Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Seeing Shard not answering, Old John did not continue to inquire:

"But you also know, several hundred pounds sounds like a lot, but in reality, it's just the entry threshold for crafting alchemical weapons. If you truly possess a powerful relic arrow, I would still advise you, just like last time, to take out your savings and acquire a truly powerful alchemical item for yourself."

Because relic weapons are often expensive and hard to come by, most Circle Sorcerers proficient in weaponry typically use alchemical weapons. Old John's advice at this time wasn't driven by a desire to earn Shard's gold pounds; he was genuinely advising him:

"Gold pounds are earned to be spent, listen to me, young man, manufacturing a crossbow that could be used for over ten years at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds is a worthwhile investment. Of course, it would be even more cost-effective if I helped with the manufacturing."

He said with a smile. Shard knew Old Man John was quite right, but the problem was that he couldn't spend all his money at once:

"An expensive weapon surely can't be made in just a week like this one."

Shard put the small crossbow back in the box:

"But I might need to use that arrow soon, so I'll use this as a replacement for now. As for the new crossbow... I'll think about it some more."

In fact, he wanted to gather enough money and materials to seek Priest Augustus's help.

After the priest had integrated more remnants of the Death Angel, he also gained more knowledge. One of the alchemical items he offered Shard was the "Holy Angel Hand Crossbow (Degraded Version)." Since Shard could buy cheap materials in Coldwater Port, and Priest Augustus was willing to give him a discount on the labor cost, the cost of making that hand crossbow could be compressed to just over 30,000 pounds.

Although Old Man John's offerings were expensive, they could customize the crossbow's functions; the priest's side was cheaper yet could only imbue the crossbow with holy attributes.

That's why Shard needed to rethink it. He once again felt that he was short on money.

Back at home, Shard held his cat, walked under a cloak in the snowstorm to the Prophet's Society to wait for Luviya to get off work. The heavy snowfall was particularly exhilarating for little Mia.

And that evening, the lady writer who visited No. 6, Saint Delan Square for demon removal, carefully checked Shard's body state after his fusion with parts of the Weeping Angel, spending a pleasant evening with him. Of course, Shard did not forget that the next day, that is, Tuesday morning, he still had to meet with two witches.

On Tuesday morning, the snowfall that had lasted almost two whole days finally stopped. From the window, the entire city appeared silver-white. While having breakfast with Luviya, Shard mentioned that he was considering whether to invest in collaboration with the witches. Luviya didn't provide him with advice but encouraged him to decide for himself.

The heavy snow had sealed the city, and even the fare asked by the coachmen was much higher than usual. Shard first delivered Sir Plisha's itinerary and invitation letter to the doctor's clinic before taking a carriage out of town. Due to the difficult road, it wasn't until half-past nine in the morning that he arrived at Miss Galina's manor.

By then, the manor had also turned silver-white, but this only made the luxurious manor appear even more beautiful.

Two witches were in the warm library, sipping red tea and waiting for Shard.

When Tifa led Shard into the room, Miss Galina was browsing a book originally borrowed from the Xerxes Higher Medical Academy by Princess Margaret, titled "Immortal Mystique." This book, as it contained fragments of Poem Chapters and was a relic of the Witch Empresses, had been "claimed" by Miss Sylvia and now belonged to the Council as a common property.

As for Miss Sylvia, she was looking at a knitting magazine at the time.

After Shard took his seat, he first complained a bit about the dreadful weather before discussing serious matters with the two ladies:

"I have already obtained the Radiant Stone from the Prankster Boy, and along with the one from Thief Jack, I now have two."

"See, I just knew you'd somehow end up involved in the matters of the Chosen One."

The Duchess laughed as she put down her book, glanced at Miss Sylvia, and then said:

"The matter of the Radiant Stone is not important right now. The Speaker has used time reversal to restore another fragment of the Poem Chapter from ancient stone carvings. There are two new pieces of information."

She extended her finger towards Shard:

"The Heart Lake Island used for the ceremony of the Chosen One of Knowledge and Wisdom is not in Tobesk but in a region in the central part of the Old Continent."

On the side, Miss Sylvia waved her finger, and a bright blue light formed a map of the Old Continent above the tea table in front of the three of them.

Recently, Luviya had mentioned that this ceremony wasn't in Tobesk but further south, so Shard immediately pointed his finger at the map:

"Could it be in the Pantanal Swamp region?"

"Why would you think that? But it's not entirely without reason."

Miss Galina pondered:

"Moreover, I assume you already know that during the Chosen One Ceremony, if you can be within the coverage area of the ceremony, everyone will receive an enlightenment of wisdom."

"Yes, I know about this matter."

"But this Enlightenment seems stronger than we originally understood. It makes sense to believe that Miss Pavo from the Truth Society has a true purpose this time related to Enlightenment. The Truth Society seems to be planning some large-scale experiment but lacks key information."

The Witch frowned slightly:

"And there's the Apuna Library; they've done so many things behind the church's back for Enlightenment. They're looking for a secret ancient library with numerous books that are worth betraying the church for."

Shard thought about last Monday, when he and Luviya were at the Three Cats Inn, simultaneously seeing the Circle Sorcerers from the Truth Society, Apuna Library, and Pantanal Voodoo Society appear:

"The final location in the Pantanal Swamp is highly likely."

He whispered, and Miss Galina nodded, looking quite convinced of Shard's judgment. Miss Sylvia didn't understand what this conviction was about, since Shard hadn't given any specific reason.

"Emma, if the Council wants to cross a thousand miles and have more than three Grand Witches appear in the Pantanal Region center, do you have a way?"

Miss Galina asked, and Miss Sylvia thought for a moment:

"At least we need to determine the specific location and give me a positioning. The Pantanal Swamp is quite large. If we don't know the exact spot, it would be better to just fly over using spatial power, at least the view is more open."

Miss Galina thought for a moment and asked Shard:

"Shard, what do you intend to do then?"

"I'm still judging certain things. This time's Chosen One... The Pantanal Voodoo Society is plotting schemes, hoping it has nothing to do with the evil creatures of Pantanal."

Miss Galina smiled and shook her head:

"Since it might involve Pantanal, the possibility of it being unrelated to that Subspace evil is very small. The Chosen One holding a ceremony has never gone smoothly. If no unexpected power appears, how will the Chosen One undergo trials?"

"Shard, speaking of which, do you have any clues about the Bard's trial?"

Miss Sylvia also asked, as she also heard the Bard's poem at the Opera House that evening while rescuing Princess Margaret.

"The yellow moon, I still don't know what it specifically refers to."

Shard shook his head, though he was skilled at finding things, without any clues, there's nothing he could actually find:

"Once the weather clears, I plan to hold a night ceremony using my Core Spirit Rune to resonate if there's any kindred power."

This 'Resonance Ritual' also counts as a basic ritual, but since it often resonates with dangerous things, Circle Sorcerers don't use it unless necessary:

"Hopefully, I can find a way."

"It's truly a pity that this time's Chosen One is still male; otherwise, if we find five Radiant Stones, we might be able to attract a lady similar to Sister Delphine."

The Witch sighed.

After Sister Delphine's incident, the Council also knew the Chosen One had a candidate mechanism. But the Council didn't know how to find the chosen ones who ranked lower or had enough confidence to kill the Chosen One protected by fate, so all they could do was wait.

Heavy snow made the roads hard to travel, and upon learning of Shard's plan in the afternoon which only involved going to Midshire Fort, Miss Galina specifically invited Shard for lunch together, allowing him a rare opportunity to dine with two Witches. Miss Sylvia didn't broach the topic of investments but instead discussed the upcoming year-end exam week a few weeks later with Miss Galina.

Shard felt quite confident about this matter; although skipping grades meant he had to read over thirty books, compared to the rushed summer exam week, a doctor's caring prompts allowed him to start "reviewing" more than a month in advance.

During the short week of cohabitation with Dorothy, those needing not only memorization but understanding too, such as Reconstruction in Basic Ritual Studies and Pharmacological Analysis in Intermediate Potion Studies, received help from Miss Writer and Her Highness the Princess.

This winter he hadn't chosen any elective courses, so he only needed to pass his required material. The concern now was not whether he could pass but what scores he would get.

After lunch, both Witches headed to the Council to contact the Speaker, and the Duchess also sent a carriage to return Shard to the city. Once back home, Shard first ensured Mia ate the cat food he left for her at noon before heading to Midshire Fort, walking from the Ruined Tower in the mountains to the House of the Blind in the city.

At two in the afternoon, he, alongside Sister Delphine, the Guardian of Primal Fire, walked through the painting in the Serpent Heart Hospital basement in Midshire Fort city, arriving at the Ritual Site amidst the Rommel Mountains.

The mountain snow was more resistant to melting; the old Ritual Site was cloaked in silver garb even in the deep winter.