Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"Is it truly Divinity?"

As he read the records in the book, Shard's eyes widened slightly, and his breathing became involuntarily rapid, something even the enchanting hands and legs in the pool had not managed to achieve. If the "Puppeteer's Script" with its 20 points of Lucky Counterattack was genuinely leading him step by step to obtain suspect information about Divinity, then it made sense. However, the divination Luviya had performed for him showed that the results brought about by the "Puppeteer's Script" were related to fish, the deep sea, and "Desire."

He continued to turn the pages, wanting to discover more about that golden pearl, but the next page started on a different story.

This section had no more information, but perhaps later chapters would reveal more about that peculiar pearl. Shard's eyes fixed on the pages, not blinking even once, for fear of missing any crucial information.

"Heeheehee~"

The woman's laughter came again, only this time it sounded much closer.

Shard frowned and looked up, seeing those dancing legs also retract back below the surface of the water. This time, the woman's head emerged from the water, her chin resting on the edge of the pool, smiling at Shard with amusement.

This was very strange; if she was completely naked, in that posture, Shard should have been able to see her shoulders, but at this moment, he could really only see her head.

And that face...

Shard had thought the witches he had encountered in the Fifth and Sixth Eras were the most beautiful women, but now, gazing at this face, he even felt his standards of beauty were being overturned.

He had never, truly never seen, nor even imagined, that there could be such a beautiful face in the world. Wet, black hair clung to the sides of her ears, her pale skin as smooth as milk, eyes blinking with a thousand sentiments, and her small nose and mouth seemed to be calling for Shard to touch them.

"This..."

The woman smiled at Shard, her voice echoing throughout the space. That slightly ethereal laughter finally intoxicated Shard's spirit. Her face was not only beautiful, but at times it resembled Iluna, then Dorothy, then Luviya, then Lecia...

It was as if all the world's beautiful traits were concentrated in that one face. The eye contact with Shard's truly touched his soul directly.

The Outlander knew this feeling was absolutely abnormal, yet he still couldn't extricate himself from the sensation that even his soul was becoming obsessed. He had thought, in this world, there were no beings more beautiful than the witches, and now he knew he was wrong; indeed there were, and it was right before him.

And just one step forward, he could now possess this beauty, control her, touch her, own her, ravage her. He could meld his body with her flesh, completely stitch his soul with hers.

This would be his step towards perfection, his step to merging his ugly flesh with transcendent charm. The unseen part hidden beneath the water was like the thick darkness of the abyss. Though he knew it was dangerous, he could always not resist testing it, becoming fascinated, falling, until he and that darkness became indistinguishable from each other.

The woman's smile now seemed like an abyss displaying all its secrets to Shard. Her sweet smile was so captivating, there simply was nothing more enchanting in this world.

"[Oh? Really?]"

She asked softly by his ear, the question full of laughter.

"Yes, what could be more enchanting than this?"

Shard's mouth also asked.

"Of course nothing."

A slightly raspy voice came from the woman by the side of the pool, her face wearing a playful smile. Of all the girls Shard knew, only the youngest, Iluna, could show a similar expression.

"You, do you want to touch my darkness?"

She extended the invitation generously.

This might be a metaphor, perhaps representing her essence:

"No, there's something more enchanting than you."

Shard pondered, the young Outlander liked to think, and even now, though his body was seduced, his soul still maintained fundamental rationality, a soul embracing Divinity would not easily be lost:

"Something more enchanting than you..."

"Is your wealth enchanting?"

The woman asked with a laugh.

"Of course not, wealth is never enchanting, at least not to me, enough is enough."

"So what is enough?"

"Never enough, so it's never enchanting."

Shard stated, in line with his own thoughts.

The woman's smile remained unchanged, then she asked:

"Is your power enchanting?"

"Of course not enchanting."

"Why is that?"

"I envy the power of gods, mundane power is but an ant."

Shard answered again, and it was also his true belief.

The woman's laughter paused for a moment:

"Then, are the girls around you enchanting?"

"Of course... enchanting."

This was as honest an answer as possible.

"Then, are they as enchanting as me?"

"Certainly not."

A small part of his soul remained sane, very glad that he was alone here now.

"Then I am the most enchanting."

"No, you are only superficially enchanting, but their souls are enchanting."

Shard said, his brows slightly furrowed. This exchange, once again made him realize what he truly wanted; he wanted to see the whole world. If he had truly coveted other things, after coming to this world, he would have long indulged himself in the casinos and brothels of the Lower District.

"You are really greedy, it turns out you want it all... So, those souls, are they truly more enchanting than my body?"

The woman's laughter was full of mirth.

"More charming than you..."

"Do you envy the darkness in the pond that you cannot see, man? Do you wish to merge with me in the pond? I can satisfy all your demands, all... desires."

Shard frowned in thought. The woman's charm was indeed unparalleled, but on reflection, it was missing a certain something.

"You're not interesting enough."

He had his answer.

"Interesting?"

The woman slightly furrowed her brows, enhancing her allure.

"Yes, interesting. You are beautiful, but you are not interesting enough. For instance, and it's just an example so don't read too much into it, you're not as interesting as my cat..."

The voice in his ears was laughing. "Don't overthink this" was directed at her.

"A cat?"

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The smile finally disappeared, replaced by a puzzled expression.

"Yes."

Shard nodded:

"Actually, it's not really my cat, but it accompanied me during my initial days of loneliness. Although it's gluttonous and lazy, that cat can forever change my life."

Thinking of the cat currently sleeping in with Dorothy at home, Shard's mood lightened significantly.

[How do you know it's being cuddled to sleep?]

Shard ignored her.

"It can do many things, but you can only satisfy my physical desires. You, are not interesting enough."

Shard's thoughts gradually escaped from the transcendent charm, marking the first time an outsider in this world was truly beguiled by a similar power.

Of course, he only used Mia as an excuse; the key to regaining his sanity was actually the desire for deification, far greater than the desire for flesh. He had once transformed into a god, and the indescribable sensations his soul experienced during that process were more tempting than the woman's darkness.

"Madam, or whatever appears to be a lady. Your tricks won't work on me; let me go. I want to leave through that door over there."

Shard said, his mind still on Lecia, as it was now dawn. The entity in the pond was probably a relic sealed by the Crimson Cult; hence, the cultists didn't pursue them.

"I will not let you go, you greedy man. Let us merge into one; we will become the most perfect soul. Your greed is much stronger than that of most mortals I've encountered."

The woman said with a smile as if inviting Shard for dinner, but Shard shook his head:

"Greedy? Maybe, I just want more than usual. Did you say you could satisfy all my desires?"

He asked again.

"Certainly."

The woman smiled again.

"Well then, can you play cards with me? Roder Cards?"

"Certainly, I can feel the emotion burst out of your heart when you mention Roder Cards."

"Then let's keep it simple. Since I don't want to come near you and you haven't made any overt attacks, let's not waste time. I'll play a game of cards with you. If you win, I'll stay. If you lose, I leave."

Shard proposed his strongest suit.

The woman obviously didn't expect Shard to make such a request:

"Such a beautiful body in front of you, and all you think about is playing cards..."

But she blinked and agreed with a smile:

"Of course, no problem."

"Swear by the Ancient Gods."

Shard made another demand, and the smile on the woman's face stiffened for a moment.

"Since you can't tempt me anyway, why not stake a fair game on luck? Besides, don't you admire the emotion that bursts forth when I gamble?"

Shard inquired.

The woman's expression resumed its smile:

"So you are favored by the Ancient Gods. Well then, I swear by the name of the Ancient God: Creator of Dusk, I will gamble fairly with you. If I lose to you in Roder Cards, I will allow you to leave. Man, you must also swear."

The name "Creator of Dusk," an Ancient God's, was new to Shard; presumably, this Ancient God's relic left behind was the "Creation Chamber."

"Certainly, no problem, I swear by the Ancient God..."

He paused for a while, asking in his mind:

"Which one should I choose? Time? Space? Or Silvermoon?"

[Are you testing me?]

"Of course not, I said after Lakeside Manor I wouldn't do that."

Shard categorically denied.

[You should choose for yourself.]

She suggested.

"Then I swear by the Ancient God: Father of the Infinite Tree, I too will gamble fairly with you. If I lose to you in Roder Cards, I will willingly merge with you."

Shard declared, and so the woman's hand emerged from the pond. Shard was about to lend her his spare set of Roder Cards he carried, but instead, she just sprinkled water droplets on the ground. The liquid writhed and coalesced into a full deck of cards.

The last person who conjured cards to play with Shard was outright cheating. But this time, both had sworn to the gods to gamble fairly, so the likelihood of the other party cheating was slim.