Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 626 - Encounter with Captain Lades Again
Chapter 626: Chapter 626: Encounter with Captain Lades Again
Chapter 626: Chapter 626: Encounter with Captain Lades Again
Just in time for lunch, Granny Cassandra invited Shard to dine with her so that they could have a chat about Miss Galina. Shard was looking for a place to eat himself, so he accepted the invitation.
The two did not dine within the auction house but at Wood Restaurant on Oak Street. This upscale establishment, located in the heart of the city, naturally extended a warm welcome to Granny Cassandra, a wealthy merchant.
Wood Restaurant’s special feature was that all of its utensils, except for the knives and forks, were made of wood. Of course, metal or porcelain utensils could be provided upon request.
As the oldest Witch of the Witch Council still in existence, Granny Cassandra knew many things. It was from her that Shard learned Miss Galina’s teacher was also a Member of the Royal Family, though not a direct descendant of the Cavendish Family. Based on blood ties from that time, the teacher’s inheritance ranking might fall after the fifteenth position.
Of course, this did not mean that the Cavendish Family had become like the Aphrola Family, a Circle Sorcerer family. Before Miss Galina and her first cousin once removed, there had been no Members of the Royal Family among the Witches.
Granny Cassandra was very talkative and even shared with Shard some amusing childhood stories about Miss Galina, the kind that would likely get him thrown out of the Witch’s Manor if Shard ever dared bring them up himself.
Moreover, she even discussed with Shard matters concerning Sister Delphine from the Spiritual Practice Order. Zina Cassandra, over a hundred years old, had known the Order in her youth and witnessed the succession of three Head Nuns. Even the current leader, Sister Delphine, had been identified as Gifted by Granny Cassandra herself.
“Delphine really is very talented, especially those eyes of hers that can see through death. It’s a rare gift,” the Old Witch commented as a vegetable salad platter was placed in front of her.
“Then why didn’t you choose her as your successor?” Shard curiously asked, to which the aged elder across the table shook her head:
“I sought my teacher’s opinion, and she believed that Delphine was more suited for the Spiritual Practice Order than for the power of a Witch. The Order she leads can exert far more influence in this world. Looking at the state of affairs now, my teacher truly deserves to be called a teacher.”
Granny Cassandra’s accession to her position came when the previous Grand Witch had unfortunately passed away at an early age, so her teacher was another Circle Sorcerer, something Shard had heard from both Sister Delphine and Miss Galina.
“So your teacher is…”
Seeing the subject brought up, Shard asked curiously, seizing the moment.
“Oh, I can’t just give away my teacher’s name. However, my teacher happens to be in Midshire Fort, preparing for a ritual that occurs once every twenty-two years. When the time comes for the ritual, I can introduce you,” Granny Cassandra said with a smile. Shard nodded, not pressing further. From what he already knew, he suspected the elderly lady’s teacher was a Twelve or even a Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer.
After all, she was even older than Granny Cassandra.
“Oh, speaking of which, is there a Circle Sorcerer in Midshire Fort who is extremely proficient in the Power of Death? They don’t have to be very powerful, but they must specialize in it. I need to seek help from such a Sorcerer for certain matters,” Shard casually inquired during the meal. The Witch, having heard of the third Chosen One, naturally had a response:
“Did Galina ask you to help me? No, young man, there’s no need; I will investigate it myself. I know you’re capable, but you shouldn’t meddle in matters related to the ‘Whispering Verses’ without due care.”
“I understand,” Shard replied, not pressing further to avoid arousing the Witch’s suspicion. He thought to himself that Sister Delphine also knew about the “Whispering Verses,” so he couldn’t seek help from the Spiritual Practice Order either.
After lunch, Shard said goodbye to Granny Cassandra and headed to the Midshire Fort Mechanical Academy.
Interestingly, the true “Midshire Fort,” once a fortress camp for defense and subsequently abandoned, was not demolished but became the site for the later established Midshire Fort Mechanical Academy.
The fort was situated at the foot of Sicarl Mountain, and its main structure was shaped like the Outlander’s homeland character “回.”
The entire Academy, apart from the fort itself and the large open space in the center of the castle, included subdivisions created by an independent peripheral wall and other educational buildings constructed next to the fort.
Seeing the old-era brickstone fortress with even spires after alighting from the carriage, which had a more extensive area than Saint Byrons Comprehensive Academy (annotated), Shard felt it matched his idea of a “School of Magic Spells” more closely.
Alas, this was just a local, ordinary institution of higher education, where no one would be seen flying on brooms.
Unlike Tobesk City, which boasted numerous well-known schools in a large university district, Midshire Fort only had two notable schools. Of these, the older Midshire Fort Mechanical Academy was directly connected to the steam factories at the foot of the mountains, truly integrating production, education, and research.
Near the castle, one could see numerous towering chimneys belching black smoke, and there was also the sight of carriages hurriedly passing through the streets, with merchants frequently bustling about. Compared to the city center, this area seemed even busier.
The weather remained gloomy, and it even began to drizzle when Shard got on the carriage, but by the time he got off, the rain had already stopped. Shard had never been here before, so to find Professor John Dunn, he had to ask around.
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While he was looking around, someone walking hurriedly from his left caught his eye.
“Hmm?”
“Hmm?”
The man in the Royal Army uniform, who turned out to be Captain Lades, whom he hadn’t seen for over half a month. Even though Shard was now wearing eyeshadow given to him by a witch and was dressed in clothes he had never worn in Tobesk City, Captain Lades still recognized him:
“Hami… Mr. Hamilton?”
Of course, the bulky officer wasn’t entirely sure that it was Shard Hamilton he was seeing. Tobesk was too far from Midshire Fort, and because of the eyeshadow, Shard did look quite different than usual.
Shard considered many things in a flash, but in the end, he nodded:
“Yes, it’s me.”
Since he had been recognized, pretending to be on a business trip here was not an issue, as long as no news about him appeared in Tobesk newspapers for the next two weeks, his cover would not be blown.
He signaled to Captain Lades to talk in a secluded spot under the willow trees by the wall. Captain Lades, seeing Shard in Midshire Fort, seemed very excited:
“Oh, detective, what brings you to Midshire Fort? Just now, I almost didn’t recognize you.”
He shook hands with Shard enthusiastically, truly treating Shard as a friend.
“Due to a troublesome commission.”
The detective from Tobesk, on the other hand, put on a very troubled look:
“I’ve been here for a few days. A client from Tobesk sent me to investigate a matter involving an illegitimate child. The identity of that client is very sensitive, so I can’t reveal my actual purpose. I must leave when the investigation is over. Captain, I am currently using the name John Watson, a writer, so please address me with that name.”
“John Watson? Oh, I got it.”
The captain nodded, finding Shard’s explanation quite plausible:
“Issues with illegitimate children are indeed troublesome, it involves the Grand Nobles, isn’t it? Oh, I shouldn’t have asked. But Mr. Watson, you could have refused this job, after all, it takes a week’s journey by train from Tobesk… Is the client very influential?”
Convinced that he had figured it out, Captain Lades couldn’t help frowning:
“Did they threaten you?”
“No, no, I know Duchess Galina, who would dare to threaten me? It’s because the client offered way too much.”
Shard twirled his fingers, and now, Captain Lades understood him even better, the middle-aged man couldn’t resist smiling:
“So, what are you doing now? Do you need my help? I’m very familiar with this city.”
“To investigate the matter of the illegitimate child, I used connections to get acquainted with a local wealthy merchant. But in order to help me, that merchant wants me to find a lost antique first. Captain, do you know where the cultural studies professors at the Academy usually are?”
