Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

After seeing off Miss Annette, Shard spent the morning studying "Genesis: Silvermoon" and then had to admit that the card probably really didn't possess any mystical power.

He even tried, with an attitude of giving it a shot, to present the card to a cat. But the orange cat merely sniffed it and then walked away with disdain.

He went out for lunch at noon and then spent his time reading and continuing the translation of Miss Luisa's book. His progress was not too bad, and he should be able to finish translating the entire content before the group meeting tomorrow afternoon. By doing so, he would not have to worry about delaying Miss Luisa's affairs because of this.

While flipping through his textbooks, Shard suddenly realized that he might really be able to complete the exams for some subjects during the exam week at the end of this month.

Although he wasn't the kind of person with a photographic memory, as an Outlander, he excelled in exam techniques and was even more adept at completing in a few short weeks what would take others half a year to accomplish.

More importantly, he was very interested in the subjects of these theoretical courses, whether it was the classification of Otherworld plants, the basics of alchemy, or even stargazing and divination.

Interest, effort, and a bit of skill all contributed to Shard's confidence in passing several exams at the end of the month.

Of course, his best subjects were actually "Introduction to Ancient Languages (Fifth Era 0~2000)," "Introduction to Ancient Languages (Fifth Era 2000~4000)," and "Introduction to Ancient Languages (Fifth Era 4000~5793)." These three courses briefly covered most of the important languages of the Fifth Era, involving more than thirty different languages.

The courses only required a basic introduction, with mastery expected at higher levels. But after flipping through the books a few times, Shard was confident that these languages were no problem for him.

He could understand them perfectly, although he couldn't speak or write them. But the first-year exams didn't include speaking and writing, only requiring simple language classification and the translation of some simple sentences.

"In this way, except for receiving the goods tonight and the match over the weekend, there seems to be nothing major coming up recently," Shard thought while taking a break to look out the window and relax his eyes.

The advertisement in the newspaper was only arranged yesterday, so naturally, there were no clients visiting today. Therefore, he spent the whole day reading. With a sizable income, he still went out for dinner with the cat.

Only when the time for Miss Galina's pickup task was approaching did he set out from home.

The time for the trade was midnight, a tradition that might compare to undercover meetings always occurring on rooftops, and not necessarily practical, since ten o'clock at night would also suffice. After all, there wasn't much of a nightlife in this era for people to wander the streets in the late hours.

The trade location was on Disc Bridge, spanning the Terael River, which was just a thirty-minute walk from Saint Delan Square.

Shard deliberately wore a mask and donned a robe he had dug out of a cupboard, leaving home at eleven o'clock.

With the arrival of Thunder Moon in July, even the city deep into the night didn't feel cold. When he approached the bridge, it was only twenty past eleven, so Shard stood for a while leaning against the wall near the bridge entrance, scanning left and right, noting that only a few taverns were still open.

But he didn't enter the taverns in his suspicious attire; instead, he took a large detour nearby and, bending his back, he went under the bridge from the riverbank.

This was the home of the homeless, who at such a late hour were already sleeping on their mats and newspapers. Someone did notice the arrival of a strangely dressed fellow, but no one bothered with Shard.

Hiding in the darkness at the edge, Shard held a pocket watch, standing next to a man with a strange smell about him.

It wasn't until eleven-fifty that he suddenly got up, started to leave, but then thought better of it and flicked a one-penny copper coin from his pocket onto the man's front, accepting a low whisper of thanks before making his way from the riverbank steps toward the bridge entrance.

Right at midnight, as he set foot on the bridge, he could see in the thick fog of the night a carriage stopped in the middle of the bridge on the left. At the back of the carriage hung three old-fashioned oil lamps, serving as the agreed-upon signal.

The view in the thick fog was impaired, and those three kerosene lamps looked somewhat like the eyes of a giant beast crawling on the bridge's surface.

The detective donning a mask took a deep breath, only to be choked by the air and burst into a coughing fit. He patted his chest before making his way over. From a distance, the four-wheeled carriage seemed to be void of any occupants.

But as he drew near, he saw the coachman standing on one side of the carriage, positioned between the edge of Tower Bridge and the carriage itself.

The man's attire was strikingly similar to that of the coachman who had pulled the trigger of the Spear of Kindness yesterday, only taller. His skin was dark, as if tanned by the sun, but Tobesk City had been shrouded in thick fog for the past few weeks, so strong sunlight was unlikely.

The man saw the strangely dressed stranger approaching but merely watched without speaking, his sharp gaze sweeping up and down Shard. Once Shard came closer, he coughed and asked,

"Did you bring the item that lady requested?"

The man hesitated before nodding and then flicked the cigarette butt in his hand towards the river below, its glowing tip spiraling out of sight into the dense fog:

"I did, but you need to provide some proof of your identity."

"No problem."

Shard recalled the contents of the note with the transaction details, noting that this secret code was much more straightforward than the one from Old John:

"The lady mentioned that the blue butterfly bush by the shores of Lake Cessia was Queen Diana's favorite."

The two men were less than five steps apart, and Shard clearly saw the man's expression soften a bit; the man dressed as a coachman nodded:

"Then there is no issue."

He bent down into the carriage and emerged in a matter of seconds, handing Shard an object wrapped in newspaper the size of two palms.

The item was light; Shard unfolded the Threepenny Gazette, dated yesterday, and saw that the outside page covered the follow-up reports on a child-trafficking incident.

Encased within was a dark red lacquered wooden box with a bright red lycoris specimen resting atop the lid, likely a means of containment.

Shard clicked open the silver clasp but could not lift the lid, no matter what—a characteristic that matched the description of "for female use only."

"Is this it?"

Still uncertain in his heart, he asked to ensure the box wasn't simply glued shut.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

It was then that a whispering voice reminded him at his ear:

[You've come into contact with 'Whisper'.] Your next chapter is on empire

A Circle Sorcerer who touches a Relic with a familiar Trait can receive direct hints. Having learned of this makeup box's Trait from Miss Galina, Shard would have known whether the item was genuine even without such a unique soul and "another self."