Shade did not return home to Tobesk until after dinner that day. Not long after arriving, he received another visit from the doctor.
"The time has been set. Sunday morning at eight, we'll meet here and head to Moon Bay to eliminate that demon."
Shade naturally told the doctor that the demon had already manifested an avatar today, but that was part of the plan as well. Doctor Schneider merely reminded Shade to be careful; he had great faith in him.
Today was Friday, and the brand-new Time Key was ready to use. But with the demon matter so urgent, Shade decided to postpone the key until Sunday, lest handling too many matters at once distracted him.
As for the Tobesk address Desire had given him, Shade did not visit on Friday night. He only set out after breakfast early Saturday morning.
The address was Thomson Alley in Tobesk City's North District. Both sides of the alley were lined with rental apartments let to outsiders. Of course, the North District was a slum, and most outsiders who came to live here were hardly wealthy.
"Number 6, Thomson Alley."
After getting out of the carriage at the alley entrance, Shade counted the house numbers and quickly found his destination. If the interior of a three-story rental apartment were divided into compartments with wooden boards, it could probably house more than ten families. Shade tried knocking on the downstairs door, only to find that it was not locked.
The stairwell and corridors inside were especially chaotic, piled high with all sorts of clutter, but that also gave the place a distinctly lived-in atmosphere. Shade went all the way up to the third floor and found the third door to the left from the stairwell. It was closed, so he knocked politely. Almost