Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

When Shard opened his eyes on Monday morning, the first thing he heard was the sound of rain beating against his bedroom window, while his mind was still recalling last night's banquet, as if he could still smell the perfume in the girls' hair.

Perhaps because of the dances at the banquet, he had had a strange dream last night.

The dream began with the soothing background music of a saxophone, and he was playing Roder Cards with an indistinct figure. Soon, Miss Beyas emerged from Shard's deck of cards, casually scattering his entire deck in a flurry of cards that fell like snowflakes, pulling him into a dance. However, as they danced, a girl with beautiful brown hair suddenly turned into Mia.

It wasn't Miss Mia Sun Gold, whom he had never met, but the lazy, timid Mia Cat.

Realizing that he was dancing with a giant cat, Shard was seriously startled in his dream. Then, due to the bizarre reality, he immediately realized that he was in a dream.
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Upon this realization, he found himself back on the familiar ridges in his dream, looking up at the huge silver Moon Disk overhead.

Because the experiences in the dream were so extraordinary, he still had a bit of a headache after waking up.

Sitting up in bed to gather his thoughts, he planned out his new day. The cat by the pillow was startled awake by Shard's movements, darting around curiously for a moment before leaping onto the quilt.

Stretching its front paws forward, pressing its front half down, and arching its back half upward, it adopted a stretching pose. Then it meowed at Shard, pacing back and forth on the quilt, which seemed to suggest that Shard should prepare breakfast sooner:

"Good morning, Mia..."

Then he immediately thought of last night's peculiar dream:

"You really are cutest in this form,"

he remarked.

"Meow?"

The cat rubbed its little head against the back of Shard's hand.

The summer itself is a rainy season in Tobesk City, located in the northern part of the Old Continent in Fog City, which is continually affected by cold air blowing from the Far North.

Since there are no tall mountains from the West Coast to Tobesk to obstruct it, the warm air streams from the sea can reach the inland areas unobstructed, meeting the cold currents above Tobesk and resulting in a monsoon climate with frequent summer rains.

After having breakfast, Shard read the newspaper for a while. Seeing that the drizzle outside showed no signs of stopping, he took Mia Cat under an umbrella and went out.

This orange cat seldom ventured out on rainy days, maintaining its position curled up in Shard's arms throughout the journey.

Once Shard had knocked on the door at Feather Quill Street, it was Miss Luisa who welcomed him into her apartment, where the cat began to relax a bit, curiously observing the somewhat unfamiliar surroundings.

"Knight sir, what brings you here so early?"

Because it was raining today, Miss Luisa had no plans to go out. Dressed in home clothes, she entertained Shard in the living room. Her first comment was teasing as Shard noticed that the newspaper on the coffee table had been flipped to the second page featuring his knighthood ceremony photo.

Limited by printing and photography technology, the photo was not very clear. As long as Shard did not walk around in that outfit, it was virtually impossible for strangers to recognize him just from the newspaper photo.

And the king in the photo, indeed, looked taller than Shard.

"Do I need to congratulate you? Although the Knight Class has been gone for hundreds of years, and people today no longer regard knights as nobility, this still represents a big step for you,"

the blonde girl asked as she prepared tea for Shard.

"It's I who should thank you, Miss Luisa. I heard from Miss Galina that Princess Lecia..."

"She just wanted to thank you for saving her mother."

Miss Luisa said, then glanced at the cat Shard was holding. The small orange cat immediately meowed softly twice, a tactic animals use to intimidate their foes.

Shard then brought up the main matter:

"I didn't come specifically to express my thanks today. I have a favor to ask you, and it's rather embarrassing to say."

He set the cat he was holding onto the arm of the sofa. The orange cat meowed uneasily and, wagging its tail, began batting at Shard's arm. Looking at the cat, Shard spoke to Miss Luisa, who had already seated herself opposite him:

"I have to go on a long trip today, and I'm not sure when I'll be back. I might return immediately, or it could take a day or two."

Shard wasn't sure if there were waiting times for using the Ancient God Statue of the Primordial Rift in the basement, but because of the "Red Moon Witch's" Divination, he believed that even if there were intervals between uses of the statue, they wouldn't be long.

"So, I would like you to look after this cat for me temporarily. Of course, if you're busy, it's fine, as Priest Augustus said that the nuns at Dawn Chapel can also help, but you're just more reliable."

Saying so, he stroked Mia Cat's head, and the orange cat sat there, squinting its eyes and enjoying the patting.

"Looking after this cat temporarily? Sure, no problem,"

Miss Luisa replied thoughtfully, then casually added:

"It's not a big deal, but you should also come back soon. Even though I know you probably won't tell me your destination, there could be dangers, right?"

"Of course, there's danger in everything,"

Shard replied, then took out a yellow envelope and placed it on the coffee table:

"The envelope contains the expenses for looking after Mia. Don't refuse; after all, I was paid by the client to take care of it,"

Miss Luisa was not concerned about the money. She looked at the detective sighing at the cat:

"Shard, if you ever find yourself in danger, remember to come to me for help," she said.

"Of course. I'll return as soon as possible, so don't worry about me."

He stroked Mia's head reluctantly, then stood up, ready to leave. The orange cat sensed Shard's departure and immediately clung to his clothes, asking to be held.

But this time, Shard did not pick up the cat:

"Mia, I'll be back soon. Can you stay here for a while?"

Mia surely did not understand human words, but she seemed to grasp that Shard did not intend to take her. When Shard left Miss Luisa's apartment, the orange cat was in the arms of the blonde writer, mournfully watching Shard as he walked away with his umbrella.

"Meow~"

The plaintive meow cut through the rain, traveling far. Miss Luisa held the orange cat and laughed, while Shard, sheltered by the umbrella, turned to glance back at them once again, waved at the woman and cat, and then truly left.

After finding someone to temporarily care for Mia, Shard officially began his plans to venture out. Unsure of his destination, he first sorted through his Relics to select the appropriate ones to carry for safety.

The "Earl's Left Eye" and "The Other Face" were definitely left at home, while the "Spear of Kindness," "Pirate's Blood Money," and "The Twenty-Sided Die of Destiny" were taken with him. As for the paper that could connect him to the Academy, after consideration, Shard decided to carry it as well in case of emergency.

Beyond these items, a bag of unused frog legs and a brooch adorned with the Sun Sacred Emblem were also important. As for the Roder Card, Shard thought for a moment and decided to take the deck of cards with him.

All these items were packed into a suitcase. Besides that, he also prepared an umbrella, a sturdy rope, several sharp dinner knives, matches, candles, and a whole piece of smoked meat.

Seeing that the suitcase was not yet full, he stuffed more warm clothes inside, finally feeling relieved.

After finishing packing, it was already ten in the morning. He locked the door from inside and then passed through a small door behind the staircase to enter the basement.

The Ring of Fate appeared, causing the hidden wall to vanish. After entering the round area, he took out the White Stone Crystal from a small box placed against the wall.

Taking deep breaths to compose himself, he then approached the statue of the two-headed man and placed his hand on it:

"May the Primordial Rift bless me within the Infinite Space."

White fog immediately surged around him, enveloping Shard. He once again entered a world wrapped in white fog, and as desired, heard faint whispers close to his ear:

"Outlander, you have entered the 'Spatial Labyrinth.'"

"Message from the Ancient God 'Primordial Rift':"

"Current spatial waypoints: 1."

"Sacrifice this White Stone Crystal."

Without hesitation, Shard lifted the white crystal upwards. As soon as he had spoken, it silently vanished from his hand, merging into the dense fog.

With the disappearance of the White Stone Crystal, on the path ahead, there was still only one wooden signpost indicating "Saint Delan Square."

"New information obtained, you can search for new spatial waypoints. Please choose a direction."

"Direction?"

Shard stood in the fog and pondered:

"Can I only choose a direction? Can I choose the distance?"

"Information from this space: You can only vaguely specify a direction; afterward, this place might connect to a random statue of another Ancient God 'Primordial Rift.'"

He wasn't worried about encountering other statue users, but was concerned about one thing:

"The Academy forbids Circle Sorcerers from setting foot in the New World. What if I accidentally end up in the New World?"

"The next Ancient God statue's chance of being nearby is greater, the closer it is. The likelihood of you ending up at the bottom of the sea is greater than that of entering the New World."

"Alright then, west."

Shard casually said, as east, west, north, and south made no difference to him; he simply wanted to see what this place could truly do.

"Ancient God: Primordial Rift, your sacrifice has been accepted."

"Currently linking spatial waypoints."

"Link successful, current spatial waypoints: 2."

Suddenly, a new road sign appeared on the foggy path, still looking as if ravaged by time for a hundred years, with an arrow pointing west.

Shard walked briskly over, stood there holding his suitcase for a moment to ensure there were no other developments, then reached out and touched the new signpost.

"The Primordial Rift will guide your direction."

The surrounding white fog, dispersed.