Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

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Playing cards with someone who cheated at cards was a rather novel experience for Shard. After resting for a while with Miss Princess, they left the tavern and headed for their next destination.

The Seven Brooms Tavern was considered a major gathering place for Circle Sorcerers locally, and now Miss Princess wanted to introduce Shard to a few relatively smaller Circle Sorcerer black markets.

They were still in the bustling and chaotic Dock Area, and after leaving the tavern, both removed their masks and walked normally down the street towards the port. Miss Princess led the way, with Shard following behind. He had been pondering whether to start a conversation, but to his surprise, the Female Sorcerer wearing ruby earrings started chatting with him first.

It seemed that Miss Princess had been to many places, discussing with Shard the local customs and political systems of the Old Continent. Whether it was Carsonrick's unique Council system, the peculiar habits of the Grand Duchess of the Little Duchy in the southern part of Draleon, the unusual traditions of the small coastal tribes in the Eastern Kingdom, or the environmental protection regulations of the Primal Forest in the southern part of the Old Continent, she could actually speak a bit about each.

From the Northern Great Ice Cap to the Primal Forest in the south, from the West Coast's Coldwater Port to the Shattered Isles on the east coast of the continent, Miss Princess almost had knowledge about them all. In fact, if it weren't for her status as a Correspondence Circle Mage, she would have liked to visit the New World to witness its unique natural scenery and the majestic and spectacular Ancient Ruins.

"I visited Carsonrick not too long ago, of course, it was just a short trip."

Miss Princess said as she and Shard stood at the corner waiting for a row of carriages in front of them to pass. This was the local art gallery moving its goods.

While talking, she observed Shard's expression, but most of Shard's attention was now focused on the Dock Area post office across the intersection.

There were more post offices in Coldwater Port City than in Tobesk. Although the permanent population here might not be as high as that of the northern gem, the number of outsiders it handled every day was unmatched. Since Miss Luisa had said not to bring fish as a souvenir, Shard was considering whether to buy some beautiful postcards at the post office.

"How was Carsonrick?"

Shard casually asked.

"Quite nice, especially the vineyards in the south. The scenery there is simply magnificent."

Miss Princess said. Young ladies from the north in this Era seemed to be very fond of the vineyards in the south.

She had thought Shard would continue talking about the vineyards, but he was instead looking at the souvenir shop next to the post office.

Colorful masks and various styles of wooden ship models were displayed in the window, and Shard was considering whether he should buy some models to bring back for Miss Luisa.

"What do you think about giving these things to a friend? Since I've come all the way to Coldwater Port City, I plan to buy some gifts for my teammates."

Miss Princess looked in the direction his finger was pointing, and they walked together down the busy dockside street. It was Monday afternoon, but the dock was still bustling with noise.

"For a female friend?"

She asked.

"Yes."

"She definitely won't like it."

The Female Sorcerer responded decisively without even thinking.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't lik... Generally speaking, women won't like things that would be bulky in a cabinet and serve no purpose."

"Then what should I give as a gift?"

Shard sought her help.

"You want me to help you choose?"

The blond girl pointed at herself, her expression a mix of wanting to laugh and feeling frustrated.

"Yes... Is that too much trouble? Sorry, I just wanted to hear your opinion."

Shard asked hesitantly, thinking that the agreement was only for her to be his guide, and she had no obligation to help him pick gifts.

Seeing Shard say this, the Female Sorcerer took a deep breath:

"You really do look for shortcuts... The souvenir shop probably has those inexpensive little trinkets, like brooches made from shells, or pretty pebble bracelets. These kinds of things are small and exquisite. Although they aren't worth much, they won't seem out of place at home. Look, there are ruby earrings in the window there. Even though the gemstones are definitely fake, the mermaid design is quite nice."

"Oh! Great idea! Please wait!"

Saying this, Shard quickly walked toward the souvenir shop beside the post office, leaving Miss Princess alone by the mailbox, watching his retreating figure from a distance:

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"Is he really clueless or just pulling my leg?"

the female sorcerer muttered softly.

Having left the intersection, they did not enter the harbor area but followed the street northward, until the buildings around them grew sparse. It took them half an hour to depart from the bustling docks and ascend the cliffs on the outskirts of the Dock Area. Shard could see the small lighthouse perched on the cliff from a distance, their destination.

To get from the city to the lighthouse on the sea cliff, there was only a winding path. Though it was unmaintained, the ruts in the ground managed to keep nature from swallowing up the path.

After climbing to the top of the cliff, the scent of the sea became stronger, and the sound of seagulls in the sea breeze traveled far, while the sound of waves crashing was truly refreshing. Miss Princess led the way, introducing Shard to the area as they walked. However, she probably didn't come here often, as she had to stop frequently to find the easiest path.

It was only when they approached the lighthouse that Shard saw the piles of wood planks and metal pipes under the old lighthouse.

"Are they doing maintenance here?"

Shard asked hesitantly.

"The lighthouse is maintained every summer; it's crucial for the port. Not only does it guide ships setting out on long voyages, but the 12 lighthouses around the perimeter of Coldwater Port City also serve to guard the coastline," Miss Princess explained as she stopped with Shard to look at the old lighthouse standing on the cliff.

"Mr. Watson, are you familiar with the history of Coldwater Port City? Although the city flourished due to the discovery of the New World, it was always one of the most important seaport cities on the West Coast of the Old Continent, long before that. The history of Coldwater Port City's establishment is now untraceable, but in the early Sixth Era, something shocking happened here. After that, the True God Church in partnership with the Magic Academy, built 12 lighthouses around the outskirts of Coldwater Port City as a Base Formation for a large ritual, to protect the city."

"What was the ritual for?"

"I don't know, it's a secret of the Church and the Academy. I just read some information in the history books at Zaras Academy of Sorcery when I was writing a paper for my course. Of course, that was a millennium ago, and now the ritual that supposedly protects the city is more symbolic than practical. After all, the current times are different from the chaotic early Era, and the True God Church can fully protect this place. So whether the large ritual relying on the twelve lighthouses is still effective, we simply do not know," she continued.

Inside this old lighthouse atop the cliff currently lived an elderly Tower Keeper, Mr. Edmund, who they had come to visit. The decline of these once-great lighthouses was marked by the fact that such an important node of the ritual was secretly guarded by a correspondence Circle Mage.

Mr. Edmund did not belong to the Church, and even Miss Princess did not know which organization he was affiliated with. Because they could not fully trust him, they both wore masks before knocking on the door, but after knocking for a long time, no one answered from inside the lighthouse.

Just as they were thinking of leaving, footsteps approached from the direction they had come.

Turning around, they saw an old man wearing a hat and a light gray jacket full of pockets, carrying a fishing rod and a bucket in his left hand, and a metal folding chair in his right, ascending the winding path from the base of the cliff.

The folding chair seemed to be made of the pipes piled up under the lighthouse.

He appeared to be about fifty years old, full of energy with a ruddy complexion, and his steps were very steady. Seeing masked strangers standing under the lighthouse, he asked:

"Who sent you here?"

The Coldwater Port accent was very heavy, distinct from the pronunciations of the West Coast and inland.

"Two years ago, I bought a magical conch from you. You asked for 300 pounds, and I gave you 310 pounds, telling you that I might come back after a long time," Miss Princess said.

"Oh?"

Mr. Edmund nodded as if he remembered the generous lady:
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"I remember that. You said someone referred you, my friend old...," he paused, noticing the gesture from Miss Princess, who signaled not to mention the name, instead he gestured for them to wait:

"All right, I'll put down my things and then we can talk. Today's catch was really not bad," he said.

He must have gone fishing earlier, and as he passed by Shard, Shard curiously peeked into the tin bucket, but all it contained was a fish as big as three of Shard's fingers.

"Fishing can have its unlucky days. Today's tides were strange. I would bet something unusual is nearing the coast, and when I baited my spot..." Mr. Edmund, his face reddening, explained as Shard noticed the small catch. The old man did not invite them into the lighthouse but stood with them at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the sea as they talked.

At least 50 feet above the sea level, the incessant tide hit the rocks below the cliff, its thunderous noise forced them to raise their voices. Yet, standing there in the sea breeze and basking in the mist was a very pleasant experience, and Shard enjoyed the distant view where the sky met the sea.

The old man, living alone here, had a dog and two cats in the lighthouse. These three animals, quite human-like, were munching on food provided by Mr. Edmund while observing the three people watching the sea from a distance.

The dog was a common country guard dog, and both cats were mixed breeds, but they had been quite friendly to Shard. If their owner hadn't scolded them, they would have likely rolled at Shard's feet. It seemed Shard's affinity for cats was not only effective with Toby's cats but with cats from other places as well.