Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Luisa's footsteps gradually faded away, but Shard, sitting in the room, wasn't reaching for his teacup; instead, he was looking down at the orange cat.

He hadn't forgotten that the previous night, this cat had absorbed some divine power on its own and reverted to its feline form without anyone dispelling the enchantment. Luisa said there was nothing wrong with the cat, and Shard thought it possible he had unconsciously lifted the Arcane Technique while he was unconscious, but he was always cautious.

"Meow~"

Seeing that Shard made no move, the lying-down cat looked up at him.

Shard was certain that the cat he had adopted was a normal one, at least until a few days ago. Now he wasn't worried about the cat dispelling its own curses, but he was concerned that after absorbing the tiniest hint of divinity, the cat had become uncommon.

Although there were no such cases in the recent past, in ancient myths and legends, there were often stories of mundane objects receiving the powers of the gods and changing their very essence.

Even if those were just stories, they weren't without their significance. Besides lifting the curse to turn back into a cat, Mia had shown no other special qualities so far. Even when Shard directly touched it, the woman inside him couldn't sense anything odd about this cat.

"If you would talk to me, I'd take you out for a nice meal this afternoon."

He suddenly whispered to the cat.

"Meow?"

The now-standing cat meowed in confusion, then rubbed its furry face with its right front paw, showing no intention of speaking human language.

That reassured Shard, despite the fact that it went from being a toy to a cat raising some doubts. Overall, this was still just a normal domestic kitten.

"Meow~"

Little Mia meowed, as if urging Shard to get lunch ready soon. Shard thought that maybe, he could spend some money to truly "own" this cat from Miss Mia Gold.

He swore that this idea wasn't premeditated but had just come to him.

[Possessing someone else's pet is hardly a righteous act.] Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

The woman's voice in his ear laughed, and Shard stood up:

"I never said I had to be the good guy. Plus, I didn't say I wouldn't pay... Let's wait for Miss Gawder's next letter then talk, she said she writes once a month, maybe next time I can feel out her inclinations."

Shard didn't leave the Prophet's Society immediately. Instead, he returned to the reception on the first floor and inquired if the vice president, Mr. Cyndia Mark, was in.

After waiting a few minutes, he saw Mr. Mark descending the stairs, warmly greeting Shard:

"Oh, Mr. Hamilton, long time no see. Are you interested in the divination event I mentioned last time? Or perhaps you're here to inquire about the Roder Card grand tournament? Actually, before 'Big City Player', there were quite a few amateur-level Roder Card competitions in the Tobesk Region. The news of Genesis: Silver Moon has already spread, and several people have mentioned to me, wishing to invite the owner of that card to play."

He shook hands warmly with Shard, who while looking around and ascending the stairs with Mr. Mark, lowered his voice and said quietly:

"Hold onto the handrail first before I speak."

"What?"

Though perplexed, the middle-aged man smiled and did as instructed:

"Look, I've got it now, what's the thrilling news?"

"I would like to appraise an old Roder Card," Shard said, and the middle-aged man raised an eyebrow:

"No problem, may I take a look first at which one it is?"

Seeing no one around on the stairs, Shard, shielded by his coat, pulled out the card and handed it to him.

The middle-aged man found Shard's actions amusing but still kept one hand on the handrail and looked down with a smile:

"Not to be modest, but I'd wager I recognize any special Roder card faces that are officially released."

"This one you'll definitely recognize because..."

"Oh, my God!"

The middle-aged man took in sharp breaths while holding the handrail, and Shard saw the astonishment on his face, which was almost as he had expected.

The outsider said with a hint of melancholy:

"This one you'll definitely recognize because the face of Genesis: Balance hangs in the society's first floor... How long will this appraisal take? I have things to do this afternoon."

Mr. Mark didn't react immediately, staring blankly at the card in his hand, and it was a long while before he asked:

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I said, I really like the Roder Card," Shard joked, holding the cat.

He didn't spend too much time at the Prophet's Society. Having traveled here from the Duchy of Lagerson in the United Kingdom of Carsonrick over a half month ago, the Senior Appraisers who were appraising Genesis: Silver Moon hadn't left yet. They were going to serve as appraisers in the "Big City Player" Roder Card tournament in a month and a half, so coming back with the card tomorrow, Shard would learn whether Genesis: Balance was genuine.

He was very clear that the card was definitely authentic.

After leaving the Prophet's Society, his next stop was to find Priest Augustus.

The following week was the fourth week of the month, not only signifying exam week, but also the approach of Holy Prayer Day. Plus, with Dawn Chapel dealing with the aftermath of the Godfall, even if the doctor had time to hold a study meeting this week, it seemed unlikely that the priest would have time to attend.

They met at the entrance of Dawn Chapel, and Priest Augustus looked much more haggard but was still spirited:

"Shard, good afternoon. Seeing you safe, I am relieved. The events of Thursday night were truly terrifying. I wanted to send a letter to inquire about your safety, but I feared that Riddlevitch Field would inspect the recent city mail. May God protect everyone!"

The Old Cleric carefully traced the Holy Emblem on his chest, making a gesture of prayer; he was a genuinely kind person. Reflecting for a moment, Shard reached into his pocket and pulled out about 10 pounds to give to the priest:

"Please donate this to the church on my behalf, consider it my donation for Holy Prayer Day... And if there are any festival souvenirs, don't forget to save one for me, I plan to put it up at home."

Shard, of course, wasn't foolish enough not to keep some from the money throwing earlier that morning. Both he and the doctor had gotten 50 pounds each. Feeling that he might need some luck after Thursday's events, Shard had suddenly thought of making a donation.

"No problem, I'll save any souvenir for you. However, Bishop Owen seems to want you to participate in the event as a representative of the believers on Holy Prayer Day. Are you interested?"

The priest asked while counting the money Shard had given him.

Shard thought for a moment:

"Let me know the specific time when you have it; I'll definitely come if I'm free, Priest..."

"What is it? What do you want to ask?"

The old man asked curiously.

"About the God of Thursday..."

"Unspeakable, unspeakable."

The priest quickly shook his head:

"Those are not matters mortals should know about. It's better you not ask. Fortunately, we weren't involved. I actually thought Bill, with his bad luck, would definitely be linked to this matter. Luckily, he just recognized the Godfall vessel chosen by the cultists, and wasn't directly invited to that gathering."

"Hmm..."

Shard thought for a moment, feeling a cat tail touch his chin. He reached to pet the cat on his shoulder and decided not to contradict Priest Augustus's thoughts.

"By the way, did the morning go smoothly? I've already heard that Riddlevitch Field's police chief was shot dead at his lover's house,"

the Old Cleric inquired further.

"Of course, it went smoothly, but after Thursday we took such a risk, it will definitely attract the church's attention, so we need to keep quiet these next few days."

"It's good you understand. Even though the person you went after was bad, and what you did wasn't necessarily bad, you must always be cautious about your actions and continually assess your methods, never letting the darkness within consume you."

Priest Augustus always liked to see people as creatures that could make the worst choices, so he thought the worst in every situation. This wasn't specific to Shard; his behavior was the same towards everyone. Miss Luisa had mentioned that this was related to the priest's life experiences. Having spent years in the church listening to the confessions of believers, he had seen and heard too many things.

Afterward, Shard also asked the priest to help find information on the Old God, Blazar Gate. Of course, Priest Augustus agreed.

Just then, a middle-aged man who looked as haggard as Priest Augustus came over to chat with him, apparently trying to find out if there were any finger-sized wooden dolls as souvenirs for Holy Prayer Day. Seeing Priest Augustus was busy, Shard took his leave.

The final destination was Feather Quill Street in the University District. When the carriage stopped under Miss Luisa's rented apartment building, Shard realized it was just the right time for lunch. When he saw the blonde writer on the third floor, having not seen her for a few days and after all that had happened, Shard realized he had missed her a lot.

"What's with that look?"

Miss Luisa greeted Shard and had him sit down. Seeing him place Mia on the couch, where the little cat started sniffing around, she joked:

"Coming here at twelve, surely you don't just want to have lunch with me?"

"Haven't you eaten yet? Then it's perfect, let's go out. I earned a bit with the doctor this morning, so this time, my treat."

"I'm starting to suspect you came at this time just to have lunch with me."

The blonde laughed heartily, but from the way she got up to change her clothes, it seemed she had accepted Shard's invitation.

As they went out to eat, Shard shared the news with Miss Luisa that he had advanced to the Second Ring. Naturally, Miss Luisa was happy for him, and they cautiously discussed the matter of Godfall on Thursday night.

She had been asleep that night, so she had passed out amidst the blood mist right after the incident and woke up the next day when everything was already over, thus knowing almost nothing about the events of the night.

After hearing more detailed information from Shard, she repeatedly expressed her shock that such a horrifying event had occurred in their city. Then, changing the subject, Dorothy Louisa asked Shard, who was feeding the cat.

The orange cat, Mia, sat neatly on a chair specially prepared by the restaurant, looking up and squinting as Shard tore off pieces of bread and passed them to her.

"Shard, could you please take out two Ever-Youth Leaves for me to see?"

"Why?"

"Based on the consumption of the leaves, I want to see if this event had anything to do with you,"

Miss Luisa said.