Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 706 - "Mermaid" Mission

This was indeed the truth, and the trader of the Sin Mansion had mentioned that the guest of the underground cellar had arrived here long ago.

“So… may I leave?”

Shard hesitated before asking.

“Of course you can, but the door to leave is beneath the pool.”

She replied with a beaming smile, with every breath she took forcing Shard to confirm that he was still capable of maintaining his sanity. If this were a game of dice, then her every breath would count as an attack.

“The door is in the pool… Alright, what do I need to do this time for you to let me leave?”

It didn’t seem like she was going to initiate an attack on him this time.

“I crave your intriguing soul, but watching you become even more interesting pleases me even more,” she said, her eyes slightly narrowed, and her face seeming to bear a resemblance to Miss Galina:

“Go on, meet the master of this mansion, let him witness your sin.”

Now there were two paths to departure: one was through the underground cellar, and the other was to meet the master of the mansion. And with “Desire’s” request, there essentially was only one route left.

However, Shard felt that meeting the master of the mansion might be a safer choice than confronting the mermaid before him.

More so, since Vampire Kind Benhart and Sister Delphine should both be upstairs.

“Alright, then I shall meet the master of the mansion.”

And so, Shard agreed quite easily.

“Don’t hurry, on behalf of me, ask the master of the mansion for a pair of pearl earrings. You don’t need to say it’s at my behest, obtain them by your own means.”

Her hand withdrew back into the water, but Shard could hear the sound of it sliding beneath the surface. The water’s hazy blue glow made the woman’s head appear increasingly alluring. She tilted her head looking at Shard, her wet lips very tempting:

“Just like last time, fulfill my request, and I will let you go, and I might even give you a gift.”

“This time, I do not want to eat your flesh anymore.”

Shard immediately shook his head.

“Oh, are you still thinking about that? No, if you want to eat my flesh, you can do it anytime.”

She bit her lip:

“Even, I am willing to be completely devoured by you, to merge entirely with you. Do you want me to cry and scream while you tear me apart bite by bite, or would you rather brush me with oil and push me into the roast, laughing…”

“No, no, let’s get back to the subject of the pearl earrings.”

Only by listening to the continuous laughter in his mind, could Shard maintain his sanity. Compared to their last encounter, his resistance was much weaker now. He wasn’t sure if this was because he had once tasted the other’s flesh and blood, or because Shard was no longer pure.

“Well then, fascinating spirit, this time, I can give you something interesting. Go, and when you find yourself in trouble, you can softly recite my name; perhaps, I really will be able to hear you. In this ‘Sin Mansion,’ no one can stop me.”

A strand of ambiguous pink light floated from the pool and entered Shard’s hand. The desire in his heart grew stronger again, but it also bolstered his strength:

“Go and meet the master of the mansion; my mark will protect you until you return.”

It was clearly a threat to ensure Shard would come back, but the tone remained so gentle.

Watching Shard, wet black hair clung to Gluttony’s side face. This time, a fair arm extended from the left side, but after twirling the hair, it wasn’t tossed behind the ear; instead, it was brought to the mouth and gently bitten:

“Or, if you’d like to play with me in the water for a while, I can also let you go. That would be…very delightful.”

Shard turned and ran, startled by the offer, as Gluttony’s signature light-hearted laughter followed.

“Smile, smile quickly,” he urged in his mind, and that familiar laughter was still so comforting to Shard.

After sensing that there was a Relic in the underground cellar that could be rated as Level 0 just by itself, Shard no longer cared about any dangers on the three floors above ground of the Sin Mansion as he did just a moment ago.

He nearly escaped the cellar then, without turning back, followed the corridor where the flames were gradually dying down, circling back to the staircase at the mansion’s front. Only then did he stop to catch his breath. He was truly relieved that Gluttony had no substantial hostility towards him; otherwise, the last drop of the Divine Afterglow reserved for the ascension from Three Rings to Four Rings would probably have been consumed here.

“What in the world is Midshire Fort? Can anything more dangerous even happen here?”

The Great Ones in the sky are perhaps the only things more dangerous than an Unclassified Level Relic,

“She” whispered a reminder.

“No, no, this place is chaotic enough already.”

He rarely did so, but now drew the Holy Emblem of Mr. Dawn over his chest:

“May God bless this city.”

Following the stairs to the second floor, the destruction seemed to have worsened from when he had left, with not only claw marks on the walls but also traces of being scorched by fire. The peculiar flames that Sister Delphine controlled had a strong repressive effect on the mansion.

Shard then returned to the room where he had encountered Benhart. The tradesman was still there, revealing a wide smile upon seeing Shard:

“Generous guest, you have returned. What do you need this time?”

“I want to know if a nun came looking for you. Where did she go?”

“Help me endure 0.1 tik of perfect Sloth sin.”

“Why is it perfect Sloth again?”

“I am a high-end trader.”

“Won’t an ordinary one do?”

“I don’t haggle here.”

Shard gritted his teeth:

“Fine, 0.1 tick.”

He presented his parchment once more, and after accruing more sin, he received the answer he sought:

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on freeweɓnøvel.com.

“About 10 minutes ago, a nun wearing an eye mask made of Spiritual Silver came looking for a trade of ‘Fire of Karmic Sin’. But such an odd flame can only be possessed by the owner of the mansion. So, she went to look for the mansion’s owner. Also, that vampire, he too sought out the owner for the Blood Chalice which is a private treasure of the owner.”

“Why is it that you always reveal information about the Vampire Kind without a fee?”

Shard asked curiously.

“Because, he picked a fight with me. Though he paid a price and begged me to spare him, I am thus not obligated to keep his secrets. I also told that terrifying nun about the vampire’s matters. If I am not mistaken, the flame in her hand should be The Fire of the Primordial. The guests this time are really something. Is something big about to happen in the material world?”

Since both potential helpers had likely gone to the third floor, Shard had no other choice. Taking the stairs to the third floor, he came back to where he started. He then bypassed the corridor and found the banquet hall at the back of the mansion.

There had been a fight here as well, even more brutal than the one downstairs. The double doors, as if capable of swallowing light, were closed tightly; the patterns on them were incredibly complicated, conveying a sense of filth and sin that could probably drive any sane person to madness on sight.

After lightly knocking on the door and hearing no response from inside, Shard stooped to push it open himself.

The lighting inside was even dimmer than outside and the spacious banquet hall housed various life-sized statues, including humans, elves, merfolk, and even more exotic species that Shard could not identify.

In the center of the banquet hall stood a long dining table covered with a pure black tablecloth, and at the end of the table sat an old, bald man with a gray complexion and wrinkles piled upon each other.

Sister Delphine and Mr. Benhart were sitting on either side of the table towards the door. This scene made Shard almost think he had returned to the Divine Banquet at Night Manor.

He glanced down at his hand, where the Divine Afterglow had not appeared, proving that this relic has nothing to do with the power of deities. Now in the core room of the relic, the influence of the Whisper Element grew even stronger.

But compared to the desires he witnessed just before, the negative thoughts at this moment were negligible.

“All the guests who have entered are now assembled, so please take a seat,” said the aged man in a raspy voice, while the door behind Shard closed automatically.

Shard first looked towards the Vampire, Armand Bernhardt nodded at him as a greeting. Then he turned to Sister Delphine, who just turned her head towards him; because of her mask, Shard could not discern her expression.

Not choosing to sit across from the owner of the mansion at the other end of the long table, he eventually sat beside Mr. Benhart. The latter was not surprised due to their mutual aid in healing wounds. And not sitting beside Sister Delphine was to avoid revealing their acquaintance.

It seemed that every time Shard sat by a long dining table in such a banquet hall, something inexplicable would occur. Anyhow, due to Desire’s demand, Shard was forced to be seated here this time.

After Shard took his seat, the raspy voice of the mansion’s owner resonated once again. If a normal human were to produce such a voice, he would likely not be far from his grave:

“This house does not always appear in the material world. My meeting with you three guests is a splash of water in the river of fate landing upon a stone. It seems this era is even more interesting, and I would very much like to see how the steam technology of this era compares to that of the Fifth Era.”

The Witch Empresses of the Fifth Era didn’t neglect their duties, and limited evidence suggests that before the end of the Fifth Era, some regions had already seen traces of the steam industry. Sadly, the change in Eras wiped out most of the data, leaving scant research material.

“Each one of you has your own sins.”

He motioned for Shard, Mr. Benhart, and the nun to present their parchments.

Shard, because he was sitting next to Mr. Benhart, glanced at the other’s parchment. Mr. Benhart’s list of sins was also around eight or nine, but before Shard could try to see the quality of his soul, the Vampire Kind subtly tilted the parchment away, avoiding Shard’s gaze.

“Please, if we all seek something, how do we obtain what we desire?”

Shard asked.

“To exchange sins for each of your desires would be rather dull.”

Hearing this, both Shard and Mr. Benhart raised their eyebrows. The reason why most people disappeared after seeing the mansion’s owner had become apparent.

“Then what would you like to do?”

The nun asked with an unchanged expression, her voice still so steady and ethereal… At that moment, Shard actually thought Sister Delphine’s voice was very similar to that of [Desire], before realizing that it was the influence of the Level 0 Relic again.

The mansion’s owner at the end of the table coughed:

“Let’s play cards.”

Suppressing his wariness towards [Desire], a surge of ecstasy filled Shard’s heart.

“How about Roder Card? A card game that has spanned the entire Sixth Era, symbolizing the power of your civilization and enlightenment. As for the stakes, use your respective sins. Lose all your sins, and you’ll leave the table, standing together with these stone figurines.”

Shard’s peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the stone figurines beside him, their expressions varied, who were outsiders that had sat there long ago, gambling with the mansion’s owner.

“Once you’ve obtained what you desire, you may leave. So, what is it that you seek?”

He asked the three of them.

“The Fire of Karmic Sin.”

Sister Delphine said, her cold voice forming a stark contrast with the owner’s.

“Relic—the Holy Grail of Blood.”

Mr. Benhart said, his brow furrowed in thought.

“A pair of beautiful golden pearl earrings.”

Shard felt he was the most innocent since he had already received what he wanted. Had it not been for [Desire] in the wine cellar, he would have already returned to Sicarl Mountain, basking in the sun waiting for Sister Delphine.

“Golden pearl earrings? No problem, I didn’t expect someone from this era to know that I possess such things.”

He coughed again:

“The nun who yearns for the Fire of Karmic Sin, win a quarter’s worth of Treasure from me and you may leave. The Vampire yearning for the Blood Chalice, win six quarters of perfect sin from me and you may leave. As for you, outsider following Desire, you must give up more.”

“Why?”

“Because what you seek is not your own desire.”

His murky eyes looked at Shard:

“You must win three quarters of Treasure worth of sin, yes, three quarters of Treasure.”

Shard pursed his lips and said nothing; the perfect Sloth had already started to influence him subtly. Three quarters of a Treasure would undoubtedly result in more severe consequences unless it was a Treasure of Gluttony.