Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Thinking about the affairs of the two opposing deities, Shard moved his gaze away from the papers in his hand and said to the maid Tifa:

"I happen to have a [Relic] fishing rod in my hand."

"What a coincidence?"

The dark-haired maid asked, then revealed a tranquil and relaxed smile:

"You are truly fortunate. However, besides this information, there is something that can't be written on paper, and I must tell you verbally."

"Please go ahead."

Shard looked at her curiously.

"You probably know that mermaids and mermen are not the same species, but in the Shadow Incident of Coldwater Port, both the Mermaid Statue and Mermaid's Dream became parts of the Sea Return ceremony."

Shard was taken aback as he realized this issue:

"Why is that?"

"Mermen are progeny of the Evil God, and mermaids are a free ocean race. They waged a brutal war in a more ancient era that ended with the mermen's victory. They usurped the power of the mermaids and even co-opted the history of the mermaid race to strengthen themselves."

Miss Tifa Servet spoke slowly, giving Shard enough space to ponder:

"So, mermen and true mermaids are actually mortal enemies... But why do you need to specifically tell me this?"

The dark-haired maid smiled.

Her eyebrows were slender, her eyes appeared large, and her milky skin showed no imperfections. Her black hair covered her forehead, brushed past her delicate eyebrows, and the expression of her tilted head with a smile was even playfully charming:

"Miss thought this might be useful to you, but it is information not permitted for public knowledge by the Council, so I can only relay it verbally to you."

Shard nodded, memorizing her smile and that information in his mind.

The maid continued: Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

"Besides, Miss has a message for you."

"Please go on."

"Although I don't know how you got to Coldwater Port, or rather, what your connection is with Coldwater Port..."

Her smile remained unchanged, making Shard's dark eyes blink with a sense of familiarity.

Shard wasn't surprised the Duchess could guess this point; his deep concern for the affairs of Coldwater Port, even taking out the method of making badges and requesting information about the "Sea Return," were quite obvious to Miss Galina.

"...but be cautious at all times; although Sea Return is not a Divine Descent Ritual, it is also not of an ordinary level of danger. If equivalent to the effects of a relic going out of control, Sea Return can even be considered Angel-Level."

"Don't worry, I know what I am doing. Besides..."

He sat there, pointing at his forehead:

"I am still looking forward to Miss Galina's next kiss."

This wasn't Shard harboring any mischievous intentions, he merely wanted to test what Miss Galina really meant last night.

Tifa Servet's face turned slightly red, but her tranquil smile remained unchanged:

"Miss is also looking forward, Mr. Hamilton. She anticipates that you can bring her more surprises."

Quite coincidentally, just after the maid had not yet left, Dorothy, who was returning today to help Shard look after the cats, arrived.

She recognized Miss Galina's carriage in the square, knocked on the door, and upon seeing the dark-haired maid preparing to leave behind Shard, said nothing. It was not until after the maid had left that the blonde girl jocularly asked Shard:

"I told you before not to get too close to Galina; look, you still ended up involved with her."

"It's not really much of an involvement, I asked Miss Galina to help collect some information about the Sea Return ceremony, which could help Lecia."

Shard said.

Dorothy had long guessed that Miss Galina was part of the "Witch Council," after all, the title "Handkerchief Enthusiasts Society" was something she told Shard from the start. Of course, that was just a guess at first, but recently confirmed by Shard.

"If that's the case... it's best not to mention this to Lecia,"

she cautiously advised as they climbed the stairs.

"Why?"

The blonde girl shook her head:

"There are some things Lecia would rather you not get involved in, the royal family isn't exactly a peaceful place. Aren't they still searching for the forces that attempted to assassinate Queen Diana?"

The Outlander nodded, looking at the cat waiting for him on the stairs, recalling what Mr. Anlos, his boss, had disclosed last time.

Before heading to Coldwater Port today, Shard had first visited the Prophet's Society and inadvertently discovered that the [Demon: Soul Stealer Bishop] he had appraised here yesterday was actually genuine.

This greatly surprised Shard; he never imagined that he could win such a precious card from a stranger he had encountered by chance in a lowly inn in the slums.

Vice-President Mark congratulated Shard and learned the origin of the card from Shard's words. Of course, the location had shifted from Coldwater Port to Tobesk.

Mr. Mark thoroughly enjoyed the tale, his face brimming with a smile:

"This is precisely what makes Roder Card so enchanting. One can never guess when their next card will appear. Look, Mr. Hamilton, you now have eight Special Cards in your possession. So, are you thinking about using your lifetime to collect a complete set of special Roder Card decks?"

He said with great anticipation:

"That is the pursuit only the top Roder Card players have."

If this had been a month and a half ago, Shard would have immediately declined. But now, he hesitated slightly before nodding reluctantly:

"That...might be possible."

"Look, I guessed it the first time we met. You were bound to become a skilled Roder Card player."

Perhaps because he witnessed a person unrelated to Roder Card transform into a true enthusiast, Mr. Mark was in a particularly good mood.

After leaving the Prophet's Society, Shard headed home towards Coldwater Port. Whether it was the rainy season of Coldwater Port or the large-scale ritual "Sea Return" affecting the climate, it was still raining today.

When Shard, carrying his retractable fishing rod, strenuously swam from the sea to the shore, it took him ten minutes longer than yesterday.

The heavy rain pummelling his face was painful, and the undercurrents below the sea surface were exceptionally perilous. Had it not been for a special upgrade when he ascended to Second Ring, which enhanced Shard's human body, he might have had to wrestle with nature under the sea for a while longer.

At the alleyway of the dock, he found the four-wheeled carriage arranged by Lecia, which was already equipped with blankets and towels for Shard.

But it was only after taking a bath in the room specially arranged for him at Sophia's Mansion did he learn that Lecia had gone into town early to the City Hall and would likely not return until noon. She had left a letter for Shard, allowing him to move around freely, and if there was an emergency, he could ask the Maid of the mansion to find her in town.

But Shard's main purpose in coming to Coldwater Port was due to the curse on Lecia; otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to carry a fishing rod and swim in stormy weather.

Watching the rain outside grow heavier, Shard lost any desire to visit the city. Thus, he stayed in the room Lecia arranged for him, restored books transformed into toys, and decided to spend the morning reading.

But just half an hour into his reading, the pendant hanging on his chest suddenly began to heat up.

It wasn't the mild warmth when the black-haired Maid was around; it was rapidly heating up. This indicated that a real Witch was within the range detectable by the badge.

"I knew this badge would be useful."

Thinking this, he considered hiding himself in the closet. But he quickly realized that the room was safe and there was no need for him to hide.

Shard carefully approached the window, drew the curtains, then leaned against the wall and used his fingers to slightly part the curtains to look outside.

The room Lecia had chosen for Shard faced the estate courtyard, which offered a broad view and pleasant scenery. Peering outside, Shard could see the carriage procession arriving directly at the front door of Sophia's Mansion.

Among those being helped out of the carriages were Lecia and a mysterious woman in her late twenties, whose attire was even more dazzling than the princess's elaborate dress. Through the veil of rain, Shard could not make out her features, but he knew this was Miss Hevy Aurora, the genuine Twelve-Ring Sorcerer.

Having spotted his target, Shard immediately moved away from the window to avoid being detected because of her possibly acute senses.

He paced around the room a few times, pulled the badge from inside his shirt, and felt it growing warmer—a sign that the witch was drawing closer.

However, Lecia led her directly upstairs without passing through this corridor. As long as Shard didn't show himself in front of her, he figured there wouldn't be any problems.

So, he really didn't leave the room all morning; even his lunch was delivered by a maid from the estate. It wasn't until two in the afternoon that the carriage, transporting the witch, departed in the rain. Shard stood by the window, holding the badge to his chest, and only relaxed when he confirmed it was no longer warm.

Interacting with such a woman must have exhausted Lecia, for it was a full half-hour after Miss Aphrola had left that a servant led Shard to see her in the study.

Her Highness had changed into a different outfit. Seeing Shard enter the room, she merely greeted him languidly.

"I'm sorry, Shard, I really couldn't get out of the engagement. Miss Aphrola is quite the skilled negotiator."

She let the maid massage her shoulders while Shard sat on the other side of the desk, his arm resting on it, and looked out of the window to keep an eye on any sudden return of the carriages:

"What did you talk about? Oh, if it's confidential, you don't need to tell me."

Lecia shook her head languidly:

"It's not confidential. A few days ago, the Baroness gave me an invitation to tonight's banquet and now she came in person to invite me again. Apart from that, the Aphrola family wants to expand their shipyard at Coldwater Port and get involved in the large steamship business. But as you know, these ships can be easily modified for military use, and my father is quite sensitive about this. So, Hevy Aurora wants me to put in a good word for her with my father, and she can give me... some benefits."

What exactly the benefits were, Lecia didn't specify, and Shard didn't ask.

"The weather is really terrible, looks like a storm is coming."

As the maids quietly rolled in a cart with afternoon tea on the carpet, the Princess, wearing a silver crown, propped her head on one hand and looked out the window with a melancholic gaze.

Shard also looked out the window, the raindrops hitting the French windows. Even he knew that the storm at Coldwater Port was about to start.