Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 681 - The Seal on the Mountainside

The doctor patted Shard’s shoulder and then rushed through the half-open door.

With a clang, as the wooden door with its metal base disappeared, a metal key fell onto the stone platform. At the same time, as the doctor left, the two fireballs he had summoned for illumination also vanished.

The entire belly of the mountain returned to darkness, leaving only the bright yellow runes on the blade of the longsword in Shard’s hand that read “Heartless Clarity, Demon-Slaying Sword,” emitting a faint glow in the dark:

“Silvermoon!”

Sword in his left hand, Silvermoon ignited at the tip of Shard’s right fingers. Squinting his eyes, he looked at the longsword in his hand, then bent down to pick up the key, and after storing the impaled heart of the demon into the doctor’s pre-prepared bottle, he slowly made his way to the edge of the stone platform.

Standing on the wooden planks before the broken bridge, he looked past the central platform towards the stone platform hidden in the profound darkness on the other side of the cavern. When the flames of the Flame Demon had illuminated the entire belly of the mountain, Shard had vaguely seen what seemed to be a stele on the platform on the other side.

He hesitated for a moment, then raised his right hand and pointed his index finger upward:

“Silvermoon!”

Standing at the edge of the stone platform, with the abyss beneath his feet, the dazzling moonlight burst forth from his fingertip, turning the cavern into daylight in an instant, even coating his longsword in moonlight. This bright moonlight had little effect on the caster himself, allowing Shard to see the full view of that stele.

Too far away to decipher a single letter, but at the very least, he could make out the shape of the stele and its base.

The knowledge from “Witch Echo: Feliana” instantly matched it up; the style of the stele on the other side was clearly indicative of the end of the Fifth Era. Moreover, judging by its making, this was an incantation reserved for High Rank Witches.

“It seems that the illusion I saw while drawing the sword was real. The Witch Empress of the Fifth Era, Violet Marshall, left a stele here. And hundreds of years ago, Dr. Alfred’s ancestor, the High Circle Sorcerer who arrived here, did not explore but merely sealed the Flame Demon here. Yes, it seems very likely that the corresponding place in the Interstice is that seal on the mountain flank!”

Shard extinguished the Silver Light at the tip of his finger, packed up the briefcase a little, wiped away the ritual traces, and left with the briefcase in one hand and the longsword in the other.

(Mia running)

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“Come, detective, to friendship and today’s victory, let’s toast!”

In the Eastern District of Tobesk, lights were out on the first and the second floors of Schneider Psychological Clinic, but the bedroom on the third floor was still lit. Under the bright and cheerful gas light, Shard and Dr. Schneider each held a glass of wine by the window, toasting to celebrate.

It was 9:30 at night, the key on the wooden door against the wall had been returned to its place, the briefcase opened on the bedroom’s desk, with bottles and jars glinting under the gas light. And the longsword was wrapped in a bedsheet, leaning against the wall by the door.

“Doctor, congratulations,”

The two clinked glasses, the middle-aged doctor barely holding back the smile on his face:

“It went even smoother than I expected, definitely not bad. This is the seventh demon I’ve devoured.”

A terrifying crimson glint flashed in his right eye, but it was just the doctor showing Shard this remarkable power:

“Besides, I’ve learned two new Arcane Techniques related to the Flame Demon and acquired a brand new Spirit Rune.”

Shard raised his glass to celebrate again:

“It’s a pity, doctor, that you haven’t held the ceremony to advance to the Six Rings. Right now, this Spirit Rune can only be considered of the Five Rings.”

“No, I’ve been deliberately controlling the digestion of the Flame Demon’s power. I think if all goes well, I might be able to get one or two more Spirit Runes by the time I hold the ceremony at the end of this month and the Yellow Moon is full.”

Both were in good spirits, choosing to stand by the open window, carrying on their conversation with the night breeze closing in.

Shard sipped the unusually expensive red wine the doctor provided, squinting at the night view of Tobesk:

“Doctor, are you sure that devouring such strange things won’t make you lose control?”

“In the past few days, my emotions might have seen some changes, but at least for now, they won’t go out of control,”

the doctor said, with a fainter smile on his face,

“Don’t worry about me, I have made all the preparations. At least until I have successfully rescued Mr. Sherf Tim and Miss Shana Aya’s spirits, I absolutely won’t lose control.”

Shard nodded:

“Still, it’s better to be safe, so tomorrow morning, you should come to my house. There’s a door in my basement that can help suppress your emotions.”

He was referring to the door that led to the Dark Dungeon, a door gained by slaying The Chosen One, which meant the dungeon’s use wasn’t limited to Circle Sorcerers possessing a “dark” Spirit Rune. By entering the responsive door in the dungeon that represented oneself, one could talk or even fight with their dark “self” to avert losing control.

According to Iluna, the Church of Light and Darkness, also known as the Papacy of the Dawn Church, had also found a door leading into the Dark Dungeon, which is why Circle Sorcerers of the Dawn Church had a lower probability of losing control compared to other churches.

“Okay.”

The doctor nodded without further questions, then spoke again:

“But that sword you found, I couldn’t recognize it either. You could have Old John appraise it; he’s absolutely trustworthy. Or, you could go to the Academy for appraisal. I remember you have a good relationship with Miss Danester, the librarian. She even gave you a highly practical credit assignment from the Academy.”

“Yes, but I don’t think I will have it appraised by the Academy.”

Shard looked back at the sword resting against the wall:

“Once the Academy finds out I have this, I won’t be able to run around with it anymore. Moreover, I got a message from the sword, it could be the key to solving the Interstice issue, so it probably won’t belong to me forever.”

“You make your own decisions then.”

“There’s also that Flame Demon heart…”

Shard brought this up.

“All the spoils of war are yours,”

the doctor said nonchalantly, shaking his head. Although Shard had found the location, strictly speaking, the Flame Demon heart was the doctor’s spoils of war:

“If the heart was intact, it would be quite valuable, probably enough for you to buy your neighbor’s house as well.”

This analogy fully demonstrated the value of a “flawless Flame Demon heart.”

“Pity, I absorbed too much of its power, and now it’s almost like a hollow shell. Such a thing has never been seen on the market before. To appraise it now, its value probably won’t exceed five thousand pounds.”

“That’s still very valuable, who could earn so much money at once? Oh, and if it sells for a high price, I was even thinking of learning that expensive Arcane Technique the priest offered me.”

Shard said with a smile, then asked:

“However, why did the heart attack me at that moment? I thought it was an Evil Spirit Demon trying to possess me.”

“That’s impossible, you were wearing the Demon Hunting Seal at the time, and the soul of the Evil Spirit Demon had already been extracted and crushed by me.”

The doctor shook his head:

“Let’s not talk about this anymore. In any case, tonight was a huge gain. But I have to remind you, Detective, don’t visit Midshire Fort too often. Because of the power I possess, I am very sensitive to Whisper and Desecration Elements. Apart from the Night of the God’s Descent in Tobesk, I’ve never felt such elemental chaos anywhere like in Midshire.”

“So, what are your feelings about Midshire Fort now, any discoveries?”

Shard asked curiously. The doctor pondered while holding his wine glass:

“The calm before a volcanic eruption.”

“Volcano, huh…”

Shard sighed, downed the red wine in his glass, and together with the doctor, looked out at the night sky over Tobesk Eastern District. The specks of light from the multitude of buildings formed a constellation, while the chimneys in the distance were still spewing black smoke into the night air.

The nights in the big city were exceptionally tranquil, especially in such an affluent area. Only the barking of dogs in the alleys and the rhythmic sound of horses’ hooves crushing stone pavements from outside the district could be heard.

“But in this way, I’ve unexpectedly come to have both a dragon-slaying champion and a demon-slaughtering hero by my side,”

he mused softly.

“Slaying a dragon, where did that dragon come from? Are there dragons in Midshire Fort? That’s something I can’t handle.”

The doctor asked curiously, picking up the wine bottle from the small round table to pour more for Shard, then laughed as he pointed at himself:

“And besides, I can hardly be considered a hero.”