Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1749 - 1748: Month of Breathing

The night deepened, and Audrey and Megan on the lake turned around. Audrey appeared as her normal physical form, while Megan’s lower body overlapped with Audrey, and her upper body manifested in a spiritual state. She smiled and nodded at Shard before returning to the beautiful body with brown hair.

The witch, also out of breath, nodded at Shard, unable to hide her joy:

"The problem that has troubled me for so many years is finally solved. I can feel that my soul is perfect, and all the obstacles in front of me have disappeared."

The power of the Cherub is indeed very suitable for the Grand Witch of "Knowledge and Wisdom."

"Let’s discuss that later. It’s not over yet."

Only the last trace of light remained in March, shrouding the world in darkness, and a silver glow slowly emerged on Shard’s body. He knew the battle was not over yet; tonight, Laplace Klein Howard was bound to act again.

But he didn’t have time to worry about that anymore; his entire body and soul urged him to look up, to see the "trace" left after the moon completely disappeared.

Even though there was no moonlight, with the fog dissipated, Shard and Megan on the lake could see what was happening at the Green Lake Shore. Countless water ghosts were entangled in battle with the Church’s Circle Sorcerers at the shore.

Among the two Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers, the one more familiar to Shard, Miss Maria Ingram, the "Nightmare Witch" of the Church of Nature, was entangled with two black Bone Dragons high in the sky. Mr. Minsk Toders, the "White Dove Messenger" of the Peace Church, whom Shard was less familiar with, stood motionless in the air, confronting the man who walked out of the fog and gradually revealed his figure.

At first glance, he appeared to be a handsome and elegant middle-aged man, dressed in a dark blue suit, with a fountain pen in his breast pocket, and a pocket watch chain extending from it, fastened to a button. He was roughly the same height as Shard, with a well-proportioned build. His left hand was placed behind his back, holding a stack of Divination Cards in his right hand. But upon close inspection, one could see the abnormal, twisted aura, entirely different from a normal human.

This was not a human, but something wearing a human guise.

"Ancestor."

The witch beside Shard whispered, but Laplace Klein Howard, who came out of the fog, merely smiled at her and then looked around at everyone surrounding Green Lake, including those in the air:

"I am the Chosen of Space."

His voice was clearly heard by everyone, and then he lifted the top card of the deck with his left hand:

"To stop me, you need to gather all the remaining members of the Edwards Family, only then can you stop me. I heard Draleon and Carsonrick were negotiating peace at Green Lake Region recently? Very well, I promise not to leave this island during the conference to ensure the peace agenda of the Old Continent can proceed smoothly."

He threw the Divination Cards in his hand into the water:

"But before that, I want to see what kind of power the Church of this era still possesses."

The lake water boiled, scattering an eerie dark glow. Everyone awaited what would emerge from the water, while only Shard looked up at the night sky, dimmed even of stars, at the moon.

Slowly, slowly, the last glow of March disappeared into the shadow of the eclipse. He widened his eyes, following his deepest thoughts at that moment, looking at the three circular shadows, or rather, the Shadows of the Moon, in the dark night sky devouring March.

As though a giant hammer struck his soul, or as if someone shattered his head with a punch, Shard instinctively closed his eyes, and thus Shard Suren Hamilton completely disappeared from the world.

In the void, endless white fog wrapped around Shard, then tiny silver glimmers stretched from his feet towards the horizon. The backdrop of an Endless Sea of Stars appeared around, and shelves outlined by starlight surfaced orderly from the Star Ocean, expanding outward with Shard at the center continuously.

At the far end of the view, a huge silver moon floated over the Star Ocean. And no matter where the view moved, that giant Holy Silver Moon always followed the gaze, becoming part of the library in the Star Ocean.

This scene was familiar; Shard knew where this was. (Chapter 1209)

[Outlander, you have entered the "Silvermoon Library."]

[Note, by using the passage of the Shadow of the Moon to enter the library, special permissions are granted to you:]

[Upon entering the library, all adverse states are cleared.]

[Before leaving, you can act freely here, as you have acquired the immortal nature.]

[You have gained the "Dark Vision" state, lasting until the next sunrise.]

[You have received the blessings of "Holy Silver Radiance," "Saffron Guidance," and "Blood Red Blade," lasting until the next sunrise.]

[Limited to five times, query the history and stories recorded here in the library/five times, query the near-future events from the starry sky/once, seek a permanent blessing from the moon/once, touch the moon. (Choose one)]

Shard listened in surprise to the whispering in his ear; this was his second time entering the "Silvermoon Library."

The first time, it was with a costly ritual arranged by Miss Danester, where he gained "partial permissions," lacking those three special blessings, and the library’s capabilities were only "Choose one of three," with the first two options being "limited to once," and the third blessing lacked the "permanent" prefix.

"Touch the moon."

At this moment, there was no need for hesitation, Shard spoke softly.

So, the Silvermoon, serving as the backdrop of the Star Ocean Library, came closer and closer, until it was overhead Shard.

He gazed up at the moon, then reached his right hand towards the sky.

His fingertips trembled slightly, and the moon descended continuously. His face was illuminated by that moon, and his trembling fingers represented his excited heart:

"Finally, I’m going to touch it, finally..."

He seemed like the world’s most greedy thief, longing for the most precious treasure to fall into his palm. But that sinking Silvermoon, in the end, did not truly let Shard touch it.

Tick~

The silvery halo flickered on the moon’s surface, finally gathering below the moon into silver droplets, falling towards the fingertips of the outstretched Outlander.

[Outlander, you have sensed a "miracle."]

[Outlander, you have absorbed the moon’s divinity.]

[The sealed sorcery "Library Retrieval" is unsealed. Sorcery is enhanced, new trait added: When in a library bathed in moonlight, luck is greatly increased.]

Shard watched with a stiff expression at the moon that ultimately did not let him touch it, the silver light illuminating his face, his eyes holding that Silvermoon:

"After perceiving a miracle, shouldn’t one tell a story first, and only then absorb the divinity?"

He asked in his heart, and then, amidst a gentle, hug-like sense of smiling, he received that brief story:

[The moonlight is truly beautiful.]

At this moment, his soul contained three drops of divinity, but Shard merely withdrew his hand, pursing his lips as he continued to look up at that silver moon, not speaking for a long time.

[It’s time to go.]

"She" softly reminded in his ear, yet Shard made no move:

"The Night of the Eclipse, deemed significant by Sister Delphine and the Guardian of the Earth, the Night of the Eclipse which I always felt held great significance, was it merely for this one drop of divinity?"

[So, what do you want?]

"She" remained so gentle.

"This time, it might just be an opportunity left by the Ancient God, giving the Chosen of the Moon the chance to touch the Supreme... But the eclipse showed the shadow of the moon after disappearing, revealing the other side of the moon. If I were the moon, I would hope to witness my backside. If... you are the moon, I hope to see the true ’me’."

"She" merely smiled gently, without saying anything further or urging Shard to leave again.

Shard’s eyes never strayed from the silver moon overhead:

"Since the moon does not wish to be touched by me..."

He lightly jumped upwards, and his entire being seemed to fly into the air, soaring towards that sacred moon.

"Then I shall actively go to touch her."

He once again extended his right hand, watching as he drew closer and closer to that moon. In the all-encompassing, unblinding silver light, he felt as if he too would merge with that light, seemingly becoming part of the moon.

This is a very dangerous sign, yet he still did not give up continuing upwards, did not give up getting closer and touching the moon just within reach.

Thus, Shard’s body and soul transformed into part of that moonlight. In the end, only some remaining specks of light continued ascending, touching the moon.

Ripples appeared on the surface of the Silvermoon, and in the silent library amidst the Star Ocean, someone sighed.

[Outlander, you have felt a "miracle."]

[You have received a blessing: Month of Breathing: Under the moon, you will not feel tired.]

[Your moon series arcane techniques are comprehensively enhanced.]

[You touched a shard of the Primal Moon, triggering Arcane Technique - Ancient Sound:]

[The Ancient Moon God has long departed, but through the remnants of the Primal Moon in the Silvermoon Library, there is a chance to meet Him, who is sleeping.]

Shard opened his eyes:

"Can I really see Him? Is He still sleeping?"

But this time, he received no response.

On the moonless Green Lake, only Audrey noticed Shard suddenly disappearing from her side. Yet before she had time to express her surprise and search for the man who had vanished, the sudden appearance of light in the night sky once more illuminated this dark land.

The gentle silver moonlight appeared in the starry sky, and Shard, shining with silver radiance, raised his right hand.

A spinning silver Light Wheel appeared in his palm, growing larger and larger, until the human, the size of a grain of rice, held aloft a moon-sized spinning Light Wheel.