Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Miss Sylvia also noticed Shard's intent, and the witch flashed a slight smile. Although Miss Galina had earlier contact with Shard, clearly the witch of the Council's thirteenth seat instantly grasped Shard's thoughts:

"You can consider it first and deliver your decision before the visiting group leaves."

Although it would be possible to contact her after the visiting group departs, laying it aside for now but providing a specific deadline would ensure Shard pays closer attention.

"This..."

Shard wasn't trying to refuse but felt that if they cooperated like this, he would be taking advantage of the witch. Miss Sylvia was relatively not very wealthy, but the money she took out this time for investment, converted into Gold Pounds, was six figures. Shard's little savings were just a fraction, and as for the "valuable advice" the witch mentioned, Shard didn't find it worthy at all.

"I will think about it carefully."

Shard cautiously nodded, recalling the casual chat with Miss Pawo not long ago, and then asked:

"Miss Sylvia, do you know about synthetic fibers?"

The witch looked at him curiously, and Shard then explained the difference between "artificial fibers" and "biological fibers."

Of course, when he talked about this with Miss Pawo last Friday, it was primarily to prevent her from discussing deeper topics, but this time it was to provoke ideas, so he did not mention topics like "transparency and elasticity" of clothes.

"It sounds interesting; if it is non-toxic, the synthetic fiber you mentioned indeed has potential for use. The problem is, although circle sorcerers somewhat understand chemistry, exactly how should it be made? At least I have never heard of anyone successfully synthesizing fine filaments that can be used for weaving clothes."

Miss Sylvia said.

"Possibly a reaction between coal tar, water, and air... oh, sorry, I only presented a thought."

Shard shook his head, not being a professional himself, and although he had heard of "nylon," he could not reproduce it:

"I'll think about the investment matter again; thank you for your invitation."

Miss Sylvia nodded, coincidentally at this moment, the maid opened the door and entered, informing Shard that Princess Margaret's tea party had concluded, and the princess was at the manor entrance seeing off the departing ladies, so Shard stood up to bid farewell to Miss Sylvia.

"Coal tar, water, and air?"

The witch holding a teacup traced her fingers in the air:

"Viscous filament... if the molten state relies on tension... a needle-tip injector could solve the problem... if it truly succeeds, this could be hailed as a revolutionary invention."

She sat upright, thinking maybe she could give it a try.

On the other side, Shard had already met Princess Margaret. The servants certainly wouldn't tell the princess that Shard had been with Miss Sylvia the entire time; the princess thought Shard had been waiting in the lounge for over an hour, hence her immense apology.

Of course, she did not forget to express gratitude for last night's matter. Yesterday, Lecia was informed by Dorothy that Shard was not in danger, even going so far as to personally inspect for a whole evening, but Princess Margaret did not know whether Shard left any aftereffects due to the stone statue.

"Of course I'm alright."

Shard said with a smile, and the princess with long, pale-golden hair pursed her lips, having endless questions about the handsome knight in front of her but was too shy to ask.

Despite only being Four Rings, the circle sorcerer before her seemed to possess the power akin to her teacher's. She still remembered the terrifying relic Shard embraced from behind last night, the brilliant silver shockwave under the moon dispersing the giant black dragon in the air. Of course, she most vividly remembered, after it was all over, the sky filled with red butterflies fluttering in the snowy night as the bard played and sang.

When the church conducted a large-scale investigation afterward, they certainly wouldn't reveal the term "God Summoner," but this didn't hinder the princess's awareness of the formidable evil spirits from the Third Era.

Now seeing Shard again, she indeed had many questions she wanted to ask, but the words on her lips somehow turned into another awkward question:

"What is your relationship with Princess Lecia Cavendish?"

Shard pursed his lips:

"She is my... I am her lover."

If he didn't even admit this kind of relationship, Shard himself would think he was shameless. Besides, he was sure Princess Margaret wouldn't spread this matter recklessly.

"I see..."

The princess nodded, also feeling a bit awkward herself, thus changing the subject:

"Sir Hamilton first... Shard, did you come to find me for something?"

Shard noted her change in address but did not say much:

"I want to know Sir Lakin Prisia's schedule for the coming days. No, I don't want to know where he's going, I want to know what public events he'll be attending."

Princess Margaret hesitated, elegantly folded her hands on her dress:

"No problem, I'll have someone organize Sir's schedule for the coming week and send it to you later. If he attends any banquets, I'll provide an anonymous invitation for you."

Shard smiled:

"That's even better. Oh, Your Highness, I assure you I harbor no malice towards the Sir."

He just wanted the doctor to take a look at the desires deep in the Sir's heart.

Shard then asked:

"So, Your Highness, is there anything you need my help with?"

Shard was merely being polite, not expecting the Princess to hesitate again and then nod:

"Indeed, there is something that is inconvenient for others to help investigate. If possible, could you help me find someone? Find one more person."

"Another search?"

Shard muttered to himself but still nodded:

"No problem."

Since he definitely couldn't find the "female sorcerer living in Saint Delan Square", he was determined to find this second person:

"May I ask who I need to find..."

"A former maid of mine, but eight years ago, due to... an accident, she was forced to leave my side and then disappeared in a fire."

Her smile was very forced at this moment:

"I still have her photo here, I'll have someone fetch it right away."

After instructing her personal maid, she again spoke to Shard with a forced smile:

"She was forced to resign from her maid position in the autumn of 1845, and shortly after, her house in Velindale caught fire. For eight years, I always thought she had passed away. To be honest, her resignation has much to do with me. However, not long ago, in Tobesk, I seemed to catch a glimpse of her through a carriage window. I'm not very certain, so I want to commission you to investigate."

Shard had heard this story (Chapter 863). Specifically, it was the story of "The Princess, the Maid, the Purple Cabbage, and the Spy." Lecia, to "retaliate" against Princess Margaret for occupying her date time, even had Shard deliver a note at the farewell dinner in Huntington City.

"You don't have to approach her, merely confirm if I was mistaken, that will suffice."

The maid brought in a yellowing black and white photo, which was a group photo. A young Margaret Anjou was sitting on a swing in the Midsummer Garden, surrounded by several maids in uniform.

Seeing Shard staring at her in the photo, the Princess subtly covered her face with her finger:

"The second from the left is her, Joya Nicholas."

She handed the photo to Shard:

"Take this photo to search; if you can't find her, remember to return the photo to me. I can reimburse all expenses during the investigation."

"No problem, Your Highness."

Shard nodded, but a question arose in his heart.

When spies are relocated, MI6 usually arranges for them to live in secluded cities or even the countryside. Even if MI6 still offers jobs, it certainly wouldn't allow Princess Margaret to see them, unless Director Anlos truly forgot the past events.

Finding "Joya Nicholas" was not difficult for Shard, as he directly asked the matter-knowledgeable Miss Galina, who informed Lecia about it three years ago. The witch would surely have the answer. The problem was, he highly suspected Joya Nicholas's reappearance was also part of MI6's plan.

The plan was to lure out last week's note-leaving individual who sabotaged the bomb attack, the "grey-headed eagle."

"Did you find the person who left the note last week?"

Thinking of this, Shard suddenly asked out of the blue. Princess Margaret looked at him in surprise and then slightly shook her head:

"Oh, you still remember that incident. No, we haven't found that kindly individual. I mean, neither we nor your police have found him."

Shard nodded slowly, feeling he seemed to have inadvertently gotten himself involved in some trouble once again.

Princess Margaret continued chatting with Shard for a while longer, and it was already five in the afternoon by the time Shard left Canary Estate.

Tonight, Luviya had arranged to meet Shard for dinner, but Shard chose not to go home immediately. Instead, he first made a trip to Old John's Pawnshop. The alchemical crossbow he had ordered at a high price of over a hundred gold pounds (Chapter 1004) should be ready now, and having that weapon in hand gave him confidence to face the series of events ahead.

The heavy snow that lasted all day had still not stopped, which resulted in no customers at the pawnshop, even though it was afternoon.

The little crossbow was indeed finished. Since Shard paid a high price, Old John specially packed it in a rather exquisite-looking box:

"I won't ask what you intend to fire with this, but I must remind you that if it is to be used with an arcane technique or relic that requires special crossbows to function, it will break quickly no matter how good the materials I used."

"I need it to fire a relic arrow; as long as it fires once, that's enough."

Shard carefully examined the little crossbow. Compared to a bow, a crossbow is easier for a layman like him to use.

"A relic arrow? That's impressive. Is it the Assaulter from Below? Aikenora-Arrow of Knowledge? Wind King's Invisible Arrow? Shining of the Stars? It can't be Chaos Fragment, right?"

While flipping through the newspaper, Old John casually asked. The newspaper still featured reports following up on last week's attack on Princess Margaret, the hottest news of recent days.