Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

The severe injury from burning divinity should have kept Shard bedridden for at least half a year before he could walk again, but the gratitude from the departing spirits completely healed his soul and body.

However, spiritual fatigue cannot be resolved by a few hours of sleep. Adding the physical and mental burdens from transforming into a deity, Shard, who fell into slumber, didn't even know how he returned to his bedroom.

When he confusedly awoke in his own bed, he stared blankly at the familiar ceiling, then realized he had surely missed more than one cat-feeding time:

"It should be fine. Luviya has a spare key; she must have helped feed Mia."

The bed was so soft, the quilt so warm, that the initial bewilderment upon waking gradually faded. Thinking about sleeping in his own house, where even the land beneath was his own, made Shard's mood even more pleasant:

"I've been running around for two months. The story in Midshire Fort has finally concluded. The Chosen by Death is Sister Delphine, Grace and Helen also achieved their wishes. Not to mention, I did a good deed by allowing those souls, who should have departed long ago, to finally leave...this autumn surely was meaningful."

With this cheerful mood, he reached to the side but didn't touch his cat.

Supporting himself to climb out of bed, his body felt sore from lying down too long. But with the Fire of the Primordial flowing inside him, this small discomfort instantly vanished:

"Another new day."

He waved his hand at the curtain shining with sunlight through the slit, pulling it aside with a rustling sound, revealing the morning view of the bustling Northern Pearl, Tobesk. The weather was nice today; though there was still fog, the late autumn morning light was bright. Smoke from chimneys could be seen in the distance, with the city's steam pipes and rooftop metal embellishments gleaming in the sunlight:

"Indeed, compared to the haunted Midshire Fort City, I prefer Tobesk City."

[Is that because Tobesk has your most valuable property?]

"She" laughed, her mood seemingly good as well.

The majority of the ghosts in the Interstice of Life and Death had departed, and the interstice itself was sealed tightly by Kiss of the Tree and Holy Tree Scar. Accumulating so many undead again would take at least tens of thousands of years. Though Midshire Fort couldn't return to normal immediately, it might continue to be haunted for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. However, it wouldn't be particularly severe, merely adding some strange urban legends to the Old Continent.

"This could be considered a city feature; let the church worry about these issues."

It was currently Friday morning at eight thirty-two. Since falling asleep early Thursday morning, Shard had slept for nearly thirty hours. Waking up feeling refreshed, he still had many things to handle in Midshire Fort, such as meeting Sister Delphine, listening to Priest Augustus's story, confirming Iluna's safety, retrieving the Night Watchman, attending Miss Aphrola's banquet, and checking Grace and Helen's health...

But none of these tasks needed immediate attention. Shard wanted to rest for a few days at home, at least through the weekend.

"Chasing the shadows of the Chosen Ones is increasingly perilous."

He smiled at the window. But at least the gains were good; aside from finally identifying the third Chosen One, the most crucial gain—the reason he chose to ascend the mountain on Wednesday night—was the Red Butterfly Pendant beside the bedhead. The pendant had two red butterflies merging as one, and for the first time, the whisper element of this Sage-level relic brought Shard such joy:

"This pendant has always been carried by Grace and Helen, probably never been contained. I still need Dorothy and Lecia to carefully study the conditions and traits of its containment. However, they'll finally get to meet. Though it can't solve their problems thoroughly, at least they can see each other."

He stretched lazily with a smile, then noticed the Roder Card Deck beside the Red Butterfly Pendant, making his smile even brighter:

"If this card is drawn and the total points exceed 21, choose a card from the used cards and swap it with this one. The special effect of the chosen card is nullified—[Genesis: Death]. Really good, really good."

Just as he was about to get out of bed, footsteps sounded outside the bedroom. Probably due to the noise of the curtain, someone in the house heard it and knew the bedridden detective had awakened.

Shard turned his head to see Tifa holding a tray, coming in from outside.

The half-open curtain allowed the morning light to pass through the window, shining on the quilt and then the doorway.

Her long black hair hung behind, adorned with a lace-decorated cap. A ribbon at the collar tied into a petite dark blue butterfly knot, beneath it were silver buttons. The intricate dress had a plain collar, with a white apron featuring ruffles over it, tied into a dark blue bow at the side. Though it was loose-fitting, both the chest decoration layers and the skirt straps accentuated her figure. The dress nearly covered her feet, but the gap between her black low-heeled shoes and the hem revealed she wore white long socks.

Her black fringe was tucked behind her ears, her face lightly made up, but the makeup was still exquisite. Her skin was milky white, her petite nose slightly upturned, her brownish-black eyes glimmered in the morning light, her reddish pink lips clearly lined—making Shard wonder if she wore lipstick.

Tifa hesitated at the doorway, while the little Mia straightened into the room. Miss Maid also looked at Shard sitting in bed, bathed in morning light. The young man smiled at her; even though they'd met many times, she almost couldn't hold the tray steady.

That smile really made Miss Servit's heart flutter.

[Seems I forgot to mention.]

The voice sounded in Shard's ear:

[The gratitude of countless souls makes living beings more willing to approach you.]

"Shard, you're awake? How are you feeling now?"

Tifa walked in, Mia had already jumped onto the bed, excitedly trampling the quilt, wanting Shard to hold it. Shard noticed that the cat still wore the Vampire Ring on its tail.

"I'm feeling pretty good now. Oh, this breakfast looks sumptuous; your culinary skills are excellent."

Shard said, holding Mia as it tried to charge forward:

"Where's Luviya? Is Miss Galina still here?"

He stretched his head toward the living room.

"Miss Annette is working at the Prophet's Society now. According to the schedule, Miss is probably at Yordle Palace, discussing tax issues for the next two years with His Majesty."

Tifa said softly, not pulling up a chair to sit but standing at the bedside with her hands clasped together. Her face glowed softly in the sunlight; she was glad Shard had awakened smoothly:

"Miss was worried you wouldn't have any food after waking, so she left me here. We expected you'd wake around noon, but you woke up earlier."

Tifa handed the tray to Shard, who took it and placed it on the quilt covering his legs. Though he usually wouldn't eat in bed, since he planned on resting for a while, relaxing occasionally would be nice.

Picking up a boiled egg, he carefully peeled its shell. As the shell fell away, the tender white inside emerged, still steaming temptingly since it had just been cooked.

Mia crouched nearby, watching intently, but it knew it wouldn't need to snatch it; Shard would surely share some with it.

"It tastes really good."

Shard praised again, then asked:

"Since I slept the entire day, is there any news from Midshire Fort?"

"Yes, everything has ended. Although many innocents perished that night, the city isn't in turmoil. Two mysterious deities appeared, though nobody knows what for. In the battle of Midshire Fort, the living triumphed."

"That's great. As for those two deities..."

Shard glanced at Mia:

"The intentions of the Great One are hard for us to guess, but perhaps the pursuits of deities are not as complex as mortals imagine."

Tifa's eyes curved:

"Maybe it is true, but fortunately, this matter is unrelated to us in Tobesk City."

"And the Chosen One..."

"The Grand Witches of the Council are very happy. Sister Delphine and the Spiritual Practice Order have been friends with the Council for years, maintaining quite good relations."

At this point, Tifa couldn't help but smile, looking at the young man carefully peeling an egg on the bed:

"His Excellency the Speaker is very pleased, and so is the Lady. The third stanza of the Whispering Verses has ended, and the Council has finally ceased being mere seekers, becoming participants... All thanks to you."

"No, no, this has little to do with me."

Shard hurriedly denied it, but Tifa shook her head, then bent slightly at the bedside, placing a finger in front of Shard's mouth:

"There's no need for you to be so self-deprecating. Miss Aphrola privately conveyed Sister Delphine's words to the Lady; thanks to your help, Iluna Beath was able to defeat Joey Barton, even Joey Barton himself admitted it."

Shard did not deny again, and Tifa withdrew her finger.

Shard continued to focus on the egg in his hand, hoping to peel it flawlessly. He breathed slightly, smelling not only the egg and the breakfast but also Tifa's perfume.

"When the Lady and Miss Annette opened the Gate of Death for you, the three of us acquired new Spirit Runes, all of the purest [Death]. The Lady is pleased about this; she had been stuck at Eleven Rings for a long time, and this achievement means she still has a chance to advance further."

Tifa continued.

Shard nodded:

"So, what about you? How far are you from the next ring?"

"It should be soon too. Thank you for your help."

The black-haired maid said softly.

"How did I help you? You helped me. Otherwise, I'd still be in death, roasting in its fire, waiting for the gate to open... Maybe I'd play Roder Card with my friends in death; otherwise, simply waiting would be really boring."

Shard joked with a smile, and Tifa also smiled, her dimples becoming more pronounced.

Then, the maid slightly flicked her hair, turned to look outside the room, as if to confirm there was no third person in the house, then turned back to Shard again. Her eyes sparkled:

"Maybe both the Lady and I should thank you."

Shard had finished peeling the smooth and soft egg, admiring it in the morning light. The cat Mia looked up at the egg, eagerly preparing to jump.

"No need to thank me. But next time, I won't do such dangerous things anymore; you can't imagine what it was like in Milestone on Wednesday night. I saw more Undead that night than I saw living people in a whole year."

Tifa pursed her lips and softly asked:

"So, do you need me to help you relax a bit?"

"Hmm? What?"

Shard lifted his gaze from the egg, looking in surprise at the black-haired girl beside the bed. Her face was slightly flushed, and she leaned in without consulting him, taking the perfectly peeled egg and placing it on the breakfast plate, then putting the plate on the bedside table.

"Hmm..."

Shard didn't quite know what the maid intended.

Tifa smiled at him with her hands behind her back, her fingers slightly curled. With a thud, the bedroom door closed; with a swish, the curtains were drawn, leaving only a trace of light on the bed and Tifa's midline.

Her face slightly reddened, looking down at Shard on the bed, then reached for the buttons below her collar, reflecting the morning light from the curtain gap. She unbuttoned the first three, revealing her fair neck, the skin even able to reflect light.

Suddenly, she paused, turned, and picked up the warm egg again. Turning back to Shard, her face inched closer. Her flushed cheeks showed shallow dimples, and her black eyes carried shy and charming expressions.

She placed the egg into her unbuttoned collar.

"Shard."

Because of the heat, her voice slightly trembled.

With slender fingers, she continued to unbutton the fourth button in front of Shard's eyes:

"Do you need me to serve you dining?"

Her voice was soft, her face lit in the middle line by the morning light. Her nose looked beautiful in the light, but her large eyes looked even prettier.

"I..."

"The Lady permits me to do some things, but I won't cross the line; I am not merely the Lady's servant."

She slowly approached Shard, until Shard could see his reflection in Tifa's beautiful eyes:

"Knight, I am a servant of the Duke, sent temporarily to serve you for your bravery. Though I admire your strength and valor, I am not a maid who will have an affair with guests. Later, we need to see the Duke; I don't want our master suspecting us of wrongdoing, so dining time is only ten minutes."

Tifa said very earnestly, but there was a teasing tone in her voice. Standing beside the bed, she reached out to hold Shard's head:

"Be careful, the egg is very hot."

"I..."

Shard didn't understand why this was happening suddenly and suspected he was still asleep.

[This is reality.]

Mia called out in displeasure, wondering why food wasn't being served.

Tifa bit her lip gently, cautiously reminding:

"Knight, please be gentle while dining."