Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 738 -

Chapter 738: 738

Compared to their normal state among mortals, Grace and Helen’s current condition was evidently very wrong. This peculiarity pertained to their mental state; it seemed that as they were entangled in the Whisper Element, they were ultimately descending into chaos.

Meeting old acquaintances from long ago did not bring happiness to Shard; on the contrary, he was somewhat worried about the twins’ future. At the final moments before the disaster in Midshire Fort approached its end, the appearance of the twins as the Guardians of the Seal was clearly not a good sign.

However, for now, Shard could do nothing but wait to see how things would unfold.

After retrieving his cat from Miss Swift outside the door, he said goodbye to Granny Cassandra upstairs and then took the coach to Rolandta Manor in the northern part of the city. That was where Miss Aphrola temporarily resided in Midshire Fort, and the manor itself belonged to Granny Cassandra.

Shard planned to visit Joey Barton, the Reverse Being, again that afternoon, but he would not invite Miss Hevy Aurora, a Twelfth-Rank Witch, to join him, as he intended to discuss the sensitive subject of The Chosen One alone with Mr. Barton.

Visiting Miss Aphrola at the manor was also because since the witch arrived in Milestone, Shard had seen her only once at the Fire Worship Festival’s banquet and thought it would be good to see her again since there was nothing else pressing. Besides, he had borrowed from her one of the Witch’s Jewelry, a Sage-Level Relic that provided comprehensive benefits to Circle Sorcerers—the Ancient Witch’s Golden Ring – Right One.

Joey Barton was related to the Truth Society; Shards would certainly not rush there unprepared.

By the time Shard arrived at the manor, it was already noon, and Miss Aphrola, who had just finished entertaining some guild guests, invited Shard and his cat to join her for lunch.

During lunch, she asked about the “ritual” from the previous day and confirmed that Shard had indeed met Granny Cassandra’s teacher.

“Yes, someone I knew from before. I met her in Tobesk, but at that time, I didn’t know she was a Circle Sorcerer.”

Shard used this excuse to deflect further questions, and it was clear that Miss Aphrola was skeptical, but she eventually dropped the subject:

“Just be careful, the more beautiful a woman, the more deceptive.”

The witch said this while holding her soup spoon and gestured for a servant to refill her wine glass with red wine.

After lunch, Shard received the ring from the unquestioning Miss Aphrola and set out again with Mia.

Since parting with Iluna last week, Iluna had reported the Truth Society to the church, and there seemed to be some progress. However, as things stood, the church had not been able to track down the Raven Club due to Truth Society, because Pig Tail Alley was no different from the two previous times Shard had visited.

Even when Shard knocked on the door, the same person opened it. He recognized Shard, naturally remembering “John Watson,” who had come with two different young ladies, and thus directly led Shard to the deepest room on the first floor of the club to meet Mr. Joey Barton.

The room was as before, only the crow in the cage by the door appeared to have been replaced.

As he took a seat, Shard curiously inquired about the absence of the original crow, and Mr. Barton, wrapped in a headscarf, spoke rather mournfully:

“After you left last time, it died out of the blue, as if scared to death. The club’s crows are specially bred, possessing high levels of spirituality and humanity. I really don’t know what happened… it just died suddenly.”

Shard, cradling the cat in his arms, offered comfort:

“You’ve said before that birth and death are natural laws—nothing to dwell on. Mr. Barton, you should bless it for completing its life… Although, a domestically bred crow being scared to death is indeed rare…”

Shard pretended to look around:

“These past few weeks, I’ve been hearing rumors about hauntings in the city. Even the talkative coachman mentioned it to me on the way here. Perhaps you should be careful, there might be something foul nearby… What about sprinkling some refined salt at the doorway?”

Mr. Barton shook his head:

“Using salt for exorcism is just a country superstition; it won’t work against ghosts. However, there have indeed been many haunting stories in the city recently. This autumn in Milestone is truly not peaceful. If you’re worried about evil spirits, I can give you an amulet for protection, oh, and of course, it’s free. I don’t make money by selling these things.”

With that, he really tried to stand up to fetch an amulet capable of driving away spirits for Shard, but Shard stopped him.

Mr. Barton then asked:

“Mr. Watson, so you’ve come alone this time to continue the divination for your pet cat, Sherlock? I noticed you didn’t bring any female companions this time.”

“Yes, it’s still for its fortune telling.”

Shard scratched Mia Cat’s chin and then looked around to confirm that the dim room truly only contained the two of them, one cat, and one crow:

“Before the divination, I’d like to talk to you.”

“Of course, I only see one guest every half-day, and chatting with guests is within my job scope.”

“I want to talk about something… related to privacy. You understand, I’m looking for material for my new book.”

“Oh, I see.”

Joey Barton nodded, laboriously stood up, and then hobbled to the door, where he picked up a pole standing behind the door, and, stretching on tiptoes, awkwardly used the hook-ended stick to pull aside the blue curtain beside the cage and cover it.

He didn’t actually need to do that, because the crow looked just as docile as the last one. After Shard came in with Mia Cat, it merely shrank back in its cage, not daring to move a muscle.

“Sometimes crows have very sensitive eyes and ears, they are quite spiritual,” Mr. Barton explained with a smile, then limped back and gestured that Shard could speak.

“May I ask, what are your thoughts on death?”

Putting Mia on his lap, Shard formally delved into the main topic.

Mr. Barton obviously faltered at Shard’s question:

“That’s quite a profound question, but no matter what, I must remind you not to give up on your life lightly.”

“Rest assured, there are still too many things in my life that I cannot let go of.”

“That’s good to hear.”

The man, who looked like a middle-aged malformed child, heaved a sigh:

“Death, I’ve had many thoughts about it in recent decades. Although I don’t consider myself an outstanding literary figure or writer, if I were to write down my inner thoughts, they would probably be enough for a book. I believe death is the final destination of a journey.”

“Please elaborate.”

Shard looked very interested as Mr. Barton folded his large hands together, thumbs twirling around each other:

“Perhaps everyone is born into different backgrounds and statuses, and our paths in life vary, but the fairest aspect of life for us mortals is that everyone has a birth and a death.”

“Yes, everyone does.”

The figures of Helen and Grace behind the curtains jumped into Shard’s mind.

“After a long journey, one falls into an eternal slumber with both satisfaction and regrets. Maybe some people lead a life of lush splendor, while others walk a trail of dry bones; some are on the uphill road, others travel back and forth between the peak and the valley, and some even walk backward…”

He paused, clearly thinking of himself:

“But regardless, everything leads to death. All things are equal, every living being dies—I revere death for this reason.”

“Every living being dies… well said, it is indeed so,” Shard nodded and then showed an awkward expression while Mia looked up at the birdcage:

“Mr. Barton, it’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I had someone inquire about you.”

Joey Barton didn’t seem surprised:

“Yes, someone wealthy like you wouldn’t trust a strange fellow like me without reason. However, I’m quite curious, what did you find out?”

“I found out about some peculiar royal family. After you were born, you contracted a strange illness. When you were very young, your body aged rapidly, making you look like a decrepit old man even though you were still a child. But as you grew older, your aging body seemed to grow younger in reverse. As for now, Mr. Barton, although you look like a child, you must actually be over forty years old.”

“Yes, you know quite a lot.”

“No, no, no, I only know this much,” Shard hurriedly shook his head:

“I have some influential friends locally, so I was able to investigate the records of the past. But I really don’t know what happened to you after you left Milestone. The stories from that period are what I would like to learn about today. Of course, if there are past events that you’d rather not recall, we could talk about something else.”

“Hiss… I see… It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but if you want to know, we can talk about it. I don’t feel ashamed of my illness,” Mr. Barton sighed, staring at the teacup in his hands:

“Most of my childhood memories are of the hospital bed and the scenery outside the window. After confirming that Milestone couldn’t cure my reverse aging illness, my parents sent me away to stay with relatives and continue my healing. My family wasn’t as affluent as yours, so although it was called healing, it was actually also an opportunity for me to see the world while I was still alive.”

“Did you find a cure?”

“Here’s the irony of fate: the Gold Pounds were spent, but to no effect. If the Academy hadn’t been willing to use my body for research in exchange for a stipend, and my health hadn’t gradually improved as I aged, it would have been difficult for me to survive to adulthood.”