Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

The six people divided into two carriages. After arriving at the Three Cats Inn, the doctor took them to meet the innkeeper and got the keys to the rooms they had reserved. Mrs. Sangmi, the innkeeper, who was very familiar with Shard, saw that the three were Shard’s friends and laughed, saying she would waive some of the room charges:

"Detective, you should come and take care of my business frequently."

"Mr. Hamilton has quite a reputation in Tobesk."

Behind Shard, Emilia whispered to Dorothy as she tugged on Dorothy’s sleeve:

"I always knew he was amazing, Miss Luisa, isn’t he very famous in the city?"

Most students at the Academy learned about the famous detective in Tobesk through Dorothy’s novels.

Miss Writer nodded with a smile, having a very good impression of Emilia. Just as she was about to explain Shard’s reputation in the city, a commotion was heard at the inn’s entrance behind them.

They turned to look, and a squad of police officers in uniform came in from outside. Mrs. Sangmi quickly left the counter to greet them and, after saying a few words at the door, reassured the guests not to panic. The police were simply looking for a wanted criminal, so they needed to go upstairs to inspect the rooms.

"Members of the church,"

Dr. Schneider said softly, controlling his volume so only the few people near the counter could hear. He and Dorothy slightly adjusted their positions to shield the three behind them, but Dorothy quickly began to laugh.

Shard also knew they were members of the church because, besides the regular police, there were clearly two "employees" from the Blackstone Security Company in the group. Standing at the end of the line, a "female police officer" responsible for taking notes had just finished recording and looked around when she happened to lock eyes with Shard.

Iluna Beath suppressed the smile on her face and glanced around. Once she confirmed that no one was watching her, she raised her notebook to cover the lower half of her face and winked at Shard.

The eighteen-year-old girl’s captivating gaze and the spirit in her eyes even made Shard blush for a moment. And seeing Shard unwilling to meet her eyes, Iluna greatly appreciated the expressions Luviya had specially trained her in.

The police soon began their operations, and naturally, the group standing by the counter waiting to rent rooms also needed to be checked. However, Dorothy gave Dr. Schneider a look, and he no longer seemed so tense.

But the three from the Academy appeared particularly nervous, with Emilia even moving behind Shard, tugging on his clothes, hoping Shard’s body would shield her. At that moment, while the cat’s tail swayed in front of her eyes, she caught the young policewoman giving her a "stare," making her even more tense.

"Good morning, Hamilton Detective, are you here to investigate a case?"

Although Shard didn’t know the police officers, the leading officer recognized the gentleman before him. He greeted Shard warmly, and Shard explained he was here at someone’s behest to find accommodations for the three visiting Tobesk to spend the summer.

The officer glanced at the three whose expressions seemed a bit off, then looked back at the elder and female officer in the team. Having collaborated with the Blackstone Security Company just last month, Shard was quite familiar with them. They exchanged a few more words warmly. They didn’t even question Emilia and the others directly, only listening to Shard’s introduction of their background before allowing them to pass the inspection:

"I hope you enjoy your time in Tobesk, but the city isn’t very safe recently; don’t stay out late at night."

The kind officer said, leading his team upstairs to continue their inspection.

A relieved Emilia noticed, though, that the female officer in the group gave her another look before heading upstairs, making her wonder if there was something wrong with the talisman she wore.

After completing the check-in process, the six of them went upstairs together. The three guests from far away naturally stayed in single rooms. Dr. Schneider helped Mr. Rio Enhill inspect his room, while Miss Matilda Delas familiarized herself with the environment with Dorothy. Emilia followed Shard into his room.

When there was no one else around, the blonde elf spun in place in the room she was going to live in for a month, spreading her arms as if to embrace the sun, and exclaimed:

"This is the taste of freedom!"

"Since that incident in the Randall Valley, you haven’t been able to leave the school again?"

Shard asked while teasing the cat on his shoulder. Emilia turned to him, looking pitiful, nodding quickly:

"Yes, yes, even though Miss Danester said she wouldn’t hold me accountable, the Academy indeed didn’t bring it up again, but she still wrote to tell my family about it..."

The young elf pursed her lips, her expression easy to read:

"I finally managed to get out this time, but you’d never guess, Mr. Ensil and Miss Dras are both sent by my family to watch over me. They’re both half-elves, so they might even be considered my relatives. With such a team arrangement, how could I not understand?"

"After all, this is the core parish of the Church of the Five Gods, more strictly managed than the Randall Valley Parish, so it’s good to be cautious."

Although her companions are related to her family, Emilia wasn’t disappointed at all and instead went to the window, standing there to look out:

"Northern Pearl—Tobesk City... it’s really nice here."

The hat had already been taken off, and even the talisman was temporarily removed. The blonde sharp-eared elf girl stood at the window of the hotel room in Steam City, witnessing a scene from the bustling square of the Lower District, more impactful than any picture.

"It’s just a pity I left my Little Liana. Not seeing her for a month, I’m really worried about her health... I’ll bring her some candy when I return."

"Liana" is the name of the young unicorn.

"Can unicorns eat candy? I happen to have a good jar of honey; you can take it with you when you leave."

"Meow~"

"I can go buy more, so don’t be mad at me... Did you just understand what I said?"

The silly cat rubbed against Shard’s hand but naturally couldn’t answer.

"In any case, summer has begun. Welcome to Tobesk City, Emilia."

Shard said earnestly, and the elf girl turned around again, her beautiful big eyes looking at Shard:

"After we’ve finished our task, can I visit your house and play? Please take me around the city then; who knows how many years it will be before I return to Tobesk."

"Of course, you can. I live here."

He gave his card to Emilia:

"If you encounter any trouble in the city, you can come here to find me. If I’m not home, leave a letter. I have quite a reputation in the city."

So Emilia also recalled the scene from earlier:

"Yes, yes. I didn’t expect you to know people from the local church, which is even better than back in Randall Valley. I’ve always known that correspondence students are capable, but you must be the most talented among them!"

Because during the Battle of Randall Valley, Shard sought Emilia’s help to find that "Path of Night," so the elf girl vaguely sensed some things.

"In the college students’ impressions, what are we correspondence students like?"

"Good at fighting, often killing people, holding secret meetings with hoods under church pursuit, trading illegal goods in the alleys at night."

By the end, Emilia herself laughed. She knew the correspondence students in the Randall Valley region well, so of course, she understood this stereotype... which wasn’t entirely wrong.

Dr. Schneider personally paid for lunch at the Three Cats Inn that afternoon, where he invited everyone. After lunch, they said goodbye to the three people from the Academy, but the doctor also left his contact information, just in case they encountered any trouble and couldn’t find assistance.

Of course, before parting, Shard also gave the elf girl many local black market contacts, far more than the single large trading place the doctor introduced. Seeing the gleam in Emilia’s eyes, she probably intended to make a good procurement during this outing. However, Shard wasn’t worried about her safety; now it’s the summer of 1854 in Tobesk, not the summer of 1853. Compared to the risky investigations he’s conducting in Moon Bay, Tobesk is definitely a safe area.

Thus, Emilia’s summer internship officially began. Although the elf girl really wanted to visit Shard’s home today, considering they just arrived in Tobesk and had many things to handle and needed to familiarize themselves with the environment, she had to temporarily give up on the idea.

She and her companions discussed the local scenery and their upcoming sightseeing plans as they returned to the third floor of the inn to continue tidying up their room. Besides the Schneider Group, the Academy also arranged for them to meet other contacts that afternoon.

As Emilia took out her room key to open the door, the door of the adjacent room coincidentally opened as well. A middle-aged woman with a friendly face greeted the elf girl with a smile:

"Oh, miss, good afternoon. Do you live next door?"

"Yes, madam, good afternoon."

Emilia responded but actually didn’t want to say much to a stranger. She didn’t have a "elves first" racial belief, just didn’t want to attract trouble while away from home. Her earlier warmth was simply because of knowing Shard.

But the middle-aged woman next door didn’t seem to notice this and warmly invited her over, but Emilia naturally declined.

Still, they exchanged names, with the elf girl using an alias as her surname sounded too elvish. She also learned that the family living next door was the Goodman family.

"Interesting surname."

With this in mind, she closed the door and took out Shard’s card, holding it in her hand while smiling and imagining how to spend what was sure to be a delightful summer after finishing the Academy’s tasks. Outside the tightly closed door, on the other side of the room, was unmistakably the wall at the end of the corridor.

She had no neighbors on that side.