Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"Is this the Witch's Sunlight Ray?"

Miss Aphrola looked somewhat surprised and hesitant,

"Among the contemporary Circle Sorcerers' Arcane Techniques, there are quite a few powers similar to this, but this looks very much like a secret technique—Sunlight Ray—that only witches can use."

The voice beside Shard was explaining this entirely new Arcane Technique. The Arcane Technique belonged to the "Light of the Witch" Spirit Rune, which emitted a positive energy beam that was extremely harmful to undead creatures that feared sunlight. At the same time, if the beam was continuously directed at flammable materials, it could ignite them.

Although the applications were not diverse, it was still quite useful for Shard.

"Shard can use the powers of a witch?"

Granny Cassandra was even more astonished, as she didn't even know about the existence of the "Light of the Witch" Spirit Rune.

"Granny, let's talk about these matters after we leave,"

Miss Aphrola said, with a complicated expression as she glanced at Shard before continuing the final repair work of the ritual,

"That Witch Empress addressed you as a witch... It's enough that you can use the powers of a witch, just don't become an actual witch one day."

Such an imagination was quite terrifying.

Anyway, the work of repairing the seal at the waist of Interstice Mountain had encountered some troubles, but it was eventually completed without mishap with the help of Shard. The witches gained a lot, most importantly the Parchment Roll left by Witch Empress Violetta Marshall.

For Shard, not only did he obtain an age-old Time Key, but he also gained the second Fragment of Echo as well as a new Arcane Technique.

When they left the Interstice, since the time of the Interstice did not match that of the real world, the time had come to this day, which was Wednesday afternoon at five o'clock.

Miss Aphrola originally planned to organize a grand banquet and invite Shard to celebrate the successful operation, but Shard had to go home tonight to deal with the sealing of the boundary on the third floor of his house, so he regretfully declined Miss Aphrola's invitation.

However, he promised to attend a banquet hosted by Miss Aphrola before she left Midshire Fort.

On the path down the mountain, the group of witches watched as Shard made his way through the thick fog and fading sunlight, disappearing into the woods.

It was only then that the tired Old Witch spoke up:

"Hevy, it seems there is a lot that you and Galina haven't been telling the truth about."

"Granny, the reason a secret is a secret is because it shouldn't be known by too many people,"

"Can I know then?"

They were also preparing to descend the mountain; their carriage would be waiting for them on the road below.

"About that, I need to ask Galina's opinion."

(Mia is running...)

After returning to Saint Delan Square, Shard didn't stay idle during the coming night.

First, he went to Feather Quill Street to pick up Mia, then he had dinner with Dorothy.

After dinner, the two of them, along with Luviya and Dr. Schneider who had come to the house, used the materials Shard had acquired in Coldwater Port to arrange a ritual that temporarily sealed the boundary located on the third floor of No. 6, Saint Delan Square.

As payment, there were three slender silver lines affixed to each wall of the third-floor corridor, and a total of thirty-six small bells hung from these silver lines.

As long as these bells did not ring, the third floor would not have any problems. But once they started to ring, it meant that Shard had to perform another ritual.

After taking care of the third floor, it was already 8 p.m. Dr. Schneider and Dorothy had each left, and Luviya continued her astrology on the third floor, awaiting the arrival of the Star Ocean Whale.

Exhausted, Shard had no choice but to head out again, making his way to the unnamed village cemetery in the northern outskirts of Tobesk. After an attack by an Evil Spirit and dispatching it with his newly acquired "Sunlight Ray," he finally met Mr. Copus.

"You're looking bad, as if you haven't rested for three days straight and then ran three laps around the outskirts of Tobesk Urban Area."

Perhaps somewhat familiar with Shard by now, this sallow, gaunt middle-aged man who looked like he had overindulged himself even cracked a joke:

"I am indeed a bit tired."

Having lingered on the edge of death for too long today, even he was feeling the strain:

"Mr. Copus, I've come this time to sell some things. Do you remember the plants from the boundary of life and death you mentioned? I've got my hands on them, and they are now piled up at the entrance of the cemetery."

Shard certainly would not carry the "God's Gift Box" here, so he wrapped those little toys in a package and restored them to their plant form at the gate of the cemetery.

"So, the way you look right now, have you been eroded by death at the boundary? If necessary, you can try using holy water of grade four or above from the church. Pour it into the bathtub and take a hot bath for three consecutive days."

Mr. Copus kindly gave his advice, and then followed Shard into the night to check the merchandise at the cemetery entrance. After stepping away for a short while, a crow that seemed to come from nowhere took a liking to Shard's goods, but a wave of Shard's hand and a flash of the Sunlight Ray quickly scared it away.

Among the goods, Underduran was the most abundant. Underduran was more valuable than Corpse Grass and easier to find and gather than the 20-pound Flower of Resentment.

Mr. Copus carefully inspected the quality of the plants and believed that, although the collection method was crude, they were as fresh as if they had been picked just minutes before. As he was quite satisfied with these materials, he was even willing to pay a higher purchase price.

Compared to the stingy Old Man John, Mr. Copus was far more generous. In the end, 20+ pounds of Corpse Grass and 73 pounds of Underduran were bought at a premium of 1,100 pounds (originally priced at 1,028 pounds and 1 penny). The Black Resentful Woman Flower priced at 22 pounds each, Shard had the good fortune of finding a large field of them and thus harvested 42, totaling 924 pounds.

Combined, they amounted to 2,024 pounds. Mr. Copus brought over a briefcase and handed the counted banknotes to Shard. Throughout this process, the gentleman did not allow Shard to enter his Tomb Guardian's cottage.

Shard originally had over 6,000 pounds in savings, and with this additional 2,000 pounds plus the promised 1,000 pounds from the Foreign Princess he had yet to collect, his savings were nearly reaching the five-figure mark.

This made Shard think again about the "Scythe of the Messenger of Death" offered by Priest Augustus, but with two Moonlight Greatswords and the Relic "Night Watchman," his need for that secret technique wasn't as high as before. The "Scythe of the Messenger of Death" would add to his fashion but wouldn't significantly boost his strength or contribute to building his skill set.

"Anyway, it feels really good to have money in hand."

When Shard, tired but spirited, returned home with a briefcase full of money, he still made an effort to tell Luviya about what had happened that day, who greeted him as he arrived. Of course, the focus was not on the Witch Empress but on the Fragment of Poem Chapter about the Chosen One Ceremony found on the back of the stele.

As for the Echo left by the Witch Empress and the new Arcane Technique she gave to Shard, Luviya did not comment. But she could feel Shard's fatigue, so she urged him to rest early tonight.

The purple-eyed girl made up the bed for Shard, prepared his pajamas and a glass of milk before bedtime. Even as the yawning Shard shuffled back from the washroom to the bedroom in his slippers, Luviya, wearing her pajamas, was already lying under the covers... next to a distinctly disgruntled orange cat.

Luviya was not taking up its spot, but the cat was still dissatisfied.

"Get some rest."

She patted the bed with a gentle smile:

"Let's do nothing tonight. I think you won't mind someone holding you, letting you sleep peacefully. Goodnight, my Knight, the lights will go out now."

In that moment, the Outlander truly felt that in this world, he now had a warm home.