Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 480: Shard’s Blood Echo

According to the contract that Mr. Mendis signed with the late Detective Sparrow, when Mr. Mendis voluntarily announced the termination of the commission, in addition to the deposit, he would also have to pay an additional fee not exceeding one-third of the total amount based on the progress of the investigation.

Shard originally did not want the other party's money, and he would not return the deposit either, but Mr. Mendis insisted on paying. In the end, Shard received an investigation fee of 13 shillings and left Mr. Mendis's residence with Miss Maid.

It was four o'clock in the afternoon, and at this time at the end of summer, there was still no sign of dusk.

"This money, I think, should only be enough to cover our carriage fare for today,"

Miss Maid said to Shard on the carriage ride back to Saint Delan Square.

The price of a pair of cotton long stockings was around 5 shillings, a good-quality women's work outfit was 1 pound, boots were priced at 11 shillings, and the cost of a rented carriage was typically for a range of 4 miles centered around Yordle Palace: 1 shilling for distances under 2 miles, with 5 pence charged for every mile thereafter.

That is why Tifa, knowing the prices, made such a sigh.

"Yes, and if you add the preliminary investigative work that Detective Sparrow conducted, this commission was undoubtedly at a loss. But for me, wasn't this a big win?"

Shard swirled the Black Iron Ring on his finger, and the black-haired maid also smiled:

"Looking at this, the detective profession is really suitable for Circle Sorcerers."

"No no, it's just somehow so coincidental that this matter is related to a Relic. Generally speaking, the commissions I receive are just ordinary matters like playing cards or finding people,"

Shard said, taking out that roll of parchment:

"I happen to recognize these ancient characters. Tifa, let's have dinner together after I've deciphered these texts. Don't be hasty to refuse. You helped me a lot today, so inviting you to dinner is my way of showing gratitude."

The black-haired girl thought for a moment:

"Okay, but I can't return too late, otherwise Miss will have an opinion."

The two first returned to Saint Delan Square, then went out together with Mia, and found a nice restaurant in a nearby block. Shard seldom cooked at home, so he was well aware of where the food was good nearby, and the restaurants in the vicinity were also very familiar with the young detective who brought a cat along.

After dinner, they walked home together, and when they returned to Saint Delan Square, they saw a somewhat overweight man, wearing a wig and a red coat, standing anxiously at the doorstep of number six.

Shard was curious about who it was, but when the man saw the two approaching, he immediately greeted them, and the parties met on the Circular Square Street at the edge of Saint Delan Square:

"Excuse me, are you Rejed's Hamilton? Oh, it's Miss Servit, good afternoon."

His Tobesk accent was unusually standard, his voice even somewhat shrill.

He bowed slightly to the young woman at Shard's side, looking surprised to see her here.

And Tifa also introduced the man's identity to Shard:

"Mr. Hamilton, this gentleman is Mr. Miral Forman, the herald of Yordle Palace."

"Good evening, Mr. Forman, may I ask what brings you here?"

Shard was also quite surprised until he saw the invitation handed over by the other party.

"Rejed's Hamilton, Queen Diana formally invites you to attend the birthday banquet on Wednesday next week, the thirtieth night of the Month of Blossoms, held at Yordle Palace."

The herald handed the invitation to Shard. Although it was the Queen's birthday banquet, the style of the invitation was very plain, probably to emphasize the frugality of the royal family.

"Knight, may I know if you will be attending?"

"Oh, of course, I will definitely attend,"

Shard said, and then Mr. Forman nodded respectfully, bidding goodbye to Shard, and left without giving Shard a chance to invite him upstairs for tea.

Shard opened the door to his home, with the cat on his shoulder dashing in first, followed by Miss Maid.

"Why is Mr. Forman's voice so shrill?"

He asked as he tossed the key into the biscuit tin.

"Did you notice how smooth his chin was, devoid of any beard?"

Miss Maid asked.

"Hmm?"

Shard pondered for a moment, and then asked with surprise in his slow step:

"A eunuch?"

"Yes, though the tradition of court eunuchs is not popular in modern courts, as people consider it inhumane, the few attendants trusted by His Majesty are mostly eunuchs. Thus, there's a rumor in the court that in order to gain His Majesty's trust, one must have the heart to..."

She did not continue, and Shard nodded to show he understood.

Larus III was indeed a strong-willed King with exceptional personal capabilities. As the ruler of the Kingdom during the surge of the Steam Age, his emergence was extremely fortunate for Draleon.

However, the King's tough disposition combined with the great power vested in him also resulted in certain character flaws. The tradition of court eunuchs disappeared from civilization centuries ago, and the present eunuchs were those who voluntarily gave up part of their physical structure for power. The tacit approval of Larus III toward this trend, driven by his pursuit of power, was one of the few aspects criticized about him.

Of course, His Majesty the King had nothing to do with Shard, so he did not care if the King had any psychological issues.

After returning home, Shard excused himself to look up some literature and entered the study to translate the content of the parchment alone. He had initially thought it would only describe the red potion and the function of the "Demon Hunting Seal," but it turned out to contain a story about an ancient legacy and the whereabouts of another extremely powerful Relic.

"Dr. Alfred's ancestor found the Relic of a Demon Hunter from the Third Era who had died in the Ruins, which included, apart from the seal, a longsword that had become a 'Relic.' Turns out, the 'Demon Hunting Seal' not only tends to appear where demons are found but it also actively attracts those powerful enough Transcendents. And that sword, it was hidden in Sicarl Mountain..."

Sicarl Mountain, located to the central-east of the Old Continent, is one of the borderlines between Draleon and Carsonrick. The place was too far from Tobesk for Shard to consider looking for the Relic described on the parchment, especially at such a time.

He was still waiting for Daknis.

After much thought, Shard chose to hide some content on the parchment, only sharing the information related to the potion with Tifa.

"These items are indeed left by a Circle Sorcerer! Dr. Alfred's ancestor was a powerful Circle Sorcerer who, according to his own account on the parchment, lived about 800 years ago and was a Sorcerer of Nine Rings at the time of his death."

Nine Rings was already considered High Ring, and no matter the era, it belonged to the strong.

"So how did that gentleman die?"

The Miss Maid sitting on the sofa asked.

"I don't know, he said on the parchment that he was going to challenge a formidable enemy and fight a Sorcerer of Eleven Rings with his friends. Fearing he might not return, he left behind two items he wouldn't need in the basement of the old house. Written in Ancient Script, he hoped that ordinary people who discovered these two items in the future would not tamper with them, and if they were Circle Sorcerers, they could put them to good use."

Here, Shard omitted the matter about the sword.

"Clearly, he did not anticipate that his descendants would continue to live in that small town and use the surname Alfred for 800 years."

The signature on the parchment was also Alfred, so Shard knew this was the ophthalmologist's ancestor.

"The ring is a Relic of Keeper of Secrets Level, and although I've seen references to it before, I don't know its specific functions just yet. But I do know the effects of the potion."

Shard placed the bottle of red potion on the coffee table; because Dr. Alfred had used some of it, only about three-quarters of it was left:

"This is not a Magic Potion but a derivative product of a Relic that a Circle Sorcerer obtained in an accident 800 years ago. The specific Relic wasn't mentioned on the parchment, but the effects of the potion were very clearly detailed."

He and Miss Maid both looked at the bottle:

"Dropping the potion directly into your eyes can enhance and evolve Sorcery and Arcane Technique related to the eyes. Preserving the Demon Eye in this potion can effectively suppress some of the negative effects that occur when the Demon Eye is removed from the body."

"Evolving Sorcery and Arcane Technique? That's a very rare thing," Tifa commented with her hand over her mouth, and Shard nodded. It was a pity that Time Perception had no connection whatsoever with the eyes; otherwise, he would have learned the truth.

Shard then pointed to the other half bottle of bright yellow potion:

"The potions that Dr. Alfred dealt with are probably unusable. But I want to try and evolve my Echo of Blood with the remaining three-quarters of the red potion. Tifa, can I ask for your assistance? I need someone to control the drops into my eyes and stop when I say to."

"No problem. But what kind of evolution can there be for the ability to observe bloodstains?"

"Probably to see it more clearly, I guess," Shard said before lying down on the sofa.

The cat that had been up to who knows what in the bedroom immediately leaped onto Shard's chest as soon as he lay down, looking down at him from a higher position. The cat was not heavy at all, but to prevent it from interrupting the upcoming procedure, Shard stretched out both hands and pinned it down on his clothes.

"I'm ready."

He opened his eyes to look at the ceiling, while Tifa took the cork off the bottle and carefully controlled the liquid to trickle out.

Shard felt nothing when the first drop entered his eye, followed by the second and the third.

His eyes gradually warmed up, but it wasn't hot. When the dripping surpassed ten drops, the temperature around his eyes seemed to drop, but it wasn't particularly cold either.

The Spirit in the special potion slowly permeated the entire eye and interacted with the soul controlling the body.

As the steam whistle and bell tolled, the Ring of Fate automatically surfaced above Shard. As he continued to receive the liquid into his eyes, he watched his own Ring of Fate slowly rotate above him.

Seven Spirit Runes flashed with radiant Spiritual Light in four colors, and the most dazzling was undoubtedly the Miracle Soul Rune "Echo" that had been washed with a droplet of Divinity.

"Blood Echo... 'Echo'."

A thought emerged in his mind, and as the thought materialized, the Rune with the brilliant golden Spiritual Light instantly burst into a more intense brilliance.

"Tifa, drop your blood into my eyes!" Shard suddenly said.

The dark-haired girl didn't ask why but used a small knife to cut her finger and squeezed a drop of blood above Shard's eyes. The light above his head shined onto Shard's eyes, and as the light reflected off his eyeballs, the red droplet and the crimson blood fell.

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At that moment, the sounds of the bell tower's bells resonated in the distance. The lingering echoes brought a strange epiphany that made Shard's scalp tingle.

"Her" voice finally arrived in his ears:

[Blood and Time, the red echo. Devour that blood, be tinged with that light, for you have encountered fresh blood numerous times, and the power of blood will eventually echo through your veins and soul, along with Space-Time.]

The power of Sorcery – "Echo of Blood," became mysteriously connected with the Miracle Soul Rune. It did not disappear; it gained a new strength.

[Outlander, you have acquired the Arcane Technique - Echo of Blood.]

Above the spinning Ring of Fate, the radiance of the "Echo" Spirit Rune shone down like the sun upon Shard below, causing even Tifa to be unable to look directly at the sight before her.

The golden light that shone upon her even made this Six Rings Warlock and Candidate Witch faintly hear an illusory and profound tolling that trembled the soul. But in the end, the Ring of Fate slowly vanished into the Steam Mist, Shard told Tifa to stop the drops, and he slowly sat up, leaning on the sofa.

"How is it? Did it work?"

She had probably never seen the evolution of Sorcery, and indeed, the scene just now was astonishing.

"The effect is very good," Shard said as he closed his eyes tightly and then reopened them. The blood-red halo gradually converged into his eyes, and as the redness vanished, a golden arc flashed momentarily:

"Better than I thought, Sorcery actually turned into an Arcane Technique."