Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Awakening from a long sleep, when Shard opened his eyes and saw the somewhat familiar ceiling, the time had shifted from Wednesday night to Thursday evening at seven o'clock.

After twenty hours of deep sleep, he felt quite refreshed. The bed beneath him was exceptionally soft, the purple quilt was comforting, and the light veil hanging on the golden bedposts told Shard that this wasn't his home. He wore silk pajamas he had never seen before, the room exuded a reassuring scent of incense, and the temperature in the room was particularly pleasant:

"Galina Cavendish's manor?"

"Meow~"

The familiar sound of a cat's meow made Shard turn to the side, where Mia lay curled like a ball beside his pillow, eyes wide staring at him. The cat leaned in with its furry face, affectionately rubbing against Shard's face, and when Shard sat up on the bed, it jumped onto his stomach.

Pulling aside the curtains by the bed, Shard petted the cat and turned to look outside the window. At seven in the evening, the sun had fully set, and to his surprise, there were large snowflakes falling outside. With the help of Dark Vision, he saw the vast fields outside the manor had been painted silver-white, and even the windowsill had gathered snow.

"Is it snowing again?"

The gentle, swirling snow symbolized the full arrival of winter, and Shard looked at it with a sense of having slept through a season.

"Are you awake?"

The door opened slightly, and a young maid with brown hair carefully poked her head inside. Upon receiving Shard's affirmative answer, she turned on the room's gas lamp and hurried off to inform the manor's owner of the good news.

"The maid from earlier was Wendy Marcus, sixteen years old, she became a Circle Sorcerer this spring and is currently at 1 Ring."

Shard recalled in his mind, glanced at his pajamas, and was about to get out of bed when hurried footsteps approached the door.

A maid with long black hair pushed open the door, her eyes initially worried, but upon seeing Shard sitting up with the cat, she relaxed into a smile.

Wearing a black and white maid's dress, Tifa said:

"Mr. Hamilton, you're awake."

She only called Shard by his name when they were alone, and the maids filed in behind her, either drawing the curtains, choosing clothes from the wardrobe for Shard, or standing by with a serving tray.

"The lady has gone to the Council and will be back soon. Would you like to lie down a bit longer, have dinner here, or freshen up for dinner now? The lady will be back in twenty minutes."

Tifa asked.

"Good evening, Tifa, it's nice to wake up and see you immediately. Let's have dinner together, I'll get up right away."

Shard replied, hesitating for a moment:

"That 'Sage's Glowstone' is currently..."

Tifa walked to the bedside, bent slightly, and opened the drawer of the nightstand. As Shard withdrew his gaze, she took out a wooden box from the drawer, which contained the gemstones and jewelry from the broken jewelry box, and lying on top was a teardrop-shaped blue crystal stone:

"This belongs to you, though officially, the Church asks the lady to inform you that this, along with the jewelry, is a gift from her."

She smiled as she said.

Shard also smiled; the Church's arrangement not only allowed him to retrieve the jewelry but also explained its origin and even granted Miss Galina an additional favor. It truly was the best arrangement.

Putting the cat who was nuzzling against him onto the quilt, Shard accepted the box of jewelry. After a moment of thought, he said to the maid:

"Pick whatever you like."

Tifa blinked, bent slightly, and plucked a pearl the size of a fingernail from the box. Instead of immediately straightening up, she gently kissed Shard's cheek, while the maids standing behind her pretended not to see.

Many things happened on Wednesday night; influenced by the "Dice Story Collection," Shard simply walked from Silver Cross Avenue back to Saint Delan Square. However, to restrain the Church, several illegal organization Circle Sorcerers, including the Vice President of the Truth Society, Miss Pavo, engaged in battles with the True God Church sorcerer teams across various districts of Tobesk, though the intensity was not high due to being within the city.

While the "Dice Story Collection" unfolded in Tobesk's central area on Wednesday night, in the Northern District of the city, the Cult Organization "Unity of All Numbers Society" encountered a humanoid Sage Level (Level 2) relic, also functioning as Keeper of Secrets, "Master Alchemist Gagula," and initiated the Trial of creating the "Abyss Sin Potion"; in the eastern part of the city on Wednesday night, Miss Pavo of the Truth Society clashed with the Circle Sorcerer Organization "Emerald Alchemy Association." After the Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer "Iron Right Hand" Mr. Sari Pilot of the Church of Creation arrived, the mixed battle ignited a city fire, fortunately extinguished in time.

On Thursday, the day Shard awoke, the True God Church, according to the new Fragment of Poem Chapter provided by Zaras Academy of Sorcery, found Keeper of Secrets Level Relic "Human Puzzle" in the ancient sewers of Tobesk.

Those are one hundred and eighty thousand pieces of human skin, and the Fragment of the Poem Chapter indicates that this puzzle is also related to the Ancient God [Keeper of Secrets], and can likewise be considered a kind of Keeper of Secrets.

In short, during the day Shard was unconscious, the story of Tobesk City did not halt due to his absence. While awaiting Miss Galina's return from the Witch Council, Tifa informed Shard of these matters.

And it wasn't until the slightly fatigued Grand Witch joined Shard for dinner in the dining room that Shard finally learned what had happened concerning [Thief Jack] and the [Dice Story Collection] after he fell unconscious.

"The Church has confirmed that you were accidentally involved, and they sincerely believe you are just an ordinary person. During their physical examination, with Iluna's cooperation, they surprisingly found nothing. I must admit, Shard, even I couldn't have handled this better than you did. You and Iluna played a good double act, and I think from now on, unless you actively expose yourself, the Church would never suspect you are a Circle Sorcerer."

The maid pushed the dining cart into the dining room, and the weary Duchess joked, without letting her glamorous appearance diminish. On the contrary, her languid demeanor only added to the allure of the Red-Haired Duchess.

She chuckled lightly:

"In the end, it was I who brought you over. Although Iluna helped block some unnecessary examinations, she couldn't propose to send you to No. 6, Saint Delan Square. Shard, you should thank me. Your cat is also being fed by me... Although Iluna was a bit displeased, as soon as Tifa showed up, your cat ran to her side."

In reality, it was Tifa who fed the cat, but the black-haired maid, standing behind the Duchess, merely smiled and did not point this out.

"How should we explain the sudden fainting of so many people at Lecia's literary salon?"

Shard, eating his dessert, was quite concerned about this. Outside the window, snowflakes drifted, and enjoying delicious food indoors on such a cold winter night made anyone feel good.

Though there were only two people dining, the number of serving maids was indeed plentiful. Previously, the outlander would sometimes feel the Duchess was too extravagant, but after witnessing the Witch Empress Violetta, who would take a team of pretty maids on adventures during the Year 5177 of the Fifth Era, he now felt the Grand Witches of the Sixth Era were indeed frugal.

"You needn't worry about that; there was a gas pipeline leak at the Prophet's Society, causing a mild gas poisoning. Except for an unfortunate gentleman, others only fainted briefly before being revived. The Church took everyone's timekeeping tools before awakening them, and then had them stay at the Prophet's Society for a long time after regaining consciousness, so they noticed nothing amiss with the time.

So, Shard, who do you think that unfortunate gentleman was?"

Galina Cavendish laughed heartily, holding a wine glass with her right hand, her carefree smile accentuating her beautiful face.

"I suppose it was me."

He laughed after saying that:

"So the information I should know is that I accidentally got gas poisoning and then was brought here to recuperate?"

The baked snails had already been placed in front of him, and the cat lying on the table indicated it wouldn't disturb, its head turning like a pulley towards the steaming hot dish.

"Yes, and this incident also involved my conflict with Lecia. Your misfortune at her salon strained our relationship further—everyone knows about the discord between her and me, so they all believe this explanation."

Miss Galina set down her wine glass and picked up a silver dining knife:

"Gas poisoning incidents happen a few times every year, but this time, it occurred at the Prophet's Society. The Church has arranged for the Prophet's Society to take responsibility. However, besides you, no one else suffered any fatal harm. They expect you'll wake up in the late hours tonight or early tomorrow morning, with no lasting effects. The Prophet's Society asked me to tell you to visit the Dawn Chapel tomorrow morning, where they'll help you negotiate with them about this incident's compensation. Of course, there's also this matter to discuss..."

The Witch glanced at the box by Shard's hand with her golden eyes:

"This [Sage's Glowstone], keep it for yourself. I don't know why you exposed it, but you certainly have your reasons. The Church asked me to tell you that these gemstones in the box are gifts from me to you, especially emphasizing that the blue Crystal Stone is the most precious, more so than the others combined. They insisted I emphasize this point to you: under no circumstances should you give it to anyone else."

"So what's your reason for giving me these jewels?"

Shard asked curiously, and the Witch thought for a moment:

"The Church didn't give me a reason, I have to come up with one myself. Let me think..."

Her fair, slender fingers snapped unladylikely, and she smiled, waving to Tifa, who brought a glass of clear water. After rinsing her mouth, the Witch looked at Shard with a hint of amusement in her gaze.

The beautiful lady, dressed in a red and white gown, beckoned to Shard again. Shard hesitantly leaned forward, and the Red-Haired Witch, in front of Tifa's watchful eyes, held his head with one hand and kissed him.

"This is your reward for it."

Galina Cavendish carefully wiped her lips with a napkin; the gaslight illuminated her golden eyes, which carried a slightly seductive smile.