Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"Hmph~"

Shard exhaled through his nose as if he were laughing, or perhaps sighing.

"I want to ask a rather boring question. Since returning to Midshire Fort, have you ever dreamed about her?"

Mr. Barton nodded:

"Of course, countless times... I dreamed of her standing on a dark and tranquil expanse of water, accompanied by numerous white shadows. Those shadows continually drifted away, but she alone turned to wave goodbye to me. I wanted to grasp her, but each time, I would wake up as I tried to step into that body of water. Perhaps the gods really are trying to tell me something, I just haven't understood it yet."

Shard slightly lowered his head to look at his cat, to prevent his expression from being read. The body of water that Mr. Joey Barton dreamed about sounded an awful lot like the estuary of True Death. If he had actually stepped into the water, he would surely have died, for even Shard dared not do such a thing. Even as The Chosen One, even as a barely adequate counterfeit 'demigod' like Shard, he could not defy the world's most fundamental rules.

However, it appeared that Mr. Barton truly possessed an astonishing talent. Merely through his intense longing and bond, he could "glimpse death." It was notable considering he was merely at the First Ring.

"If possible, I would really like to see her again," said the man who looked like a strange child.

"The living and the deceased are different," Shard raised an eyebrow:

"Those who leave, let them go."

Mr. Barton smiled briefly and dropped the subject:

"You're right, but people always need to dream, and we must look forward. Mr. Watson, you've come to see me thrice in a row, is it not the future that you seek?"

"Of course."

Shard nodded but said nothing more, as Mr. Barton was looking at him seriously, no longer the relaxed storyteller of before:

"Mr. Watson, your visit this time can't just be for more divination for your cat, right? I don't think you're here to listen to stories either."

Shard wasn't surprised at all by the other's insight:

"Yes, I mainly wanted to ask you some questions to determine my next course of action."

Joey Barton squinted slightly, his already small eyes narrowing even further due to the swelling of his head:

"Are you a Circle Sorcerer too?"

"Yes."

Shard didn't see the need to hide this.

"From the True God Church?"

"How about we answer each other's questions? Mr. Barton, are you a member of the Truth Society?"

Joey Barton clearly didn't expect Shard to bring this up but after hesitating, he responded:

"No, I can only be considered as their test subject, or perhaps a non-official member."

"I am not associated with the True God Church either. I am just an outlander who occasionally visits this city, and happened to hear about your situation."

"Outlander..."

Shard sat straight and proper:

"Regardless of who I am, you should at least understand that I bear you no malice, else it would be the Church of the Five Gods who has been hunting the Truth Society here in the city standing before you. Mr. Barton, do you know why the Truth Society has sent people to this city? Oh, no need to answer, just listen to me."

Shard raised a finger:

"First, you probably know that they are coveting the Interstice, but whether they want to conduct experiments or merely create chaos to take revenge on the True God Church, those are just superficial intentions masking their true objective. They are actually looking for someone."

"Yes, they are searching for four people who have been resurrected from the dead recently. I suspected you, but I never disclosed your information."

Mr. Barton interjected hurriedly.

"Suspected me to be one of the four nails? Oh no, I am not a native of Milestone."

Shard found this amusing but shook his head:

"Those four resurrected individuals are like nails connecting the Interstice with the material world, but this is still related to the Interstice. Their real purpose is to find a special individual, one with a unique Talent for death, The Chosen One by Fate."

"Chosen by Fate..."

Mr. Barton frowned skeptically:

"Mr. Watson, you're not trying to tell me a fairy tale, are you?"

It was indeed hard to believe such things, Luviya had gone to great lengths to make Iluna understand:

"Don't you feel that you are special?"

"If you mean this damned illness, then yes, I am special."

Mr. Barton relaxed somewhat, leaning back on the sofa:

"Every person who thinks they're special gets a reality check as they grow up. That's something I understood a long time ago."

Shard laughed:

"No no, I'm referring to your Talent as a Circle Sorcerer. Think about it, Mr. Barton, a Circle Sorcerer's 'other self' can have special powers, but what is your special power? Haven't you ever wondered what kind of power you hold in your hands?"

Shard continued to probe.

On the surface, Joey Barton's special power seems to be seeing through death. But from Iluna's and Daknis's indications, his Talent was definitely not that simple.

"Like my own special Talent, which is a keen sensitivity to Fate. So, what about you, Mr. Barton, is it just seeing through death?"

"I..."

Mr. Barton indeed hesitated, his suspicious gaze fixed on his hands:

"Indeed... there's another, abnormal, Talent. This, I have never mentioned to anyone."

Shard revealed a smile:

"I can tell that although you're not strictly a good person, you at least have a kind heart, and you can't stand the methods of the Truth Society's madmen. Sorry, perhaps I shouldn't have used the word 'madmen'."

"It's okay, I understand them better than you do, I know how insane they are."

Mr. Barton shook his head.

"Mr. Barton, are you aware of the events that happened in Tobesk City and Coldwater Port this summer and late summer?"

Shard brought up the matter again, the cat in his arms squirming slowly.

"Of course, the Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer 'God Summoner' directly confronted the descending Evil God, and along with Coldwater Port and the Church, defeated the Crimson Cult. That is something everyone knows."

"It seems something similar has happened here as well."

"You mean the God Summoner..."

Mr. Barton inquired with interest, but Shard immediately shook his head:

"I am referring to a major event, capable of stirring the entire material world, now discovered here. So, what would be the reason for that? Sir, the epic of the Sixth Era has begun, and some special individuals are destined to play the leading roles."

Mr. Barton pursed his thick lips, then slowly shook his head:

"Mr. Watson, compared to me, you are more like the leading character. Do you know that I have observed the fate of over a thousand people, but you are the most unique among them. A person outside of Fate, right?"

"That's right."

Shard nodded:

"I have a very talented Diviner friend who once made it clear that because I am outside of Fate, I would definitely not play any significant role on the unpredictable stage of Fate. In this epic that has already begun, there will be no place for me."

Mr. Barton's smile disappeared, and Shard continued:

"With or without anyone, there can be no me. Yet now, someone like me has appeared before you."

Perhaps these words conveyed by Luviya to Shard held a profound meaning for Diviners. Mr. Barton who was pondering a moment ago, now suddenly furrowed his brows as if he had thought of something.

Shard knew his wordplay had its effect:

"I came here without any specific purpose. I just want to suggest that instead of working with the Truth Society, you really ought to consider joining the Church of the Five Gods. And I, well, I'd like to maintain a cooperative relationship with you."

Shard spoke softly, not disrupting the other's contemplation:

"Joey Barton, you may question everything I said today, but you should understand for yourself, you..."

Thump, thump, thump~

The sudden knocking interrupted Shard's words, and also snapped the childlike middle-aged man out of his thoughts.

He turned to look at the door, extended his hand to signal Shard to be silent, and then, with some effort, got up to answer it. The room was soundproofed well to ensure the privacy of the guests.

As he passed by the bird cage, he lifted the cover once more, but the raven was still cowering in the corner of the cage, seemingly scared of something.

Outside the door stood an old gentleman dressed in black, evidently recently stained with very strong traces of blood.

[Circle Sorcerer, High Ring.]

Upon seeing him, Mr. Barton hesitated, then nodded respectfully:

"Professor Magis, what brings you here?"

Shard raised an eyebrow.

"Barton, there are some matters that require your assistance."

The old gentleman, obviously not a Draleon person, spoke in awkward Common Tongue.

He leaned in to take a glance inside the room, noticing the silhouette of Shard sitting on the sofa with the cat:

"Have your guest leave first, please."

"But..."

Mr. Barton obviously found this to be very impolite but didn't dare to object.

"Mr. Barton, if you're busy, please go ahead; today's divination can stop here. May I come back tomorrow? It won't be for long, but when it comes to death, no one is indifferent."

Shard on the sofa spoke, not getting up, not wanting the "Professor Magis" at the door to see his full figure.

"I truly apologize for today, Mr. Watson. Let's meet again tomorrow."

Joey Barton apologized sincerely and then, under the urging of Professor Magis, left with him through the back door of the house.

Shard was escorted out the front door by a servant, returning to the streets of Pig Tail Alley.

On both sides stood towering apartment buildings, their yellow paint peeling to reveal earthy hues below. Weeds and filth cohabited in the corners; stones littered the streets, and gas pipes loomed in and out of the thick fog. It was still afternoon, yet the dense fog almost hid any sign of the sun.

When this heavy fog would lift was anyone's guess.

The Outsider looked down at the drowsy Mia:

"The people from the Truth Society have taken Joey Barton away. What could it be about?"

[So, shall we follow them?]

"She" chuckled lightly, and the question sounded very familiar.

Shard smiled, touching the Witch's Ring in his pocket:

"Let's follow and see. If there's danger, I'll back off."

After all, with Mia there, Shard wouldn't do anything risky. But in such a situation, he couldn't ignore his curiosity.

Sighing, the Echo of Blood activated in the blink of an eye. Holding the cat in one arm and a hand in his pocket, Shard headed into the depths of the fog:

"For an observer under this stage, I seem to be doing rather too much."