Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 494 - Crystal Ring

"It's okay,"

Iluna looked up at Shard and smiled:

"There are no guests, but your home is nice itself; I don't have a formal gown, but you don't need to wear a suit; there's no gramophone and no band, I can hum a dance tune myself. Shard, I am still very good at singing."

As she spoke, she stood up, and Shard also stood up, supporting himself on the table.

The seventeen-year-old girl seemed to be in a very good mood. She arrived at the living room ahead of Shard, then spread her arms, closed her eyes, and spun around three times on the spot under the sunlight. Her skirt flared out like a flower, her figure catching Shard's eyes as her shadow flickered across the walls, sofa, and cabinets.

She stopped and opened her eyes to look at Shard, her brown hair shimmering in the sunlight, and her eyes truly sparkled:

"Mr. Shard Hamilton, may I invite you for a dance?"

She extended her hand to Shard.

"Lady, it would be my honor,"

Shard replied with a smile and a slight bow.

The two danced a complete tune under the sunlight, following Iluna's humming. Afterward, Shard escorted the blushing Iluna to the street corner outside Saint Delan Square, and they went their separate ways.

Shard placed three rice-sized mind crystals into a folded paper envelope and headed directly to Old John's Pawnshop.

Since contacting the Guiding Light Hermitage and finding out that Old Man John was also part of the Guiding Light Hermitage, this was the first time Shard had met him. However, once they met, they very tacitly did not mention anything about the Hermit Society. Old Man John joked about not having seen Shard recently, then Shard poured the three tiny crystals onto the counter:

"I'd like them set in a ring. Old Man John, can you handle that here?"

He could go to a coppersmith or a blacksmith, but since Old Man John could help Dorothy with alchemical items, making a ring probably wouldn't be a problem either.

"You should have gone to a coppersmith. Let me see, oh, mind crystals? The purity is really good. Were they made by Schneider?"

The old man took out a toolbox from beneath the counter, picked up one of the crystals with bronze tweezers, pulled over a gas lamp, put on professional glasses with adjustable lenses, and examined the tiny crystals seriously:

"Are you looking to make arcane technique spellcasting materials for mental-type spells? I've made something similar, and I can engrave some patterns and runes on the ring to enhance the effect of these crystals. However, when would you like the finished product?"

This meant that Old Man John agreed to take on this job.

"I'd prefer to have it by this evening,"

"Are you in such a hurry?"

The old man took off the complex lenses from his right eye, thought for a moment, and said:

"Then it's going to be a bit more expensive, 13 shillings, 3 pounds, 19 pounds. Which price would you choose?"

"What's the difference between these prices?"

"13 shillings, iron material, I'll just embed the three crystals into the ring, you can come to pick it up by noon.

3 pounds, copper material, I will use alchemical craftsmanship to process the ring to maximize the effectiveness of the crystals, come at two in the afternoon.

19 pounds, it just so happens that I recently made a helmet that can shield mind reading abilities for someone else, and I have some scrap material left... don't look at me like that, I'm not skimming off my clients' materials."

Old Man John quickly waved his hand:

"It's just that when making the helmet, there were some leftover scraps of a special mind-shielding alloy, enough to make a small ring. This metal can shield external spiritual power, but it is also an excellent conductor of internal spiritual power. A crystal ring made of mind shielding alloy might not double the power of your arcane techniques, but it can speed up casting, expand the range of arcane techniques, enhance the ability to withstand backlash, and slightly improve the effects of the spells."

Having said this, he put down what he was holding, looked at Shard, and tapped the counter, showing a familiar merchant smile:

"If you choose to use this alloy for the ring, it'll cost you 19 pounds, but you can pick it up this evening, and I will take care of everything for you. What do you think? Which price will you choose?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Shard retorted as the old man smirked triumphantly, then Shard uttered one more word:

"Cane."

"That would be 17 pounds and 7 shillings,"

Old Man John immediately named this price, which made Shard a bit puzzled:

"You wouldn't be quoting high and waiting for me to haggle before mentioning the standard price, would you?"

"Why would I do such a thing?"

Old Man John said, puffing up his chest in denial, then he reached down to grab a tape measure:

"Which finger are you planning to wear it on? Let me measure it. I hope your fingers are thin so I can save some material, and maybe I can even make a small pendant with the leftovers and sell it to someone else."

"Someday you're going to make a fortune."

"No, no, I'm actually more concerned with the civilization represented by the items I acquire. Being able to afford food with the gold pounds is enough for me,"

Shard didn't believe Old Man John's statement at all.

After leaving the very money-savvy Old Man, Shard went to the University District on Feather Quill Street to find Dorothy. That evening, he planned to go with Dorothy to Yordle Palace for a banquet, as Miss Galina would surely be with other members of the Royal Family, and Luviya with the Prophet's Society.

Because there was an important banquet to attend in the evening, Miss Writer had no plans of going out during the day. The preparations the ladies had to make for a banquet were significantly more extensive than what Shard had to do.

Upon entering the building, under the landlady's guidance, Shard headed up to the third floor where Dorothy was humming a tune and choosing headpieces in front of the copper-framed floor mirror in the living room. Next to her, there were several wheeled metal clothes racks filled with dresses, shirts, and other garments.

Hearing Shard's voice outside the door, she called out for him to come in directly.

Once Shard was inside, she asked,

"I am thinking of styling my hair up in a complex hairstyle. Shard, do you think this butterfly-style ribbon looks nice, or does this sky-blue headband decorated with red gem shards look better?"

She was comparing the two headbands against her hair.

Shard thought for a moment:

"Both look nice."

The blonde girl smiled:

"You would say that. Shard, did you come here for something?"

She placed the headbands on the mirror and then asked Shard to help bring over the shoe boxes from the doorway.

"Are we going together to Yordle Palace tonight?"

"Oh, I've invited Luviya to leave with me. After we reach Silver Cross Avenue, she'll meet up with the Prophet's Society. You can come with us too."

"Alright, where should I pick you up then? Luviya's apartment or here?"

"Just come here."

Dorothy said, excitedly holding up a dress from the rack in front of the floor mirror:

"I must remind you that the big pearl you're giving should be placed in a gift box before giving it away."

She knew Shard had a habit of simply stuffing jewelry and gems into his pockets.

"I'll prepare it in a moment."

Shard had also thought of this already.

"Besides, Lecia asked me to tell you she would definitely make time to see you tonight. If she really can't find the time, she'll use my body."

Dorothy had no other purpose at the banquet, so she could stay with Shard throughout.

"No problem. Is there anything else I need to be reminded of? I've attended several banquets but this is the first one that is so grand."

"Queen Diana will likely seek you out for a chat, even if it's just to express her gratitude, but you should also think about how to respond. Last time they mentioned giving you a Roder Card? She might give it to you this time. Also, you and Galina..."

She was initially cheerful while choosing outfits in front of the mirror, but upon mentioning that name, her face changed immediately; her attitude towards Miss Galina was fundamentally aligned with Lecia's:

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"...issues are now widely rumored. Although the Duchess has never been close to men, there are still a few prominent pursuers in Tobesk, you should be cautious of them causing trouble."

"No need to worry about that, I've accepted Marquis Grassley's invitation and will probably spend the whole evening playing Roder Card."

Shard had already planned his evening.

"That's good. However, you'll also need to spare some time to meet with a few writers and journalists from Tobesk. Thanks to detective stories, my career has taken a step forward. I want to bring the prototype characters of the detective stories and discuss their writing details with these writers and journalists."

It was basically mutual flattery among writers; successful writers not only need successful works but also recognition from their peers. Dorothy's father, a professor with many students, had an advantage in this peer recognition.

"No problem, I think I'll have the time. Anything else I should know?"

Dorothy, looking at Shard from the mirror, asked:

"Is your outfit ready? Also, you need to fix up your hair."

"Don't worry, I'm prepared."

The Dorothy in the mirror smiled at Shard:

"Are you going to see Galina later?"

"Yeah... yes, I have something to discuss with her this afternoon about the 'Glimmer' Spirit Rune; there's a Magician from the Twelve Rings who can help me."

"That's great."

She said quietly, the golden-haired girl still maintaining a smile in the mirror, although Shard was not entirely sure what she was trying to express.

Aftrer staying a bit longer with Dorothy and having lunch together, Shard finally returned to No. 6, Saint Delan Square.

On his way back, he also noticed some changes happening in the city today.

Queen Diana had a very high reputation in the Draleon Kingdom. Although her birthday was not celebrated on a large scale and there was no national holiday or a parade like the King's birthday, there were still small-scale celebrations in places like Saint Delan Square, Dawn Square, and Hymn Square, with bands and parade troops hired by the royal family.

Although it was quite deserted when he left in the morning, by the time he returned home in the afternoon, it had become quite lively.