Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

After closing the door, Miss Beyas signaled for Shard to find a place to sit, but he just glanced at the Holy Emblem of the "Lantern Bearer," which represented the Sun God on the wall, then took out his notebook and flipped to a page with writing on it.

It was regarding the exchange of a "Corpse Finger Bone" for a "Witch's Carbon Paper."

"Why so cautious? This place is safe, and no one will eavesdrop," Miss Beyas said casually.

Shard immediately turned to the next page, where he had prepared his response in advance:

"Worried about abilities that can eavesdrop through time."

Like the Arcane Technique he grasped.

"Oh, Detective, this is our safehouse, you don't need to worry so much," Miss Beyas said with a wave of her hand, and then she saw the detective flip to another page, which read:

"Still, it's best to be cautious."

"Oh? Did you anticipate what I was going to say?"

This time, Shard didn't flip the page; he just nodded. So Miss Beyas snatched the detective's notebook with a slap, closed it forcefully, and stuffed it back at Shard:

"Just talk normally, it really is safe here."

"Ahem, well, alright then."

Feeling that the other party might get angry if he remained silent any longer, Shard looked around and then asked:

"Do you agree to this barter trade then?"

"With such a good deal, of course I agree, Detective, you are indeed reliable... Speaking of which, could you introduce me to the place where this trade is being made? I won't report it to the church, you can be completely assured of that," Miss Beyas asked, but although she was trustworthy, Shard could not disclose Old John's Pawnshop to her. He thought for a moment and said:

"Unfortunately, I just asked, but the owner said he doesn't do business with the True God Church. However, if you need, I can tell you about a place where sensitive knowledge can be traded, which is the library."

The Black Raven Library had no specific connection with the group Shard was in, so there wasn't much concern about introducing Miss Beyas there.

"That's a great help, thank you. I've been transferred here for three or four months and haven't found any leads."

As Shard wrote down the address on the paper, Miss Beyas glanced at the wall clock in the corner of the lounge and couldn't help but exclaim:

"The big city really is great, you can find all sorts of relics. Detective, you've helped me again, and I haven't had a chance to repay you. You can come to me with any trouble, but don't come looking for me after the day after tomorrow, which is Wednesday. On Wednesday our squad will go to Tobesk Station to welcome a distinguished guest from afar."

"The Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer, 'Sunlight Greatsword' Mr. Hog Lendel?"

Shard casually asked while writing, having heard the news on Saturday afternoon.

"You know about this too? Has our church been infiltrated so deeply?"

But Miss Beyas didn't inquire about the source of Shard's information on the arrival of the Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer in their district.

"Let's get back to the point, Detective. Since it's 'Witch's Carbon Paper', would you be interested in copying my 'Sunlight Gun'? This is an ability used by High Rank Ring Sorcerers. Even if it doesn't directly let you learn the 'Sunlight Gun', you'll definitely be able to get some other very powerful Arcane Technique," the brunette girl said with a hint of pride.

"I haven't decided yet how I want to use this relic."

Shard tactfully declined, not because the "Sunlight Gun" wasn't powerful, but because he was on good terms with Professor Garcia. This Saturday, the Professor was going to bring the "Sublimation Codex," and Shard was sure that if he asked the Professor to demonstrate some high difficulty space-related Arcane Techniques, the Professor definitely wouldn't refuse.

He even pondered trying to copy the power of a god if it wasn't for the fact that relics could not be taken through the Mist Gate opened by the Time Key.

A voice in his head was laughing.

"I know it's impossible, but a man's got to have dreams, right?"

After returning from Blackstone Security Company to Old John's Pawnshop and trading two pages of "Witch's Carbon Paper" for the "Corpse Finger Bone" of Keeper of Secrets Level (3rd Level), and then heading back to Blackstone Security Company to hand one of the pages to Miss Beyas, it was already noon.

Therefore, he decided to return to Saint Delan Square first and prepare to go out for lunch with his cat at home.

When Shard opened the door to his home, his cat, which should have happily run over, suddenly stopped halfway up the stairs. With amber eyes, the cat stared at Shard with suspicion.

Thinking there might be something off about him, Shard later realized he had held another cat not long ago.

"Hm... you can smell that?"

After taking off his coat and draping it over the shoe cabinet, Mia hesitated for a moment, then happily ran over.

Maybe this cat was a bit smarter than Shard had thought.

Now that he had acquired a new Time Key from Old John, he naturally wanted to try it out. Although the key of the Fifth Era: Year 1068 could only be used for the last time on Thursday early morning, this one was new, and Shard wasn't certain whether the rule of one opening per week was shared among different keys.

Since no transcendent items could be carried on time explorations, Shard didn't need to make any extra preparations for the adventure. He approached the door of his room, inserted the key into the lock, chanted "May the World Tree protect me in the boundless times," and then turned—

The key wouldn't turn.

"Hm?"

He pulled out the wooden key in his hand and tried once more, still unable to turn it. Only then did the woman's voice leisurely narrate the information she obtained after touching the key:

"Outlander, you are currently in a task of the 'Father of the Infinite Tree'; you cannot open another door until this one is concluded."

"So after the mission concludes early on Thursday morning, can I immediately use a key? Or must I wait another week?"

He asked again.

[Unable to confirm.]

"Alright then."

He looked at the key in his hand with regret before locking it away in the study. He patted the cat on the head and prepared to go out for a meal.

(Mia is running...)

To the general public, MI6 is regarded as the most mysterious intelligence agency in Draleon. According to outsiders' imaginations, the headquarters of such intelligence agencies are usually disguised as something unexpected.

He guessed right.

When he left the house in the afternoon, the sky was overcast, looking like rain was on the way, so Shard did not take a walking stick but an umbrella instead.

Following the address provided by the current head of MI6, Mr. Dark Anros, he found the "City Waste Management Center" located in the Tobesk Western District.

The office of the management center was a nondescript gray building, flanked by a snuff bottle shop on one side and a cobbler shop specializing in rubber boots on the other.

As Shard sized up the building with his umbrella in hand, he could not help but marvel internally that spies from any world seemed to favor such peculiar government departments as covers.

After knocking, he entered the building, where two long benches sat on either side of the door, resembling the style found in a church's preaching hall. Further inside, three sides of the lobby housed wooden reception desks, with four identically styled black iron doors between them, leading to different rooms and floors of the building.

People bustled between the doors, clutching files and notepads, engrossed in their seemingly heavy workload.

Seeing that no one paid him any mind, Shard approached the nearest counter and tapped it with his finger, the wood producing a pleasant sound.

The receptionist, a blonde woman who seemed to be writing a report, looked up at Shard:

"Do you have an appointment?"

Her voice was monotone and dull, indicative of someone who had long lost enthusiasm for their job.

"I'm looking for Mr. Johnson."

Shard replied.

"Door number two, go straight through and enter the 'Equipment Maintenance Department'."

After speaking, she went back to writing her report. Shard nodded, noticing that the people around him were busy with their own tasks and indifferent to a stranger's presence, so he walked toward door number two.

Behind the door was a narrow corridor filled with the aroma of toasted bread.

Shard walked along with his umbrella, dodging hurrying passersby, and looked at the rooms on either side of the corridor. However, none of the doors were open; people would promptly close them behind as they entered and left.

The "Equipment Maintenance Department" was almost at the end of the hallway. Shard politely knocked and waited for permission to enter.

Inside, there were rows of filing cabinets, and the middle-aged man sitting at the table opposite the door was originally reading a newspaper. When Shard entered, he tilted his head for a glance, his brown eyes appraising Shard's attire:

"Mr. Shard Suren Hamilton?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Anros has told me about you. Are you here to collect some documentation? Please wait a moment."

The man stood up and walked deeper into the cabinets, not giving Shard the chance to carefully examine the newspaper on the table, and returned with a small cardboard box.

He placed the box on the table:

"I'm Giles Johnson. From now on, I'll be the point of contact for all your matters. Here are your credentials."

Mr. Johnson spoke rapidly, evidently an efficient man.

While talking, he handed Shard a palm-sized, army green hardcover booklet. Inside, the left side featured the logo and name of MI6, beneath which were the document number and the surname "Hamilton". On the right side were regulations and duties—likely instructions for police officers to provide assistance upon viewing the document.

"Quite official."

Shard thought to himself.

"If you lose your credentials, you'll have to file a report to get a replacement. Don't show it to anyone unless necessary. I'm not sure why you were recruited, but you should be aware of these basics."

Shard wasn't aware of any such rules, since he wasn't actually required to do any work. It seemed the gentleman before him assumed he was secretly recruited to perform covert operations.

As Mr. Johnson continued, he took out a package wrapped in wax paper:

"Your sidearm, a Ruger Revolver, six-round cylinder. This gun is not the best, but Mr. Anros specifically ordered that you be given this one."

He said, looking slightly puzzled, and handed the wrapped gun to Shard. Upon unwrapping and inspecting it, Shard noted that the style of this handgun was very similar to his own "Spear of Kindness". He guessed it was Miss Galina's instruction to provide him with a revolver, to facilitate the concealment of his other weapon.

"And here I thought I'd be getting a Grass Pocket Single-shot Pistol."

Shard remarked while examining his newly acquired weapon, which was new and cold to the touch from the black metal. It seemed recently maintained, given the strong smell of oil. Checking the cylinder which was empty, he lowered the hammer and aimed at the wall, pulling the trigger to hear a satisfying click.
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Although he had a gun already, he couldn't actually fire that one. Now that he had a real firearm, his excitement was akin to acquiring a new Arcane Technique.

"The Grass Pocket Single-shot Pistol is standard issue for regular operations. If a secret agent also carried that gun, wouldn't it give away his identity right away?"

Mr. Johnson gave Shard a look, and Shard nodded in understanding.