Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

His gaze drifted away from the oil painting to the staircase on the first floor, where he finally heard the sound of people talking upstairs. It wasn't just one person, but a group; it seemed that all the guests attending the banquet were on the upper floor.

Shard took a few steps up and peeked over the corner of the staircase, only to find five or six guards stationed there, including even two Circle Sorcerers.

He removed his mask, turned it into a toy, and tucked it into his pocket; then he used the "Illusion of the Moon Shadow" to let the bizarre silver mist flow upwards. The silver mist of the illusion technique was invisible before it took effect. Shard manipulated it to form a wall of fog at the top of the stairs. Suddenly stomping on the ground to make a noise, in the moment the guards stepped through the fog wall of their own volition, his body disappeared, reappearing behind the guards.

With his head bowed, he fiddled with his Roder Card and walked into the crowd, unnoticed by anyone.

The second floor was bustling, the fragrance of food mixed with the scent of perfume creating a pleasant atmosphere, while the orchestra in the corner played soft dance music. The mermaid-shaped gas lamps on the walls brightened the entire banquet area.

While the people seemed somewhat frightened, both the respectable gentlemen and the fashionably dressed ladies managed to carry on with their social activities normally.

Shard straightened his clothes and walked into the crowd, easily learned what had happened here, and deduced the events of the earlier part of the night.

About ten o'clock a few hours earlier, like Sophia's Mansion, Aphrola Manor was also attacked by gun-wielding mermen. But unlike the unity inside Sophia's Mansion, among the banquet guests here there were already spies from the Crimson Cult disguised as guests, leading to the attackers successfully breaking into the mansion and using a relic to block the exits.

Fortunately, the Circle Sorcerers from the Church of Nature, Her Highness the Princess's guards, the Aphrola Family's hired watches, and a few personal guards of the guests put up a fight. The nearly twenty-minute gun battle saw the manor's side gaining the upper hand.

The grotesque enemies attacking the manor now occupied the basement and the wine cellar, while the banquet guests moved about on the second floor and above. After discovering that no one could leave the manor, the Circle Sorcerers from the Church of Nature found the manor owner, and Miss Aphrola announced that she had contacted the police. Now, with the situation below being dangerous, everyone was asked to wait on the second floor.

Therefore, the anxious people gathered together, and the hideous enemies in the basement did not attempt to come up and assault the humans again.

"So that's why the first floor is empty; the bloodstains I saw must be from the earlier night's battle. It looks like the ritual site is in the wine cellar, and the cultists, seeing they can't win, have given up on slaughtering the guests of the manor," he mused.

After understanding the situation and learning that, although there had been deaths, Her Highness the Princess was not among the deceased, Shard finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't see Mr. Daknis or Lecia on the second floor. Later, he found out that not all the guests were there; some of the more distinguished guests were resting on the third floor.

There were even more guards on the stairs to the third floor, and the protection there was much tighter than on the second floor. Moreover, being closer to the Grand Witch, Shard was hesitant to use his powers freely. Fortunately, it wasn't long before he saw Lecia's maid coming down from the upper floor, preparing to fetch some hot tea for Her Highness the Princess.

Shard followed her down the hallway and when he tapped the maid on the shoulder, he almost scared her into screaming.

"Oh, Shard!"

In the third floor's resting room, Lecia had been lying on a couch with a blanket over her, resting with her eyes closed. Hearing footsteps that didn't sound like her maid, she sat up and opened her eyes, spotting Shard:

"Oh, God, please tell me I'm not dreaming," she said.

Without waiting for him to speak, the redhead girl walked quickly toward him and hugged Shard, but immediately let go.

Without giving Shard a chance to talk, she looked him up and down, then asked with a hint of curiosity:

"What did you do to my maid? Why is she looking at you like that?"

"Your Highness, it's nothing."

The Maid spoke softly, and Lecia paid no mind to what had just happened; her grip tightened on Shard's arm, overjoyed at seeing him:

"Shard, how did you get here? Am I really not dreaming?"

She held onto Shard's arm and wouldn't let go, her face displaying an expression of delighted surprise.

"I was worried about you."

He said, then he recounted the events that had unfolded at Sophia's Mansion during the earlier part of the night, including the presentation of the corpse transformed into a doll. What had transpired at the mansion was similar to what Shard had learned on the second floor.

However, mere humans understood less of the situation; the Mermen originally had no intention of "coexisting in peace" with the humans upstairs. But the Church's Circle Sorcerer squad had come downstairs again two hours earlier, directly confronting the Cultists in a fight. Neither side gained much of an advantage, which led to the current standoff.

"There's an hour and a half left until sunrise, when the Red Sea will appear. And the Church is likely to breach this place at about the same time."

Shard summarized the current situation, but he wasn't the least bit nervous, as he was certain the Grand Witch was still inside the mansion.

"Will you stay with me?"

Lecia asked softly.

"I won't." Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

"Hmm?"

"Oh, what I mean is, I want to go down and take a look."

Shard motioned toward the floor below; since the mansion was a critical node for the ritual, the Mermen below undoubtedly possessed information about the ceremony. He suspected that the "Golden Pearl" information was in the hands of the Mermen as well. This course of action was certainly risky, but definitely worth it. While the night hadn't ended and the "Illusion of the Moon Shadow" was still usable, he wanted to make the most of it to check the basement.

"There's no need to take the risk, I'll be fine with that fishing line."

Lecia seemed to misunderstand Shard's intentions. He wanted to clarify, but was at a loss for words. Being certain that the Witch was present, he believed Her Highness the Princess would be in no danger.

If she were to come to the banquet hosted by the Aphrola Family and something were to happen to her, it would be the Grand Witch who would be the most troubled.

Even without the Relics that resisted curses, Hevy Aphrola would not let Lecia Cavendish die here under any circumstances. Not only considering the influence of the Royal Family but also the position of Miss Galina, a fellow member of the Witch Council.

"Aside from the Mermen, I coincidentally heard some news on my way here, about a demon that was... huh?"

Suddenly, Shard paused, then abruptly clutched at his chest.

The badge heated up rapidly, the warmth even causing him to feel a slight pain. The Grand Witch was approaching this place.