Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 844: The Postponed Key

Chapter 844 -844: The Postponed Key frёewebηovel.cѳm

“The Lake Goddess was originally just a local legend, similar to the complex tales from Midshire Fort where something major happened last month.”

The old man paused, clearly recalling the beginning of autumn, when Shard had commissioned him to find information related to Milestone:

“But starting this summer, multiple incidents have occurred in Huntington City, with several citizens claiming to have encountered the ‘Lake Goddess’ outside the city. This caught the attention of the True God Church, but several investigations yielded no results. The Hermit Society has recorded some local events, with clear evidence indicating that a Saint descended near Huntington City in the early Fifth Era.”

“A Saint descended there too?”

Shard asked in surprise, holding Mia while the cat inspected the fish specimen hanging on the wall.

“Isn’t that the kind of thing you’re looking for?”

Mr. Edmund asked curiously, then concluded:

“If you have a way to visit that city, you could go outside the city and take a look. Because it’s close to the Pantanal Swamp, there are many lakes around Huntington City. If you’re lucky, you might encounter the so-called ‘Lake Goddess.’ According to contemporary legends, some people have gained extraordinary wisdom and powerful treasure swords from her. If she really exists, she might also fulfill your wish.”

“Though the name is ‘goddess,’ I don’t think she’s truly one of the Great Ones, right?”

Upon hearing Shard’s question, the old man snorted:

“If she were really a deity, you’d actually be out of luck.”

That made sense, considering the only remaining deities in the Sixth Era, apart from the five True Gods, were indeed all Evil Gods.

Since he had just acquired three special coins and received news related to the Fragment of Poem Chapter, upon returning to Tobesk from Coldwater Port, Shard met Luviya after work at the Prophet’s Society and had dinner with her that evening.

At the dinner table, he mentioned his afternoon findings and showed Luviya the three coins. The girl with purple eyes played with the coins under the bright restaurant lights while raising her wine glass to ask Shard another question:

“You mentioned last month that you couldn’t enter the past within three weeks due to using a Time Key at an incorrect location. Look, it’s Wednesday again, which marks the end of the third week. So, will you embark on your adventure again tonight?”

Shard had already considered this. He looked at the band on the other side of the restaurant’s first floor, playing the famous Draleon tune “Knight’s Anthem.” He reached into his pocket and took out the Time Key he had obtained from the Witch’s seal on Interstice Mountain:

“I have already registered this key at the History Academy. The time point is the year 5177 of the Fifth Era. I intend to use it by the end of the year, even if I don’t advance to the fourth grade, I need to progress to the third grade for the practice credits.”

“5177?”

The Female Diviner frowned slightly, not because she remembered any significant events from that year—most likely Shard wouldn’t encounter the findings of the Academy. The Fifth Era spanned a total of 5793 years, and anything from the year 4500 onwards was referred to as the Late Fifth Era in Sixth Era academia.

Historical records from this period were sparse, but it was a crucial era for the transition between eras. Considering the long lifespans of the Witch Empresses, even though 5177 was more than six hundred years before 5793, it was likely the period when the second to last or third to last Witch Empresses ruled.

Not to mention, Shard’s past keys had taken him to Hope Town in 1068, the Forest of Thousand Trees in 3002, Horror Fortress in 1784, Night Manor in 3014, and Silent Valley in 3024. This sixth key, with its time point so distant from the previous five, made it unlikely for Shard to meet anyone he knew, or even to apply his past experiences.

“Are you planning to use this key tonight?”

Luviya asked. Shard thought for a moment before shaking his head slightly. Though the Divine Afterglow still existed and the Primal Fire flowed within him, he hesitated to enter the past without securing the next drop of divinity. His encounter with the Vampire God at the lake beneath Sicarl Mountain had proven that mere reliance on the Divine Afterglow State wasn’t enough to face deities normally.

Searching for divinity was a complicated process. He didn’t intend to secure the next drop before proceeding, but he wanted to ensure he had a lead before embarking on the time expedition. This way, at least he had the basic guarantee:

“I recently received some information. I want to visit Huntington City in Carsonrick.”

Shard put away the key. At that moment, the server pushed a dining cart over, and he raised his glass of red wine to toast Luviya. The girl with purple eyes also lifted her glass and clinked it with Shard’s.

“I intend to delay using this key by half a week, so I must use it by this weekend to avoid complications with the winter grade advancement.”

Once the server left, Shard spoke softly.

Luviya nodded and uncovered the three coins with her hand:

“Although I don’t know what you’re searching for, if you encounter any trouble, don’t hesitate to ask for my help. Witnessing the fate of each Chosen One has also made me stronger.”

Unfortunately, Luviya’s special divination didn’t work on matters related to deities. Shard planned to determine the true nature of the ‘Lake Goddess’ before deciding whether to use the coins.

Thus, on Thursday morning, as Shard prepared to head to Huntington, he saw specific news in the newspaper about Princess Margaret Anjou’s visit. Her Highness would depart from Huntington City in Carsonrick on a steam hover zeppelin on Saturday, arriving officially in Tobesk City on Monday morning. Consequently, some streets would be under lockdown and inspection starting today.

Shard calculated the time. He had already received an invitation to attend Princess Mona Cavendish’s wedding, Lecia’s younger sister, on Monday night and intended to join the fun on Monday morning. So, from next Monday, he would be quite occupied.

“Huntington City, Tobesk City—it seems all the trouble is converging.”

To quickly use the Time Key, he had to verify the intelligence obtained from Mr. Edmund promptly. To acquire the next space marker, Shard needed a White Stone Crystal for the sacrifice. Fortunately, he had purchased one at a high price from Coldwater Port.

However, the space markers obtained from sacrificing to the Ancient God of Space were random. During the rescue of Priest Augustus, Shard had borrowed the power of the Keeper of Secrets Level Relic, the Unlucky’s Long Hair, and thus bore the negative effects of attracting undead and experiencing sudden bouts of bad luck at specific times.

Such misuse of the Unlucky’s Long Hair should not happen too often, as it would exacerbate the side effects. Therefore, Shard needed to find other ways to enhance his luck to precisely locate the Ancient God Statue near Huntington City.

He hadn’t found any power that could influence the relics left behind by the Ancient Gods, so he could only influence himself.

The rituals, arcane techniques, and sorcery of the Circle Sorcerers could affect luck, but the degree of influence wasn’t satisfactory to Shard. To achieve the most favorable outcome in one go, he still had to borrow the power of relics, after letting Old Man John from the pawnshop find it for him following the Milestone events.

Though Old Man John was stingy, as long as Shard provided enough Gold Pounds, he would always find a relic that met Shard’s requirements.