Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1009 Burning

After examining the box, Shard hesitated to speak, but Mr. Camelon was quite pleased:

"Detective, did you find the compartment in the box? I also suspected it was a scam, but I am quite sure it doesn’t have a compartment, it’s indeed an age-defying technology."

He looked rather smug:

"I think your client must have bought a fake Victor’s Box. Perhaps someone heard about this special technology and wanted to create a fake to deceive people. Detective, you should investigate from this angle rather than questioning the authenticity of this technology."

The sincere conviction in his words contrasted sharply with the box on the table.

Shard nodded with pursed lips, took out his Mind Crystal Ring from his pocket, put it on while hiding his hand behind his back, and turned his head to look at the window, outside which was a city shrouded in thick fog:

"Hm? What’s that?"

Shard suddenly said, causing Mr. Camelon to turn his head suspiciously towards the window, but he saw nothing. When he turned back to look at Shard, he happened to catch sight of Shard’s eyes. The detective’s eyes seemed to possess a mystical power at that instant, making Mr. Camelon mistakenly feel as if he had been punched in the face.

He instantly felt his vision go black:

"Oh!"

He leaned back against the sofa, but he did not lose consciousness. Instead, upon hearing Shard say, "It’s just the fog, pollution has been getting worse lately," he felt as if he suddenly understood something.

The factory owner sat up straight, looking surprised at the box on the table, then shrank his neck and scratched his head:

"Was I deceived?"

The Arcane Technique [Psychic Shockwave] works by oscillating the mind to detonate the soul. Used with minimal efficiency, it causes little harm to ordinary people, at most giving them a headache for a few days. But such an attack can also disrupt some forms of mental control, and Shard’s attempt was clearly successful.

However, both Dorothy and Princess Margaret were somewhat astonished, as they had not noticed anything amiss with the box.

"Yes, I’m afraid you were indeed duped."

Shard reached into his pocket and then pulled out a dagger sheathed in its scabbard, a gift he had taken from a gift box in the autumn.

He drew the dagger and abruptly stabbed it into the box, the sharp blade piercing straight through it.

Shard pulled the dagger back out and had Mr. Camelon look at the hole through the light:

"You see, there are no printing mechanisms inside, not even gears or pistons. If you still think this box contains age-defying technology, I can only attribute it to... mystical technology. Perhaps the Church would be willing to tell you its principle."

Mr. Camelon opened his mouth, watching the light pass through the punctured hole, finding indeed that there was nothing inside the box. He scratched his head again and then hung his head dejectedly:

"God, how could I believe in something like this?"

"Everyone can be deceived at times, and the deceived person, until they awaken, can never comprehend their situation. Fortunately, your losses are not significant." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Shard said regretfully and then suggested:

"I’ll buy it for 2 pounds as a clue for further investigation. However, you need to tell me who sold this thing to you and where that person is now."

This time, Mr. Jimmy Camelon did not refuse, looking dazedly at the ground, still not understanding why he fell for such a ludicrous scam:

"Could it really be that my life has become so decadent that it messes with my mind?"

He scratched his head again, revealing a rather risky hairline, suggesting this gentleman might stay bewildered for a while.

Having obtained the address of the merchant selling Victor’s Boxes, Shard left the textile factory with the box and the two ladies. They did not immediately take a carriage to their destination but instead found a nearby inn, where, under the innkeeper’s peculiar gaze, Shard asked for a room with the two ladies.

"This thing is problematic, with a very faint elemental reaction."

Once the door was closed, Shard finally voiced his concerns. The room was very small, and although it had no peculiar smell, the floor seemed to be covered in a layer of perpetually unclean dust.

He placed the box on the small room’s table, and Dorothy drew the curtains with a wave of her hand. Neither she nor Princess Margaret had noticed anything unusual:

"Shard, what did you sense?"

"I’m not sure exactly, but there’s definitely something unusual about it. We could try to inspect it."

Saying this, he rummaged in his pocket and found a small bottle containing white powder:

"Reveal Powder, it can make invisible objects visible."

This was something Shard had bought from Priest Augustus, who had made a potent revealing powder using knowledge from more angelic bones he had fused, but when sprinkled over, nothing appeared.

So he took a hairpin handed over by Dorothy, which was an alchemical item she had bought from Old John. It could make some temporarily inactive special items glow.

But still, nothing happened.

Princess Margaret also rummaged in her handbag and retrieved a black eyeshadow box, asking Shard to carefully sprinkle the powder from the lower right corner of the eyeshadow box onto the box:

"This is an alchemical powder made by one of my teachers and is effective on special items."

But again, nothing occurred.

Shard pondered for a moment, finally pulling out a bottle of Holy Water No. 4 and pouring it over the box.

"Oh! Step back quickly!"

With a sizzling sound, black smoke with a foul odor rose from the box. Shard swiftly stepped back, dropping the Silence Charm as he moved, pulling both princesses with him away from the table, watching the box ignite in black flames.

As the black smoke continued to billow upwards, the burning wooden box produced green acid that directly melted the table, even creating a depression on the floor, thankfully not penetrating down to the lower level.

Within the black mist, a twisted face seemed to emerge from the smoke, and the three in the room heard whispers, sounds that seemed to come from the deepest parts of their hearts, tempting them to reveal their desires.

Shard remained unaffected; Dorothy managed to resist the voices within her mind thanks to her special connection with Lecia and the psychic resistance provided by the Red Butterfly Pendant. Only Princess Margaret suddenly gasped, and in the momentary hesitation of the three, the black mist transformed into a humanoid figure with only the upper body:

"Mortals, show me your desires."

The black mist generated by the flames continued to expand, with illusions within the mist threatening to envelop the entire room. The mist bypassed Shard and surged directly towards Princess Margaret, who, while touching the ring on her right hand and pushing forward, caused the black mist to slow under the gentle white light.

"Don’t come closer, I’ll handle it, close your eyes!"

Shard shouted loudly, blocking the two girls. The princess was perplexed, but Dorothy, having learned from the "Joyful Dream Pen" incident, immediately reached out her right hand to cover the princess’s eyes, closing her own eyes as well.

Shard extended his fingers:

"Silvermoon!"

A dazzling moonlight erupted in the small room, piercing through the black mist. The glimmer lasted less than a second, but the entire room seemed to be enveloped in a layer of silvery white moonlight.

"This light..."

Even though Dorothy reacted in time, Margaret Anjou still felt her vision go white. Once she could clearly see everything around her again, she felt as if she were standing inside a church:

"What kind of arcane technique is this?"

"Light Spell... don’t worry, that was just an illusion, this thing is very weak."

Shard looked at the box and said softly, still extending a hand to protect the girls.

At this moment, the box was still burning, but the black mist was just that - black mist. It was completely burned away within half a minute, and with a heavy thud, the table collapsed due to the corrosion of the green acid, which dripped onto the floor, dissolving it into a pile of white-green foam.

"Light Spell?"

The princess was astonished, once again questioning Shard’s level. Until now, no one had ever mentioned Shard’s level to her, and Shard had never displayed his Ring of Fate in front of her.

"Miss Mary, don’t worry, Shard is quite experienced in handling these kinds of things."

Miss Writer was quite relaxed:

"Shard, what liquid did you use?"

She asked while covering her mouth and nose with her right hand, using her left hand to summon wind to contain the black smoke, compressing it into a small black ball on the floor to prevent too much smoke from drifting out through the door cracks and attracting attention.

"Holy Water No. 4."

Shard said softly, looking at Dorothy. The blonde girl nodded, holding Princess Margaret’s bewildered hand and turning her around, smilingly redirecting her before she could ask any questions.

By this time, everything in the room had astonishingly returned to normal, with no traces of corrosion on the floor, the table restored to its usual state, and even the soot-darkened walls back to their original condition.

Only the "Victor’s Box," burnt by the holy water, had vanished without a trace. Shard’s [Breath of Ages] wasn’t very effective on supernatural items, and he didn’t wish for the box to appear again.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a twig prepared for the spell [Elf’s Antidote Spell], poking around in the pile of foam on the floor, confirming that the box had burned thoroughly, and the foam was rapidly evaporating, ensuring no traces would be left behind.

"It’s not a relic, and I don’t know exactly what it is, only that it can evoke inner desires. It looks like this investigation won’t be simple; I didn’t expect the first task after a long absence to turn into this situation."

Shard sighed:

"The opposition seems afraid of getting caught by the Church, their self-destruct mechanism is indeed cautious. Will you continue to investigate with me?"

"Of course."

Dorothy nodded immediately, her spirits high today. Princess Margaret hesitated for a moment, then nodded:

"Yes, I can move around the city until evening. Mr. Hamilton, do you always experience such events? During my time in Velindale City, ordinary occurrences rarely lead to supernatural incidents."

"This has been a feature of this city since the beginning of this year."

Dorothy explained with a smile:

"But I think it will be an interesting day, won’t it?"

The princess with pale gold hair nodded, glancing at Shard’s back, growing increasingly unable to decipher the handsome detective.

Since the box burned and rotted under Holy Water No. 4, it indicates the maker used forbidden knowledge that shouldn’t be utilized. The inherent power and trait of the holy water typically target only spirits, demons, relics, and such forces with strong precision.

Therefore, if the mastermind behind this incident isn’t Dr. Bill Schneider, they’re almost certainly not a good person. A good person might use evil power, but would never create such an item.

Shard doesn’t understand the construction method of the box but knows it absorbs human desires to grant wishes. It’s less a "Banknote Replicating Machine" and more a wish-granting device. Alchemical items like this cannot be made with ordinary methods; the first-year course in the Study of Alchemy at Saint Byrons repeatedly emphasizes the danger of such items.

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