Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 343 Clouds Over Coldwater Port

"Hmm... almost none?"

Shard replied with a question.

"Yes, so I dare to bet that the events matching the prophecy on that slab have definitely not exceeded three times in the past six months, or there might not even have been a single occurrence."@@@@

Shard nodded and looked down at Mia, who he was holding. His feelings were extremely complex at this moment; the epic of the Sixth Era was once again being advanced by his own hands.

"May I ask if there are any further clues about the second chosen one? Maybe we found the event, but there are too many survivors."

"The other parts of the 'Whispering Verses' held by the Council do not record the second chosen one, but our partners have provided information, indicating that the power of the second chosen has to do with darkness. Having missed the critically important first chosen one, now neither side will give up the second chance."

The witch narrowed her eyes, seemingly thinking about something. Shard nodded again, frowning thoughtfully. Miss Galina, however, thought nothing of it and just assumed he was anxious about the chosen one, so she comforted him:

"You needn't be too troubled, after all, this matter has nothing to do with us. Let the people of the West Coast deal with their own affairs. I have decided not to return to the County of Saradiel for the time being, and the Council supports my continued stay in Tobesk. That way, even if something happens in this city again, you'll be able to find someone to help."

Shard wanted to keep nodding, but suddenly he frowned and looked up at the Duchess:

"Sorry, what you mean is, there..."

He pointed downward:

"...will something happen again?"

Miss Galina laughed, and for a moment, Shard almost saw the shadow of Princess Lecia on her:

"I knew you'd understand what I meant. Remember that vampire you brought to me?"

"Of course, I remember."

Shard had endured her Sublimation Incantation, the scene of the blood-drenched dusk as if it had just happened yesterday. That vampire belonged to the Blood Spirit School and was already operating around Tobesk, but it wasn't he who had been dispatched to help the Lord of the Blood Feast in Tobesk. It was only because of the corpse of the Ancient Circle Mage inside the Corpse Tree that he was temporarily involved in the matter.

"You brought me the letter on the body of the vampire kind, and the Council has decoded the cryptic text. After interpretation, we discovered that the enemy's appearance around Tobesk is because of the uncontrollable Angel-Level Relic near our city."

She paused for a moment, wanting to discuss the blob of darkness with Shard, but Shard immediately signaled that he was aware of it.

"The letter he carried didn't have many concrete details. But the Council believes that there will be further developments in this matter, otherwise, the Blood Spirit School had no reason to send a vampire from the New World to our place."

No one knew what exactly the Blood Spirit School wanted to do. The body of the vampire kind was severely damaged and had no value for Necromancy, which meant, no answers could be obtained from the vampire.

Two Circle Sorcerers, initially dispatched by the Blood Spirit School from the New World to Tobesk because of the Godfall incident, should have just entered Coldwater Port on the Night of the God's Descent. Therefore, the Witch Council believed that those two were very likely still in Coldwater Port, responsible for receiving the escapees from the Blood of Mercury organization.

Afterward, they might give up their mission and return to the New World, but they could also continue to Tobesk to complete the task the vampire had failed. And Miss Galina's current mission in Tobesk was to wait for their arrival and to try to capture them alive.

"I'll let you know when there's news; the people from the Blood Spirit School should come here in an official capacity, so sometimes you'll need to step in,"

Miss Galina said.

"No problem."

Feeling the carriage come to a stop, Shard turned his head to look outside the window. With the conversation ended, he had also arrived home.

After returning home, since he had eaten his fill at lunch, Shard simply skipped dinner. But while a person could skip a meal, a cat's dinner was not to be missed.

Mia was eating on the sofa, while Shard sat thinking about things. It was nine o'clock that evening when Luviya finally arrived.

"You really found eleven coins?"

This was the first sentence the female diviner uttered when Shard opened the door. Night had completely fallen, and the entire ring of street lamps in Saint Delan Square behind her was lit. Workers hired by the City Hall were cleaning the square, and the vendors visible during the day had disappeared, leaving only a flock of pigeons walking around.

During the day, some licensed vendors sell their goods in city center squares like Saint Delan Square. But it is not a rural market, so it doesn't disrupt the normal life of the residents around the square.

"Yes, it's a long story. How about I take you to see for yourself?"

While speaking, Shard stood up, holding Mia in his arms.

"Where to?"

Luviya asked suspiciously, also standing up.

"To the basement. There's something I want to show you. Come to think of it, you are the first person to know this secret; I originally planned to tell no one."

With that, they descended from the second floor to the first and from there into the basement.

Since the gas pipes hadn't yet been installed, the basement was completely dark. Shard extended a finger to provide light, leading Luviya to a wall directly facing the stairs.

The female diviner looked around curiously, visiting Shard's place many times but never before had she been here:

"Are you suggesting there's a space behind this wall?"

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Using the light from Shard's fingertip to examine the wall in front of her, she then reached out to touch it, but as expected, couldn't feel anything.

"Luviya, you know the original history of this house. The church spent a hundred years and never discovered its peculiarity. I believe you wouldn't have known its secret unless you used your special divination," said Shard, confident in this matter.

"The church spent 100 years and didn't find out, yet you did as soon as you moved in," replied the female diviner softly, then watched as Shard summoned the Ring of Fate:

"Pay attention, once we go inside, you're free to look around, but do not stray from the walls."

That was the lesson Shard learned from his first reckless exploration; he took Mia in as well, but the cat sat obediently by the wall and nothing happened. The last "souvenir" he brought back died instantly when he got too close to the Divine Statue.

"Could you first tell me what's behind the wall? It might prepare me somewhat," asked Luviya, then saw the Spirit Rune of Space-Time flicker. As the spiritual light illuminated the wall in front of her, the wall disappeared like a phantom, revealing a long and dark passage.

The female diviner raised an eyebrow:

"Like, what if there's actually an underground ruin behind here, or it's inhabited by an Ancient One that's lived several hundred years, or perhaps it's just a cell you use to imprison innocent young girls?"

Due to their familiar relationship, the joke Luviya made at this moment wasn't untimely.

"There's no need to overthink it, beyond is just a not-too-large circular space with a Divine Statue in the center. Remember, you can stare at the Divine Statue, but absolutely, absolutely do not approach it!"

Shard emphasized once more, then led the way holding the cat, with Luviya right behind him.

As Shard's gaze fell upon the Divine Statue of the Ancient God—Primordial Rift, the statue emitted a very soft glow.

This glow illuminated the now-familiar Shard and cat, and also Luviya Annette who followed.

"Oh, my God!"

Recognizing it immediately due to the Genesis Roder Cards, Luviya was shocked.

She stepped back in alarm, leaning against the wall as it had returned to its normal state:

"Ancient God! A Divine Statue of the Primordial Rift!"

"Yes, that's the one," confirmed Shard, depositing the cat into Luviya's arms amidst the cat's discontented meows, slowly approaching the statue. Under Luviya's watch, Shard vanished after reciting the Spell Words and touching the statue, reappearing after two or three seconds.

"You actually dare to live in such a place?"

Luviya said in horror.

"It's very safe here, and to prevent myself from being affected, you see, I've never used the ground floor," said Shard casually. Luviya looked from the statue to Shard, truly at a loss for words.