out.

By then, the sky outside had completely darkened. He mentioned having some private matters to attend to, then took the notebook and the text translated by Megan and Audrey to the study by himself. Little Mia followed him with her short legs.

The notebook was actually Detective Sparrow’s private journal, or called "notebook," used to record some important matters to prevent forgetting. After all, humans have limits, even an agent with excellent memory can’t keep every day’s important experiences in mind for decades.

The notebook’s content was all records left by Detective Sparrow more than ten years ago in the Moon Bay Region. Normally, Shard would be very interested in the content, eager to know about Detective Sparrow’s past adventures. But this time, his focus was on what was recorded on the page with the photo of Karas Mountain.

"Karas Mountain is within Draleon, far from the Moon Bay Region. Logically, during Detective Sparrow’s operations in Moon Bay, it would be unlikely for him to suddenly go to Karas Mountain to take scenic photos and then come back."

Fortunately, there were indeed related contents on that page, only they weren’t quite as Shard imagined—

[...while developing the film of Viscount Wright’s tryst with his lover, I unexpectedly found a roll from my visit to Karas Mountain in my possession, so I developed it all together. I can confirm there’s no sensitive content in the scenic photos...]

This only explained the origin of that scenic photo. Shard flipped through several more pages and was almost at the end before he saw another description related to "Karas Mountain":

[...informant "Bigmouth Sparrow" had initially set the regular information exchange location at Karas Mountain. In hindsight, it was a good idea. Calculating the time, next year is the time for information exchange again; I hope everything goes smoothly.]

Beyond this, there was no more content related to "Karas Mountain." However, Shard found the word "Shadow" circled on the last page.

Thinking for a moment, he reached out to touch the circle, and the power hidden within the page checked and confirmed Shard’s identity. Then a line of ornate script floated above the page, lit up—the handwriting of Megan and Audrey:

"I’m heading to Moon Bay soon. Shard, if you’re convenient, please prepare a suitable room, a ’Do Not Enter’ sign, and clear a whole day—Love, Megan/Audrey."

There was also a drawn smiley face symbol at the end.