Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Randall Valley City is located on the plains of the river valley, west of the southwestern mountains of Carsonrick. Although not a port city, due to the extremely convenient waterway transportation, ships can directly navigate from the estuary into the inland river channels, eventually reaching Randall Valley City. Furthermore, the steam railway tracks that run north to south make this city a major transportation hub at the southernmost part of Carsonrick West Coast.

Of course, the city is not famous for its inland navigation, but rather for the scenery of the Randall Valley Plains, renowned across the entire Old Continent.

Especially in spring, the scenery is praised as the most beautiful in the Southern Nation, and even Shard has heard of the various spring festivals celebrated annually in Randall Valley.

Over thirty years ago, Randall Valley was hailed as the most suitable city for human habitation in the entire Carsonrick, with even the Royal Family vacationing here every summer.

However, all of this was over thirty years ago, and the advent of the Steam Age has severely impacted this city. In order not to fall behind the development level of the United Kingdom, the construction of steam factories has polluted the once azure sky.

Though the pollution here is far less than in Tobesk City, known as the "City of Steam," it has still become difficult to see completely blue skies in recent decades.

But if you leave the city and walk towards the northeast part of the valley forest and nearby mountainous areas, you will find that the air remains fresh and natural. The big figures of Randall Valley City try to confine pollution purely within the city, and at least in recent years, the emissions situation here appears much better than in other cities.

Because it's snowing, the weather is bleak. The winter sky is shrouded in gray mist, and the air pressure causes the polluted air to settle, resulting in a foggy appearance in the city as well.

The Granger Family is the most prestigious family locally. Generations of management and the family's good reputation have made Granger a renowned noble surname in Randall Valley. The current titleholder of the family, thirty-nine-year-old Earl Hegel Granger, does not consistently reside locally.

In the Steam Age, nobles were more accustomed to staying in the Royal Capital than their ancestors who primarily lived on estates. The rise of the emerging bourgeoisie means that nobles who remain distant from the political power center become marginalized, which eventually leads to decline.

But fortunately, on this dull winter morning, Earl Granger is indeed in the city.

Shard appeared on Cherry Leaf Avenue, which is located to the east of the city, while the Earl's manor is on the west side of Cherry Leaf Avenue, near the city's core area.

Every city has its architectural and city planning styles. Walking in the Spring City during winter, Shard found that this place, unlike Tobesk City, is not laid out almost like a grid, nor is it like Huntington, another Carsonrick city, with many slopes due to its terrain.

Randall Valley's city distribution seems quite random, but walking within it, one can feel a mysterious sense of order. This is somewhat similar to the difference between strictly symmetrical noble estates and completely asymmetrical landscape gardens. It might feel a bit chaotic while looking for directions on a map, but once you start walking, you won't get lost at all.

If he can successfully find the key that Luviya mentioned, Shard would be very interested in taking a stroll in the well-known valley forest both inside and outside the city to experience the scenery of Spring City. But for now, he must prioritize important matters and, at least before the sun sets, find a way to return to the abandoned church.

Although within the city, the Earl's manor occupies a considerable area. After a stretch of uphill road, at the end of the road, on a high ground, surrounded by a white wall, is the location of the Earl's estate.

Visiting such a distinguished grand noble usually requires an appointment. Shard, who was already disguised, did not have an appointment, but when he explained his intent to the manor guard and presented one of the two medals, the guard quickly reported to the manor's owner.

It wasn't long before the old house steward, dressed in black formal attire, hurriedly appeared at the grand gate of the manor:

"Sir, may I know how I should address you?"

He asked Shard through the gate,

"John Watson, a writer from Velindale City."

Shard still used this name, and his accent sounded quite good now:

"I wonder if the Earl is home now? I hope to return these two medals to him personally."

Saying that, he also did not forget to hand over John Watson's business card.

It wasn't something he printed for disguising his identity, but a card that Margaret sent from Velindale City to Tobesk not long ago. Her Highness the Princess crafted a false identity for him, and this identity is entirely verifiable.

"Very well, Mr. Watson, please come in. The Earl is working in the study and is pleased to see you now."

The old house steward with white false hair lightly brushed the surface of the business card with his finger pad, understood its material roughly, then slightly bowed and personally opened the gate to lead Shard into the courtyard.

The manor courtyard was covered with snow, but the walkway leading to the mansion had been cleared. The study is on the second floor of the mansion, and the old house steward chatted with Shard while guiding him inside.

This kind of noble manor usually hangs portraits of important figures of the noble lineage. The old house steward proudly introduced the ancestors of the Granger Family, but unfortunately, Shard did not hear the name of the Low Ring Sorcerer Mr. Thomas Granger.

The thirty-nine-year-old Earl Hegel Granger is at the prime of his life. When Shard walked into the carpeted study and met the Earl, his first impression was that the Earl was like a strong lion.

The study had drawn curtains, but the gas lamps on both side walls were bright. Sitting behind the grand long desk, the Earl, like the oil portraits in the corridor, had slightly curly brown hair. His eyes were large and spirited, and he wore a red coat with wheat ear decorations, with a ring set with a black gemstone on his right hand, placed on the desk.

When Shard entered, the Earl did not rise to greet him, but he warmly welcomed Shard. After Shard took his seat, the old butler whispered a few words in the Earl's ear, and Earl Granger showed a somewhat surprised expression. Shard vaguely heard the word "business card."

After the servants prepared tea for the two of them, the Earl said to Shard:

"Mr. Watson, I'm pleased to see you on this dull winter morning. If you hadn't come, I would probably have spent this morning immersed in these boring tax documents."

Beginning a conversation with meaningless pleasantries is a necessary etiquette, which is equally important whether in Draleon or Carsonrick.

"I am also honored to see you on this winter morning."

Shard responded, then took out the two antique boxes:

"I came this time for this."

He opened the two boxes in succession and pushed them across the table to the Earl. The Earl did not directly reach out to touch the medals but put on gloves before taking them out of the boxes.

Meanwhile, the old butler knocked on the door again, bringing the Earl some documents. Among them were both paper materials and yellowed old photographs. The Earl looked through the documents while examining the medals, nodding after a long while, putting the medals back into the boxes, then taking off his gloves and saying to Shard, who was holding a teacup:

"Mr. Watson, do you know what these two medals are?"

Shard put down the teacup and nodded:

"I discovered them in the hidden compartment of a clock while buying a clock from a thrift store in Velindale City. Later, when researching, after knowing they belonged to the Granger Family, I also learned about these two medals. One is the Carsonrick Conqueror Medal, and the other is the Golden Fleece Knights Medal."

Actually, it was in a letter left by Mr. Thomas Granger that these two names were mentioned. Although Shard did not know much about the medal system of Carsonrick, he knew they were quite remarkable:

"These are indeed symbols of honor."

"Yes, these are honors earned by the ancestors."

Mr. Granger nodded, saying to the young man sitting there:

"Mr. Watson, I am very grateful that you returned these two medals. This is a matter beyond description for the Granger Family. I do not want to insult you with money, but if I do not provide you with a generous reward for this, perhaps our ancestors would not forgive me."

He blinked, waiting for Shard to name his price.

Although Shard had already received the reward given by Mr. Hegel Granger, if he asked for nothing now, it would seem strange:

"10 kroner."

He named a relatively "low" price—that's equivalent to 120 to 130 pounds—and spoke before the Earl could:

"Earl, more than kroner, I am actually more interested in stories."

Shard said with a smile:

"I traveled from Velindale to Randall Valley not for money. I love stories, so, if possible, could you tell me the stories behind these two medals, especially the stories before they were lost."

He reached for the teacup handle again but did not pick it up immediately. Instead, he let the bottom of the teacup rub against the saucer:

"Stories are more valuable than money."

The Earl showed an expression of deep agreement. He nodded, clasping his hands together on the table:

"To be honest, this piece of family history is not particularly glorious. Mr. Watson, you can probably understand that no matter how traditional a noble family, some members who aren't very traditional will emerge."

Shard nodded slightly, while the Earl squinted, seeming to sink into memory:

"I am thirty-nine years old this year, born in 1815 in the Common Era Calendar, and the loss of the medals happened about thirty years before I was born. That was around 1780, a time when my father wasn't born yet, my grandfather was a child of just over ten, and the protagonist of the story is my great-grandfather's brother, Thomas Jane Granger."