Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 620 - Phoenix
Chapter 620: Chapter 620: Phoenix
Chapter 620: Chapter 620: Phoenix
Since the police had found the murderer and believed they had uncovered the truth, that concluded the case. Normally, the innkeeper would have needed to go to the police station to give a statement, but when Shard mentioned that he needed to talk to the owner, the chief immediately said the statement could wait until tomorrow.
“It’s like this, I want to understand something about the local tradition of fire worship.”
After sending off the police and the murderer, and the body had been carried away on a stretcher, the uneasy innkeeper Mr. Tels invited Shard to the backyard of the inn, where they were now alone and conversed beside the chicken coop.
“I thought you were here to check on taxes… cough, I mean, no problem.”
Mr. Tels clearly sighed with relief:
“My faith is in the Lord of All Things, which has been my family’s faith for generations. As for fire worship, I believe it is also part of the Lord of All Things’ faith, after all, fire is part of nature.”
“But I want to know if there are any strange legends locally about fire worship? I am actually a writer…”
The bearded innkeeper clearly didn’t believe him; he thought for a while before hesitantly responding:
“Indeed, I heard from my parents when I was a child about this, it is said that beneath Sicarl Mountain, there is a massive creature capable of spouting flames. A long, long time ago, it protected the ancestors who lived on this land.”
“What more lies beneath Sicarl Mountain? Could this be the Ancient One who sealed the mountain’s summit passage? Spouting flames… a dragon?”
Shard thought to himself, then hesitantly asked:
“What is that massive creature?”
“I don’t know about that.”
Mr. Tels shook his head, but then added:
“My father mentioned that before the Church of Nature operated in Tobesk, our ancestors worshipped and revered the flame. Later, the ancestors accepted the Church of Nature’s faith, recognizing fire as part of our Lord. Even so, that era of primitive fire worship left behind some symbols and records, which were accepted as part of the Church itself. Now, in the Midshire Fort Area, some native locals whose ancestors lived here, write specific symbols on their kitchen walls to pray against fire outbreaks; this is also considered part of the local architectural style and folk customs.”
Mr. Tels talked about the process of integrating faith in the Sicarl Mountain Region; with careful study, it could even yield a paper like “The Study of Primitive Fire Worship and Faith Integration in Midshire Fort.”
Unfortunately, Shard was not a folklorist:
“May I visit the inn’s kitchen?”
“Of course, right this way.”
He led Shard into the kitchen, where indeed Shard discovered some symbols related to “fire” on the walls, from ancient or modern times, but these were not of much significance.
He wanted to ask Mr. Tels more, but the innkeeper suddenly slapped his forehead:
“I remember now, my father left behind a red stone, telling me to bury it under the kitchen floor, believing it could ward off fire.”
“No, no, there’s no need to dig it up.”
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“No need to dig. I don’t believe in superstitions, so I never buried it.”
Mr. Tels said with a smile, then went alone into the storeroom to search, and found an irregular, roughly circular red stone. It didn’t look like a ruby, but more like some kind of crystal:
“Here, this is for you, in thanks for helping smooth things over with the police,” Mr. Tels said, but Shard still insisted on paying.
“Look at it in the sunlight, sometimes you can see beautiful patterns inside, it’s probably some kind of optical phenomenon,” Mr. Tels reminded him. So, Shard held the stone up to the sun and kept adjusting its position until he indeed observed a scene within the red stone—
It was a giant bird, wings outstretched in flight.
Slightly surprised, he put down the stone:
“This doesn’t seem like a pureblooded great dragon, could it be—a phoenix?”
When he left the inn, it was already half past three; Shard prepared to go to the corner of Oak Street and Punjab Avenue to wait for Priest Augustus. As he stood with his hands in his pockets, glancing at the empty horse carriages by the roadside and then back towards the distant Sicarl Mountain:
“Is there a phoenix in this mountain? In the local traditional fire worship, is the fire actually it?”
That might not be a deity, only an extremely powerful ancient one.
“How interesting! What more secrets could this great mountain and city hold?”
At twenty minutes past four in the afternoon, Shard successfully met Priest Augustus at the street corner. He was still worried the Church might send someone to follow the priest, so upon sighting Priest Augustus from a distance, Shard cautiously nodded to him and then quickly turned and headed towards the first alley on the left side of Oak Street.
Unexpectedly, the Old Cleric immediately followed him:
“Oh, why are you walking so fast? Do you really think I am as young as you?”
After hearing Shard’s concerns, the priest immediately shook his head:
“Don’t worry, I haven’t aroused any suspicion. After all, am I any different from the others who have disappeared?”
Since the priest said so, Shard also felt relieved.
The two first sat for a while in a small pub by the street where the priest shared what had happened after he had escaped from the Interstice of Life and Death with those who had disappeared. Then, as dinner time approached, Shard boldly asked Priest Augustus to take him to a restaurant in the city for a meal.
Shard’s daring rescue deep into the Interstice of Life and Death had deeply touched Priest Augustus, so treating him to a meal was certainly no issue.
The Old Cleric, who was still quite familiar with the city, eventually chose Manton Gus Restaurant, located at the foot of the South Hills. This restaurant was in the South Suburbs, slightly secluded, built against a cliff. The restaurant was constructed entirely of wood and built up against the rock face with steps leading to various dining platforms. Besides the fairly spacious ground floor, each level consisted of individual smaller rooms, the size of which depended on how far the rock bulged. On the opposite side of each room was a large window made of several glass panes, and from the top-floor room on the third level, one could just make out almost half of the city.
This location was quite high, and since it was not in the urban area plus it was a bit expensive, the diners at Manton Gus Restaurant were usually wealthy people. Dressed in suits and gowns, people moved under the glow of the gas lamps. In contrast, Priest Augustus, who had changed into casual clothes, and Shard, who had no other clothes to change into, seemed quite unnoticeable.
The cuisine of Midshire Fort City incorporated elements from the Northern Country, Southern Nation, and the highlands, creating a style distinct from Tobesk’s typical northern dishes and Coldwater Port’s seafood dishes. At this time of autumn, mountain produce was especially cheap, and while still not cheap here, at least Shard and Priest Augustus both could afford it.
This might also be because the Royal Capital area itself carried a premium.
During the meal, Shard shared his experiences from the afternoon with the priest and remarked how many Carsonrickian people there were in Midshire Fort.
“Actually, there are also many foreigners in Tobesk, but most are not within your usual areas. As for Midshire Fort, most of the foreigners here are merchants, so you see a lot of them around,” the Old Cleric said cheerfully:
“I heard from the local bishop that at least twenty percent of the permanent residents of Midshire Fort are not from this country.”
“Oh, that number is really quite high.”
“After all, it is one of the largest cities on the eastern frontier.”
The old man stirred the thick soup in front of him with his spoon.
“If these people knew what lies beneath us, Midshire Fort would probably not be as bustling as it is now.”
Shard stamped his foot, and Priest Augustus shook his head, lowering his voice:
“Regarding the Interstice of Life and Death and the possible Death Surge, it currently seems impossible to evacuate the civilians from this city in advance.”
“Why? Because of potential political and economic impacts?”
“Of course not. It is because… having a bustling big city right above the Interstice of Life and Death is part of the seal itself. The Interstice connects to real death, so on the other side, there needs to be a sufficient number of living people to form…”
“Balance.”
Shard said, seemingly understanding the priest’s words.
“So that place, is it really… Unclassified Level?”
He asked again, since even the Spiritual Practice Order of the non-True God Religion was only speculating.
The priest cautiously nodded:
“The Interstice itself contains three passages to qualify as a complete Unclassified Level.”
Shard had previously encountered “Desire” in the basement of Aphrola Mansion in Coldwater Port, which was also an Unclassified Level, and at that time “Desire” had shown no combat abilities. Thinking back, even if its divine power had been sealed for hundreds of years, its capabilities could certainly not be as simple as what Shard had seen.
“What does the Church plan to do now?”
Shard also lowered his voice a bit, handling the steak on his plate with a knife:
“Behind that door, on the open ground before the water, a reddish-gold bonfire is burning. As long as that bonfire keeps burning, the door at the foot of the mountain will not be problematic. And if the bonfire goes out, I will feel it.”
The bonfire was the external manifestation of “Kiss of the Tree” sealing the Gate of Death. Because it was part of Shard’s Maze Lock, even though the two were in different worlds, Shard could vaguely know the general situation. Furthermore, his Arcane Technique “Gate of Death” could always open a crack, allowing Shard to glance across at the other side to check the burning status of that cluster of bonfires, so he was always able to be informed about the situation at the foot of Interstice Mountain.
