Shade had not made an appointment in advance, but when the professor heard that a writer from Delarion had come specifically to gather material for a new book, he happily invited him inside and received Shade in his study.
Professor Kansas Drake was a thin old gentleman wearing brown-framed reading glasses, with a red plaid blanket covering his legs, so Shade could not see below his waist. Unlike the Delarions Shade often encountered, Professor Drake had the typical appearance of a southerner from the Old Continent: a long face, slightly dark skin, and somewhat upturned eyelashes.
Shade entered the study first, and then the maid pushed Professor Drake in. He instructed the fat maid, who seemed quite dependable, to prepare tea before chatting with Shade.
This was not Shade's first time posing as a writer from Delarion, so he could speak eloquently about a profession he had never actually worked in. He quickly shifted from local folklore to the Legend Series of the "Goddess in the Lake."
"Yes, I have indeed researched this Legend Series. Mr. Watson, you probably know the general story as well. In a certain lake west of Huntington, there lives a goddess capable of granting people's wishes."
The old professor solemnly traced the holy emblem of the Nature Church over his chest. He was a devout believer of the God of Nature:
"Mortals always long for such legends, but most research suggests that perhaps, in ancient times, a woman living alone resided in the lake region west of the city. Local villagers occasionally saw her bathing in the lake, or walking through the forest on foggy mornings, and thus rumors of the Goddess in the Lake spread. You know how country folk always like to exaggerate their experiences. Stories passed from mouth to mouth become the