Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 677 - The Priests Talent

“The divination just now was ‘Death’, and now this… Oh, Mr. Watson, sorry, I think I can’t perform a divination for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Perhaps there’s a problem with my divination, or perhaps something has happened to you, something even you are unaware of.”

Joey Barton pointed to the envelope on the table:

“You only need to pay for one person’s fee. I suppose you are one of those so-called people who have escaped their fate of death.”

He seemed a bit downcast and said in a low voice:

“But sometimes, death can also be a good thing, after all, life always has an endpoint. Normal birth, normal growth, normal death, that’s natural, it’s something to be envied…”

Before Shard could ask again, Joey Barton clapped his hands, signaling for the people outside the door to come in, ready to escort the visitors out.

Though still puzzled, Shard knew it was best not to ask too much, as there were plenty of opportunities to return here. Thus, he stood up, pushing Sister Delphine out, who likewise had no intention of asking further questions.

Once the two of them got back into the carriage, Shard immediately expressed his confusion to the nun, who assured him not to worry:

“Mr. Hamilton, perhaps you really have been helped by The Great One, without your knowledge. At the beginning of this year, did you encounter any accidents?”

At the beginning of the year, the Outlander had not yet arrived. Since he inherited no memories, Shard did not know what the original host had gone through. He only knew that it was around that time that Detective Sparrow had met the vagrant and taken him in. And when Saint Byrons Integrated Academy investigated Shard’s identity, they did not point out any unusual events that the original host had encountered at the beginning of the year:

“That is indeed strange. Perhaps I should investigate whether there were any news of a high tower collapsing at the beginning of this year in the Old Continent and the New World. If what that ‘boy’ said is correct, I hope the high tower he referred to isn’t some inconspicuous mill tower in a village or an abandoned tower in a remote mountain area.”

Shard sighed, not expecting such a result from the divination:

“Let’s set that aside for now and return to the purpose of our visit. Sister, that Mr. Joey Barton looked really odd, did your eyes notice anything?”

“His body is indeed 13 years old, but the age of his soul seems to have exceeded 40 years.”

Said the nun of Eleven Rings.

Shard was taken aback and asked softly:

“So, that body… isn’t his?”

He thought about his own situation.

“No, that body is his, the soul and body are perfectly matched.”

“Has his soul been separated out on its own, experiencing a long passage of time?”

Shard made another guess, but the nun shook her head slightly:

“That’s just a speculation so far. I will have the Order investigate, he is very strange. Since he speaks the local accent, he must have a long record of living locally.”

“And his eyes? When he used his eyes to see through death, did you notice that Roder Card? Did the card give him the power to see through death, or was the card just a decoy?”

Although there was only a tea table between them at the time, Shard could not determine the source of the power; he only knew that those eyes were at least not Demon Eyes.

“His eyes are indeed extraordinary, and I believe that seeing through death must be a talent of his own,” said the nun, hesitating before adding, “But that Roder Card gave me a very strange feeling. The card itself is an ordinary item, but… it seems to have enhanced the power of his eyes. Perhaps, this is a spellcasting condition I’m also unaware of.”

Shard did have some hunches about this, but everything would have to wait for the nun to clarify after her investigation.

“So, do you believe Joey Barton might join the Spiritual Practice Order?”

“I don’t think I will accept him; the Order does not welcome those who carry too many secrets,” replied the nun, as she put on the silver eyepiece that looked like a crown, and bound her long hair with the metal fasteners on either side of the eyepiece.

“The Order will investigate Joey Barton anew; this person may hide the means to resolve the dangers of the Interstice. Mr. Hamilton, it was a pleasure working together. You are a friend of the Order, and you’re also welcome to seek my assistance. As for the matter of Joey Barton, I will inform you once there is further information. It’s evident that you are quite curious about him,” she said.

The carriage dropped Shard off at Oak Street before departing with Sister Delphine in it.

The reason Shard got off at Oak Street was that he had arranged to meet Priest Augustus at noon today to ask him about some matters.

Since the last time the Old Cleric had given Shard the arcane technique and information about the Interstice, the two had not seen each other for over half a month. When they met again this noon, the Old Cleric was quite moved by his own recent busyness.

In fear of being seen with Shard, the Old Cleric had deliberately chosen a restaurant far from Milestone City Center to treat Shard to lunch. They exchanged updates about Tobesk and Midshire Fort, and Shard also shared the good news that Dorothy had successfully advanced from the Four Rings to the Five Rings.

The Old Cleric told Shard that the Church of the Five Gods had gathered so many senior clerics from the Old Continent to prepare for a large ceremony, which was now without issues and most likely to be held later next week.

“So, that is indeed the ceremony to suppress the Interstice?”

As Shard sliced the steak in front of him, he asked; it was beef, reputedly a famous local breed from Midshire Fort.

“Yes, there was originally a Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer from the Church of Nature, the ‘Singer of Nature,’ and recently two more were called in. Besides them, our church’s Iluna Beath has also returned, as I recall she is your friend.”

Shard nodded:

“Yes, she’s coming by steam hover zeppelin, should be here tomorrow, which is Monday.”

Priest Augustus looked around and then lowered his voice to say:

“Then you surely don’t know, I heard just last night that there was trouble with that steam hover zeppelin during its journey! It was supposed to arrive tomorrow, but now I’m afraid it will be postponed until Tuesday.”

“What happened to them?”

Shard, surprised, looked at the Old Cleric, who was quite moved:

“A Green Dragon.”

Priest Augustus shook his head, sighing deeply:

“It seems to have flown over from the outer sea, and somehow encountered that steam hovering airship. But don’t worry, the problem has been dealt with. It’s said that Miss Beyas used a Sunlight Gun to kill the dragon with one shot in the air.”

Seeing Shard’s curious face, Priest Augustus added:

“It was a pureblood Green Dragon, though only a young one, and it had been heavily injured by the High Ring Sorcerers on the airship and weakened by the divine ritual of that Sun Church airship. But to be a Low Ring Sorcerer and kill a dragon in aerial combat, perhaps only the legendary heroes of ancient times could achieve such a deed.”

He stirred the meat soup in front of him with a spoon:

“The young people of today are truly remarkable. I believe that, in the future, Iluna Beath will surely become a hero on the Roder cards. The title of dragon slayer, at a time when most dragons have vanished, is something not even Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers can guarantee.”

He then took out his pipe, of course not to smoke in a public place like a restaurant, but simply out of habit to clean it.

“What happened to the corpse of that Green Dragon?”

Shard asked further.

“I heard it was left there waiting to be dealt with, after all, they need to investigate where that dragon came from. But besides the Green Dragon, I heard that after the airship took off again, a sage-level humanoid relic sneaked onto the airship. I’m not a Circle Sorcerer of the Church, so I don’t know much detail, but supposedly its true form is a black humanoid figure who, after disguising as someone not existing in people’s memories, committed a series of homicides before being discovered and finally expelled.”

“That ship is really unlucky, I mean, their journey hasn’t been very peaceful.”

Shard commented, lifting the glass of fruit wine at hand. Priest Augustus also raised his glass, and they made a toast over the distance:

“Wishing them luck!”

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The fruit wine was brought by Shard himself, as the restaurant allowed customers to bring their own beverages.

After putting down their glasses, Shard finally asked about the matter that concerned him most:

“Old Cleric, do you possess any powers related to the Eye of Death? Arcane techniques, a Demon Eye or a Talent?”

“What an odd question.”

Priest Augustus said, but he had no suspicion of Shard, so he didn’t mind sharing such private matters:

“Of course, my eyes can see any spiritual body, yes, any spiritual body.”

But, Shard’s eyes could do this too, and Shard couldn’t assume he might be the chosen by death simply because he had a strong perception.

“Also, I can vaguely see signs of death on some people who are about to die, very vaguely, about as much as intuition.”

“Is this the arcane technique you gave me?”

“No, no, consider it another of my talents.”

Priest Augustus said, as they sat at the innermost part of “John Steakhouse,” making it easy for him to glance over the entire restaurant:

“Like that gentleman there.”

The Old Cleric pointed to a stranger who had just entered; he was dressed in decent formal attire, holding a black briefcase, probably a clerk working nearby:

“He will die within three months.”

“What’s the cause of death?”

“How should I know? Oh, detective, don’t think of such talents as too powerful.”

The Old Cleric said, while Shard thought that Priest Augustus’s talent seemed somewhat similar to the “boy” he met in the morning, but certainly weaker than the latter.

“Moreover, by gazing at a soul, I can vaguely sense the soul’s thoughts, but only at a very close distance and after a long period of staring.”

This was quite similar to Sister Delphine’s talent, but in comparison to the gray-haired nun’s ability to see through a soul’s secrets at a glance, the Old Cleric’s talent surely fell short.