Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 446 - , Year 1784 of the Fifth Era

At eleven fifty PM, with only ten minutes left till the end of the week, Shard fidgeted with the Time Key meticulously chosen by Professor Garcia and sat in the living room with the lights off.

The weather was nice tonight, with moonlight streaming in through the window. The tricolored moonlight mingled together, casting an odd glimmer on Shard's legs and the back of the cat lying on his lap.

Mia Cat was an orange and white feline, with its back predominantly orange, which, according to Shard's first impression when he had seen it on the rooftop, made it look like a white cat draped in an orange blanket.

Its fur was quite luminous, reflective under both sunlight and moonlight. Since Shard had a new Time Expedition scheduled for tonight and couldn't sleep early, the cat didn't go to the bedroom to sleep by itself; instead, it dozed on Shard's lap.

It definitely wasn't asleep. Shard even thought that if he were to suddenly yell in the quiet of this moment, the cat would surely spring up in fright.

Of course, he didn't plan to actually do that.

He contemplated his relationships with his friends and the path of Deification for The Chosen One and himself. When the corner clock and the distant city bell tower chimed together at midnight, Shard patted Mia Cat's bottom. She meowed a bit reluctantly, then, stretching her short legs, climbed off his lap and jumped onto the couch.

"Mia, see you in three seconds," he said.

Saying this, Shard headed towards the bedroom door. But this time, he hesitated instead of immediately inserting the key.

[What are you considering?]

"According to usual patterns, it will undoubtedly involve the Old God again. I am pondering which one it might be this time."

[Won't you find out soon?]

"That's also true... May the World Tree Bless Me through Time."

Turning the key, as the bedroom door opened, white mist billowed out like fluff. He thought then of the matters about these special realms:

"Mr. Edmund said that the Guiding Light Hermit Society believes the spaces left by the Thirteen Ancient Gods are the ultimate Sanctuaries. What could be the reason for such a belief?"

Stepping into the mist, a familiar voice immediately rang in his ears:

[Outlander, you have stepped into the "Time Corridor."]

[A message from the Ancient God, "Father of the Infinite Tree":]

[Year 1784 of the Fifth Era, winter, Northern Continent, Horror Fortress.]

[Event: Wager - Game of Life.]

[Duration twenty minutes (1/3).]

"Southern Continent - Hope Town, Western Continent - Forest of Thousand Trees, now it's Northern Continent - Horror Fortress... The fourth key a month from now won't be in Eastern Continent, will it?"

[You have received additional information.]

[The figure of the Father of the Infinite Tree watches over you.]

[The Ancient God of Time presents you with a trial.]

[Assist the mortals in winning the 'Game of Life' wager.]

[The Father of the Infinite Tree will reward you: Arcane Technique - Breath of Ages, and a piece of true information - Dark Dungeon.]

"Dark Dungeon? There's no mention of any deity in this mission," Shard muttered to himself. After confirming there was no more information, he took a step forward.

The surrounding mist quickly dissipated, and he felt uneven cobblestones beneath his feet. As the light from the mist faded, the dim, yellowish oil lamp light made it difficult for Shard to adjust.

Once his vision returned to normal, he instantly noticed a decayed smell permeating the air. Looking around, he found himself standing in a narrow, ancient stone corridor.

The floor was made up of gray stone bric...

He was not a timid man, having witnessed far stranger sights in this world. Yet, when he saw those eyes, his body instinctively shuddered with fear, for those eyes had the power to hook directly into one's innermost fears.

As it approached closer, the oil lamps around Shard flickered to life. Although he did not know the consequences of the oil lamps going out, Shard immediately ran forward.

The oil lamps behind him extinguished one by one, and the flames in front trembled as well. Shard felt a chill that seemed to freeze the soul gradually creeping up his spine, growing more and more pronounced.

"Really, why can't the Father of the Infinite Tree just transport me directly to my destination? It's always like this... Silvermoon!"

Stretching his hand behind him, a burst of silver moonlight erupted, and indeed, the chill behind him receded somewhat. Finally, the end of the corridor appeared—a red copper metal door with no holes or decorative patterns, only a slightly raised flip coin symbol.

Shard was prepared to pick the lock, but to his surprise, the door opened with a gentle push as he reached it.

He quickly darted through the doorway, then turned and firmly shut the door. Using his body to brace against it, the mysterious entity outside made no attempt to force its way in.

Moreover, even pressing his ear to the door, he could hear no sound outside.

This slight reassurance allowed Shard to turn and look inside the room, where he saw a man with a weathered face, looking as though he hadn't washed or bathed in months, standing beside a square stone table, staring at him in astonishment.

The interior style of the room was consistent with the corridor outside, with uneven square stone tiles on the floor, the gaps filled with ash, and the ceiling and surrounding walls being rough, unpainted stone.

The room wasn't large, roughly the size of Shard's own bedroom. A square stone table was placed in the center, with no other complete pieces of furniture.

There were some remains of wooden furniture along the walls, but they seemed to have been damaged for hundreds of years. On the right side, several dozen corpses were lined up against the wall, in varying states of decay but all uniformly maintaining a posture that leaned against the wall.

An oil lamp sat at the edge of the stone table near Shard, the only source of light in the room. Yet, the light from the oil lamp was dim, the size of a soybean, and strangest of all, it illuminated only the half of the room where Shard and the strange man were found, while the other half was completely engulfed in thick darkness.

"A man?"

As the other inspected Shard, he sized up the other as well. Men capable of using supernatural powers did not exist in the Fifth Era, thus the stranger must be a common man.

He wore a dirty, indistinctly colored brown robe, barefoot, with a headscarf wrapping his head. His brown eyes were ordinary, but his thick eyebrows made an impression on Shard.

"Hello...?"

The stranger used the language of the Fifth Era, trying to greet Shard. His voice hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long while.

"Hello, sorry, I think you might not understand what I'm saying."

Shard responded, noting that this time's companion wasn't a witch, which had its pros and cons—the downside being they essentially couldn't communicate.

"No no, I understand! There are special rules in this castle, as long as the language doesn't carry supernatural powers, everyone can understand it! Are you... human?"

The robed, barefoot stranger cautiously asked again, and Shard looked at him incredulously before nodding, approaching the stone table from the shadow of the doorway:

"Of course I am human, but are you human?"

He extended his hand to the other, who flinched away at first, then sheepishly smiled at Shard:

"Sorry, I've encountered too many strange things here. Yes, I am human as well. It's really good to meet a fellow human here."

He extended a hand that had not been washed for a long time and took Shard's hand.

[Ordinary human.]

A more genuine smile spread across Shard's face.

The man was named Sludge Riddle, claiming to be a scholar and a prophet. Considering the timing in the Fifth Era, his title of "prophet" probably matched that of the "Demonologist" Sean Asmon who Shard had encountered at the Pink Rose Inn in Coldwater Port.

Mr. Riddle was likely truly untouched by human contact for a long time—he forced himself, or confirmed, to believe that Shard was not some bizarre entity after all, then began an endless narration of his own affairs.

He knew this place was Horror Fortress on the Northern Continent, but could not detail exactly what "Horror Fortress" entailed. On one hand, this mysterious place corroded people's memories; on the other, this prophet seemingly did not truly understand.

While browsing ancient texts, Mr. Sludge Riddle inadvertently learned of the approximate location of Horror Fortress, 'sealed with ancient knowledge, secrets, and evil.' With nothing else at hand, he set out from his hometown on the Eastern Continent, embarking on an adventure.

Although he merely considered the trip an educational journey and did not harbor high hopes of achieving his goal, this gentleman truly found this place after a series of inexplicable events.

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The middle-aged man with a headscarf confessed to Shard that he could no longer remember how long he had been in this eerie place. The continuously changing landscape inside the castle caused him to become lost and panicked, and the terrifying, evil things he encountered made him too afraid to even recall.

Even Shard's mere attempt to inquire about his experiences during that time caused him to start screaming and praying hysterically out of fear.

Horror Fortress, like Hope Town and Forest of Thousand Trees, affected the memories and consciousness of humans who stayed too long. Unfortunately, men of the Fifth Era were not as lucky to be protected by the Benevolent God like three children, nor were they as powerful as two witches from centuries later.

If Shard had arrived just a bit later, he might not even have been able to hear this basic information.