Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

A peculiar sense of dizziness impelled Shard to blurt out his origins, though it was just an impulse. He was familiar with this sensation; at the dinner in Lakeside Manor, the captain of Iluna's squad had used a similar tactic on him.

"I..."

He stepped back and frowned:

"Miss, your action is not at all polite for someone who seems friendly."

The young girl also frowned as if complaining:

"Bad luck indeed, to randomly meet someone on the street and he turns out to be a Circle Sorcerer too. Sir, I apologize for my behavior, but I'd wager you definitely peeked at my belongings."

"Yes."

Shard did not deny it and observed her expression:

"Are you a Circle Sorcerer from Zaras Academy of Sorcery?"

"Are you going to report me?"

The blond girl asked, eyeing Shard as well. Her eyes were beautiful and lively.

"Of course not, what would I gain from reporting you?"

Said Shard, then pointing at himself he added, deciding to take a risk:

"Miss, I didn't expect to run into you either. I'm a Circle Sorcerer from out of town, completely unaware of the local customs. To be exact, I am a student of Saint Byrons."

"Saint Byrons?"

The young girl slightly nodded with a furrowed brow, neither affirming nor doubting.

"My name is John Watson, and by the way, last week was the exam week at the Three Major Academies, and I only arrived here after the exam week."

He introduced himself, the timing of the exam week serving to verify his identity.

He extended his right hand to the stranger, who hesitated a bit:

"Nobella Princess."

The girl wearing ruby earrings also extended her hand to Shard, and as their palms touched, a timely voice echoed in his ear:

"Five Rings."

"So, Mr. Watson, what do you want to do here in town?"

"I came to meet a friend, but unfortunately, he left before I arrived. I will need to stay here awhile and wait for his return."

Shard knew that Miss Princess probably hadn't let down her guard, so he simply introduced himself briefly before taking out a note with an address from his pocket and shaking it:

"I do have an urgent matter to attend to. Since you are a local, you must know about the Mermaid Statue. Quite inconveniently, I stumbled upon one of them, planning to report it to the Church so they can swiftly remove such dangerous objects. Miss Princess, do you know of any safe way to pass this message to the Church?"

He could use this matter to observe whether she could be trusted or not.

"Are you referring to that Sage-Level Relic?"

Miss Princess slightly frowned.

"Yes, I saw the Academy Bounty Notice in your bag. If you want to deliver the statue to Zaras Literary Academy, I might sell the information to you at a lower price."

If it wasn't for the inexplicable origin of the statue, selling it to Saint Byrons would have been Shard's best choice.

Miss Princess obviously didn't expect Shard to say this, and after a moment's shock, she shook her head:

"A Sage-Level Relic is too dangerous. Even if you sell it to me, I wouldn't be able to store it. But if you just want to pass the information to the Church, I do have some ways to do that. Come with me; since you assisted me just now, I don't mind helping you in return."

Saying so, she beckoned Shard to leave with her.

After a brief conversation, the two of them had established the simplest form of trust. As they walked through the streets looking for a four-wheeled cab, Shard watched her and felt like he had seen her somewhere before.

But Miss Princess, a girl of such outstanding temperament and beauty, Shard would certainly not forget if he had really seen her before. Asking the "other me" in his heart, the woman's voice also believed that Shard had never seen her.

"This is strange."

But the familiar feeling seemed not to be an illusion either.

Finally, at the next street corner, they found a carriage and the earring-wearing girl spoke to the coachman, who then drove the two of them to the nearest Church of Creation.

The church was located on the bustling Saint John Avenue in the Dock Area, with its spire visible over nearby buildings stretching towards the sky. They alighted at the busy church entrance, and Miss Princess, not taking Shard into the church, walked east along Saint John Avenue and stopped in front of an antique shop not far from the church.

"Wait here for me."

After saying so, she went into the antique shop and soon came out with a middle-aged man dressed like a shop owner. This man was also a Circle Sorcerer, but only a First Ring. He warmly shook hands with Shard, confirmed the information, then locked the shop door and headed into a nearby alley.

"This local man is a broker of the black market, specializing in the trade of information. He will pass along the message, and in about half an hour, the church will be informed."

Miss Princess explained, appearing very familiar with the local situation. Seeing Shard still standing on the cobblestone road looking towards the distant church, she said:

"The favor you asked for is done, and if there's nothing else, I think it's time for me to leave."

She made a gesture as if to leave, but of course, her shoes did not leave the ground, and she didn't actually lift her feet. Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire

"Oh, please wait, Miss Princess."

Shard immediately spoke, considering that the other party was really familiar with Coldwater Port, they could probably be of help to him, whether or not they were a Correspondence Circle Mage from Zaras.

"I am a foreigner, having just arrived, and I naturally want to get acquainted with the local situation. Miss Princess, would you happen to have time today?"

"What do you want to do?"

The young girl asked with a smile.

"I would like to hire you, hire you to be my guide for one day, show me around Coldwater Port, and if you can take me to see the black market where special items or knowledge are traded, that would be even better," Shard explained.

It was nearly noon now, so strictly speaking, it would only be for half a day if Shard were to hire her now.

Miss Princess seemed to be struggling to suppress a smile but nodded nonetheless:

"I indeed have no other plans today, hiring me as a guide shouldn't be a problem, but can you afford the price?"

The beautiful girl twirled her finger playfully.

"How much?"

To facilitate expenses, Shard had packed his suitcase full of cash before leaving Tobesk.

"The payment can be discussed later; it is noon now, sir, aren't you going to invite me for lunch?"

She spoke in perfect Draleonese, maintaining a light tone.

Shard looked up at the sun overhead, calculated the thickness of his wallet, and considered whether it was worth it to invite someone for lunch:

"Sure, is there a recommended restaurant nearby?"

The two turned and walked down the street, blending into the bustling noon crowd as they headed toward the direction of the church.

Miss Princess was probably of noble birth. Shard had initially thought she would choose a high-end restaurant in the center of Coldwater Port City, but in the end, she only chose a slightly more expensive restaurant in the street district where the Church of Creation was located.

The well-figured girl seemed to be thinking of dieting, so she only ordered some delicate vegetarian dishes. While waiting for the dishes to arrive after the waiter left, Shard attempted to inquire about her real identity in the city, but Miss Princess blocked such inquiries.

She was very knowledgeable about the local situation. Even though she consistently avoided discussing the local magicians with Shard, she eagerly talked about the recent major news in the area.

The most important news in recent weeks, apart from the Sage-Level Relic "Mermaid's Dream" causing the police headquarters to collect mermaid-shaped statues across the city, leading to a plunge in prices for similarly shaped statues, was the "noble, beautiful, kind, and elegant" visit of Princess Lecia Cavendish.

The adjectives were added by Miss Princess herself.

"Has the Princess not left yet? I remember reading in the newspaper that after concluding her visit in Carsonrick, Princess Lecia was only supposed to stay here for a week before returning to Tobesk. Is she still here?"

Shard was quite surprised by this.

"Yes, she is still here. Apparently, she suddenly fell ill with a severe illness and couldn't travel long distances, so she's staying in Coldwater Port City a bit longer," Miss Princess said with a laugh.

"But why haven't I seen this news in the newspapers?"

"It's not exactly good news, and the Royal Family has pressured the press not to publish it. Moreover..."

She lowered her voice:

"You must be aware of the major event that occurred in Tobesk a week and a half back, involving the Evil God... The common folk don't know the truth, but the Royal Family surely knows from the church. There are rumors among local magicians that Her Highness the Princess was scared by what happened in Tobesk and is feigning illness to avoid returning until it is confirmed to be safe."

This narrative had a somewhat slanderous tone. Shard had heard bits and pieces about Princess Lecia from Miss Luisa, and knew her to be a Five-Ring Sorceress who wasn't the timid sort. Thus, rather than being frightened, it seemed more plausible that she was genuinely ill.

"Maybe I should bring some fruit on behalf of Miss Luisa to visit her... but the Princess doesn't seem to know me at all," he thought to himself.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Watson, I haven't yet asked what you do for a living. If I remember correctly, all Three Great Magics Academies require that correspondence students not leave their resident city for long periods. Since you have come to Coldwater Port from another city, you must be engaged in some kind of flexible profession that allows you to commute between cities, right?"

Miss Princess seemed to be probing Shard's identity, and Shard was well-prepared, pulling his thoughts back from the Princess:

"I am somewhat of a writer, and a detective's assistant, living with a very troublesome detective."

Shard spoke while thinking about what lunch Mia might be getting at Miss Luisa's:

"My usual work involves organizing detective records and meeting clients with my cohabitant. Of course, I also have to prepare meals for that almost dysfunctional detective and go for walks with him... er, it sometimes, and occasionally argue over supper. But it can't be denied, as troublesome as he is, the detective in the orange pajamas fits my criteria for a roommate perfectly."

"Having such a roommate must be nice, is he a magician?"

The young girl dining with Shard inquired.

"Of course not, but he knows I am a magician, and I have even experimented with Arcane Technique and Relics on him. However..."

Shard thought of the increasingly clever cat and his face involuntarily broke into a smile:

"If one day he could awaken his Talent, that would be quite something."