Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"Shard, how are you feeling now?"

Half an hour later, Luviya, having received a message from Tifa and knowing that Shard was awake, arrived at No. 6, Saint Delan Square from Silver Cross Avenue.

"Very good, I wasn't injured, I even feel stronger."

At this time, Miss Maid had already left, and Shard greeted Luviya downstairs with Mia. The weather was nice today, deep autumn morning people crowded Saint Delan Square, opening the door revealed a bustling city street scene full of blooming flowers.

"Whether you're injured or not still needs a check-up to determine. But your expression is very strange."

The purple-eyed girl said suspiciously.

Shard stepped aside to let Luviya in. As she passed him, she lightly twitched her nose:

"I see. Detective, having an affair with someone else's maid is not a gentlemanly act."

She had smelled a unique fragrance from a specific perfume that most people wouldn't notice.

"I didn't with Tifa..."

Her slender fingers wiped across Shard's face, causing him to immediately stop speaking.

"Of course, I know you didn't sleep together, but I bet, Shard, you must have been mischievous."

She laughed while entering the door, after all, this wasn't the first time she discovered an affair with the maid:

"I don't mind this point, it's beneficial for us to build a good relationship with that Grand Witch. Miss Servit is indeed very charming, even from a woman's perspective. I'm just curious, what exactly did you do?"

Shard hesitated and took her hat, placing it on the shoe cabinet:

"Hmm... just had breakfast."

"Breakfast?"

Luviya questioned suspiciously, so Shard leaned by the door and whispered a few words into her ear.

The purple-eyed girl initially frowned:

"Wait a minute, don't skip so many words and use vague sounds, how would I understand..."

Then realizing something, her cheeks turned red and she whispered:

"A trained maid really is different, so bold."

Slightly pushing Shard away, her purple eyes looked at him:

"Although my figure won't match hers, damn, I actually admitted that... but we can try it in the future. Shard, you really went through a hard time this time, welcome back."

After kissing Shard's cheek, the two went to the third floor. Luviya first and foremost concerned herself with Shard's health, repeatedly ensuring he was healthy before bringing up the matters of Midshire Fort.

About the choice involving The Chosen One in Waters of Death, Joey Barton had already explained it on Wednesday night. Of course, his version was the modified one with everyone gathered around the campfire. Faced with Luviya, Shard didn't lie and fully recounted the events that night within death.

Luviya listened quietly, starting by sitting opposite Shard then moving beside him, finally holding his hand:

"Even if your friends can help, wasn't this too risky? Previously fighting powerful enemies was adventurous too, but at least each time others were around. This time you fought Joey Barton alone, though you won, don't do it again."

She said worriedly, yet Shard didn't feel that he had acted recklessly; he had thought through everything before stepping into those waters:

"Relax, Luviya, I cherish my life more than anyone. Look, not only did I return successfully, but I also became a Four-Ring Sorcerer. Now, you, me, and Iluna, we are all Four-Ring."

Shard slept the whole day, and news from Midshire Fort scattered across the material world like snowflakes.

This morning, busy with breakfast, Tifa mentioned only brief information, while Luviya received more detailed reports from the Prophet's Society.

For example, the fog in Midshire Fort, which did not immediately dissipate after the major battle early Thursday morning, continued up to Friday morning as a lingering effect. The church was actively addressing this issue.

Civilian casualty numbers in Midshire Fort were still unspecified, but the casualty numbers for the circle sorcerers of the True God Church and the Draleon Royal Army had already been tallied.

Even though the church's plan was thorough and the unexpected appearance of the deity made a presumably more violent battle easier, the church still faced around thirty sacrifices, while the Royal Army confirmed over 300 deaths.

The latter figure wasn't large, considering the relative peace of the era with small skirmishes between nations. The loss equated to a minor battle. However, the former was quite significant as training circle sorcerers was difficult, and most involved in the action were Inner Ring and High Ring sorcerers; this was the most severe damage faced by the True God Church in a century.

Luckily, for the church possessing supernatural power, as long as they weren't dead, there were no incurable injuries. The enemy was undead, carrying Whisper Element but causing no irreparable harm. Therefore, despite the high casualties, it wouldn't fundamentally impact the church.

Apart from the church's sacrifices, other circle sorcerer organizations were also impacted. Luviya particularly mentioned the phoenix that had sealed the rift at the mountain peak; it too perished in the final battle.

"Wait, isn't a phoenix supposed to be reborn in fire?"

Shard immediately asked.

"The church hasn't found the reborning Ancient One, maybe it left along the divine path, or it reentered the mountains to await recovery."

After saying this, Luviya revealed a smile:

"From Tobesk to Coldwater Port, and then from Coldwater Port to Midshire Fort, although Milestone had the greatest sacrifice, its actions were also the most successful."

She counted on her fingers:

"The church achieved almost all its goals. The rift's issue was permanently resolved, the slots for the Chosen were determined, and they even confirmed the camp of the God Summoners. Oh, and now your 'Night Watchman' is in Iluna's hands. The sacrifice was worthwhile; Midshire Fort wasn't destroyed. All of this was worth it."

Mentioning "God Summoners", she looked at Shard. Shard knew she had been waiting for this topic:

"Yes, it was me."

On the night of the Godfall in Tobesk, Luviya and Iluna knew that Shard was the physical host for an Old God.

"Shard, what exactly are you doing? Why are you with that vampire... why? What did the God do in Midshire Fort? I don't understand, I really want to understand why you did this."

She leaned sideways and hugged Shard's neck. Shard knew that before he came back on early Thursday morning, she must have been worried the whole night but couldn't tell anyone.

There were no sounds of crying, but tears had already soaked Shard's collar. She was really scared.

"Do you remember the Grace and Helen I mentioned?"

Mortals should not know too much about deities. Shard could only tell the events from his perspective, roughly recounting what happened after he went to Midshire Fort that night.

"...There was no conspiracy, to say the least. It is laughable that the deities appeared merely for those two red butterflies. The protector of the Vampire Kind wanted the Blood Wine, and the Old God of Silvermoon, who borrowed my body, had promised to protect them in the past. That's why there was a Divine War on early Wednesday morning. Rest assured, I am special, and the deity borrowing my body won't cause me major harm."

Shard held Luviya's shoulders:

"It's quite laughable, isn't it? Just for two mundane butterflies, two deities fought fiercely in the Sicarl Mountain Region, yet neither managed to take them away in the end. I suppose the church could rack their brains forever and never guess the truth of that night. Even the most skilled diviner couldn't believe such a trivial reason."

Still sobbing, the girl looked at Shard with slightly reddish eyes:

"Deities are too distant to me, and what I want to hold on to is only you."

She kissed Shard, and this kiss tasted of tears.

"Look at me."

The two stared at each other closely. Those mesmerizing purple eyes still shone with tears, and the owner of those eyes saw the resoluteness in the young man's gaze:

"Luviya, I will accompany you until the very end. I will not leave prematurely; this is a promise."

She hugged Shard tightly again, releasing him after a long while:

"I'm sorry, I'll go touch up my makeup."

She stood up and walked towards the washroom. Shard petted Mia on his side to soothe the cat, who was missing its breakfast time. Mia's tail was currently adorned with the Transmutation Ring, the Fish Training Ring, and the Vampire Ring simultaneously:

"I've become a Four-Ring Sorcerer, and little Mia is now a 'Three-Ring-er'... where on earth did it get that Vampire Ring?"

[Luviya Annette is genuinely worried about you.]

A voice rang in his ears, diverting Shard's attention as he gazed towards the washroom:

"Sometimes, I'm worried about myself too. But since I've chosen the path of deification, I won't hesitate. After all, it's a path I chose. The divinity of the Vampire God has been ignited again, and I urgently need the next drop of divinity. Even if not to prepare for Five Rings, I still need to maintain the Divine Afterglow State... Power, ah~."

Shard sighed inwardly, and Luviya soon returned, her complexion back to normal. She softly apologized for losing control of her emotions and continued discussing the matters at Midshire Fort with Shard.

The story continued from the Divine War to the countless souls' gratitude directed towards Shard, and ended with Sister Delphine somewhat "tricking" Shard into accepting the power of fire.

Regarding the Fire of the Primordial, Luviya had no strong opinions, but she wanted to find a time to meet Sister Delphine alone. However, with the Traveler's Gate damaged, meeting was difficult. As for the power Shard gained, Luviya leaned in close, examining Shard's face:

"Indeed, although there's no external change, you are indeed more attractive than before, my knight."

She gently kissed Shard's lips:

"It is a precious gift. Maybe you don't realize it, but this signifies that the world will maintain goodwill towards you. If you were a diviner, divination and fate would become easier than for others... You did great this time, Shard."

"You forgot one thing. I also contributed to the greening of Midshire Fort. The Rite - Holy Tree Scar interacted with my Maze Lock - Tree's Kiss, causing a chain reaction. With a brief blessing from an ancient deity within me, the tree on the mountain top..."

Shard pointed upwards, and at this, Luviya couldn't help but laugh:

"Oh, I knew you did that. From Wednesday night to early Thursday morning, Midshire Fort was in chaos. But most ordinary people lost their memory of that night because of the mist drifting from the rift, so the church's cleanup work wasn't too difficult. But the tree on top of the mountain cannot be concealed."

She covered her mouth and laughed softly, this movement very ladylike:

"The tree and the bonfire beneath it are the core of your Maze Lock and cannot be easily erased. According to the Church of Nature's examination, the tree's roots spread throughout the mountain, removing not only the threat of the rift but even the potential volcanic hazard. Because it's an effect of a High Ring Maze Lock, illusion techniques can't hide the tree's traces. Now Midshire Fort City Hall is having headaches over that giant tree. They are reportedly organizing experts to explain the tree's appearance plausibly from the perspective of monsoon and soil changes."

Shard imagined the tree's photo making it onto newspapers, experts and scholars discussing below, and immediately shook his head with a smile:

"Don't talk to me about this. I've done enough for Midshire Fort and didn't take a penny from it. Let the local parish and city administration deal with the aftermath. With that tree there, the Undead Behemoth can never break through the seal."