Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Professor Martin was a small-statured middle-aged man, wearing glasses, but with unusually lush black hair, appearing to be in his forties. After confirming Shard's identity and shaking hands with him, he began to recount his story.

The professor's Delarion was very standard; among the people Shard knew, only Miss Pavo could compare:

"This time Toluisa found you for my troublesome son."

The professor helplessly handed Shard the frame standing on the table, which contained a photo of Professor Martin and a young man who looked unhappy. Their features were quite similar.

"My wife passed away due to illness over ten years ago. I have not remarried, instead raising Herbert alone. I must admit, children from single-parent families often grow up with certain character flaws... In short, the seventeen-year-old boy ran away from home because of a woman. Yes, that happened last weekend. I thought he would come back soon, but he hasn't returned home yet."

"You want to commission me to find Mr. Herbert Martin and bring him back?"

Shard asked, and Professor Martin nodded, looking very saddened:

"I am confident he would not leave Tobesk City; he doesn't have the courage. Please find him and persuade him to come home... You may use any means that do not cause permanent harm. Also, please do not disclose this commission to anyone else, though if Luisa wishes to publish it, she may use a pseudonym."

"No problem, if he is still in the city, this kind of missing person commission shouldn't be troublesome for me. May I ask, what is the identity of the other main character of the story, the woman your son is interested in? I think I can use her as a starting point."

While talking, Shard took out a notebook to jot down notes. Mia was beneath the notebook, being used as a writing pad, and the cat did not mind.

The professor touched his nose, only speaking after a long moment:

"... skilled in socializing, no proper profession, often frequents clubs and banquets... that's pretty much it."

Shard expressed great sympathy for the gentleman.

In fact, Shard seldom took on missing persons commissions, as he was more adept at finding lost pet cats. But since it was confirmed that young Mr. Martin was still in the area, Shard believed it wouldn't be difficult to find him within a day or two.

Thus, after bidding farewell to Professor Martin, he and Mia began today's action. The professor provided the "workplace" of the lady his son was obsessed with, although she was unlikely to be there during the day, Shard decided to try his luck.

The lady Mr. Herbert Martin was obsessed with went by the name "Miss Norma". She was not a traditional street-side willow warbler but fulfilled special roles in high-end clubs in the city.

The "Good Gentleman Club" was located in the west of Tobesk City and was nominally established by a gathering of antique collectors. When Shard stepped off the carriage this winter morning and saw the club, the three-story building stood on the left side of the sparsely populated stone-paved street. Those left to the club was a high-end tobacco store with a wooden sign nailed with "Tobacco Retail License", while on the right was a high-end fur shop frequented by noble ladies.

Such a luxurious club was not accessible to just anyone. Entry required both a membership fee and an introduction from an acquaintance. Fortunately, the reputation of "Rejed's Hamilton" was still quite useful in this city, especially after the recent "big case".

Shortly after explaining his identity, Shard was invited into the club, where he met the club's manager on duty, Mr. Chelsea.

A tall-statured middle-aged man with somewhat thinning hair, he warmly welcomed Shard and, upon hearing of Shard's desire to investigate a "staff member" of the club, hesitating only briefly, expressed his willingness to cooperate.

Thus, Shard smoothly obtained Miss Norma's residence, learning also that the lady had not shown up for several days. But such a profession often operated like this, so it wasn't surprising.

"By the way, is Mr. Herbert Martin a frequent visitor here?"

Shard did not forget to ask this, and Mr. Chelsea thought for a moment before nodding:

"He comes here once or twice a week, but Mr. Martin doesn't understand antiques. He comes with friends to have fun. He is quite familiar with Miss Norma, yes, much as you might expect. However, Mr. Martin is not the only one maintaining a friendly relationship with Miss Norma; the gentlemen know each other and have never quarreled."

Shard nodded:

"So, has there been anything unusual between Miss Norma and Mr. Martin recently?"

Mr. Chelsea thought again:

"Miss Norma hasn't shown anything unusual, at least not from what I've observed. However, I've heard that Mr. Herbert Martin discussed 'resurrection' with his companions. Oh, you needn't read too much into it. Miss Norma has always been alive, at least before their last appearance."

Shard frowned slightly; he hadn't heard of any recently deceased family members or friends of young Mr. Martin.

"Then, if you were to rate Mr. Martin's 'love' for Miss Norma on a scale of 1 to 10, what would you give?"

Mr. Chelsea gave an answer without hesitation:

"10 points. That young man loves the lady deeply. However, given that he's just seventeen or eighteen, it's fairly normal. Perhaps when he grows a few years older, he will understand what love truly is."

Shard pondered, hoping Mr. Martin and his friends' discussions about "Resurrection" were unrelated to his disappearance.

The western area of Tobesk City is a gathering place for nobles, but there are also some relatively cheap rented apartments. Miss Norma lives at number 6 Honey Alley, two blocks away from the Good Gentleman Club.

It was Friday morning, and most people living nearby had gone out for work, so Shard knocked on the door and waited for a long time without anyone coming to open it. Considering Miss Norma's lively nightlife, if she were at home, she was probably sleeping soundly and hadn't heard the knocking.

[Should we come back in the evening?]

"She" chuckled as she asked.

"If we come back in the evening, she might have gone out. I don't have the patience to spend the whole afternoon here watching... at least confirm whether the lady is at home or not."

Glancing from the corner of his eye to both sides, there were people on the street, but most of them were in a hurry. So, Shard reached out his finger and tapped on the door lock—

Click~

"How careless, the renters here actually forgot to lock the door before they went out."

He muttered softly, opened the door a crack, then squeezed his body in, as the door closed again.

The internal space of the Honey Alley Apartments is generally not large; upon entering, the feeling of crowding and narrowness is even more pronounced. Walking up the creaky stair steps, he arrived at Miss Norma's residence on the third floor, where a surname nameplate hung on the wooden door, with a note pasted underneath:

"If you don't clean up the stinking perfumes in the communal washroom again, I will ban you from using the washroom."

This was probably put up by the landlord.

Shard didn't barge in directly but knocked on the door a few more times. After waiting for a moment, confirming no one responded, he opened the door and walked in.

The small living room in the narrow apartment was about the size of the washroom in Shard's house, with three doors leading to the dining kitchen, bedroom, and a sunny balcony, respectively.

Upon entering, Shard glanced around, then looked down at the pile of letters on the doormat, pushed through the mail slot:

"The oldest letter was sent three days ago. Could it be that Miss Norma really eloped with Mr. Martin?"

He briefly looked over the envelopes of those letters; from the crazy words written on them, most were from Miss Norma's admirers. This lady seemed to be very charming and capable.

The cat perched on his shoulder made a discontented sound because the fragrance in the room was too intense, and it was a cheap incense smell. The scent had no source, as if it had permeated the house over years of use.

Since the letters from three days ago hadn't been checked, Miss Norma was obviously not at home. And considering the need to report this matter to the client, Shard didn't immediately rummage through others' things but quietly apologized and then began to act.

"However, first, I need to determine whether this is a murder case—Echo of Blood."

There weren't any large-scale fresh bloodstains in the living room. Shard put on shoe covers and went to the bedroom, where he saw fresh bloodstains on the bedside cabinet and the picture frame of the painting hanging above the bed. The stains were accumulated over years, indicating these places often got stained with blood.

"Have clues appeared?"

The bedside cabinet contained Miss Norma's personal items, which Shard didn't rummage through. He stood by the bed and looked at the painting; it wasn't a cheap decorative oil painting but was of high artistic quality according to Shard's discerning eye.

The painting depicted a landscape of undulating mountains, though it wasn't a mere landscape painting. It maliciously portrayed a yellowed sky, eerie figures in the shadows of the mountain range, and bizarre mountain shapes.

Some might enjoy this painting style, but Shard felt there might be some issues with it.

He stood on tiptoe to take down the oil painting and found a locked trap door on the wall behind it. On the back of the painting, with exaggerated cursive letters slanted, a phrase was written:

[May Earth be with you and me.]

Upon noticing these words written in dark blue letters, Shard saw them transform into blood-red, as blood flowed down the backside of the painting's frame.

"Seems like there's trouble."

Shard sighed slightly as a gust of cold wind blew through the closed room suddenly; with a loud bang~, the bedroom door slammed shut. The light filtering through the curtains weakened significantly, and as creaking sounds emanated from beneath the floor, the hand of an Evil Spirit reached out and grabbed Shard's ankle.