Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"Just now..."

[The woman who gave you something is a Circle Sorcerer.]

"Hmm..."

Shard glanced in the direction where the police had vanished, then looked at the paper bag that had been forcibly stuffed into his hands, which resembled one from a bakery:

"Is there anything dangerous inside this?"

[There are no traces of elements or spirits, you can look inside to see what it is.]

Shard thought for a moment, looked again toward the direction where the young girl and the police had disappeared, then turned and walked into the alley they had just run out of.

The alley was flanked on both sides by two-story buildings, so the lighting was not very good. After making sure there was no one else around, Shard peeked into the heavy paper bag. It contained nothing but books and documents.

"I didn't expect to encounter such a thing."

Shard didn't want to get involved in any trouble in the strange city and had little curiosity about the paper bag that had been thrust upon him. Since he confirmed that the contents were neither a relic nor a bomb, he thought of paying some money to the clothing store at the entrance of the alley to keep the bag temporarily so that the lady could collect it later when she came looking for it.

But upon closer examination of the exterior of the paper bag, he discovered a small mark of blue ink in the upper right corner of the bag.

The mark was circular, with a vine bordering the inner edge, and the ancient rune representing "word" at the center.

The design was simple, yet it made Shard furrow his brows subconsciously:

"The school badge of Zaras Literary Academy?"

The Zaras Literary Academy, also known as Zaras Academy of Sorcery, along with Saint Byrons Integrated Academy and Xerxes Higher Medical Academy, are collectively known as the Three Great Magics Academies of the Sixth Era. Saint Byrons specializes in relic containment, Zaras Literary Academy excels at arcane technique and sorcery development, and Xerxes Higher Medical Academy has made significant contributions in magic potions and alchemy.

Not long ago, when he and the doctor had barged into the residence of a mistress kept by an official at Riddlevitch Field in Tobesk City, they met a Correspondence Circle Mage from Zaras Literary Academy. However, Shard had not spoken with him and was not acquainted with students from other magic academies.

"The girl just now, could she be a Correspondence Circle Mage from Zaras Literary Academy, in Coldwater Port City?"

With this thought, he looked down at the paper bag he was holding in his hands again, hesitated for a moment, and then started to go through the documents inside, eventually pulling out one of them.

At the very top, the school badge of Zaras Literary Academy was printed, and the heading read [Academy Bounty Notice]. He quickly glanced over the contents of the bounty order, which essentially stated that a Sage-Level Relic called "Mermaid's Dream" had appeared locally, and a bounty mission was being issued to Correspondence Circle Mages in Coldwater Port City and the surrounding area, hoping to provide the academy with relevant clues.

"If this bag wasn't stolen by her, then she is most likely a Correspondence Circle Mage from Zaras Literary Academy."

Thinking this, Shard hesitated once more about whether he should leave immediately.

He had no acquaintances in the locality, and if he could find a Correspondence Circle Mage familiar with the local situations, it would definitely be of great help in his search for Blood Coin or even other Currency Relics.

The Three Major Academies do not require their students to be good people, but they definitely cannot be bad people, which ensured at least the basic character of the other party. But for Shard to make contact with a Circle Sorcerer he didn't know, he decided it would be best to proceed with caution.

Just as he was about to make up his mind, footsteps sounded again. The true owner of the paper bag, the girl in the black and white chiffon dress, actually walked in from the mouth of the alley.

Less than five minutes had passed since she had handed the paper bag to Shard.

"Sir, I'm really sorry about earlier."

With black leather shoes on her feet, the young woman in her twenties stood there looking at Shard. Her carefully groomed blonde hair hung behind her head (note), and she wore a pair of ruby earrings on her right ear:

"Now, can you please give me back my things?"

She looked very pretty when she smiled. This was a very beautiful girl with fair skin and outstanding temperament, reminding Shard of the noble young ladies he had seen at parties in Lakeside Manor.

Whether her face, neck, or hands, there were no scars or blemishes. The black and white chiffon dress she wore appeared to be of a simple style, but a closer look at the way it was tailored made it clear that this was a custom-made gown.

Shard had trouble finding the right rhetoric to accurately describe his first impression of her, but in any case, she was certainly a high-born lady.

[Circle Sorcerer. Ruby Earrings are a powerful Relic.]

"Oh?"

Shard said softly, sizing up the unfamiliar girl:

"Were the police chasing you just now?"

Her return was a bit too quick.

"I just carelessly appeared in a place I shouldn't have. Don't worry, sir, I haven't broken the law."

She said with a smile, and as Shard stepped forward to hand her the paper bag, the unfamiliar girl also stepped forward.

Close up, Shard smelled the perfume on her body. Now that Outlanders are quite familiar with girls of various backgrounds, they have a simple ability to identify perfumes. Shard couldn't judge the quality of the stranger's perfume, but he knew it must be very expensive.

"I'm truly sorry to trouble you, so goodbye."

Seeing that Shard wanted to say nothing more, the girl bearing the Ruby Earrings took the paper bag, nodded slightly, turned and said her farewells. She walked a bit slowly, but Shard, lost in thought, didn't notice this.

Watching her retreating figure, Shard hesitated but decided to call out to her:
Find adventures on My Virtual Library Empire

"Sorry, miss, I forgot to ask your name."

The young lady immediately turned around:

"No, you're better off not knowing my name, otherwise, it will cause you trouble. Sir, when striking up a conversation with a strange lady, one must always beware if the other party is a dangerous person."

She spoke with a laugh as if she were advising an infatuated suitor to be cautious of dangers.

"You're absolutely right."

Shard replied, then asked softly:

"Just, would you satisfy my curiosity? I noticed that this paper bag contains only books, and I wondered which school a lady like yourself might attend?"

"Me? You saw my books?"

She raised an eyebrow:

"I can't tell you that, sir, it's a secret."

At this point, although there was still a chance of misjudgment, Shard was almost certain that the other party was a Correspondence Circle Mage from Zaras Literary Academy.

From the simple conversation, he could tell that she was someone he could talk to. Shard's questions also raised her guard, which was exactly what he wanted. He decided to continue probing as he couldn't always find a Correspondence Circle Mage from the Three Great Magics Academies.

"Sir, you didn't go through my things, did you?"

The young lady asked with a frown.

"Of course not."

"That's good, after all, inside is..."

To his surprise, she suddenly looked up and locked eyes with Shard:

"Who are you?"