Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Today is Wednesday, Mr. Albert also reminded Shard not to contact the two people on the note on the same day for safety reasons, and to finish this task by the end of the week. Therefore, Shard could still follow his original plan and take advantage of the afternoon to handle the matter of Freeman Hawthorne.

As for the whereabouts of the guy who just emerged from the "fog" of amnesia, Shard still went to find the MI6 contact, Mr. Cooper, the journalist codenamed "Boatman" working at the Sunday Review, for help.

"Oh, you can just go directly to the Parsifal Club."

When Shard met Mr. Cooper at the press office, the latter was "composing" content for a news article about a noble’s affair. Seeing Shard, he put down his fountain pen and invited Shard for a drink at the tavern next door:

"It’s Wednesday afternoon now, he’s definitely at the Parsifal Club."

"You seemed to say the same thing last time. Doesn’t Mr. Hawthorne have anything else to do in general?"

Shard asked with a smile, thinking about how to arrange that affair news as Mr. Cooper scratched his almost barren head of hair:

"His ancestor pledged allegiance to Carsonrick, choosing to serve the Anjou Royal Family during the North-South War of the Old Continent. By then, he had done the work for a lifetime... Nobles, you know, it’s no surprise. So if he dies of illness in a few years, no one would find it strange. Freeman Hawthorne’s daily schedule is quite simple. He’s either at the Parsifal Club or inspecting his gang enterprises, not often at his own estate."

Shard nodded to show he understood, and Mr. Cooper continued:

"A while ago, Freeman Hawthorne was attacked at the Parsifal Club..."

At that time, as soon as Shard asked about his whereabouts, the same person was attacked. But when Mr. Cooper brought up this topic, he wasn’t curious whether the man in front of him was responsible; he knew the rules of MI6:

"If he gets attacked at the Parsifal Club again a week later, finding him at the club won’t be as easy next time."

"But why would I go looking for him a third time?"

Shard internally questioned but felt he shouldn’t speak too definitively:

"Makes sense. Do you have any other advice? Maybe a midnight raid on his estate?"

"His estate is heavily guarded. He controls the gang, so he’s fearful of retaliation. However, if you’re willing to sacrifice tonight’s dinner time, you can go to this address."

He wrote a note on his notebook and handed it to Shard. After reading, Shard ignited the note with a match.

"I received word that tonight Freeman Hawthorne is taking delivery of a valuable shipment at the dock... Illicit narcotics grown in the New World. Yes, the kind you’re thinking of."

The "Boatman" nodded:

"Carsonrick also heavily regulates such herbal medicines. Even Hawthorne wouldn’t dare act openly. Furthermore, the dock business belongs to the Edington Family. Freeman Hawthorne secretly doing such things absolutely can’t let anyone know, so the people he brings should be few."

"Understood."

Shard tapped on the table, having already formulated his plan.

With three hours left until evening, and with nothing immediate at hand, Shard went to visit the Vampire Kind of the same clan mentioned by the coroner.

In Shard’s view, Vampire Kind should be engaged in some relatively high-end and elite professions. However, the first Vampire Kind he visited at the [Rhine Theater], located a block away from the Sunday Review press office, was a magician employed by the theater.

The [Rhine Theater] is located in the Lower District and is not a large venue, but it’s not like the underground theater where the Jasmine Troupe performs, which Shard had encountered in Tobesk. The theater is not big, seating at most seventy or eighty people at a time, but it’s sufficient for opera, circus, and magic performances. That afternoon, "Magician Sean" was performing, and Shard met him backstage while he was getting his makeup done with the help of an assistant, all the while thinking it was interesting that his friend’s name, Mr. Sean Asmon, was also "Sean."

But compared to that eccentric "Demonologist," the man with a small bat symbol floating above his head, whose features appeared somewhat androgynous, seemed much more normal.

At first, the magician thought Shard was a fan of his, but when Shard mentioned the name "Ptolemy," he understood his intent.

Seeing Shard glance at his female assistant — a human — the magician didn’t mind:

"Just speak openly, Nina knows about my affairs, we’re planning to get married next spring."

He spoke with a flamboyant gesture, and Shard blinked:

"It’s actually not a big deal. The Church is investigating the blood-drained woman’s corpse, targeting the Vampire Kind in the city. Mr. Albert wants to remind you to keep a low profile for now and be cautious of the Church’s scrutiny."

The magician looked at Shard in the dressing table mirror, unable to make large expressions due to his makeup, but Shard could tell he was frowning:

"Done by an outsider of the same clan? That’s too bold, isn’t it?"

"It’s not yet certain if it’s truly related to you; this matter seems quite involved, and the gentleman who sent me is also investigating."

The magician nodded in understanding, while the female assistant beside him expressed gratitude to Shard. Shard wanted to discuss the local vampire kind further, as although the bite marks on the corpse were framed, it’s still unclear if it’s truly unrelated to vampires. But just then, someone at the door called for the magician, saying the police came to ask him some questions.

The three immediately fell silent. Magician Sean shook his head at the other two, signaling them not to follow, then picked up his hat and walked alone to the dressing room door.

Miss Nina clutched her right arm with her left hand, watching her fiancé leave, very worried:

"Mr. Watson, aren’t you curious why I, a human, chose an exotic species as a partner?"

She asked the right person:

"Not curious. I also have an exotic partner."

Shard raised an eyebrow, causing the woman to look at him in surprise, but Shard smiled and said:

"As long as you ensure you won’t regret your choice, adults can take responsibility for themselves."

Fortunately, the police only came to find the magician because of last night’s theft in the theater; they needed to conduct routine questioning of everyone there. With some relief, the magician admitted upon returning that he indeed was a bit too nervous earlier:

"I absolutely don’t want to be taken to the church for questioning and then have to live under the Church’s surveillance from now on."

He thanked Shard for coming to notify him and gave him some tickets to the [Rhine Theater], welcoming Shard to come and support any time. However, Shard did not stay to watch the performance. After chatting with them for a bit, he excused himself and left:

"Such tasks are quite light and allow me to meet new friends; Mr. Ptolemy Albert is truly a decent person."

Just as he walked onto the street outside the theater, someone handed Shard a flyer. Initially, Shard thought it was theater promotion, but upon glancing at it, he saw the "Eternal Light" symbol.

"Hmm?"

He looked up in surprise at the man in the brown jacket who gave him the flyer, the latter softly asked:

"Are you interested in learning about ’Eternal Light’?"

After more than a week, Shard encountered this group again. However, this time he didn’t rush to answer, but looked around to ensure there were no police on the street:

"What is it?"

"A group rallying to bring brightness to this city."

Seeing that Shard did not immediately leave, the strange man got a little excited:

"Please, hear me out, sir. In today’s Moon Bay City, wealth keeps flowing towards the nobles and merchants who do not create it, while the poor around us in factories, restaurants, and shops remain in poverty. This is obviously not right, so we gather to bring light to the oppressed of this city. If you’re interested, can you leave an address? We will evaluate you, and if you pass, we can take you to visit our organization to see what we’re doing."

He was about to take out a notebook, but suddenly a whistle sounded as two patrolling officers quickly ran up from the street corner:

"What are you doing? You there, stop running!"

They ignored Shard and chased the man in the leather jacket into an alley. Thus, no one confiscated the flyer from Shard this time. He stood still and looked at it, then folded the flyer and tucked it into his pocket.

Since he had to go to the Moon Bay City Dock again in the evening, Shard returned home in Tobesk early, around four, and had dinner with Mia. This cat was usually oblivious to other matters but was always astute about meal times, thus realized the meal was a bit early.

It seemed quite excited, probably thinking Shard had finally decided to increase its meals from three to four a day. But soon, Shard took it to the Prophet’s Society, entrusting Luviya to look after the cat, and reminded the violet-eyed Miss Diviner not to give it food in the evening:

"I’ve already fed it dinner. Luviya, wait at my house tonight; I’ve encountered a fragment of a poem Chapter, which may be related to dragons this time."

In the Divination Room on the second floor of the Prophet’s Society, what Luviya, sitting across from Shard, cared more about was not the fragment of the poem Chapter but Shard’s proactive invitation:

"Alright, I’ll go to Saint Delan Square after work. I’m not at all surprised you encountered news related to The Chosen again. The seventh appearing Chosen, is it Brightness? I wonder what kind of person this time’s candidate will be. I’m very curious, Shard, was that just now an official invitation for tonight?"

Shard blinked:

"Yes."

Miss Diviner rested her face on her hands and showed him a bright smile.