Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 385 Pink Rose Inn

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In the past half-week, the nights in Coldwater Port have often seen the police engaging in gun battles with monsters that are not meant to be known to the citizens. The mermen, possessing strong regenerative abilities, have mostly mastered firearms, and before the Circle Sorcerers arrive, the local police can only counter them with firearms as well.

Furthermore, with more and more Circle Sorcery organizations entering the area, the nights in Coldwater Port have become bustling.

The Fishbone Pirate Ship continues to appear in the nearshore area of Coldwater Port, and among the eleven Circle Sorcerers who escaped from the ship along with Shard and the Princess, the Church has located one more. Unfortunately, the individual found is a middle-aged woman, not Shard's target.

Princess Lecia, relying on the intelligence department of the Coldwater Port City Hall, as well as the local branch of MI6, has also found a target. This person is male, but unfortunately, what Princess Lecia can find, other organizations can find too.

Before the Princess made her appearance, at least three Inner Ring Sorcerers had raided the police station at the Coldwater Port Dock, resulting in the death of the unfortunate Second Ring Sorcerer and an ordinary policeman who was implicated without cause.

This greatly angered both the Church and the City Hall, and even the King in Tobesk City had heard of the tragedy at the Coldwater Port Dock and ordered the local authorities to find the murderer as soon as possible.

Besides, there are some messages in Coldwater Port, now growing more dangerous, that even Princess Lecia cannot verify as true or false.

For example, in the black market, it is rumoured that there is a high bounty of 1000 pounds for each piece of information on any Circle Sorcerer who has escaped from the Fishbone Pirate Ship; or that there have been mermaid sightings in the nearshore waters of Coldwater Port, not the ugly mermen of the Evil God's Favored Ones, but genuine different-species mermaids; or that the professors sent by the Three Major Academies to resolve the "Coldwater Port Shadow" incident had a major fight with an unknown group of Circle Sorcerers on Sunday morning in the nearshore area, directly affecting the weather of the past two days.

Setting aside those uncertain messages, the current situation is that, excluding the Outlander and the Princess, of the eleven fleeing Circle Sorcerers, one is dead, three have been found by the Church, and the identities of the remaining seven are still unknown.

The High Ring Sorcerer from the Church has already arrived, and the professors from the Three Great Magics Academies have also settled locally. The bad news is that Shard's chances to find his target before them have increased in uncertainty, but the good news is that the "Coldwater Port Shadow" incident should no longer be a concern.

"Lady Hevy Aurora, is she now in Coldwater Port?"

As Princess Lecia was briefing Shard about the situation, he suddenly asked.

The Princess looked surprised and nodded:

"Why would you suddenly mention her? Yes, the businesswoman arrived in town two days ago and is even planning to host a dinner at Aphrola Manor tomorrow night. She even gave me an invitation, are you also interested in going?"

"Of course not."

Shard immediately shook his head, he was avoiding witches, let alone intentionally encountering one:

"Tonight and tomorrow night, I'm going to classes, Professor Garcia's 'Folded Space', concentrating on large ritual Maze Locks. The class starts at six in the evening, two sessions totaling four academic hours with no break, and it will be nearly nine o'clock by the time I finish."

"No worries, the banquet should be at its liveliest around nine."

Princess Lecia said again with a smile, but Shard still shook his head; he would never go to such a place.

Taking advantage of some free time, Shard also shared with Princess Lecia the "Kiss of the Tree" he had told Dorothy that morning. Even though the Princess was one ring higher than Dorothy, she still couldn't completely comprehend Shard's experiences. However, regarding the Spirit Rune of "Kiss of the Tree," Princess Lecia's opinion was similar to Dorothy's.

It would be difficult for Shard to find an Arcane Technique corresponding to this Spirit Rune; he would likely have to rely on his own Creation or attempt to transform the related Sorcery "Key of the Door" into an Arcane Technique, but neither would be simple. Princess Lecia also intended to help Shard look for materials from the Zaras Literary Academy, which specializes in Arcane Technique and Sorcery studies, but she didn't hold much hope.

"Speaking of which, do you remember Professor Katja?"

Princess Lecia seemed to intentionally save this topic for last.

"Of course I do, after all, it's not often we come across a folklore scholar who wields dual guns."

Shard nodded, looking at the cup of tea in front of him giving off steam:

"I remember the last time we returned to Sophia's Mansion, you mentioned that after making them forget about the merman, you would set them free,"

"Yes, but after you left that day, I found out some interesting things. I knew that Mr. Jude received the deliberately leaked information through my agents, but guess who introduced those two folklore scholars to Mr. Jude?"

Princess Lecia asked, propping her face with one hand, her beautiful eyes looking toward Shard, her lips curling up slightly, revealing a smile.

Shard thought for a moment and frowned. He had overheard some things using "Echo of the Past" within Mr. Jude's mansion. It was clear that Mr. Jude had asked the mermen to stop abducting ordinary people, so the appearance of two ordinary scholars at that particular time was indeed quite coincidental.

"Who was it?"

"A Circle Sorcerer, one like me, cursed with a Curse. They too had heard the news released by Mr. Jude, but unlike us who went to see him directly, the person behind them first sent two ordinary individuals to probe the situation."

"Were they also escapees from the Fishbone Pirate Ship, or were they local victims who came into contact with the Mermaid Statue?"

"It's one of the remaining seven, and we have met him,"

Princess Lecia said softly.

"Mr. Daknis? That man who cheated in card games with me!"

Shard stood up abruptly, and the princess nodded with a tranquil smile:

"Exactly, I know you've been particularly looking for him, so I went to quite some lengths these past few days. Following the clues provided by Professor Katja, I found Mr. Daknis late last night. The other party thinks the professor hasn't met Mr. Jude yet, and the old streets taken over by the mermen have already been dealt with by the Church, so they don't suspect that the person they've been in contact with for the past half week is actually one of my people."

"Where is he?"

Shard asked quickly.

"Oh, Shard, don't be impatient. My father always says to me, being impatient in doing things only increases the likelihood of a bad outcome. I know you don't want the Church to find him first, so I haven't alarmed the other party for now."

She signaled Shard to sit down:

"He is deliberately hiding his identity, not because of the Curse on him, but because he seems very worried about being discovered by the Church. That Mr. Daknis is probably not a good person."

"Whether he's a good person or not doesn't matter to me, I just want to meet him,"

Shard said, so Princess Lecia nodded:

"There are more than ten companions with him, not sure if they are Circle Sorcerers, but it's highly likely, so my people didn't rashly probe for information. If you want to meet him, go to this address. Oh, I also know that this group is waiting for a ship to the New World."

The bartender at the Seven Brooms Tavern also mentioned this.

She handed a file bag to Shard; this was the princess's preliminary investigation.

"I can't join you on your adventure today, Shard,"

While Shard was going through the files, the red-haired girl spoke rather sadly:

"My father has already urged me to return to Tobesk. I will probably set off after Sea Return, these next few days I have to meet with nobles who are seeing off from Coldwater Port, attend local public gatherings to bid farewell to the citizens, and there are also several banquets to attend."

"It's okay, I can handle these things myself."

Shard flipped through the documents, actually reluctant to involve Princess Lecia in the matters of The Chosen One:

"I will probably spend the day in Coldwater Port, and I'll come back in the evening to say goodbye before leaving."

"Alright, then I wish you a smooth operation today, Shard. Oh, my Maid will do your makeup in a bit, and then I'll arrange for a servant to take you into the city."

"Thank you, then I also wish you a cheerful day..."

Shard stood up, but paused and looked back at the Princess behind the desk wearing a silver crown:

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"Oh, I heard from Dorothy that you have a conflict with Miss Galina?"

"Why would you bring up that woman?"

Princess Lecia, who had been in a good mood just a moment ago, shook her head:

"This is my family matter."

"Alright then."

Shard didn't ask further and left the room with the file bag. The Princess sat behind the desk watching his retreating figure for a long time before sighing and turning her gaze back to the documents on the desk.

She didn't want to drag the pure and kind Detective into the internal power struggle of the Royal Family.

The rain in Coldwater Port continued to fall as Shard walked under his umbrella through the streets of the ancient harbor city. He didn't go to find Mr. Daknis right away but went first to Seven Brooms Tavern, where he bought some expensive alchemical materials.

Shard had heard of all the materials needed to create the Witch Detector badge, but gathering them in Tobesk City would be difficult, so he bought them instead in Coldwater Port. Needless to say, because he had little confidence in his alchemical craftsmanship, he bought enough materials to attempt making it three times.

If the first two attempts failed, he would then seek help from Iluna, who was skilled at alchemy. Old Man John and doctors' friends might be more capable, but Shard didn't want to risk leaking the formula to others.

After paying the deposit and writing down the shopping list at the tavern, agreeing to return in the afternoon for the materials, Shard officially embarked on his journey to find Mr. Daknis.

Along the way, he noted that there were more policemen than usual, all very focused on checking each person's face. They would stop and question any passerby with distinctive features, obviously looking for a Merman.

In times like these, people with unusual appearances likely had a hard time in Coldwater Port.

Shard made his way deep into the Dock Area slums, where Mr. Daknis and his friends lived in the Pink Rose Inn, nestled within the narrow alleys.

Despite the similar name, this inn had no connection to the Golden Rose Inn on Hoglenz Avenue, where Shard had stayed twice. Inns like this one, tucked away in alleyways, typically served as havens for smugglers with sensitive identities. Of course, judging by the name, this place was probably one of those illegal underground brothels.

Holding a black umbrella, Shard followed the address given by Princess Lecia, making his way through the alleys of the Dock Area slum until he finally found the inn marked by a row of faded pink scarves hanging by the door.

Located at a corner of the alley, it was three stories tall. Since the alley wasn't very wide, anyone passing by would definitely notice it.

Unlike the typical stone buildings of Coldwater Port, the Pink Rose Inn was constructed of wood. The inn wasn't very large in terms of floor space, and once Shard entered, with his hat lowered, he didn't see the barely-dressed girls he had imagined sitting around.

The first floor resembled a normal tavern, with scattered patrons holding glasses of alcohol, sitting at wooden tables and talking to each other on a Monday morning. Wooden tables, wooden chairs, and wooden columns were unusual to see in Coldwater Port.

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The intelligence indicated that Mr. Daknis and his party were staying on the third floor. However, Shard obviously didn't go straight upstairs but approached the counter on the side instead.

The middle-aged woman in an apron, who was initially doing the accounts, glanced up at the customer, and after noticing a stranger, asked suspiciously:

"May I help you with anything?"

Although she appeared to be over forty, she looked very... seductive. Shard could only think of this description and reminded himself once again what this place was really for.

"A glass of the cheapest rye beer, and also, do you have any Roder Cards?"

This was an insight Shard had gained from a general goods trader at Hymn Square; innkeepers and merchants often stashed away Roder Cards with special designs.

"Of course, we do."

The woman first bent down to prepare the beer for Shard, set the glass on the wooden counter, and then took out a booklet from under the counter:

"Please choose for yourself. Prices are listed here."

Two Roder Cards were neatly preserved inside the booklet.

Shard wasn't actually interested in Roder Cards with special designs; he preferred cards with special rules. So, after a pretense of interest, he shook his head in feigned disappointment.

After paying for the beer, he took his glass and sat down at an empty table. These small inns in the alleys didn't offer much comfort, probably to prevent prying eyes; even the windows were sealed. Indoors, only a single gas lamp hung above the counter, with an oil lamp on each table that would only be lit when a patron took a seat.

This was probably what life was like for the poor.

Shard's original plan was to observe from the first floor and attempt to spot any trace of the Circle Sorcerer along with Mr. Daknis. Unexpectedly, after he pretended to look at a notebook for a full half-hour, the foam in his suspiciously composed inferior beer disappeared, and not a soul came down from the upstairs.

Either those people weren't there at all, or they were so cautious that they wouldn't show themselves even during the day.

While Shard was still deep in thought, someone with a drink sat down across from him, which wasn't considered polite behavior.

This was a man with extremely short hair, showing only a fuzzy stubble, and a long face. His skin was somewhat dark, and his severe double eyelids were pronounced.

He looked to be in his thirties, very astute. After placing his glass on the table, he greeted Shard proactively:

"Friend, interested in Roder Cards, huh?"

With a standard Draleon accent, probably on par with the level of Tobesk City Hall's spokespersons.

"Certainly."

Shard shrugged.

"Interested in Special Cards?"

The long-faced man asked with a smile across the oil lamp.

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