Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 662 - The Demon Story (Part Two)
Chapter 662: Chapter 662: The Demon Story (Part Two)
Chapter 662: Chapter 662: The Demon Story (Part Two)
“Yes, that wishless person had long realized he was journeying with a demon.”
Mr. Asmon nodded, leaning in to watch as Shard and the Bard each dealt themselves the first hole card of the second round.
He narrowed his eyes slightly as if to recall more details of the story:
“The wishless man traveled long with the wish-granting demon. Until one day, the man could walk no more, and the long road called life had reached its end.”
Shard and the Bard drew their second card; Shard looked uncertainly at the Star 6 in his hand, his hole card being Star 10. After much consideration, he decided to draw another card, while on the other side, the Bard, with a smile, exhibited the Flower 9—Legend of the Hero: Bard Fletcher—placing it next to the mug on the table.
“It seems your luck is not too shabby, Mr. Shelley. So, is your hole card also of the Flower suit?”
“It is not.”
Thus, although the young Bard had drawn a Special Card, he did not trigger the special rule.
“The wishless man finally fell, collapsing in a grove of ebony trees. The demon then stepped out from his soul, asking if he would trade all his clothes for ten more years of life.”
As Mr. Asmon spoke, Shard and Mr. Shelley both looked at him:
“That’s a pretty good deal, very worthwhile.”
“I think it’s an insult to the wishless man, isn’t it?”
“The demon does not believe someone can be without wishes, which is why it proposed such a deal at that moment.”
Mr. Asmon stated calmly, while Shard and the Bard bent down together to draw their third card.
“‘No, I will not make a trade with you,’ the man said. Curious, the demon asked whether he truly had no wishes.”
For the third card, Shard pulled a Flower 2, making his total 18 points. He immediately stopped drawing cards, as there was no need to gamble further. The young Bard’s third card turned out to be Sun 13, which, together with his second card Flower 9—Legend of the Hero: Bard Fletcher—put him over the limit and bust.
Yet, he seemed unconcerned, instead showing great interest in the end of Mr. Asmon’s story.
“He actually had a wish of his own. When his life reached its end, just as many years before, he sat down with the demon on the ground, face to face for a conversation. The man who claimed to be wishless said, ‘My only wish was to seal you away with my entire life.'”
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Shard and the Bard, though surprised, both revealed smiles, while the long-faced man shared the final part of the story:
“He had long realized the demon never left him, hence, he spent his life ensuring the demon stayed within his soul and searched for the most distant lands, to keep the demon away from those he had once cared for and loved.”
“Is this a tribute to human courage? How wonderful, the man in this story, he should truly be called a Hero!”
The Bard exclaimed, accepting a roll of banknotes from Shard to count while Shard picked up the deck of cards on the table, smiling as he inserted them into his own deck. Even if he didn’t find the Demon Hunter’s sword today, this trip into the mountains had already paid off:
“No, Mr. Shelley, I believe the story isn’t over yet.”
Shard looked towards the Demonologist, whose corners of his mouth were turned up and whose face showed deep traces against the sallow light:
“Mr. Asmon, I think the ending of this story is certainly not that beautiful.”
“Indeed, is there truly a good ending for someone who walks with a demon?”
Those black eyes were fixed on Shard:
“The demon was laughing because it had still managed to fulfill the human’s wish; it had realized its wish to be sealed away for a lifetime by a human. And so, it devoured the human’s soul, transforming into his likeness, and headed towards his homeland. That was the direction from whence he came.”
“Tsk tsk.”
Mr. Shelley could not stop clucking his tongue, pocketing the banknotes and then tidying up his scattered deck of cards on the table:
“I thought it would be a heartwarming story.”
“No, how can a story involving demons end warmly?”
That must have been the first thing Mr. Asmon said to the young poet when those black eyes stared at him, the young poet was clearly a little frightened, but then he laughed at himself for being cowardly.
“Yes, Mr. Asmon may be a Demonologist, but he’s very cautious about having anything to do with items related to demons,”
Shard explained.
“What about you, Mr. Watson? What is your stance towards the demons of legends?”
Thus, the bald man with the long face asked Shard under the dim light of the kerosene lamp. They sat against the wall of the tavern, and since the kitchen was on the other side, this wall had no windows. The lamp oil used by the tavern was probably of poor quality, so the light was dim and unstable. But thankfully, the place was bustling and noisy, so a little darkness was not a problem.
Shard smiled:
“Cherish the soul, stay away from demons, just like that.”
“Yes, cherish the soul.”
Mr. Asmon nodded with his eyes closed.
The young poet was quite interested in the career of a Demonologist, so he grabbed Mr. Asmon, eager to ask about more intriguing matters. Coincidentally, Captain Lades also entered the tavern, so Shard gathered his cards, bid farewell to the two he was chatting with, and stood up to approach the Captain who was looking around at the counter:
“Good afternoon, Captain.”
Seeing Shard coming from the corner, Captain Lades knew he had arrived:
“Good afternoon, Sha… cough, Mr. Watson. Have you been waiting for me long?”
The Captain and Shard shook hands, and then the Captain stretched his neck to look towards the corner:
“Are those two your friends?”
“I arrived a little after noon, just had lunch, then played a game of Roder Card with some acquaintances.”
“Did you win the bet?”
The Captain asked with a smile, lowering his voice slightly:
“The champion of the Big City players can’t lose here.”
Shard reached into his pocket, not touching his deck of cards, but instead lightly extended his hand and beckoned, the Nine of Flowers [Legend of the Hero: Bard Fletch] that had just been assimilated by the Arcane Technique “Treasured Item” automatically flew into his hand:
“Of course, I won.”
He showed the card to the Captain, deliberately covering the face of the card to avoid the noisy crowd in front of the counter. The Captain, surprised, took it over and examined it under the light of the counter:
“Legend of the Hero? Oh, I didn’t expect to see this series again.”
“Have you seen it before?”
Now it was Shard’s turn to be curious.
“Yes, the current commander of the Red Water Camp is Brigadier General Carter, and he has a [Legend of the Hero: Swordsman Sabelon].”
The military force at Red Water Camp was roughly the size of a battalion, but this place was also in charge of coordinating and arranging other camps in Sicarl Mountain, which is why an officer with the rank of Brigadier General was appointed as the commander of the camp.
