Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

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Miss Galina Cavendish and I talked from two o'clock this afternoon until half past five. She thought I was unaware of the specifics of the divine descent in Tobesk last night, so she detailed the event that had shocked the world.

Actually, no one understood last night's events better than I did.

But at least I learned from Miss Galina's account that no one had connected me with what happened last night; rather, everyone was puzzled as to which white-robed deity it had been. In this Sixth Era, aside from the five True Gods, there shouldn't be any other Benevolent Gods left.

The Church, however, had linked that mortal who summoned the Deity of Silvermoon with the "Masked Person under Silvermoon" and, by some means, also associated the Circle Sorcerer who used the Maze Lock with the Masked Person. This only further confirmed their suspicion that the Mysterious Person was indeed a Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer.

Since last night, the code name "Masked Person under Silvermoon" had officially changed to "God Summoner", and the material world had acknowledged the existence of one more Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer.

Mortals who become vessels for a deity almost certainly face death, while a Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer who performs God Summoning might survive, albeit rarely. Even if they do survive, they need to recuperate for at least several decades before fully recovering, which is why the Church of the Five Gods laments the "friendly" Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer's fate.

"The Church must have gone mad."

This was Miss Galina's opinion. She knew that I was the so-called "Masked Person under Silvermoon", but also knew that I currently possessed only Two Rings. Even though she suspected that I might have a way to temporarily ascend to Thirteen Rings, I was sitting here completely intact, not showing any signs of injury.

It was indeed possible for a mortal to utilize the power of Thirteen Rings while only at the First Ring. Such occurrences were not unprecedented. But for a mortal to become a Divine Descent Vessel one day and then be freely walking around and talking to her the next was something Miss Galina would not believe, no matter what. After all, the former pertained to differences between mortals, while the latter was about the difference between a mortal and a deity. Thus, she concluded that I couldn't possibly be the so-called "God Summoner", stating that the Church had erred in stopping the cultists and had made another mistake in their search.

"It's probably because it's been too long since we've seen war, making the True God Church lax. This time they've really made a huge mistake... Detective, you're not the 'God Summoner', are you?"

Of course, the Duchess had to ask in the end, to which I answered with assurance:

"Oh, why would you think that?"

I hadn't lied, for I hadn't really answered.

Before our conversation ended that day, the Grand Witch finally brought up the topic of "Whispering Verses" to me for the first time. The appearance of two deities in Tobesk last night had frightened her as well. After much contemplation, she decided to disclose these perilous matters to me, hoping I would be aware and not get involved lightly in dangerous affairs.

Most of what Miss Galina shared was already known to me. Even the intelligence known to this Grand Witch was not as extensive as that which Luviya Annette had shared with me.

It seemed that Galina Cavendish was not intentionally withholding information, but genuinely only knew so much. This raised doubts in me about Luviya, a mere Three Ring Sorcerer, who seemed to understand more about "Whispering Verses" than the nominal heir to witchcraft.

Furthermore, with her sacrificial divination, the Female Diviner held more secrets than I had imagined.

After the night of Thursday, almost everyone knew the identity of The Chosen One to be a Female Sorcerer of the True God Church. But Miss Galina did not show interest in her. Instead, she warned me to stay away from the other potential candidates for The Chosen:

"The true Chosen One is not worth your concern, for her role is already fixed. She cannot betray the Church nor be swayed, and there's no apparent benefit in killing her for now. Therefore, we should be vigilant about the Chosen Ones that have yet to appear, as they might still be influenced... It's a pity, the first one is a woman, but the Council failed to make contact until the very end."

At half-past five in the summer, the sky was still bright. Miss Galina intentionally invited me to stay overnight on her estate, to have dinner together and discuss other matters after the meal.

But I had to return home, for there were two ladies waiting for me there.

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"Then let Tifa escort you back, and by the way, bring the 'Vampire Fang' back with you, along with the 1200 pounds. Oh, and one more thing, Detective, fetch me some more water, please. I believe it has some effect on me."

So before preparing to leave, Shard called out the Ring of Fate once more and used 'Satiety Food' to process a whole glass of clear water. Miss Galina merely took two small sips, as she had done a few hours ago, and then set it down.

Standing up to bid farewell, Shard remembered something else:

"Miss Galina, do you know the Police Chief of Riddlevitch Field?"

"I do, what about him?"

"The forged Philosopher's Stone is in his hands, and he is also one of the supporters of 'Blood of Mercury.' I plan to kill him and seize the item. Can you offer any help?"

The Duchess thought for a moment:

"If you act tomorrow, I can assist you by diverting nearby nuisances. Make your move quickly. Once the Church begins its investigation on him, that Relic will have nothing to do with you. Given the current progress of the investigation, the Police Chief won't be able to hide for long."

This time she didn't mention any charge for her help.

"Thank you for your assistance."

Shard said softly, then rose and left with Miss Tifa the Maid.

The door was closed, and no other Maids came to disturb the Duchess who was resting there. She stared at the cup of water emitting a silver Spiritual Light on the coffee table, picked it up, and stood before the floor-to-ceiling window. She saw Shard and her own personal maid, who had already reached the courtyard.

She tilted her head back, drinking half of the water that shimmered with silver Spiritual Light. The red-haired Grand Witch stood in front of the window, one hand caressing her stomach, and let out a long sigh:

"Though it hasn't fully restored my power, it's amazing that it could heal to this extent."

Lost in thought, she gazed at the departing figure of Shard in the manor's courtyard:
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"Could you possibly be a candidate for The Chosen One? Oh, if you are, many mysteries would suddenly make sense, since nothing strange on The Chosen One would be... It's indeed fortuitous to have returned to Tobesk this time."

A smile crept over her lips as the Witch, whose strength was restored, showed her original poise once again.

She turned to tend to the backlog of the day's affairs but suddenly stopped. She frowned in confusion for a moment, then involuntarily let out a sound:

"Burp!"

Crack!

The glass in her hand was crushed, and Galina Cavendish, her face slightly red with embarrassment, covered her mouth and spun around to look at her surroundings. Fortunately, the room was quiet and she was alone.