Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Night, ten o’clock.

The carriage passed through the night mist and reached the northern edge of the Tobesk Urban Area. The blonde elf, draped in a cold-resistant cloak, cautiously tugged on Shard’s sleeve, following him along the crooked roads, entering the suburbs filled with dense patches of low shanties and two-story makeshift houses that made up a small village.

Treading through the mud and smelling various peculiar odors, the two continued moving in the direction away from the urban area. There were no gas street lamps here, and not much candlelight to be seen either. The village, clinging to the city, seemed to have fallen on the other end of time from the nearby city.

The village tavern still had its lights on. The noisy sounds came from afar, thankfully not on the couple’s path. The village’s guard dogs caught the scent of strangers entering the village, but before they could bark to intimidate the newcomers, the scent of a higher being froze them in fear.

The temperature had dropped below ten degrees after dark, and one could faintly see white mist being exhaled. The outlander trudged on the rural dirt road, not speaking, quickly traversing the village and entering the woods outside the village. After less than five minutes on the forest path, they saw a gravel path and the Nameless Graveyard at the end of it:

"Here it is, be careful in a moment, Mr. Copus isn’t very good-tempered."

Shard whispered to Amy, and the golden-haired girl nodded immediately. The outlander, leading her forward, vaguely realized that about a year ago, around the same time, it was another golden-haired girl who first brought him here.

[And now, the golden-haired girl from a year ago has become your lover.]

The gentle laughter in his ear made Shard think "she" was hinting at something, but now was not the time to ponder these matters.

There was no mist outside the city, yet the graveyard with its closed gate was swirling with thick fog. Following Shard to the graveyard entrance, Amy wrapped her cloak tightly around herself, feeling as if she had entered the world of a horror novel. As an elf with a strong perception of life forces, she had always disliked graveyard environments.

"Stay close to me."

Shard softly reminded her again, pushing open the rusty gate with a harsh "creak." Instantly, the previously stagnant mist within the graveyard began to swirl as if stirred by an unseen hand. From deep within the mist, a ghostly white figure swiftly drifted toward the two at the gate, scaring Amy to hurriedly take cover behind Shard. However, due to the object on Shard’s back, she couldn’t cling to him:

"Wraith spirit!"

"It’s alright."

Reaching to press the badge on his chest, a gentle glow radiated outward. Accompanied by a prolonged "ah~" wail, the power from the "Death Angel" drove away the wraith spirit and the mist.

At this moment, in front of the Gravekeeper’s Cottage at the cemetery’s center, the dim light from the kerosene lamp inside illuminated its owner. The thin, middle-aged man who looked excessively indulgent and pale-faced was growing impatient at his door, waiting for this visit’s guests.

"Mr. Copus, long time no see."

Shard took the initiative to greet, while Amy, tugging at Shard’s hem, followed him closely.

"You were here nine days ago."

The cemetery’s guardian said coldly, then glanced at the girl peeking her head out from behind Shard:

"Elf?"

Indeed, her illusion magic spell wasn’t very effective in a place like Tobesk, teeming with mysterious people.

"This is my friend, she’s entangled by a relic and wants you to take a look at what relic it is. Of course, the cost will follow normal relic appraisal fees."

Shard used sorcery to present a rusty silver leaf-shaped brooch to Mr. Copus. The pale-skinned middle-aged man took it, sniffed lightly, and said in a cold tone:

"Normally, this sort of thing wouldn’t actively entangle with a pureblood elf. Keeper of Secrets Level Relic - Ghost Bone Tree, existing in the Material World in multiple forms. The tree itself is made of skeletal material and constantly lures people to commit suicide beneath it, absorbing souls and corpses. Simultaneously, the fruits it bears, which is this item."

He shook the accessory in his hand:

"Relic Derivative - Ghost Bone Tree: Suicide Mark, the holder will constantly encounter various misfortunes, and those around them will die one after another. When despair accumulates to a certain extent, the holder will actively seek the Ghost Bone Tree and commit suicide. Of course, this suicide is not considered being bewitched, it counts as the Circle Sorcerer’s heartfelt self-destruction, thus triggering a suicide reversal.

Due to this danger, the last two recorded Ghost Bone Trees were eradicated by the Church of Nature in Common Calendar of the Sixth Era 1544, and the other is now contained by the Xerxes Higher Medical Academy. But that tree’s fruit was in the shape of a headband, not a brooch. Surprising that after five hundred years, in this turbulent era, even such things are reviving."

Shard felt Amy clinging to his back more tightly:

"Then how do we lift the relic’s curse? Do we need to find that tree as the original body?"

"This is one method, or you could seek out believers of the Old God - the God of Luck, particularly the Forest Hermit Order who worship the White Holy Tree. Their magic potion, Oak’s Luck Potion, can directly cure this curse."

This put Shard at ease, as Old John had a good relationship with the "Forest Hermit Order", and Shard himself had once bought "Oak’s Luck Potion" from Old John with some Pink Essence.

Thinking about this finally gave him a sigh of relief, as he had already approached Luviya for help in the afternoon. Luviya had taken Emilia to meet President Yadis Stan. Although Luviya did not specifically introduce Emilia’s identity, Shard believed that the strongest diviner in Tobesk likely discerned the origins of the Elf Girl, given that Saint Byrons and the Prophet’s Society were in a cooperative relationship.

Therefore, the cultist’s curse had been eradicated, and the curse on the brooch could be lifted once Old John returned tomorrow. As long as they captured those cultists, Emilia’s issues would be completely resolved.

Shard held Emilia’s hand and expressed gratitude to Mr. Copus. After paying a reward of 5 pounds and 3 shillings, he wanted to leave, but the pale middle-aged man reminded them:

"If you must fight, do it away from here, so as not to bring trouble to me."

After leaving the cemetery, the two swiftly re-entered the small forest between the cemetery and the village. Shard led the way silently, while Emilia followed with her head down without saying a word.

Their footsteps were light, and the moonlit forest was remarkably serene.

In that tranquility, a sudden "caw-caw" of a crow broke the silence. At midnight, it flew from the forest to the sky, only to descend like a blot of black light from in front of the moon towards them.

Originally just walking with his head down, Shard twisted his waist and turned abruptly, his right hand slashed upwards. A brilliant silver light blade shot from the forest, splitting the black light enveloped by the crow, which dispersed into a cloud of smoke.

Caw-caw~ Caw-caw

The flapping of wings intensified, and more crows soared from all parts of the forest covering the moon and stars within a few breaths. A dense swarm of crows gathered above them. Emilia tugged at Shard’s jacket hem, watching as he reached for the longsword slung across his back.

Caw-caw-caw-caw~

The cawing of the crows became one, forming the symbol of the Evil God of Misfortune above their heads. As the crows turned into beams of black light, they rained down from the sky like drops aiming at the ground. Contrary to expectations, Shard did not draw his sword but instead picked a pink petal with his free left hand and brought it to his lips:

"Flying Blossom Spell!"

With a gentle blow, thousands of petals sharper than blades collided with the poison mist and black light crow swarm. Shard did not stay to watch the spectacle, pulling Emilia as they dashed deeper into the forest:

"Run, those cultists have surely arrived!"

Looking as if they had no choice but to flee, they ran not towards the cemetery or village, but deeper into the uninhabited forest. Those crows soon broke free from the petals’ control, pursuing them closely from above.

The moonlight was still gentle, illuminating the path for Shard and Emilia’s escape. The Elf Girl, holding Shard’s hand, ran with him under the moonlight, feeling the night breeze and gazing at his profile, for some reason feeling as if her heart had been struck by an arrow.

She enjoyed the story that unfolded this night.

But ahead, in the direction they were running, appeared the Circle Sorcerer with the six rings of the Ring of Fate. The cloaked stranger wearing a jester mask stood there, seemingly having predicted their arrival. As soon as Shard and Emilia laid eyes on him, he unleashed his long-prepared Arcane Technique.

Enlightenment - "Fear", Whisper - "Ghost" blossomed Spiritual Light:

"Evil Ghost Devourer."

Black mist poured from his wide sleeves, which then transformed into dozens of armored formless ghosts flying towards the "fleeing" pair.

Shard stopped Emilia as she was lost in thought, only for them to be engulfed by the ghosts formed of black mist before they had time to react.

The swarm of crows pursuing them also flew into the black mist, forming a giant black cocoon that sealed off any possibility of escape. The terrifying screams of the ghosts and the cawing of the crow swarms became one, creating a scene even more horrifying than the cemetery earlier.

Patiently, the Circle Sorcerer wearing a jester mask waited for a while before stepping forward. However, upon dispersing the mist, he found there was nothing inside.

"So, the Misfortune Cult really only sent two people this time."

Shard’s voice came from behind him, and the stranger turned to see Shard standing not far off with the golden-haired girl. The girl looked at him with hostility, and with a clang, the longsword was drawn, its silver light rising into the moonlit night.