Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1002: Time Connected by the Sword

"It’s really interesting, you were only gone for three seconds, but not only are you all wet, there’s also a very peculiar perfume scent."

This was the first thing Shard heard after stepping out from the White Mist Gate, clutching two leaves. Lecia was still standing by the door, holding Mia, and aside from a subtle change in expression, she looked the same as when she had bid farewell to Shard moments ago.

She twitched her nose, a smile on her face:

"Yes, my sense of smell didn’t deceive me. It is indeed the scent of perfume. Judging from the smell, the owner of the perfume is somewhat older, quite confident, and quite wealthy...

She twitched her nose again:

"High status, very powerful."

Shard didn’t know how she could deduce so much just from the scent of perfume. Perhaps the princesses of the Royal Family were particularly sensitive in this area, but this ability was somewhat too extraordinary.

"It’s that Miss Violet I mentioned, you know, the Witch Emperor of the Fifth Era."

Lecia smirked:

"Shard, it seems that your time adventure this time involved quite an interesting story... What’s in your hand? No, I don’t mean the leaves, I mean that ring."

She noticed Shard’s hand, and Shard opened his palm, letting the Golden Scepter Ring lie in his hand.

Time left traces on the mundane object, the once smooth and shiny ring now carried a weighty sense of history. Miss Violet must have used some secret technique to protect the ring from corrosion by air, but such human means were insignificant in the face of the mighty power of time.

The once shiny gold ring had turned dull and dark, which brought a sense of melancholy to Shard once again.

"You’ve acquired another collector’s item. Judging by the style, it’s a signet ring. Can such things really be given away as gifts?"

Lecia asked curiously, Shard nodded but dared not mention the part about being forcibly kissed:

"I helped her achieve a very important wish, so she gave this to me as a gift."

He handed the ring to Lecia, who let go of the cat and curiously examined the ring. It was indeed an authentic relic from the Fifth Era. Although its value couldn’t compare to Feliana’s Notes, it was an extraordinary treasure to the people of the Sixth Era.

Out of curiosity, Lecia, with Shard’s permission, fetched some ink from the study, pressed the ring into the ink pad, and then stamped it in a notebook. Seeing the stamp that represented the highest authority of the Witch Emperor of the Fifth Era imprinted on the paper, Shard couldn’t tell if it was just an illusion, but he felt that in that moment, Her Highness the Princess’s eyes seemed to burn with fiery intensity:

"It’s really impressive."

The blonde girl softly praised, weighed the ring in her hand, and then returned it to Shard.

Shard was relieved that she didn’t utter something along the lines of "I’ll forge one myself someday."

He retrieved a jewelry box, placed the precious ring inside, and then stored it in a hidden room in the basement, alongside Feliana’s Notes, the Man of the Future card, the black and white hairband, and Miss Orland’s cloak, commemorating the end of the sixth Time Key.

Miss Violet Marshall, Miss Schultz Teresa, and those six unnamed maids had already turned into dust of history by the time Shard’s adventure had begun. The Outlander who witnessed it all now felt once again a sense of solitude, like standing at the lower reaches of the river of time and gazing back upstream.

Of course, he absolutely hoped never to meet those ladies in this era, as that would mean more tragedy.

Before returning from the basement to the second floor, Shard grabbed the milk and newspaper left outside the door. Unexpectedly, beneath the newspaper was a letter, sent by Princess Margaret. She had originally arranged to visit Shard today to discuss matters concerning Sir Plisha, but due to a sudden meeting, she had rescheduled for tomorrow, expressing her apologies for canceling in the letter.

This was of little consequence to Shard, as enjoying a rare day of rest was not bad at all.

When he returned to the second floor, Lecia was in the bathroom getting ready. When Her Highness the Princess came into the living room, she saw Shard sitting on the sofa with the Night Watchman.

"What are you planning to do?"

Lecia asked as she prepared to make breakfast, and Shard tapped the sword’s blade:

"I discovered something in the past."

With Lecia’s help holding the sword, Shard used a small knife to cut the skin of his finger. Fearing he might have been too harsh, he only cut the surface of his finger, thus needing to press harder to let the blood ooze out.

Subsequently, he spread the blood from his thumb onto the runes on the sword’s blade. The Night Watchman required less blood than Shard anticipated. Once the blood touched each rune, the bright red blood seemed to be absorbed by the Silver Sword, seeping into the body of the sword.

"What phenomenon is this?"

Lecia asked.

Shard grabbed the sword hilt and swung the Night Watchman a few times, then took a cup and drank a few sips of water:

"After drinking water, using this sword grants nearly unlimited stamina for a certain period of time."

Due to his extremely strong physique, swinging the sword easily like this made Shard hardly feel this brand-new trait. But saying it’s "brand-new" isn’t correct; chronologically, the new effect bestowed by the Old God from the Fifth Era on this sword was much earlier than the new effect given by the Lake Goddess in the Sixth Era.

"Unlimited stamina?"

The blond girl raised an eyebrow, thinking of something unknown:

"Was it something you did in the past that led a great being to grant the sword new power?"

"Yes, and I believe that when I first saw this sword stuck in a campfire in a cave on the slope of Sicarl Mountain, it already had this power."

The Night Watchman connected Shard with that Witch Empress. Whether Shard first grasped the sword to start the story, or whether the Witch Empress at the other end of time was destined to await Shard because of this sword, no one can say for sure.

"Did you write the story of time, or were you merely drawn onto the stage to perform those predestined tales?"

She swept her hair in the morning light:

"The secrets of time are indeed fascinating, your story with the Witch Empress seems like an infinitely looping cycle. If Dorothy heard the end of this story, she would definitely write even more interesting tales."

She saw the melancholy on Shard’s face at that moment and understood his feelings. The blond girl rose from the sofa hill and patted Shard’s shoulder:

"The stories of the past have passed; why not think about now, like... this morning, what do you want to eat? I’ll show you my cooking skills, I’ve learned quite a bit from Dorothy."

"I never pick on the food others cook for me. As long as someone makes food for me, I will definitely be very grateful."

Shard said very "obediently," to which Lecia smiled:

"You can check your two leaves first; breakfast will be ready in about twenty minutes."

"I’ll check the leaves after eating; I’ll step out briefly and be back soon."

Shard stood up from the sofa too, as he hadn’t forgotten another important task.

This morning in Tobesk, the fog was hazy as usual. Of course, it wasn’t the natural morning mist, but rather the city haze symbolizing this era.

Mia stayed home to accompany Lecia, while Shard braved the cold winter wind to visit 21 Ikem Street in the University District, the local branch of Apna Library.

Earlier this week, Shard had agreed with them to trade a book and translate Ancient Script in exchange for an ancient stone tablet with Red Jade Corners from the library. This was in itself a "compensation" Old John negotiated from Apna Library to make up for Shard’s unexpected situation during delivery. Therefore, when Shard came to 21 Ikem Street on Sunday morning with the translated script, Mr. Leibert, who had negotiated the trade with Shard last time, delightedly handed over the agreed stone tablet in the warmly heated reception room.

Due to this friendly trade and Shard’s impressive skill with Ancient Script, Mr. Leibert even enthusiastically invited Shard to engage in future transactions with the library. Besides being available at 21 Ikem Street, the Black Raven Library two streets away was also part of their property.

This didn’t surprise Shard; what really caught him off guard was, as he left 21 Ikem Street to head home, he unexpectedly brushed past Sir Lakin Prisia of the Guiding Moon on Ikem Street.

Sir Lakin Prisia had disguised himself, lowering his head like middle-aged men on a working Sunday morning in winter, forced out by apartment rent and family food rations. But Shard still recognized him.

Thus, after leaving Ikem Street, Shard waited a while and returned. Using footprints on the snowy ground, he confirmed that Mr. Plisha’s destination was also 21 Ikem Street.

"He contacts Apna Library even more frequently than he does Xerxes’ local group."

Shard muttered to himself, tightened his clothes, and briskly walked home.

Although Shard’s physique didn’t fear the cold, he still disliked staying outdoors too long in such a chilly morning. He believed his clothes should have soaked up quite a bit of coldness, evidenced by Mia waiting until Shard stood beside the fireplace for a while before walking over to be held.

Lecia had already prepared breakfast by then, attempting to arrange the bacon and bread prettily on the plate.

Considering Lecia’s princess status, before "meeting" Dorothy, she had no chance to cook at all. Yet, she did learn cooking from Dorothy; although there’s still some gap from the true blond girl’s culinary skills, Shard wisely refrained from pointing this out:

"It tastes very good."

The Outlander, not fond of lying, said sincerely. Lecia smiled as she sat beside him, watching the chosen man eating the breakfast she made at home, with their two pets nearby.

There was a moment when the princess thought she had found eternal happiness. But she quickly laughed and shook her head, also picking up cutlery to eat. While love was sweet, she wanted much more than just love.

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