Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

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Lemer, abandoned by his own organization, had nearly spent all his savings over the years trying to solve the problem. Although he hadn't even managed to find out the exact name of those Relic Mermaid Statues, through a friend's introduction, he met a Diviner who was said to be very powerful. The Diviner gave him some advice.

"Pirates?"

Shard sat in his chair, looking at his notebook in surprise.

The Diviner sought guidance from Fate through divination, and what he saw involved pirates. Those Mermaid Statues would somehow be connected to pirates, and it might be that the way to break the Curse was also related to them.

Regrettably, Lemer had no chance to verify whether the Diviner, who had taken 300 pounds in cash from him, had actually seen Fate.

Through illegal smuggling activities, Lemer had amassed a considerable fortune over the years; however, it was a pity that in order to break the Curse, he had spent a great deal of gold on divination. The remaining money was used to purchase Relics with disenchantment capabilities, which is why Shard found very little cash here.

The Relic was carried by Lemer himself and presumably now lay at the bottom of the sea. Therefore, aside from the cash, Shard's only other finds this time were the old book "Windy Abyss" and the notes of the Second Ring Sorcerer.

Suspecting there might be hidden compartments, he used "Echo of Blood" to survey the room. Although he did indeed discover some Spellcasting Materials hidden behind the bookshelf, most were of little value and not convenient to carry, so Shard did not intend to take them.

All things considered, the gains from this trip weren't significant; adding the notes and books, everything together might fetch around 100 pounds if sold. Since it was all gained without effort, Shard wouldn't consider it insufficient. With this money added to his current savings, he could afford to comfortably spend on renovation of the third floor at Saint Delan Square.

"However, this incident has reminded me once again just how dangerous the world is. Even a Second Ring Sorcerer could die unexpectedly due to bad luck," he thought as he prepared to leave, feeling quite moved by Lemer's fate.

"What do you plan to do with that statue? Leave it here?"

"Of course not, I'll tell the church. But before I go to report, there's something else I need to do."

After putting the money and books into the large pockets of his coat, Shard pushed open the door and left the attic.

It was Monday daytime, and besides the landlord, there was no one else in this rental apartment. When he saw the old man again, he was hiding in his underground workshop.

Steam filled the basement, a dense network of steam pipes extended from below and above into the small workshop for production usage.

Gas lamps lit the walls, a few coal gas-fired distillers stood against the wall, and further inside were box-type dryers and a small-powered steam engine.

The most space-consuming piece in the basement was a high-temperature calcination furnace of reddish copper color. When Shard descended, the furnace was still at work, its metallic surface radiating intense heat, and the rusted dial's needle methodically indicated the working conditions inside.

"What are you planning to do?"

Upon hearing the sound of Shard opening the basement door, the old man asked warily from the innermost part of the basement, holding a gun in his hand.

"I just want to tell you that I've taken everything from upstairs."

Shard said.

"Then leave, and I won't tell anyone you were here."

"There's one more thing, I would like to see exactly what it is you're producing down here."

He said this while looking around. The old man suddenly raised his gun:

"Leave immediately! I'll only say it once, leave immediately! Don't think I won't shoot just because you're with MI6; young man, go now, and I'll pretend nothing happened."

"It seems the things you're producing are indeed very problematic. Have the guts to shoot if you dare. Have you ever killed anyone before?"

"Of course I've killed people. Do you think I'm trying to scare you?"

Through the steam, neither could see each other clearly. But Shard's footsteps were quite distinct. As he continued to approach, the old man fired a shot toward Shard's feet.

The young Detective stopped and looked down at the bullet hole:

"Alright, I'll stop."

Despite saying this, he moved to the side. When he was close to the massive distiller, he suddenly lunged forward. It seemed as if Shard had taken cover behind the distiller, but the old man's eyes widened in surprise because he couldn't see Shard's legs under it.

"Where did he go?"

Clutching the gun, he watched the room that had become silent once more. But soon, he felt a hand extend from behind him.

Shard, making use of "Lagre's Leap," appeared behind the elderly landlord. He suddenly wrapped his left arm around the old man's neck, while his right hand reached for the pistol that was being pointed forward.

The landlord's reaction was quick, with no intention to wrestle with Shard for control over the gun. Instead, he lay down, forcing Shard to bend over and grapple with him.

But in doing so, the old man's left hand took the opportunity to slip to Shard's waist and yank out the revolver.

Expertly pressing down the hammer with his thumb, the old man bent his left arm back, aiming the gun at Shard's face from behind:

"I haven't forgotten about the gun you have at your waist, young man. You're thinking too simply."

Bang~

The "Spear of Kindness" killed the one who fired it. The bullet entered through his forehead, denying him even the chance to leave last words.

"Yes, too young."

After the sound of the gun, the echo resonated in the basement. Shard exhaled and laid down the body, then took back the "Spear of Kindness" from the old and frail hands. Ignoring the scene, he wiped the gun with a handkerchief while walking out.

Having seen his face, the old man would become a loose end after revealing the Mermaid Statue's hidden location to the church. If the church came asking, complications were bound to arise. And if he used his own gun to kill the old man, even taking away the body, there was still a small chance the church could connect the dispatcher's death to this incident. Therefore, making the old man "commit suicide" with the "Spear of Kindness" was the best solution Shard could think of.

In this way, no matter what methods the church employed, they wouldn't be able to find out who had come to this place a step ahead of them today.

What followed was straightforward. Shard skillfully locked the main door of the apartment building, confirmed he had left no footprints, and then left through the rear window. Once he was back on the street, he glanced back at the apartment building with its door firmly closed, gaining a deeper appreciation for Dr. Schneider's habit of always having shoe covers and gloves handy.

The nearest church to New Danton Avenue was the Cathedral of Creation and Destruction of the True God, the "Lady of Creation." But Shard didn't immediately report there, instead, he first returned to his rented hotel to change into a new set of clothes.

Reporting a dangerous Relic certainly couldn't be done by him personally running to the church. So Shard's plan was to find a child near the church on the street and pay some pocket change to have the child deliver the message.

Writing a simple note with his left hand that explained the apartment's location and the matter with the Mermaid Statue, he planned to take a carriage from the hotel. However, as Shard found an empty carriage and was about to board it at the hotel entrance, a group of policemen running and blowing whistles approached from afar:

"All carriages stop right there!"

The whistle of the police generally meant something had happened, so besides the carriage drivers stopping in place, the pedestrians on the street also made way. Shard didn't want any trouble, so he could only apologize with a shake of his head to the driver in front of him.

The group of policemen that had y run over gathered all the carriage drivers on the street, but they didn't specify any issue, just prohibiting the drivers from taking passengers for the moment.

Worried about potential mishaps with the Mermaid Statue, Shard was in a hurry to get to the church. He didn't wait around but decided to walk to the next street to find another carriage.

Coldwater Port City is a typical West Coast seaport city, and unlike Tobesk City located inland, the air here is more humid. Proximity to the docks also means that with just a breath, one can feel the sea's dampness.

Unlike the capital Draleon, where the Steam Industry is advanced, Coldwater Port City's main economic means is maritime trade. This has resulted in the city's steam and gas pipe infrastructure being far less developed than in Tobesk City.

In Tobesk, the exterior walls of street buildings have two types of pipes arranged in a relatively orderly manner, maintaining the urban appearance well. In contrast, the exterior metal pipes in Coldwater Port are purely set up in whatever way is convenient.

Shard thought that although such pipe arrangements looked messy, they strangely possessed a rugged beauty. Combined with the aged buildings of the Dock Area, the cityscape seemed like a mixture of medieval architecture and the Steam Age, something that outsiders like him could appreciate.

As long as he didn't have to live in such a place.

Hoglenz Avenue is flanked by many alleys, and compared to the relatively clean streets, most alleys could be equated directly with trash heaps. Even now, during the day, passersby instinctively take detours around alley entrances rather than pass directly through them.

Shard did the same, but as he was observing the animal clinic across the street and contemplating giving Mia a bath, rapid footsteps suddenly came from the alley beside him.

As if the person had been hiding at the mouth of the alley all along, Shard didn't even have time to react before a young girl in a black and white gauze dress burst out of the alley and, without further ado, shoved the paper bag she was holding into Shard's arms:

"Hold this for me!"

After saying that, she didn't wait for Shard's reaction, lifted her skirt, and quickly crossed the street, running into the alley beside the pet clinic.

"What?"

Following her were a group of policemen from the same alley that the young lady had exited. Shard had encountered policemen in this world before, but the ones appearing now were certainly the most militaristic he had seen, not just ordinary patrol officers.

"The police department of Coldwater Port City really is more formidable than that of Tobesk City," he thought to himself, impressed.

The policemen didn't bother with Shard, who stood at the mouth of the alley, but followed the direction the young girl had taken straight into the opposite alley. Shard was left standing there with the paper bag in hand, utterly clueless about what had just happened.