Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

The middle-aged woman who had led Shard to meet Miss Danester returned with him to the clearing where the "Damaged Old World Map" was stored. She then used the map to send him back.

Before leaving, Shard brazenly asked the three people operating and guarding the map for a "souvenir" bearing the Saint Byrons Emblem.

After another bizarre illusion, he found himself holding five fountain pens in a room on the second floor of Schneider Psychological Clinic.

The other four, who were sitting on a bench by the wall chatting, immediately stood up and sighed in relief when they saw it was Shard.

"Look! Souvenirs! I brought them specially from the Academy!"

He said with a smile, showing the fountain pens to the four. The doctor took one and examined it excitedly under the light,

"Oh, Shard, tell us quickly, what is the Academy really like?"

Of the five present, Dr. Schneider was the most eager to visit the Academy. As Shard recounted his experiences, he wondered if the doctor would lose control on the spot if he brought back news that "Saint Byrons was actually a hoax."

Because of Shard's unexpected "journey," the rest of the afternoon turned into a session of him sharing his observations. The entire encounter with Miss Danester had lasted barely over half an hour, but under everyone's detailed questions, he spoke until half-past five in the evening.

Of course, he did not mention Silvermoon or the Red Moon, merely saying that there were important matters that required his assistance.

"I have never seen a Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer before, but from what you've told us, Miss Danester seems quite approachable."

This was Doctor's assessment of Shard's description, but judging by the others' reactions, Miss Luisa, Miss Annette, and Priest Augustus seemed to have had their own encounters with Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers.

What the doctor cared about was the scholarly atmosphere and study environment of Saint Byrons, regretting that Shard had not been able to converse with the Academy's formal students; Miss Luisa was curious about the details of Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer Miss Danester, even asking Shard to accurately describe her clothing and hairstyle.

Priest Augustus was intrigued by the rich collection of books in the library that Shard described. Like Shard, he was unfamiliar with the "Book of Pink" when mentioned, and neither Dr. Schneider nor Miss Annette understood this book, but Miss Luisa seemed to think of something. She then stopped the discussion among the three, blushingly saying in an offhand manner,

"It's an unhealthy read, containing an extensive record of Arcane Techniques and Sorceries related to reproductive behaviors... I have never read it, only came across it while researching for a paper."

With that said, Shard understood completely, and the topic came to an abrupt end.

As for Miss Annette, she was interested in the Arcane Technique "Soul Echo" that Shard brought back and the final Divination. According to Miss Annette, it was one of the most powerful Arcane Techniques that a Low Ring Sorcerer could master through normal means—quite a generous gesture from the Thirteen-Ring librarian.

"As for the Divination, I've never heard that Miss Danester was skilled in it before, so, Shard, you needn't take it too seriously."

That was her advice, but the result of the Divination and the task Shard had at hand coincided too closely, so he decided to give it a try.

The study session didn't wrap up until around six o'clock, and when it ended, everyone still seemed eager to continue. So much so, that Shard and Miss Annette almost forgot to return the library's catalog of Arcane Techniques and Sorceries they had borrowed the previous week.

After the study session, everyone left in different directions. Dr. Schneider was in a hurry to make another house call, Priest Augustus's preparations for Holy Prayer Day were becoming increasingly busy, and as for Miss Annette, she was going to meet with Miss Beyas. With the information from Shard, their relationship was likely to flourish dramatically.

Miss Luisa left with Shard, dining together before heading to Feather Quill Avenue for their first lesson.

The place of instruction was Miss Luisa's study, which, while smaller than the study in Saint Delan Square, housed about five times more books than Shard's own study did.

The desk had already been cleared in advance. Shard and Miss Luisa sat opposite each other, with a bucket beside the table, snowflakes floating on its surface.

"First, I need to confirm, Shard, how much do you know about human literature and the Enlightenment Element?"

The blonde girl wore a neatly fitting shirt at home, her hair loose behind her head, the band she normally used to tie her hair wrapped around her wrist. For tonight's lesson, she had prepared a lot, and in front of Shard were placed paper, pens, and notebooks, with three books that he would be required to read and take notes on by next week.

"Basically, not at all."

Considering Shard's lack of foundational knowledge, Miss Luisa spent a great deal of the first hour of the lesson providing him with an extensive understanding of the development of the Enlightenment Element and the current state of development among Circle Sorcerers who were proficient in it.

The contemporary research on the Enlightenment Element is divided into two major directions: achieving Enlightenment through literature and achieving it directly from civilization itself.

Miss Luisa was proficient in the former and, according to the literary classification, listed in order for Shard the different types of stories and the similarities and differences in the powers they could confer. As for gaining power from civilization itself, according to Miss Luisa, very few people in this era would specialize in this method.

"Strictly speaking, any method that involves gaining elements by looking at the text written by humans belongs to the approach of extracting Enlightenment Elements. Therefore, research on Enlightenment Elements can also help you delve deeper into the secrets of ancient texts," she said.

Such systematic learning was precisely what the ignorant Outlander lacked. Although a Correspondence Circle Mage had freedom, they also lacked the opportunity for systematic training. Having a "teacher" like Miss Luisa, who was willing to offer help unreservedly, enabled Shard to quickly fill in those basic gaps in knowledge and advance faster on the path of a Circle Sorcerer.

So, although both needed each other, Shard was actually very grateful to Miss Luisa.

Around seven-thirty, the two of them took a short break. Then, Miss Luisa took out the translation of a handwritten copy of the fairy tale "Kiss of the Tree" and had Shard read it carefully.
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After Shard talked about his inexplicable connection with the "Father of the Infinite Tree" a few days ago, Miss Luisa temporarily changed the teaching plan, believing that Runes related to the "Tree" might be very helpful to Shard.

While Shard read the story, Miss Luisa explained the details within and, based on different legends and stories, explained what the great tree and Princess Tawel might represent. Although the book was written in a common language, metaphors and different interpretations could have a significant impact on understanding the story itself.

By the time Shard had finished reading the story for the first time, Miss Luisa, sweating profusely, sat back at her desk. She looked at the unflustered Shard:

"Shard, I've wanted to ask since the time you faced the Demon Eye, just how high is your Spirit Resistance? Don't you feel any discomfort at all after reading a story that's close to the original text?"

A light chuckle filled his ears; Shard just hadn't realized that such books could taint the spirit.

In any case, reading it once was enough for today; their lessons would continue with this book next week. Miss Luisa estimated that within a month at most, Shard would be able to gain some power from the book. Coupled with "The Mad Light Chaser," which he was currently studying, Shard might soon find himself with many unexpected gains:

"This kind of treatment, having another Circle Sorcerer help interpret the story, is something you'll never find anywhere else in this era. The one-on-one apprenticeship system of past eras did have this phenomenon, but the teachers in those apprenticeships wouldn't be as generous as I am."

She was probably praising herself.

Nearing nine o'clock, the formal lesson ended, and Miss Luisa had Shard manifest his Ring of Fate, then under her direction, continually attempted to use "Maze Lock: Little Match Girl," which allowed Miss Luisa to experience the power of the Matchstick Girl.

Shard didn't see the point, but the blonde writer claimed she learned a lot.

This research continued until ten o'clock. The lady who rented the apartment to the female writer wouldn't allow any men to stay past eleven o'clock, and the landlady had already come up to hurry them several times.

As Shard prepared to say goodbye, he ended up with three books and one of Miss Luisa's old study notebooks in his hand.

But Miss Luisa didn't send him to the door; instead, she picked up her coat, which she wore when going out, and followed Shard out of the apartment onto Feather Quill Street at night.

"Miss Luisa, are you accompanying me to the street corner? It's not necessary for such a short distance."

"Of course not," she replied.

The golden-haired girl gestured for Shard to follow her down the street:

"Although you haven't mentioned the materials needed for the 'Soul Echo' Arcane Technique, I'm sure they must be related to body materials and Spirit materials. Shard, do you know where to get these materials?"

She slipped into her rather loose coat, stamped her foot on the ground to make her shoes fit a little better.

"To Old John's place..."

"He won't even accept a Demon Eye, so why do you think he'd have those disgusting materials? Body-related materials are hard to find in a tightly regulated city like Tobesk's black market; it requires special channels."

With that, she led the way to the corner and waved to Shard:

"Come with me, I'll show you a good place."

In the night, the blonde girl's silhouette on Feather Quill Street, though dimly lit by the gas streetlights, seemed exceptionally dazzling. Shard knew it wasn't right to describe a silhouette as "dazzling," but it was the only word he could think of for the moment.

Rushing to catch up, this time he didn't say things like thank you. The two chatted about the sensation of carrying the "Ever-Youth Leaf," vanishing together into the night fog that was gradually forming.