Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

God said:

"Three times, show me your talents. Then, give the petals to the companion with the strongest talent. The lucky person with the most petals will be the winner among you, this will be an interesting banquet game. Face the result of the contest honestly and give these petals. Otherwise, the flowers and butterflies will give you punishment. If all of your talents are mediocre, I have the right to refuse everyone's request."

That is to say, if the final result is unsatisfactory, even if someone gains the most petals, no one will gain the favor of the Butterfly God's familiars.

When this god mentioned the "punishment" for dishonesty, Shard inexplicably thought of everyone being devoured by a swarm of insects. The Butterfly God doesn't sound like an Evil God, but Shard always feels that this deity isn't as absolutely innocent as delicate flowers and fluttering butterflies.

"Then, may I ask how we should display our talents and enjoy this feast of the Earth?"

Shard temporarily set aside these chaotic thoughts and asked again. He thought this time it might be about tasting gourmet food and wine or collecting gifts... or tasks like gathering offerings.

"The butterflies I favor love mortal ballads. Since this is a banquet where mortals invited me, sing those magnificent ballads here for the flowers and butterflies and the feast."

The deity replied, its voice was so sweet and melodious. The three people with their heads lowered observed each other's expressions, wanting to understand their thoughts on this matter. Of course, Mr. Fred Lehman still cautiously avoided eye contact with the witch.

"God, I do not wish to obtain the favor of your familar, only to help these mortals."

Shard spoke again, wanting to express that he would not participate in this so-called "competition."

"You can choose not to compete in the festival's contests, but if you do not partake in the activities of the banquet, then please stand up and leave the seat."

The Saint still smiled while speaking, meaning Shard could win without counting, but he must participate in festival activities, otherwise, the deity would not allow him to sit here.

And Shard was certain that if he left the seat, the Tree Father would immediately end his adventure. The Tree Father had him participate in past stories, not watch the past stories.

"But I can't sing..."

The Outlander mused vexedly in his heart.

Of course, Shard could not care how his singing sounded, he could sing a song casually, after all, he didn't want to win, the Tree Father's task was to help the others complete the festival. But the problem is, the deity said just now, if He is not satisfied with the result, then there will be no winner in the festival.

This means that Shard must perform to the best of his ability, otherwise he'll drag others down:

"So, the task after returning this time is... learning to sing?"

This is indeed different from before.

Thinking in his heart, half an hour had already reached its end. Shard, having confirmed what needed to be done, was about to take his leave. He just hoped that the following two tasks would not involve dancing.

"Deity, may I be allowed to leave the seat temporarily? I will return shortly."

He said to the Saint across the round table, and the Butterfly God smiled and nodded. The other three looked at him in surprise, not understanding what Shard meant.

"I have special methods to temporarily leave here, of course, it is just a temporary departure. May I ask if you have anything you need me to bring?"

Shard lowered his voice and asked his companions:

"Since this is a banquet, I imagine you won't lack food and water, ask me for something else. Although I still can't tell you who I am, I sincerely want to help you... I can only bring ordinary items."

"Sir, if possible, please bring me a Lyra, I am very good at playing and singing."

Mr. Fred Lehman spoke first.

Sister Ollie Perry from the Sun Church also understood. Even though she didn't know why Shard could temporarily leave, since it had been confirmed that he wasn't a rival, there was no need to worry too much;

"Sir, if convenient, please bring me 'The Song of the Earth'."

Shard heard Iluna mention this before, it was one of the Sun Church's religious scriptures, a biographical collection of long poems. That book was as thick as Mia's height; even the most devoted nun could hardly recite it completely.

"Then, Miss Blanchett, what do you need?"

Shard asked the middle-aged witch again, who looked at him slightly suspiciously:

"If convenient, please bring me... leaves and grass, some fresh leaves of any kind, but they must be fresh."

This request was indeed not strange, although the deity's appearance made the barren and cold Bug Lair bloom with flowers and green grass, there happened to be no trees.

"No problem."

Shard nodded, these requests were easy to fulfill.

"And as repayment, I will tell you [Ritual: Summoning the Butterfly God]."

The witch then spoke again, and Shard immediately thanked her. Although the Old Gods no longer existed in the Sixth Era, the God Summoning Ritual still possessed immense mysticism value.

As the white mist appeared around him, Shard knew it was his time. Rising respectfully to bid farewell to the deity, he turned and walked into the depths of the white mist before it could take him away.

The warm yellow sunlight illuminated the massive round wooden table. The sound of the writhing insects and the fluttering of butterfly wings resonated together, creating an even more eerie sound. It seemed that with Shard's departure, the temperature here dropped slightly again, and Miss Maggie Blanchett, the witch, softly asked the deity:

"O God, now then…"

"Wait for him to return; you can fully enjoy the food and wine of the feast. Of course, in the meantime, you might ponder over what kind of song you will offer to me."

Saint sat on the chair, tapping the tabletop rhythmically with the hand wearing a grass ring, eyes fixed on the spot where Shard had disappeared. Multi-colored glimmers surrounded the deity, who seemed both present and absent here.

(Mia running…)

"Oh! I've never hated insects so much!"

Shard burst out of his side position, immediately tearing off his coat, and dashed into the washroom. As the cat standing on the dining table curiously craned its neck towards the source of the sound, the rush of water was already heard from the washroom.

"What's wrong with him?"

Miss Writer, wearing an apron, turned to the cat on the table, surprised to see the cat shake its head.

"You understand what I'm saying?"

Mia raised her front paws, rubbing her neck in a silly manner, which made Dorothy doubt her judgment.

At breakfast twenty minutes later, Dorothy was quite curious about what Shard had experienced this time, but for the sake of her appetite, Shard refrained from describing the insects concretely, only vaguely narrating his experience. Of course, it was his experience before the God Summoning Ritual.

"Speaking of which, do you know the Old God [Butterfly God]?"

Having changed into new clothes, Shard's hair was somewhat damp. Petting the cat, he inquired, knowing his knowledge of the deity was limited to knowing the entity had departed in the Fifth Era.

The number of Old Gods was vast, and coupled with the notion that mortals were better off not knowing too much about deities, most Circle Sorcerers only proactively perused ancient knowledge relating to Old Gods when encountered. And the Academy wouldn't voluntarily offer this content.

"Of course I know, the deity often appeared in fairy tales of the Fifth Era."

Miss Writer said familiarly, seeing Shard's curious gaze, she cautiously explained:

"Did you encounter this deity this time?"

Shard nodded cautiously, and Dorothy then expressed some concern:

"You must be careful; this Great One... is not typically considered a Benevolent God. No, no, the Butterfly God isn't an Evil God either; it's just… like stories say, not particularly fond of humans… Sorry, I don't wish to rashly discuss deities early in the morning. However, I can recommend some stories to you, which depict this deity fairly accurately."

Deities aren't only categorized as "very friendly towards humans" and "very unfriendly towards humans", but for Shard, as long as the deity isn't someone like [Vampire Duke Lowell], a pure Evil God, it's fine. He then mentioned the names of his three companions from this adventure, although Dorothy hadn't heard of them.

While Dorothy peeled a steaming egg, Shard's thoughts drifted to a certain morning, and he shook his head, recalling the most crucial issue:

"Are you good at singing? I need to offer a song to the deity in the next adventure."

"What an immense honor, singing for a deity… I heard you mention before that you're not good at singing, so don't expect to become proficient in singing within a week."

Dorothy laughed as she carefully peeled the brown shell off the egg, and meticulously removed the thin protein membrane between the brown shell and the tender white egg.

"I am proficient in the Enlightenment Element, which includes not only fairy tales but also poetry, songs, etc. I've heard methods during courses that allow Circle Sorcerers to master a certain technique quickly. If you need to offer a song to the deity, it's better to master it permanently… I'll discuss with Lecia, and we'll choose an Arcane Technique for you; you can redeem it at the library. If I remember correctly, you can obtain Arcane Techniques for free at the library?"

The singing problem could be temporarily resolved this way, but Shard still needed to determine what song he would perform. Songs related to "spring", "flowers", "butterflies" exist abundantly both in this world and back in his Hometown.

"Ah~open your mouth~"

Miss Writer said tenderly, placing the peeled egg near Shard's lips. He gently bit down, finding the soft, warm egg perfectly suited for breakfast.

For some reason, Dorothy's cheeks flushed slightly upon seeing this scene.

"Wait, don't tell me you also know…"

Shard suddenly realized.

"Luviya mentioned it to me not long ago when we went shopping for clothes."

The blonde girl said shyly, glancing down at herself:

"Oh, how bold… Probably only that Maid dared to do such a thing."