Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

When Shard awoke from his long slumber, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. The ceiling was not white, instead, it featured brightly colored and austere religious murals.

He gazed at the painting of the saint preaching to believers by the riverside, but before he could utter an exclamation like "unfamiliar ceiling," a voice came from the side:

"You're awake?"

"Priest Augustus?"

Turning his head, he saw the priest sitting in a wrought iron chair by the bed holding a newspaper, dressed in the white robe of the clergy. Not far behind him was the wall adorned with brass-colored gas pipes and insulated steam pipes climbing up it, with the gas pipes connected to a gas lamp emitting a warm glow on the wall.

The style of the gas lamp was very religious, with a naked man raising both arms high, the light radiating out from between his arms.

With the aid of this light, Shard saw that the newspaper in the priest's hands was the Tobesk City Evening Post.

Among the two pages of the spread-open paper facing Shard, the left reported on Princess Lecia's visit to Carsonrick, while the top half of the right page reported on the frequent child abduction cases in the city, and the bottom half reported on an earthquake in the southern part of Tobesk City, which seemed to have caused no serious harm according to the report.

"Has there been an earthquake in Tobesk City recently?"

Shard just woke up and thought, then noticed that today was Monday, and this paper was only published in the evening...

"Finally awake? You've been sleeping almost a day, it's already eight in the evening on Monday. How do you feel now?"

The old cleric said jokingly, with a touch of reproach.

"Monday evening? Damn! Mia!"

Shard was stunned, and the next moment he practically leaped out of bed. He hadn't expected to not make it home on Sunday night, and now the poor orange cat at home had gone a day without food; he feared it might not survive.

"Where am I right now? A chapel? Priest, I must get home! Mia..."

"Don't worry, you are in the Dawn Chapel, it's very safe here. Look, your cat is here too."

The priest said, gesturing Shard to look towards the pillow.

Indeed, the little orange cat was lying there, apparently about to become grumpy after being woken up by the detective and the priest's conversation. But seeing Shard awaken, it happily rubbed its soft face against the back of his hand.

The cat's body temperature is slightly higher than that of humans, and Shard felt the warmth and softness of Mia who had just awoken.

"Your cat is quite obedient, at least when she is by your side. Is she the pet of Detective Sparrow Hamilton? I thought detectives would prefer dogs with a keen sense of smell as pets."

Priest folded the newspaper, stretching his hand to place it on the nightstand as he asked curiously.

"No, she's the pet of a client. It was only one day's sleep, I thought..."

He had thought that using the power of "Divinity Overflow" would knock him out for at least two or three days. If it was just one day, then the price was acceptable.

"By the way, what about the consequences I suffered from using the last page of that script?"

"Divinity even healed the damage you took from the Evil God, so what more of the consequence of using the Relic? From the situation at that time, it seems the price might be gradually losing your hair."

She still whispered in his ear, which greatly reassured Shard.

As he stroked the cat and let out a sigh of relief, a bit bewildered, the memories before his collapse surged back to the forefront of his mind. Scenes from Lakeside Manor seemed to flash before his eyes—

The Roder Card, vineyards, revolvers, the Evil God, the Path of the Twelve Divinities, Miss Annette mentioning the "Whispering Verses," and... himself in front of Silvermoon:

"Is everything over now?"

He sat up feeling refreshed, full of energy.

"If you're referring to last night's incident, it's over, at least for us,"

Old Cleric said, his words seemingly well-prepared as if just waiting for Shard to ask:

"We almost got discovered by the True God Church, but with the help of your friend, everyone escaped smoothly, and nobody knows what we did. I brought you back to the church, claiming you were my friend, to take care of you.

Luisa is looked after by Annette, but the doctor's situation is bad; he forcibly used the power of the Sublimation Incantation, and although he woke up in the afternoon, he probably won't be able to get out of bed for several weeks, may God bless him... By the way, why did you sleep so long? But it's good that you're awake, you look well."

The priest said, handing Shard a cup of tea. He had been unconscious for a whole day, and though he looked better than anyone, he should hydrate.

Shard thanked the priest, holding the tea cup in one hand while continuing to stroke the especially lively orange cat that had been woken up. Seeing Priest Augustus's demeanor, he knew that the doctor's issue could probably be resolved:

"Priest, how are you doing?"

"Quite well, I'm probably the least injured apart from Annette,"

The old man said with a smile, and Shard was fully reassured, then asked:

"My friend helped us? Aren't you guys my friends? Could it be Baron Lavende, but does he have such influence?"

"It was 'that lady' you mentioned. She proved we were with her the whole time, not in sensitive areas. The True God Church's people didn't even see us."

The priest said, standing up to check the door again, making sure it was closed, and turned the steam lamp shaped like a man with arms spread wider to brighten the room a bit more.

"So, it was her."

Shard, listening, picked up the cat single-handedly onto his lap and scratched its chin with his fingers; the cat squinted its eyes and stretched its neck.

"However, before we left, that lady left you a letter, asking you to read it when you wake up."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Priest Augustus took an envelope out from the inside pocket of his robe, and Shard pulled out the letter, seeing the message written in a cursive style common among nobility, a variant of the standard Draleon language.

"Oh? She wants me to write to the Lucky Southern Cross Club after I awake. She wishes to see me and has something she needs me to do?"

Shard looked at the letter, raising an eyebrow.

"Isn't that good? If she had helped you for no reason, that would be cause for suspicion. It seems that this lady is likely not a bad person."

The priest spoke, then added:

"I've also been in this city for many years, and in my opinion, 'that lady' probably has connections with the Royal Family. To have such power, to cover for us in last night's circumstances, she's not just a regular grand noble. I didn't see her face either, but in all of Tobesk, no, the entire Draleon Kingdom, there probably aren't more than five women who could do this.

It turns out our information is still not enough; I've never heard of a High Rank Ring Sorcerer in the current Royal Family."

"Do you know who she is?"

Shard folded the letter and placed it on the nightstand to keep it away from Mia's bites.

"Although I don't know, the possibilities are only a few. I will not speculate; she will let you know in time if she chooses to trust you. Remember to send the letter early, and while you should be wary of strangers, don't be overly suspicious of those who extend kindness."

The priest imparted his life experience, and Shard nodded; he understood these principles.

Perhaps finding the room stuffy after discussing such sensitive topics, the priest stood up, went to the window, and drew the heavy curtains. Opening the window, the cool night air immediately swept through, and both the priest and Shard let out a long sigh of relief.

The summer nights in Tobesk were cool, with July commencing and the peak of summer approaching.