Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"Hmm..."

In the restaurant, Miss Luisa had already put down her knife and fork. Seeing Shard's hesitation, she knew he couldn't produce the leaf and said with a smile,

"Shard, you mustn't say that Mia ate the leaf."

"Meow~"

The cat, hearing its name, twitched its pointy little ears and looked around.

"Very well..."

Miss Luisa was concerned about him, and Shard understood this:

"I only have one leaf left."

The blonde girl asked in surprise,

"Is the Godfall incident really related to you? I heard rumors that the 'Masked Person under Silvermoon' is the Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer 'God Summoner'. I was thinking of checking on your situation to confirm whether the church had made a mistake again, but here you are, energetically holding a cat at my house. You don't look like someone who has experienced a Godfall."

She poised herself as if to listen to a tale, and so Shard, while eating, explained about his partner whose identity couldn't be revealed and their attack on the Silver-Eyed One. As for what happened after the descent of the Evil God, Shard's story was the same as the one he told Luviya and Iluna; Miss Luisa just listened intently without interrupting:

"As long as you know what you are doing."

Miss Luisa sighed only after Shard finished speaking.

Stirring the thick soup in front of her with a spoon, she then raised her green eyes, glancing over Shard's face:

"Shard, don't you dare die easily. Otherwise, I would be... very sad."

After lunch, the two of them went to Old John's Pawnshop. Miss Luisa wanted to commission Old Man John to make some alchemical items, while Shard wanted to have the mercury vial appraised.
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Old Man John was quick to act, carefully examining the item Shard brought before going to his living quarters on the second floor of the pawnshop to search some records, and then he found the corresponding name and level for the vial.

Of course, he collected two pounds as an appraisal fee from Shard before he was willing to reveal the information:

"Poet-Level (Level 5) Relic 'Infinite Mercury Bottle'."

"Poet-Level?"

Shard exclaimed, reaching out to grab the banknotes he had placed on the counter. However, Old John was quicker, sweeping them up into his hands. In the struggle over the two pound notes, even though Shard had advanced to the Second Ring and his body had been purified by Divinity, he could not outmatch the old man in front of him:

"Don't rush, don't rush, I knew you would think that, but Poet-Level isn't worthless."

The old man removed the brass mechanical magnifying glass worn over his left eye and carefully placed it in a box:

"Listen to its trait; this bottle can indefinitely produce mercury, yes, infinite."

He took a bottle filled with red liquid from below the counter and carefully poured it into the mercury vial, then shook the bottle slightly:

"To get the mercury out of this little bottle, you need to slowly inject a bit of blood and the spirit of a Circle Sorcerer, then give it a gentle shake."

Saying this, he started to shake it and then tipped the bottleneck downward. The liquid metal, which Shard couldn't extract, was immediately poured out, and the liquid level inside the bottle remained unchanged.

The cat, standing on the counter and surveying its surroundings, became interested in the silvery liquid. But before it could reach out, Miss Luisa picked up the cat, signaling to Shard not to worry.

"Meow~"

Its tail swaying back and forth as if lashing Miss Luisa's arm, the orange cat disliked being held by her.

"The negative trait is, this bottle tempts its owner to pour the liquid into their mouth. This doesn't have much effect on a Circle Sorcerer, but few ordinary people can withstand the spiritual lure of a relic... Come to think of it, wasn't this thing supposed to be in the hands of a Five-Ring Sorcerer from 'Blood of Mercury'? Where did you get this from?"

"Not important, is this valuable?"

Shard asked, glancing sideways at the wall behind the counter, where there was now a specimen painting of a yellow flower. There was always a variety of odd things at Old John's.

The old man looked up at Shard with a look suggesting he didn't recognize the item's worth:

"For an organization like 'Blood of Mercury', which heavily relies on mercury as a spellcasting material, this thing is an invaluable treasure. Moreover, if a madman dares to embed a relic into his own body, it means he can almost cast mercury spells and arcane techniques without consumption. Sorcerers from 'Blood of Mercury' have done this, and it has proven feasible, so tell me, is this valuable?"

"Valuable... What is the ratio of blood to mercury output?"

Shard asked again, making Old Man John curious as he looked at him, a smile creeping onto his aged face:

"What are you thinking? Tell me."

Miss Luisa was also curious, looking at Shard while the Outlander gathered his thoughts:

"The advent of the steam engine has pushed our civilization to rapidly develop, the progress of the past 100 years far exceeding that of the previous 1000 years. Based on my understanding, in steam factories and the mechanical industry, the value of mercury is undeniable. It is used in extracting colored metals, mirrors, reflectors, barometers, and even explosives..."

Shard paused, and Old John nodded in approval. The old man looked slightly intoxicated as he gazed at the bottle, then shook it vigorously, completing Shard's words:

"This relic can produce high-purity mercury, and its production method is harmless without any additional emissions or pollutants. What the detective implies is that if the ratio of blood to mercury production is right, this tiny bottle could change the industrial structure of a region. Yes, yes, Detective, I praised you last time. You are indeed the most intelligent young man I know,"

the old man said contentedly.

"So, is it feasible?"

Shard asked again.

"Of course it's not feasible."

Old John said mercilessly as he placed the small bottle on the table:

"About 142ml of any creature's blood, with a small amount of spirit, could produce about 4.5 liters of mercury. But this is a relic, after all. Do you think the mercury it produces is normal mercury?"

Old John shook his head:

"This mercury also contains the Whisper Element. Even though its effect on Circle Sorcerers can be practically ignored, it is absolutely dangerous for ordinary people. Remember, young man, don't try to use any relic. Regarding relics, apart from personal use, everything else must be strictly contained. Why do you think the church and the academy have contained so many powerful relics without ever thinking about using such transcendent items to change the world? Do you think everyone's brains are not as enlightened as yours and mine?"

Miss Luisa provided the answer:

"Because the Whisper Element represented by relics is the enemy of civilization. Changing the world using relics is almost akin to warming oneself with a steam bomb."

She happily stroked Mia, who was in her arms, but the cat still took the opportunity to escape and stood on the pawnshop's counter "roaring" at the blonde girl.

"Shard, do you understand?"

Miss Luisa asked.

"I understand."

Shard nodded somewhat regretfully. Old Man John took the opportunity to say:

"You have no use keeping this thing. Why not sell it to me? I can offer a good price."

"No, I have no plans to sell it for now."

Shard shook his head.

"You're not short on money?"

"I've had substantial income recently. I met a wealthy and influential noblewoman. She has been very generous."

"A noblewoman?"

Old John gave a suggestive smile, first glancing at Miss Luisa, then lowered his head to clean up a pile of things used for identifying relics on the counter:

"Young man, this is indeed a shortcut, but be careful with your health. Even if you're not short of money, you can still inquire about the rumored Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer lately. You should be aware of this, right? Any information can be sold to me; I have a need."

"Is it Galina?"

After leaving Old John's Pawnshop, Miss Luisa couldn't help but ask. The two walked shoulder to shoulder along the street, surrounded by many pedestrians. Because curfew was to be implemented for the whole upcoming week, people had to hasten their daytime activities.

Ahead, rusted gas pipes piled up by the wall showed that the street was undergoing urban infrastructure renovation. Old John had just complained about rude people walking back and forth in front of his store every noon. Unfortunately, due to the martial law and curfew, the project would probably be delayed for a long time.

Even though there was still no sunshine today, Miss Luisa wore a wide-brimmed white lady's hat. The hat was adorned with a small pink flower, which matched her hair nicely.

In the aesthetics of this era, a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes is the epitome of beauty.

"Yes, I have a good relationship with that Duchess. She spent a large sum of money to buy some artifacts I recovered from the ruins,"

Shard said truthfully.

"Oh? I wanted to ask last time, are you familiar with Galina...is that right?"

The blonde girl squinted at Shard, her thoughts unknown.

Shard noticed that she never used any honorifics when referring to Duchess Galina Cavendish. Of course, it wasn't a sign of intimacy but rather seemed like a conflict between them.

Dorothy Luisa was just an ordinary citizen of Tobesk with no apparent connection to the Duchess who was seldom in Tobesk. Thus, Shard speculated that it was her friend, Princess Lecia, who had a conflict with Miss Galina.

The princess whom Shard had not yet met, although only five to six years younger than Galina Cavendish, actually belonged to three generations apart. If they really had a conflict, it was probably like those court romance novels, filled with secrets unfathomable to ordinary citizens.

"Why not a court politics novel?"

"Because I haven't read any court politics novels of this world. Mr. Sparrow left behind a copy of 'The Queen and Her Lovers,' and you've watched it with me, haven't you?"

Of course, they mainly read that book to find the so-called "Spy Codebook."

Following the crowded street, Shard continued discussing the colorful content of novels with the woman in his heart while walking side by side with Miss Luisa. With the 'Blood of Mercury' obliterated and the Evil God departed, until Luviya divined the second Chosen One, Shard could enjoy a brief period of leisure time.