Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1756 - 1755: Moon, Dream, and Letter

"After turning eighteen, unless you are a politician or a grand noble, birthdays are rarely mentioned. The eighteenth birthday is the last one that holds significant meaning. It’s the second year of adulthood and the true step into maturity. Shard, don’t forget to prepare a birthday gift for Iluna."

Luviya reminded him, but this time she didn’t say she would help Shard with it, as she knew Iluna would prefer for Shard to show his own sincerity.

Time was already late, so after dinner and supper, they washed up and turned off the lights to rest. Tonight, there was no ’night life,’ so there was no need to confine Mia to the closet; the cat could peacefully sleep next to Shard’s pillow.

Luviya quickly fell asleep in Shard’s arms, having spent considerable mental energy stargazing. Shard closed his eyes, and although the black Time Key was ready for use, he didn’t intend to use it right now; he was truly exhausted today.

The curtains weren’t drawn. The outlander, embracing the purple-eyed girl, lay facing the window, able to see the three moons which seemed even brighter after the lunar eclipse.

Luviya and Mia’s breathing gradually became even, but he found himself unable to sleep. So many things happened tonight, yet there was one thing he couldn’t forget.

It wasn’t finally mastering gigantification as an attack method, nor the appearance of "Desire," nor Megan and Audrey’s souls achieving perfect form, nor the mutation at Central Island or the demon.

The most important thing was that due to the lunar eclipse, he inexplicably entered the Silvermoon Library, obtained a drop of divinity, and learned that through the library’s moon, he might meet the slumbering Ancient Moon God, the Sage of Silvermoon.

Shard was unsure of what would happen if he truly met that Ancient God, nor was he certain he could actually meet Him, or whether He was truly still in slumber. His thoughts were quite complex and chaotic. Lying on his bed, looking at the moonlight, this idea rose once more:

"No matter what, I must meet Him."

He told himself in his heart, even if it was difficult, he had to do it.

At this moment, three drops of divinity quietly soaked into his soul, the power from the Stone Heart Demon, the God of the Deep Sea Drowned, and the moon were enough to fulfill most of Shard’s desires in the material world, yet they couldn’t open the spaces left by the Ancient Gods.

Even using the expensive one-time ritual Miss Danester used to reopen the Silvermoon Library, it was unlikely he would be able to touch the moon like today, because the "permissions" obtained from that one-time ritual were insufficient.

"You will meet Him, outlander, you definitely will."

"She" whispered gently in Shard’s ear, as if not only was the girl in his arms, but he himself was also embraced by a gentle woman.

Shard didn’t speak any further, but instead closed his eyes, preparing to fall into slumber, ending this night.

Moonlight spilled on Luviya’s back and Shard’s face, his breathing also becoming even. As consciousness turned hazy, about to descend into the endless moonlit wilderness, he heard "her" final words:

"Present World: Sixth Era, Common Era Calendar System 1854, spring, Night of the Eclipse. With eyes tightly shut, the moon’s glimmer shines into your dreams. You see the moon, yet know you cannot touch it. The most distant distance is not between life and death, but in such yearning that cannot be fulfilled. Ancient roots spread in the lake, the traveler under the moon glimpsed the secret of space. Outlander, do you already know what awaits you beyond the lake and the door."

"Good night."

"Good night."

(Mia slumbering zZ...)

Perhaps due to the overwhelming stimulation of this special Wednesday, Shard had a peculiar dream that night.

In the dream, he seemed to return to Green Lake, pursued in the demon’s maze by Laplace Klein Howard, behind him the tentacle man from the Edwards Family, and the now undead Laster Edwards.

He quickly fell into a hole, then felt himself entwined by something. He saw it was a blue-purple two-headed giant snake, with the heads clearly being Audrey and Megan. The dazzling two-headed beauty snake extended countless white arms, clutching his arms from both sides, seemingly wanting to compete for him, yet more like attempting to tear him apart.

Luckily, as the moonlight shone into the hole, the beauty snake disappeared. Shard continuously ascended, chasing the beautiful moon. He vaguely felt the bright and dark surface of the moon formed the figure of a silver-haired woman curled up. Yet the moon refused to let him approach, flying further and further away, leaving Shard alone in the air.

With a cat’s meow, Shard once again saw the face of a gigantic Mia, composed of stars appearing in the night sky. As the cat opened its large mouth, Shard was instantly swallowed into it.

"Oh!"

He suddenly sat up from the bed, seeing Luviya was already at the desk, arranging her hair while looking in the mirror. The purple-eyed girl, in her nightdress, turned curiously:

"Why are you shouting early in the morning?"

"Meow~"

The cat meowed beside Shard, reminding him to go downstairs to get the goat milk.

Shard clutched his chest, feeling as if he had just experienced an adventure that left him breathless:

"Luviya, since you’re a Diviner, you must be skilled in dream interpretation, right?"

"If you dream of an enemy, it means you’re under too much pressure; if you dream of strange women, it means desire is burgeoning within you; if you dream of the moon, it means strange thoughts have arisen again; if you dream of your cat, it’s because its meow earlier echoed into your dreams."

She actually can interpret dreams.

"Hmm? A letter from Miss Gawder?"

It took Shard quite a while to wake up from that strange dream, and when he went downstairs to get the newspaper, he saw that letter from Mia’s real owner, sent from a small town on the Eastern Old Continent Coast.

"Why are you so surprised? Doesn’t that Miss Gawder send a letter every month? Today is the first day of the Rain-Prayer Moon, isn’t the timing just right?"

Breakfast was already laid out on the table, and as Luviya undid the apron and placed it on the back of the chair, Shard replied while opening the letter:

"But she usually sends a letter at the end of the month, and by the time it reaches me, it’s quite a few days into the new month. For her letter to arrive on the first day of the month is indeed unusual." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Shard had planned to visit that lady after the events in Randall Valley concluded at the beginning of the year, but due to a serious illness and the happenings at Green Lake, he had to postpone his travel plans. Coincidentally, Miss Gawder also mentioned in last month’s letter that she was extremely busy with trivial tasks concerning her family’s estate, recruiting helpers willing to stay in the old town, and repairing public infrastructure like the church, sanatorium, and tavern, and suggested Shard visit her in the summer a few months later.

So in his reply last month, besides thanking Miss Gawder for her armor, Shard also expressed his willingness to postpone his trip to the summer.

And in this month’s letter, after congratulating Shard on winning the "1854 Tobesk Circuit Horsemanship Tournament," Miss Gawder briefly mentioned her own updates, talked about the troubles in her life and work, and reminded Shard to be cautious of cats in spring as they can be quite affectionate, and to take care of the cat that was now over a year old.

"You two are more like pen pals now, rather than a client and a servicer."

This was Luviya’s evaluation, and she was clearly teasing. Shard did not continue the topic; after folding the letter paper, he took out the customary 10 pounds from the envelope:

"Pen pals? Pen pals don’t give you money."

Luviya showed a peculiar smile while eating but didn’t voice her thoughts. Instead, she talked about Mia and Miss Gawder’s relationship:

"The greatest distance in the world is probably like this, clearly caring about another person, yet that person’s heart is tethered to someone else. If Miss Gawder knew that her cat could no longer follow her as its owner, she would probably be very sad."

"Oh, Luviya~ I know I am guilty, please don’t say that."

Concerned about Shard’s condition last night, Iluna visited No. 6, Saint Delan Square before heading to Blackstone Security Company. Coincidentally, Shard also needed to tell her the details of last night’s battle at Green Lake, and after listening to Shard’s recount, Iluna made a very sensible judgment:

"It seems the Church will soon send me to the Green Lake Region."

"Yes, with a suspected candidate for The Chosen One appearing, the epic of the Chosen of Space enters the second half. From Shard’s description, even the combined power of four with Thirteen Rings is not certain to fully defeat Laplace Klein Howard hidden on the island. The Church needs your power."

Luviya said, as Iluna took a deep breath and nodded, she’s ready.

Today Megan and Audrey won’t meet with Shard, so Shard’s plan is to go to Mikaela Ironworks City to inform the believers of the God of Love about yesterday’s encounter with ’desire’ and the damage to the Holy Emblem, and collect that painting of desire.

However, before leaving, he decided to use the new Time Key given to him by Megan last night. The last time he submitted an exploration report on a Time Key to the Academy was before he got sick. If this key has noteworthy aspects, he plans to write another report to reduce the stress of school credits at the end of the term.

After breakfast, Luviya left with Iluna as they still had some things to discuss. Moreover, since the Night of the Eclipse was over, she wouldn’t be appearing in the Shard Family home in the evenings for the next few days:

"I need to give Dorothy and the Princess some opportunities, and also plan new arrangements regarding the Green Lake matter. Priest Augustus’s friend has Special Coins. Once I receive the next batch of coins, I will need your help to conduct a crucial divination. Who will be the Chosen of Space, after all?"