Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

When the sun rose as usual, sunlight pierced through snowflakes and mist, shining into the dining room on the second floor of No. 6, Saint Delan Square, Shard had no interest in pondering last night’s games with the ladies.

This Saturday morning, he wasn’t woken up by Mia. Twenty minutes ago, Miss Galina had entered the second floor with a group of maids. The expression she had when she excitedly pushed open the bedroom door and saw the scene inside was something he hadn’t forgotten.

"Shard, you had a pleasant evening last night, didn’t you?"

The ones sitting at the dining table were Shard, Dorothy, Luviya, and Miss Galina, and the speaker was naturally the Red-Haired Duchess. The maids were busy in the kitchen. Dorothy, after all, wasn’t Lecia and still shyly pretended to look at the newspaper.

Luviya glanced at Shard and intercepted the comment for him:

"It was alright. Our Mr. Knight showed a very experimental spirit in his research... However, if you ask me, Galina, if you had been there last night, Shard might have been even happier."

A self-proclaimed bold witch blushed, and the maids in the kitchen kept straight faces, not daring to laugh for fear of being scolded by the Head Maid who was frying eggs in front of the stove.

"Actually, if you had written to me, I..."

The Red-Haired Witch mumbled softly and then dropped the topic. It wasn’t that she was angry about this morning’s matter, she just wanted to show that she couldn’t remain indifferent:

"How are things in Moon Bay going? Did that gun prove useful?"

"Yes, it did."

It just so happened that Shard wanted to talk to her about this:

"The memory has been collected, but it’s incomplete. After breakfast, I’ll return the gun to Green Island. Please notify Miss Sylvia to retrieve it and ask Ciris to help process that memory."

"They’ll be happy to do it. So there are indeed dragons in Moon Bay?"

Shard petted Mia and couldn’t help but sigh:

"Yes, Vampire Beasts, Werewolves, Dragon Beasts; I’ve never seen so many Exotic Creatures elsewhere. Now the Council has deciphered part of the Fragment of Poem Chapter, and I think the candidate for The Chosen One might appear soon. It’s even possible the Chosen One has already appeared, and I just haven’t realized it yet."

He counted in his heart the people he met in Moon Bay and found that everyone, even those who currently seemed like ordinary people, could potentially be the Chosen One.

"I think that Miss Eles is the most suspicious."

Dorothy said.

"I think the new coroner vampire friend Shard met seems problematic."

Luviya remarked.

"I suspect the seven families in Moon Bay, including the Belindel Family. They definitely have some connection to the Chosen of Light."

Miss Galina added.

Shard didn’t dare to say he suspected the Six Rings Warlock holding the Sword of the Wind King, but instead smiled and thanked the maid who brought breakfast, then asked:

"Galina, why did you come so early today? Is there something happening in the city? It wasn’t even half-past six when you opened the downstairs door."

He gently stroked the little head of the cat beside him, which was patiently waiting for its breakfast,

"Indeed there is. At eight this morning, I must go to Yordle Palace to meet with the Carsonrick Ambassador to Tobesk, along with that troublesome nephew of mine. I just received the news last night. Had I known earlier, I would have stayed over at your place too."

She glanced at Luviya again, and the girl with purple eyes gave a sweet smile:

"Is it still about the conflict between the two countries?"

"Yes, this time the ambassador is presenting the national document of Carsonrick’s ’Fire Jumper’, officially defining the nature of the conflict at Green Lake’s border. It seems unlikely for a full-scale war to break out before winter arrives, but the conflict won’t end either. Both parties now want to stabilize the situation temporarily, at least until the autumn harvest before any fighting occurs."

She sighed, just about to say that she would stay over tonight but then remembered today is Saturday, a time meant for Lecia. So, the Duchess was increasingly annoyed and decided she’d have a word with Lecia when she went to Yordle Palace, making her morning equally unpleasant.

This Saturday, Shard did not visit Moon Bay City again. Miss Belindel would help him find the detailed map of Moon Bay City’s sewers, so he wouldn’t venture into the sewers rashly for investigation before that. Therefore, he unusually took a break today. In the morning, he discussed the end-of-month exam week with Dorothy and Luviya at home, and after lunch together, he proceeded to Dr. Schneider’s in the snowy weather for the weekly meeting.

This meeting didn’t have any major events, but the upcoming exam week once again put Dr. Schneider in a tense emotional state. Not only was he nervous, but he also managed to quickly and effectively transmit his anxiety to everyone, including Shard, by analyzing the subjects to be tested and the time that would be wasted if they didn’t pass.

In this regard, Bill Schneider’s influence as a psychologist is indeed quite strong.

Shard was still worried about Priest Augustus, but the Old Cleric seemed significantly better than before. Even his "attending doctor," Bill Schneider, believed that the priest’s psychological state had noticeably improved. After the meeting, while chatting with Shard about this matter, he used a vivid example to explain the effectiveness of his treatment:

"If a month ago, upon hearing that exam week was coming, Priest Augustus would immediately think one of us might face the risk of expulsion or even leaving the group due to failing the exams, now he would only think one of us might be sad for failing the exams because of emotional issues and thus still fails the winter exams."

Shard thought for a moment, seeing Dr. Schneider’s somewhat proud expression, he asked a simple question:

"Hmm... Actually, what I’d prefer to see as a treatment result is Priest Augustus being certain that none of us will fail the exams. This isn’t a probability issue; it’s a psychological issue."

"Treatment takes time, Detective. We’ve already made great progress, you must be patient, I’m a professional."

Saturday evening, as usual, was the Princess and the Writer’s class. Last week, Dorothy had performed as the "Swimming Mermaid" in the lake on Green Island, so this Saturday night, Lecia was visiting No. 6, Saint Delan Square again, this time with Angelina.

Since Angelina came along, she didn’t let Angelina idle, but had her sister join the class. The class initially started as usual; Lecia analyzed and explained different versions of the [Mermaid] story, helping Shard and Angelina understand the impact of different era thoughts on the story’s transmission.

During a break in class, the Little Princess commented on the story:

"I can understand that Mermaid Princess."

Carefully taking a bite of a gingerbread, she glanced at her sister:

"Since she had chosen her Prince, even knowing it would ultimately lead to tragedy, she would never let go. It seems like a foolish act, like giving up life for love, but it’s actually her honor."

She slightly straightened her back, hoping to speak louder:

"Once you’ve set your sight, you should pursue it, even if you know the path is unattainable. Such persistence can create miracles, only the Princess in the story couldn’t succeed."

The two legs covered in white stockings under her skirt swayed slightly, and after finishing the gingerbread, she wiped her hands with a handkerchief and proceeded to take up the teacup.

Lecia, of course, understood what she meant, finding her sister’s behavior amusing, and then asked Shard, who was standing by the window holding a cat and looking at the night view:

"Angelina, don’t eat so many sweets at night. Shard, Angelina says she saw persistence in this story. Persistence is indeed a good virtue, but one must differentiate it from obstinacy and stubbornness. What do you think?"

"Judging by the outcome, achieving the goal is perseverance; not achieving the goal is just obstinate."

Shard said as he looked at the night scene, and Her Highness the Princess nodded with a smile:

"You are indeed like this; I remember that long ago you differentiated courage and recklessness based on the outcome. Shard, do you think you’re a person with great persistence?"

Angelina also looked at Shard, and Shard hesitated for a while, turning around holding the cat:

"It depends on the circumstances. For instance, I have always disliked smoking, drinking, and gambling, and still do; though I have killed people, I wouldn’t kill someone intentionally unless absolutely necessary, I stick to my principles. But from another perspective... Initially, I thought of myself as a very affectionate person, longing for a monogamous lifelong relationship, but later on... now..."

The Little Princess blinked in confusion, as when she met Shard, he already had Luviya and Lecia, and rumors with Miss Galina were already starting. Lecia laughed outright at this, as because of Dorothy, she knew Shard even earlier than Luviya, hence this sentiment:

"I have to thank Luviya; she stopped you from sticking to that principle. Otherwise, Luviya might have already put on an engagement ring and moved in here, and the next second she would rush in angrily, accusing me, the ’family tutor’, of being shameless enough to bring my sister to the affair."

The Red-Haired Princess stood up and hugged Shard, with the cat squeezed between them, spoke very gently:

"I’m glad to know you, Shard, and glad that you are willing to love me."

"Me too, glad that you love me."

The two hugged tightly by the window, making Angelina, still sitting at the desk with a teacup, feel like the only extra person there.

"Meow~"

The soft cat struggled out from between them, nudged Lecia’s shoulder with its paw, and when it couldn’t push her away, jumped onto the desk and lay next to Angelina’s hand. The seventeen-year-old girl glanced at the cat beside her hand, somehow, feeling increasingly pitiful.