Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"Think dying is that easy?"

As the playing card in front of him dropped, the blond middle-aged man, pierced through his heart, looked in astonishment toward Shard standing in front of him. The man's Ring of Fate behind him dissipated, but before he could take his final breath, Shard's hand reached out:

"False Immortality!"

Then, with a fierce push, he laid the man down on the ground. Clenching his teeth, Shard wielded the sword with both hands and chopped off the man's left palm. Without both hands, and grievously injured, the Circle Sorcerer had no chance of turning the tables.

Looking at the two hands, the Outlander doing this for the first time felt utterly disgusted. He turned around, picked up a cup of water from the table, and lightly touched it, the Spiritual Light shimmering on the surface of the water. Shard splashed the hot tea on the man's wound to prevent him from bleeding out too much, exhausting the state of "False Immortality":

"I ask, you answer."

"You... don't expect to get any answers from me! All for the Lord of the Crimson Spiral! Just kill me."

His life force hung by a thread inside his body; his voice was incredibly weak.

"Kill you? Even if I kill you, I can still necromance your soul. Whether you're alive or dead, don't think you can keep secrets."

"Then kill me; my soul is favored by my lord, you won't get anything out of me!"

Despite his weakness, he still glared at Shard with a look full of hatred.

"Die?"

The corner of Shard's mouth twitched. If he had not been afraid something would happen to Lecia, he would have never done something so cruel:

"Do you know what it feels like to die from drinking too much water?"

Shard swirled the cup in his hand, more and more clear water appearing under the power of Sorcery.

"You devil!"

A frail voice cursed.

"I'm not trying to torture you; that would be pointless. What I want is for you to realize something." Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Shard had already crouched down, his back to the gas lamp on the wall, making his face in the shadow particularly terrifying:

"You're the Guardian of the Merman - a Believer of the Lord of the Crimson Spiral. If you're a Favored One of this Great One and end up dying of choking or even swelling from water, do you think that Deity will recognize you after you die?"

For the first time, fear showed on the man's face:

"You, you..."

"Will He eternally protect your soul?"

"You demon!"

"No, at least not by my mortal reasoning, I'd guess not."

There was no hint of a smile on Shard's face:

"But the God of the Abyssal Drowned would gladly take your soul. Mr., since you are a Follower of the Evil God in Coldwater Port, then you should also know that the Great One is very interested in the drowned fish people... especially the Drowned Ones of Coldwater Port."

"No, no!"

Because of the talisman thrown at the door, no one knew what happened in the room next. When Shard opened the door and stepped out, he was holding a doll made from a severed hand, and in the room behind him, the carpet had been rolled up and set aside to prevent the maids who came to clean from being frightened by the blood.

Shard moved quickly along the corridor:

"The Crimson Cult wants to make a sacrifice to the sea during the red ocean tomorrow. In addition to volunteers from the Order and the civilians they've captured, they also need a noblewoman as the final prelude to the 'Sea Return' ritual."

This was the information Shard had just obtained. Under the fear of his soul being taken by the Foreign God, the man had revealed some details. But before he could finish speaking, he died—not from the injury, but rather from fright.

The attitude of people in this world toward faith is quite different from that of the Outlander.

Through the furiously stormy night outside the window, Shard crossed the corridor lined with windows:

"This ritual isn't a necessary step in the 'Sea Return', but it's like a ritual of blessing... The Sea Return ceremony will begin with the first ray of sunlight on Coldwater Port tomorrow, and the sacrifice will start at that very moment. Besides Lecia, the Crimson Cult has five or six other targets, one of which is..."

Shard looked in the direction of the town:

"Hevy Aurora."

He summoned the servants to tidy up the messy study, then stood in the hallway himself, watching the heavy rain outside the window:

"Things are getting more and more interesting."

The storm continued all night, but the small-scale conflict around Sophia's Mansion lasted only half an hour before it ended.

The constant reinforcements forced the attackers to abandon their target. Especially since the attackers who entered Sophia's Mansion failed to send back any news, it made the house, lit up amidst the night rain and sea breeze, look especially eerie.

With a Grand Witch of the Twelve Rings together with Lecia, Shard's worries were somewhat relieved, so he didn't go out into the rain.

He intended to wait for Lecia to return before going to rest, but after midnight, as Wednesday arrived, the Princess's carriage still did not appear at the estate's gate. The servants who were sent to inquire brought back news from the rain - the town was under martial law, carriages could leave the city, but none could enter.

Sophia's Mansion had suffered a frenzied attack by merfolk, and similar incidents were likely happening in town. Not being able to hear any news of Lecia reignited the unease that Shard had thought unfounded:

"Even if Lecia wasn't hurt by the merfolk's attack before dawn, if she doesn't return for the night, then I won't be able to be by her side when the ritual starts."

After midnight, Shard rested in his room for two hours. After waking up, he greeted Lecia's remaining maid and left the mansion in a carriage.

But he didn't go into town. Instead, he had the carriage take him to the Sea Cliff Lighthouse to the north of the city. When Lecia was going by the name Miss Princess, she had brought Shard here once, and the Keeper was Mr. Edmund, a Folklore Scholar.

Holding an umbrella and struggling to see the light of the lighthouse through the rain, he finally reached the top of the sea cliff. After knocking on the door with his mask on, it took a while before Mr. Edmund's cautious voice appeared from behind the door:

"Who is it?"

"I was referred by Old John from Tobesk!"

Shard said.

Last time, when he came with Lecia, Lecia had mentioned half of Old Man John's name. At that time, Shard did not know the secret of the writer and the Princess, so he did not think much of it, but later he understood.

"Stop lying! Hmph, in such rainy weather, even if he referred you, no one would come knocking on the door so late in the rain!"

The old man behind the door said dissatisfied.

"It really is his referral. Remember last time I came here? That day you came back from fishing, but there was only a small fish in your bucket. My companion bought a ring from Saint Roland, and I sold you a book."

Shard shouted out loud, the rain here was really too heavy.

"Oh? That happened..."

The old man inside hesitated.

"Old John! Old Man John, that stingy guy, oh, I've never seen anyone so stingy in my life."

The door was pushed open fiercely, and before Shard could react, the old man's strong hand dragged Shard inside.

The lighthouse looked worn from the outside, but the interior, just through a wooden door, was incredibly dry and warm.

Mr. Edmund, wearing pajamas with an overcoat draped over his shoulders and holding an oil lamp in his hand, frowned slightly as he looked at Shard under the light:

"Yes, he indeed is the stingiest person in the world. It seems that you truly are his friend. So, young man, what do you want to do at this late hour? Do you think I'm as young as you?"

The old man complained, but still let Shard find a place to sit and brought him a dry towel.

The bottom area of the lighthouse was the Tower Keeper's living quarters, not very spacious, but sufficient for life's necessities.

Shard took the towel to dry his hair:

"I'm sorry for disturbing you so late at night. The Sea Return, the red sea, will appear at dawn today."

"Oh? What about it?"

The old man asked, sitting in a chair in front of the desk. Surprisingly, the lighthouse was connected to a gas pipeline, and he lit the gas lamp on the desk.

Shard took a deep breath and hung the towel on the back of a chair:

"You must know more about the Sea Return ceremony. Last time when that lady and I came, you did not tell us everything."

Mr. Edmund looked at him quietly, his eyes clear, not cloudy like those of most old people:

"So what?"

"I have money."

"But you need to convince me to agree to this deal."

"Guiding Light Hermitage."

Amid the terrifying sound of the waves crashing against the cliff outside the lighthouse, Shard gave his answer. Mr. Edmund subconsciously narrowed his eyes and then relaxed:

"John wouldn't have told you that."

Shard knew from the deal involving the "Kiss of the Tree" that Old Man John belonged to the "Guiding Light Hermitage," which even wanted to see his reaction upon learning this secret. Like Old John from Tobesk, the Mr. Edmund from Coldwater Port ran a secretive Circle Sorcerer black market shop and was knowledgeable, but unwilling to do other things.

So, guessing that Mr. Edmund, a friend of Old Man John, someone who could refer business to each other, was also a member of the "Guiding Light Hermitage," was actually not difficult at all.

"What does that have to do with it? I don't care about your secrets; I just know that as long as I pay, you guys are always able to help. I have no problem with your preparations for the Apocalypse."

Shard said, staring intently at the old man's eyes from behind his mask.

"What do you want to know?"

Perhaps sensing his determination, the old man pondered for a while before asking softly.

"It's simple, my friend. That lady has the Mermaid's Curse. Now I know that using a fishing rod and line binding can reduce her urge to enter the red sea. Besides that, is there another way?"

Shard asked quickly.

"There isn't."

The old man shook his head, but Shard didn't care because that wasn't what he came for; the question was just a roundabout way to prepare the other party:

"I also want to know..."

He instinctively lowered his voice:

"The true purpose of the Sea Return ceremony is to awaken the power that the Evil God left in the deep sea, thus bringing the waters to flood the city. What exact power has the Deity left behind?"

Lightning streaked across the window outside, and a flash of white light illuminated both of their faces through the window. The roar of the waves was loud, but again, overpowered by the thunder.

The storm was coming.