Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

After reading the note, Shard blinked and muttered:

"What a bunch of flashy stuff."

Then he grasped the silver cube:

"Collecting stories to open it and get the so-called gift... the invisible abandoned church on Cherry Leaf Avenue."

The cube, not yet warmed by the temperature of Shard's palm, immediately began to heat up. Shard keenly sensed a textured pattern emerging on one face of the cube. Opening his palm, he indeed saw one of the six faces covered in dense letters.

"Couldn't you just leave me a note?"

The letters were extremely small, making it difficult to discern complete sentences even as Shard leaned in for a closer look. Fortunately, "she" recited the sentences from the metal block as Shard rubbed them with his fingertips:

[Between numbers 11 and 12 on Cherry Leaf Avenue, there exists an abandoned church that cannot be observed in a normal state. This church belongs to the Forgotten Elder God. After the deity departed in the Fifth Era, mortal believers struggled to uphold it, and it eventually fell into complete ruin. Observing the church is simple: align the middle and index fingers of any hand, as well as the ring and little fingers. Look through the gap between the aligned fingers at the wall between 11 and 12, and softly pray—Praise the departed gods, the world is with you and me!]

"That simple?"

Shard mused as he tried to recall the Old God "Forgotten Elder." No matter how hard he tried to remember, it seemed he had never heard the deity's name from any source.

He looked down at the silver cube in his hand, where the tiny letters on its surface had disappeared. Trying a new approach, Shard said:

"The only time key to 'Bygone Era: Sixth Era.'"

Seeing no reaction from the silver cube, he tried another phrase:

"The mysterious event key hidden in Randall Valley."

Still no response.

"The time key of the cyclical Sixth Era."

Again, no reaction.

"I knew it wouldn't be that simple... But if this silver cube contains other secrets related to this city, even if there's nothing hidden inside, Mr. Thomas Granger truly left me a remarkable item... Could the key be inside it?"

With the afternoon already here, Shard had no intention of staying any longer, especially since Luviya would arrive only tomorrow. After leaving the inn, he quickly returned to Cherry Leaf Avenue and found the location between numbers 11 and 12.

Confirming no one was paying attention to him, he followed the instructions on the silver cube, peering through his finger gaps at the wall and softly praying:

"Praise the departed gods, the world is with you and me."

The light twisted, and as if space was expanding, the courtyard of the abandoned church forcefully "pushed" through the gaps in the brick wall, appearing on Cherry Leaf Avenue.

Shard watched with astonishment, using "Lagre's Leap" to directly enter the courtyard unnoticed. Standing in the snowy yard, observing the bustling street outside:

"Truly interesting... No footprints on the snow, no signs of activity inside the church. Could this unknown courtyard be mine from now on?"

Upon his previous visit, he merely found the exit within the church. With time to spare, Shard explored the bygone church more thoroughly, eventually admitting that apart from building debris, nothing valuable seemed to be found.

Thus, he returned home through the church's hidden space basement, making sure to bring home the boxed books and gold coins, leaving the box as a signpost there.

Leaving the basement, he felt puzzled not seeing the excited cat, then realized Mia had been taken by Dorothy for care.

That evening, Shard dined with Dorothy on Silver Cross Avenue, excitedly sharing his day's discoveries with her. Compared to previous arrivals in new cities, this experience was particularly fascinating, as Dorothy evidently agreed:

"An invisible bygone church in town? Yes, it's a great theme. Just hearing the gist, I can imagine a very intriguing detective story!"

However, Miss Writer had not heard of the Old God "Forgotten Elder," but Lecia had found a way for Shard to learn singing abilities:

"Since you hope to permanently gain the ability to sing, excluding Magic Potions and Alchemical Items, only Sorcery and Arcane Technique remain. In your Spirit Rune, only the 'Echo' can connect to similar powers."

The blonde girl sat across from Shard in the restaurant, which was a high-class establishment on Silver Cross Avenue. Both were formally dressed, while Mia lay quietly on a tall stool. The gas lamps inside the restaurant were deliberately dimmed, yet the candlelight on each table was bright.

People spoke in hushed voices, and each table covered in a pristine white cloth was far apart, indeed making this a perfect place for a date.

"Arcane Technique [Voice of Music]."

Dorothy's green eyes looked at Shard:

"This isn't meant for you to learn singing, but rather for you to record music within yourself. Whether it's through instruments like the piano, the phonograph, or actual singing, it can all be recorded and then performed by yourself. Of course, the timbre will change to your voice, as a human voice cannot simulate the sound of a violin."

Shard nodded, and after the waiter who brought the foie gras and scallop had left, he said:

"Sounds great, I'll go back to the Academy tonight and apply. The academic evaluation rewards me with two brand new Arcane Techniques, and the Academy can even directly provide the materials for the rite. But what was this Arcane Technique originally used for? Was it created and passed down just to record sound?"

Simple alchemical items can achieve that.

"It's for Circle Sorcerers themselves, to record the sounds of nature. Wind, rain, thunder. In legends, skilled Circle Sorcerers who can commune with nature would venture alone into mountains and forests, recording the music of nature and the earth, accepting the world's enlightenment... However, for you, if it's just to record a song and then let yourself sing, this is enough."

Dorothy said, then smiled and pointed at Mia:

"Your cat is practically begging for food with its expression."

"This cat has been eating a lot since the Year-End Festival, I've been considering putting it on a diet... of course, just considering."

Shard said with a smile, petting the little head of the cat, and Mia squinted her eyes, rubbing her head against Shard's palm.

Dorothy continued:

"There are some issues with the learning materials for the Arcane Technique. I know the Academy provides them for free, but the main ingredient for the potion required by this Arcane Technique is [three stalks of thirty-year-old purple Echo Grass with complete roots], and Lecia said that recently the Three Major Academies have been out of stock. Not completely impossible to find, but it takes time, and you wish to use your Time Key by the weekend, don't you?"

"Where is it produced?"

"Around Carsonrick's Star Dew Valley Town and nearby regions. Yes, Randall Valley is in scope too, which is where you're going now. Lecia also considered your ability to go there, that's how she found this Arcane Technique."

Shard nodded:

"I'll search the local black market first, if it doesn't work, I'll look for other ways. However, after this, I need to record a beautiful ballad, do you know anyone whose singing is really nice?"

Miss Writer coughed modestly and blinked at Shard, who suddenly understood and nodded:

"Then, I'll have to trouble you."

Miss Writer blushed and softly replied, "Mm."

(Mia running around...)

Early on Wednesday morning, Shard didn't hurry to head to Randall Valley to meet Luviya, but first visited Old John's pawnshop.

"Old Man John, can you tell what this is?"

The pawnshop had no customers early in the morning. Shard exchanged pleasantries with the old man reading a newspaper, then took out the Silver Cube.

Old John, wearing reading glasses, tilted his head from behind the counter and glanced at the metal block on the table:

"If it's not a relic, it's hard for me to give a specific answer, but identifying the material is not a problem."

He said, donning gloves and examining it quickly, marveling:

"What a waste, if I'm not mistaken, this metal layer is Mithril. And not ordinary Mithril, it's blessed by a Deity's priest. Besides Mithril, there are other materials, let me see... Approximately three hundred years ago, Xerxes Higher Medical Academy invented a new Mithril alloy formula, giving Mithril excellent malleability. If I'm not mistaken, this metal block should be able to change shape?"

"It can display text, changing shape I'm not sure about."

Shard replied, as he'd heard of the famed "Mithril" in his basic courses and from the witches, though "Mithril" was a name he'd translated himself. It's an exceedingly expensive metal material, more precious than the "Mithril" from the stories of the Outlander's homeland, with extraordinary impact resistance and top-tier compatibility with spirits.

The value of Mithril is immeasurable, as it can't be found in the black market. Even Academy professors must apply rigorously to obtain this material for experiments.

Of course, Shard had seen Mithril items before, like Sister Delphine's eye patch. The intricately patterned eye patch was a top divine item passed down from the Ancient Death God Church, though the eye patch's power wasn't heavily tied to its material, it still indicated Mithril's preciousness.

Hence, the small silver cube in Shard's hands was far more valuable than he initially thought yesterday afternoon.