Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Apart from the above doubts, if we follow this line of thought, it's possible that acquiring No. 6 Saint Delan Square was the result of the espionage organization's operations; and the detective's professed specialty in investigating mistresses and extramarital affairs could have been a deliberate choice to get close to nobles and eavesdrop on their secrets.

His ultimate death might have been as a result of his efforts to fulfill the noble's commission, which would also corroborate Shard's conjecture.

However, if this idea is correct, then Detective Sparrow's mission could have been to lie in wait to be activated, or simply to infiltrate the upper echelons of Tobesk, or to join some event when the time was right. All of these possibilities vanished with the detective's unexpected death.

As for "Genesis: Silver Moon," it is unclear whether it was the detective's personal interest, or if it was a stepping stone he used to knock on the upper society's door during his three years undercover in Tobesk.

"But all these are just speculations,"

Shard entered the door, ready to fetch the broom to clean the first floor:

"In any case, Sparrow Hamilton is dead. All that's left of his secrets is the letter that will arrive in September. The current guesses are just that, guesses; if he was able to approach the original owner a few months in advance, he surely could have destroyed anything related to his identity a few months in advance as well..."

Thinking of this, the fact that Detective Sparrow specifically sought out the brain-damaged Shard seemed to make sense:

"Could it be that he was in touch only with the Carsonrick side and was a long-time secret undercover agent who would not be tasked until the moment was critical?

Hence, after the incident, he couldn't immediately inform his handler of his impending death; thus, he could only bring in a brain-damaged vagrant to see if the seemingly ordinary September letter would be returned, using it as a confirmation of his safety."

Shard was almost certain that more than half of his theory was likely correct.

But now there was no evidence to prove any of these hypotheses, unless he was crazy enough to report on Detective Sparrow and then have his own life affected:

"However, maybe Miss Annette's divination could be useful."

He thought to himself:

"There's no need for her to attempt the kind of divination that comes at a cost; even a ordinary divination may provide clues related to Detective Sparrow."

The thought that he didn't have to wait until September to unveil this secret made his mood even better than when he had just found his wallet.

Among the four free arcane techniques the Academy offered Shard, "Perception of Time" was unlearnable due to lack of materials, and "Cyndia's Silvermoon Blessing" required a very stringent moon phase environment to learn.

While preparing a midnight snack for Mia, Shard noticed the cat was actually licking a bleeding wound on the back of his hand. Worried about his health, he decided to try and learn this healing ability, especially as the conditions that night were just right.

He took out the bottle of silver liquid from a drawer in the study. This liquid, called "Silvermoon Glow" by the Academy, would cost 14 pounds and 3 shillings for a small 0.5 fluid ounce (approximately 14.2ml) bottle, if purchased normally.

He opened the living room curtains, bathing himself in the tricolor moonlight. Extending his right arm, he then carefully removed the cat that had suddenly jumped onto his arm, placing the back of his right hand under the moonlight.

The learning requirement for this ability was to have a wound on oneself, and under the current circumstances, there was no need for him to injure himself deliberately.

Carefully, he poured the moonlight liquid onto the wound. The liquid did not flow down the back of his hand but instead gathered at the wound. Shard took a deep breath, picked up a match prepared on the windowsill, lightly struck it against the wall to light it, and then very carefully, turned his hand palm down to let the burning match head poke the wound covered in silver liquid.

"Tsk~"

The matchstick extinguished from the pressure, and the entire Moonlight potion in the moonlight surged into the wound, and the ability had been successfully learned.

Shard felt the new power, saw that the wound on the back of his hand was still there, and softly recited the spell words he understood as "praise the moon." A faint silver glimmer appeared in his left hand, which he immediately placed over the back of his right hand.

Several minutes later, he separated his hands, shook his right hand, and saw that only a faint trace of the wound remained, which would probably heal on its own very soon. The Arcane Technique of Cyndia's Silvermoon Blessing actually leaned more toward using the properties of Silvermoon to heal the spirit and soul, with physical healing being a secondary effect, hence the mediocre outcome.

After all, in the cycle of three moons, the Red Moon represented the concept of "flesh," and the Arcane Techniques of the Red Moon were better suited for physical healing.

"Meow~"

Mia scratched quickly at Shard's trouser legs, and having learned the new magic, Shard picked her up, planning to wash up and rest afterward.

The Blood of Mercury incident had come to a temporary close, he had found Mr. Sparrow's legacy, the study of the Circle Sorcerer was on the right track, and he even had goals for a long time to come. Shard was not dissatisfied with such a life; it was just like his thoughts when he first left Saint Delan Square to see this era and this world—everything would get better.

The next day was Tuesday, and the affairs of Lakeside Manor had temporarily settled down, allowing Shard's life to return to its peaceful routine.

The most important thing for today was to visit the severely wounded Dr. Schneider, but although he was temporarily free, the other two commissions left by Detective Sparrow remained uncompleted.

The detective's intention was for Shard to gradually complete four commissions by September, thus maintaining the superficial operation of the office; therefore, the remaining two commissions were not tasks that could be easily accomplished right away.

He planned to get started at the end of this month or the beginning of next.

Shard fed the cat early and first sent a letter to the Lucky Southern Cross Club via the post office, stating that he had woken up, then he met up with Priest Augustus in front of the Dawn Chapel, a twenty-minute walk from Saint Delan Square.

The Dawn Chapel, located at the center of Dawn Square, was also considered a landmark building in Tobesk. Even non-believers would be impressed by the grandeur of the building when passing by. Of course, according to Priest Augustus, the building itself held power, and evil spirits and wicked things could not hide within the chapel.

Therefore, people being impressed might also be influenced by the supernatural power of the place.

Although it was still early morning, there was already a bustling crowd in front of Dawn Chapel, with well-dressed gentlemen from the upper class mingling with ordinary citizens, entering and exiting the church doors carved with the huge Holy Emblem.

Just yesterday, the priest mentioned that the most important religious festival of the Dawn Church, the Day of Prayer, would be held in late July, and believers who wanted to participate in church activities would visit frequently.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Shard didn't know if it was also customary in this world to bring gifts when visiting the sick. Since he had found the money left by Detective Sparrow, he had thought about buying fruit or eggs on the way to the chapel, but when he arrived, he came empty-handed.

So he thought of asking Priest Augustus to pick some beautiful flowers from the church's garden after meeting him, but once he saw the Old Cleric, he felt embarrassed to ask.

Priest Augustus also didn't plan to buy gifts. After meeting with Shard, they took a carriage directly to Dr. Schneider's clinic.