Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

The so-called "reward heavier than a medal" piqued Shard's curiosity, so after sending off his superior, he mailed the letter to Mrs. Lemer and then walked to Dawn Chapel.

Sitting pretentiously on a bench, he spent half an hour listening to the middle-aged priest behind the pulpit narrate the deeds of Mr. Dawn, essentially the religious myths. After the service, through the middle-aged priest, he found Priest Augustus, who was busy coordinating the church choir's schedule but still took the time to talk with Shard:

"Yes, I heard from Bishop Owen that the church intends to help you secure a weightier reward, but I haven't inquired about the specifics. You know, I've been extremely busy lately."

Old Cleric pointed to the group of children waiting behind him, as a veteran cleric who had experienced countless Holy Prayer Days, Lat August was absolutely swamped until the festival was over.

"Oh, and one more thing, if a reporter interviews you at the banquet tonight, don't forget..."

He also remembered to remind him, and Shard nodded understandingly with a smile:

"Of course, thanks be to Mr. Dawn."

The priest immediately bowed his head, closed his eyes, and drew the Holy Emblem on his chest, a subconscious action.

The rest of the day he spent reading, as Mr. Anlos had emphasized not to be late, and although the banquet officially started at seven in the evening, Shard was ready to leave by five-thirty.

Of course, he didn't forget to feed the cat before leaving. Mia showed no interest in following him out; compared to the "dangerous" outdoors, this cat preferred the safety of No. 6, Saint Delan Square.

First, he went to meet Captain Lades. He thought the captain would still be preparing, but to his surprise, he had been waiting for Shard to arrive. Tonight's event was a relatively important reward for him, but for the captain, it was crucial as it decided whether he could return to the frontline, so he took it even more seriously than Shard did.

Shard's formal attire was the same suit he wore the last time he played cards with the Duke, while the captain was not in black formal wear but in a red military uniform. The clothing was pristine without a single crease or stain.

During the carriage ride, the captain told Shard that he had paid someone to clean and press the uniform two days earlier, spending two shillings just to clean this garment.

"But it's all worth it,"

When the captain said this, his eyes seemed to sparkle, his life had changed because of the Relic, and now he was about to see the dawn again.

Although the banquet officially started at seven, most of the guests had already arrived before then. There's a specially constructed smooth road from the city to the Royal Estate; whether the expense came from taxpayers' money or the Royal Family's own gold pounds was not for Shard to consider.

As they approached the manor, they saw many private carriages parked along the road. In comparison, Shard and Captain Lades, arriving in a hired carriage, seemed somewhat modest.

The two of them, one considering himself a lousy detective and the other an insignificant figure, did not expect to be recognized, yet they encountered acquaintances just after alighting from the carriage.

Captain Lades met friends from his frontline service, some of whom had returned to Tobesk on leave and were invited to the banquet tonight.

As for Shard, he encountered Baron Lavende. Since their last discussion about the Roder Card disposition plan for "Ancient Fairy Tale: Matchstick Girl," they hadn't seen each other for a week and a half.

The Baron, too, had just alighted from his carriage. Seeing the captain engrossed in conversation with friends, making it difficult to leave, he greeted him and excused himself for the moment to enter the estate with Baron Lavende.

"Mr. Hamilton, it's been a while, and I didn't expect you'd have saved Queen Diana."

While Shard's MI6 identity couldn't be revealed, his actions had made the newspapers. There were no pictures in the papers, and only his last name was mentioned without his first name, but the Baron, seeing Shard there, knew Hamilton had to be him. Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire

It was still early, and the gentlemen and ladies who came for the banquet were just arriving. Walking along the garden paths of the estate, the men dressed in proper suits and the women in glamorous evening gowns had no idea that the young man among them was one of the main figures of tonight's event.

"I think anyone else in my position would have done the same,"

Shard said, speaking words that no one would believe but which sounded quite correct when spoken aloud.

Baron Lavende was not very concerned with the details of that day; after all, the newspaper portrayal was more exciting than Shard's real experience. Walking alongside Shard, the Baron flicked his right index and middle fingers together, a classic gesture of throwing cards:

"Detective, are you carrying a Roder Card?"

As he spoke, Baron Lavende himself burst into laughter.

"Of course."

Shard patted his pocket.

The Baron's laughter grew even more genuine, a smile coming from the heart:

"How about it, after His Majesty the King's award, would you like to play Roder Card with us? This time, I can introduce you to a few new friends. After the card game at Lakeside Manor, I'm very eager to see your game again."

"For money?"

Shard whispered.

His gaze lingered on the lawn, a neatly trimmed grassy area that seemed perfect for a nap. However, the banquet was not outdoors—it was a formal evening banquet held in the grand banquet hall of the manor. The manor itself was built for hosting royal banquets, so accommodating a large number of people was not an issue.

"We won't gamble money, but if you wish, we can still use our special cards as stakes,"

the Baron whispered.

A smile appeared on Shard's face; he didn't know anyone anyway, so rather than wandering aimlessly with a glass of wine after receiving an award, it might be better to sit down and play a few intense rounds of Roder Card:

"Of course I want to play, Baron. I've got some decent cards recently, I'll show them to you in a bit."

"Oh? I'm really looking forward to that."

Smiles spread across the faces of both men, as if, more than the king, the Roder Cards were the most important thing tonight.

Since the manor itself was built for banquets, right behind the grand gateway was the banquet hall. The hall was divided into three levels, connected by a central, gold-colored, arched staircase. However, regular guests were only allowed to move around on the first and second floors; the third floor was a rest area for members of the Royal Family and VIPs.

Shard and the Baron entered the mansion together; the sociable Baron Lavende introduced Shard to his friends. Baron Rwanda, who had recently played cards with them, was also present. He was still cool toward Baron Lavende but was delighted by Shard's appearance.

Of course, he was even more pleased when he heard that Shard was the "enthusiastic citizen" who had shielded Queen Diana from a bullet.

When he learned that Shard planned to join everyone for Roder Cards after the award ceremony, he was so pleased, he almost forgot his "hostile" relationship with Baron Lavende.

Most friends of the two Barons were also enthusiasts of Roder Cards. Since there was nothing much to do before the banquet started, a group of gentlemen stood together discussing interesting playing cards, dull politics, or jokingly talking about amusing things happening around town.

A week ago on Sunday, everyone had heard about Genesis: Silver Moon appearing in town; some could even detail the game that night, but so far, no one knew the identity of the person who played cards with Old Duke Lucas.

Among Baron Lavende's friends, some were present in the Duke's mansion that night, such as Baron Scaven. However, they all adhered to the Duke's wish not to reveal Shard's identity, but whenever people excitedly talked about Genesis: Silver Moon, they would raise their glasses to Shard or smile at him.

It seemed Shard's secret as the holder of Genesis: Silver Moon might not remain hidden for much longer.

"But it doesn't matter if they know or not, now that I have Miss Galina at my back."

He thought this while occasionally looking toward the entrance of the banquet hall, worried about running into someone familiar as had happened at Lakeside Manor that night.

Apart from discussing Roder Cards, the gentlemen, having learned from Baron Lavende that Shard was the "enthusiastic citizen," invited him to recount the incident.

The rumors among the citizens spun a tale about the events that occurred in front of Tobesk Station on Wednesday noon, straying further from the truth. Even though the newspapers published statements from the police department, people still preferred to believe the tales from tavern idlers or taxi drivers.

As for the truth in the newspapers, most believed it to be false—thinking the City Hall and Riddlevitch Field never published true stories in the papers.

I heard a rumor that the person who saved Queen Diana was a dueling champion from a small town in the south, who once killed a bear with his bare hands. On Wednesday noon, he supposedly caught the bullet with his bare hands and then tore the gunman in half on the street,"

Baron Lavende said jokingly, making everyone around him laugh.

"Look at this."

Shard showed his "frail" arms and joked:

"Rather than say I could tear a man in two in the street, it'd be more believable to say I could summon a meteor to destroy an entire block."

"Oh, that's really funny."

The somewhat short but sharp-looking Baron Rwanda was already in tears from laughter, although Shard didn't think his joke was that amusing.

Chatting with people was the best way to kill time, but Shard didn't spend too long doing so before a servant handed him a slip of paper.

Upon unfolding it, he recognized Miss Galina's handwriting with its distinctive cursive letters. She asked him to come to the third floor to discuss some matters.

Thinking of Miss Galina, he naturally recalled the information he had gained during his third entrance into the year 1068.

Shard confirmed he was male and that his physiological features were correct; even the god had confirmed this. However, he indeed could not trigger the curse that the witches bore, a mystery in the Sixth Era that only the members of the Witch Council could explain.

He had been contemplating whether he should discuss this issue with Miss Galina proactively or wait for her to bring it up someday.

This meeting at the banquet made his thoughts run wild once again.