Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Shard stepped out the door without caring whether Baron Hurl followed immediately. He walked down the corridor, and at the corner, he found Miss Beath, the young lady with brown hair, who asked expectantly:

"How did it go?"

"No problems. Hide quickly, he's about to come."

Shard said, and then complained:

"Conversations between nobles and merchants are so troublesome. When they talk, it seems like each word has three meanings hidden in it."

"You've worked hard. Detective, what reason did you use to lure Baron Hurl out?"

Miss Beath asked curiously, as if she were learning.

"I didn't use a reason, just gave him a meaningful look. For such a man, I don't believe he wouldn't be curious about the meaning behind that look. He definitely couldn't have imagined being attacked in the duke's mansion, so he would naturally be curious and follow. It's human nature."

Shard explained simply, then mentally counted to three… in fact, he counted twice, and sure enough, they heard the faint sound of footsteps from the other side of the corridor.

Miss Beath cast an admiring look at the young detective.

What followed was easy. Shard witnessed for the first time the "interrogation techniques" in an era where steam and mystery coexisted.

First, as Baron Hurl turned the corner out of curiosity, Miss Beath punched him in the face.

Then, they sneakily dragged the unconscious baron to the broom closet on the third floor, which Miss Beath had reconnoitered in advance.

Finally, Miss Beath tied up the baron with rope found in the closet, gagged him with a cloth, stuffed him into the broom cabinet, and shoved pen and paper into his hands. After confirming there was no light in the closet that could reveal her appearance, she woke him up using rather rough methods.

The pretty girl in a maid's outfit, with her brown hair, held a sharp dinner knife stolen from the salon to the baron's throat:

"I ask, you write the answers. If you don't cooperate, you die."

She pretended to speak menacingly.

The baron's eyes widened, and after struggling and realizing he was tied up, he began kicking his legs. But feeling the cold threat against his neck, he had no choice but to calm down. Being gagged, all he could make was muffled noises.

The broom closet was dark, and the baron could barely make out another person in the room besides the woman speaking.

But before he could cry for help, the other person also spoke:

"MI6, you know what happens if you don't cooperate."

Shard said in a deliberately rough and deep voice, keeping it very low.

Baron Hurl's heart sank instantly, knowing full well how vicious these people could be. Then he felt the knife at his neck tremble slightly, nearly causing a cut. He nodded immediately without any hesitation.

In reality, the trembling of the knife was simply because Miss Beath could barely suppress a laugh at Shard's "lie," surprised that the young detective was so bold.

And if it weren't for the ongoing interrogation, Shard really would have liked to explain that, at least this time, he hadn't lied at all.

Even the Circle Sorcerer Organization couldn't conjure money out of thin air. Transcendents and Mystery Seekers, although different from ordinary people, also needed to earn a living to support themselves in this steam and mystery era, since everyone is mortal, after all.

Thus, Shard had to work as a detective, Dr. Schneider wouldn't give up his clinic, Priest Augustus took subsidies from the church, Miss Annette worked at the Prophet's Society, and Miss Luisa wracked her brain to write articles.

The organizations of Mystery Seekers had to have relatively lawful sources of revenue to support their operations. Not to mention that most formal members are from the Circle Sorcerer Organization, they need even more funding to satisfy the sorcerers' needs.

The True God Church, supported by a multitude of believers, doesn't have to worry about funds; the Three Great Magics Academies have overt and covert businesses all over the world; not to mention the Prophet's Society, who not only monopolize the formal Divination business, but also control the issuance of Roder Cards—an industry Dr. Schneider considers "a direct printing of Gold Pounds."

Even a secretive group like the Witch Council, whose members seem to all be rich or noble, don't have to worry about funding.

And evidently, organizations with a specific target like "Blood of Mercury," can't earn money on their own.

Most cult and illegal organizations have a large source of funds backing them. Among them, obtaining funds from nobles or big businessmen is the most common way.

Miss Beath, born into the True God Religion, briefed Shard on this common knowledge. After all, wealthy people who dare not touch the mysterious but covet the power it can bring, so Circle Sorcerer organizations always find their sponsors.

Baron Hurl had been one of the sponsors for the "Blood of Mercury" for thirteen years. The Blood of Mercury got Gold Pounds from him, while the baron regularly received some "magic potions" from their hands that even ordinary people could use, thereby gaining health, longevity, and... stronger male abilities.

Although Miss Beath said nothing when she saw this information on paper, her hum showed that there was definitely an issue with those so-called "magic potions."

Baron Hurl was not someone of strong will, indifferent to the threats on his life. He was just an ordinary wealthy aristocrat, so he easily confessed everything Miss Beath wished to know.

It took a considerable amount of time, during which Shard left the broom room early in order not to raise suspicions and returned to the salon. Baron Hurl came back half an hour later, looking drowsy as if he had just woken up, seemingly confirming the effectiveness of the memory erasure relic.

But now that Miss Beyas was aware of his identity, who knows when she might exchange him to the female sorcerer of the Sun Church for some merit. Letting him go now was simply to avoid disturbing "Blood of Mercury".

For the rest of the evening at the salon, Shard did not see Miss Beyas again. He was not particularly fond of such social events, so, seeing that the time was about right, he took the initiative to approach the Old Duke to take his leave.

Duke Lucas expressed his regret and invited Shard to come over again for a game of Roder cards:

"Remember to bring 'Genesis: Silver Moon.' I'm certain I'll defeat it one day."

This kind treatment towards Shard definitely included the cause of the Roder cards, but Miss Galina's reasons were probably important as well. Therefore, this once again made it clear to Shard how important it was to have the backing of a noble patron with such a high status in this world.

He had come by carriage, but he would surely have to return on his own. Having gained so much this evening, he did not plan to skimp on the money for a hired carriage. Thus, he walked along the main street towards the intersection, where four-wheeled hired carriages often stationed.

The area where Duke Lucas's mansion was located had a relatively dense installation of gas street lamps, under which Shard walked in patches of light, silently pondering the gains and losses of the evening. He was pleased that on this weekend night when he was invited to play cards, he hadn't encountered any mishaps.

Then, a pair of hands reached out from an adjacent alley and clamped over Shard's mouth, pulling him into the darkness, away from the illumination of the street lamps:

"Oh~"

He let out a strange cry, the glimmer of Silvermoon appeared in his hand, but it was quickly extinguished:

"Oh, Miss Beyas, what do you want to do?"
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The hands released him, and as they turned around, what he saw was indeed the young female sorcerer from the Sun Church.

The young lady was still wearing her elaborate maid dress, hands clasped in front of her, a very standard maid stance.

Iluna Beath stood in the shadows, smiling at Shard:

"Detective, good evening. I just ran back to return the 'Beast Tamer's Memory Erasure Rod' to its rightful place. I'm here to reward you, you've helped me again tonight, and I certainly won't shortchange a friend."

"Actually, you could have come to see me tomorrow at my place. Also, why haven't you changed? That outfit is quite noticeable in public."

Shard pointed this out, standing in the alley's shadows alongside Miss Beyas.

"I don't like to owe friends. As for the dress, I bought it along with the maid shift I took over; the original maid seemed to want to make a bit of money off me... I can only change back into my clothes once I'm home. Detective, thank you for your help tonight, how much would you like for your reward?"

As she spoke, she took out her purse. These uniforms had pockets, as maids often needed to carry many items.

"We can discuss the reward later, what I'm curious about is what did you find out?"

Shard had been absent for the latter half of the "interrogation," and the information could possibly help Dr. Schneider in the search for the 'Forged Philosopher's Stone'.

"I can't tell you that, this information involves the Circle Sorcerer and I can't drag you into this so easily. Detective, curiosity killed the cat, and it can kill people too."

Miss Beyas kindly declined Shard's inquiry, then jingled her purse:

"Detective, how much money do you want? I may not be very wealthy, but I still have some money... though not a lot, actually."

Shard was familiar with the tone used to add that last sentence. In this world, he often spoke like that himself.

As she continued, she held her purse, looking towards Shard. Shard blinked; he understood that she truly considered him a friend:

"Should I tell her that I am..."

Suddenly, he became alert in his heart, and almost immediately afterward, Miss Beyas, who was right behind him, also turned to look towards the mouth of the alley. A man stood there under the street lamp, where the originally warm gas light grew cold and dimmed in his presence, as if a tombstone had been erected right underneath it.

"Detective, take a step back."

Miss Beyas instantly put Shard behind her and took several serious steps forward.

The man under the street lamp raised his head, his pale face reminding Shard of a corpse.

"Circle Sorcerer or humanoid relic?"

He asked himself, and immediately whispers rose in his ears:

[Circle Sorcerer, a whisper element is detected, he is making use of the relic's power.]