Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 859: Apprentice

Chapter 859 -859: Apprentice

The time of the Anjou Royal Family’s representatives’ arrival in Tobesk was drawing nearer, and the residents of Tobesk could sense the seriousness with which the City Hall and the Kingdom regarded this matter. However, this had nothing to do with Shard for now. After leaving the Prophet’s Society, he bade farewell to the cat lazily basking in the sun on his home windowsill and traveled to Huntington City through the statue in the basement.

When he walked out of the wine cellar of the White Valley Vineyard, the autumn-winter morning sun was almost blinding.

He raised his hand to shield his eyes just in time to see Mr. Benhart, standing in the yard of the small estate with his servants and coachman, directing workers unloading goods from a flatbed cart:

“Good morning, Mr. Benhart.”

“Good morning, Mr. Watson.”

The two greeted each other familiarly, and Shard tightened the buttons on the collar of his warm black coat as he approached:

“Are you storing food for the winter again?”

The middle-aged Vampire Kind hesitated for a moment, then cautiously shook his head, standing next to Shard while watching the workers unload:

“No, it’s tobacco.”

“Tobacco… hmm?”

Shard was a little surprised and lowered his voice:

“You also deal in tobacco?”

Whether in Draleon or Carsonrick, the tobacco trade was regulated by the Kingdom. From the way the loading was happening now, it didn’t seem like legitimate business:

“You have smuggling routes? To the New World or to Draleon?”

Shard was not particularly shocked, considering Lecia was still dealing in smuggled arms in Milestone.

“No, no, I wouldn’t dare do such a bold thing.”

Mr. Benhart lowered his voice slightly:

“Didn’t we meet Princess Margaret yesterday and help solve a murder case? The princess was quite impressed with me. Last night she sent someone to my estate with a note. It’s the princess’s goods, brought from Velindale, to be stored at the White Valley Vineyard for now, and to be taken to the steam hover zeppelin when it arrives tomorrow.”

Shard was stunned for a few seconds before understanding:

“Princess Margaret wants to transport…?”

“How can Royal Family matters be called smuggling?”

Mr. Benhart corrected:

“Besides, the airship has so much space, and it would be a waste for it to be empty. It’s only right to fill it with some valuable goods. I think His Majesty wouldn’t mind, as long as it isn’t discovered. Of course, even if discovered, we could say it’s a gift for Draleon.”

Shard showed a look of realization, then asked with great interest:

“The princess wouldn’t have you do this for free, would she?”

Mr. Benhart looked around, then made a gesture to Shard with a number:

“This many.”

Shard did the conversion and raised an eyebrow:

“She’s quite generous.”

“After all, excluding the tobacco tax, the cost of these goods isn’t much, but you know the price of tobacco.”

The middle-aged noble who loved drinking, smoking, and also drank blood, shook his head and sighed:

“The Kingdom’s tax department is more like the Vampire Kind than I am.”

It seemed people of different statuses all liked to complain about taxes, whether in Draleon or Carsonrick.

Today, Mr. Benhart was busy helping Princess Margaret transport goods, so he wouldn’t go to town with Shard. However, he had already compiled the local “Lake Goddess” rumors, handing the file folder to Shard:

“Actually, similar rumors surface every few years. I heard many of them when I was a child. If you’re planning an adventure, you can call me. Winter is approaching, and I don’t have any pressing matters to attend to.”

Mr. Benhart said.

Mr. Benhart had intended to have the carriage take Shard to Huntington City, but Shard chose a horse from the stable instead, preferring to ride through the countryside himself.

The rural sky was free from the polluted smog caused by steam factories. On this autumn-winter morning, the weather was very good, with large fluffy clouds hanging in the azure sky like cotton. Shard, barely a competent horse rider, traveled along the country roads, looking at the fields and vineyards around him.

Riding was indeed colder than sitting in a carriage. After completing his tasks in Huntington City, Shard would also need to consider the heating at No. 6, Saint Delan Square for the winter.

Princess Margaret and her private doctor, along with her servants, were currently staying at the Rothschild Mansion in the city center of Huntington City, a property of the Royal Family. However, Miss Sylvia had arranged a meeting with Shard at the Owl Bookstore rather than at the mansion.

The Owl Bookstore was located mid-block on Malfoy Street in Huntington City, with no special distinguishing features from the outside. The storefront window displayed popular novels such as “Secret of Sisyphus,” “The Mad Knight and the Silly Princess,” and the “Eye of the Storm Adventure Guide,” while opening the bookstore door revealed serious literature like Roder’s Poetry Collection and the “Selections of Trogl’s.”

On this fine morning, the bookstore had a sleepy and drowsy atmosphere, reminiscent of a tedious summer class. There were few people inside. After entering, Shard walked straight to the counter and knocked on the wooden countertop to wake up the young man, who seemed to be dozing off, dressed in a white shirt and brown vest.

Shard asked in unpracticed Casenric Language:

“I’m looking for a book.”

“What book?” fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

The young man behind the counter, who looked at least seventeen or eighteen years old, asked while yawning. His face had acne scars, as dense as freckles.

“‘The Theory of Big Numbers.”‘

“Oh, this way, please.”

The young man lifted the counter flap and then opened the door behind him that was almost merged with the wall.

Shard nodded, just about to walk inside, and asked:

“Do you have ‘Hamilton Detective Stories’ here?”

The young man hesitated for a moment, suspiciously eyeing Shard:

“Is there such a phrase in the password?”

“No, I really want this book.”

“Oh, I see. But sorry, that foreign novel seems to still be in translation; if you want to read it, you can ask at a Draleon merchant’s store. Only the Draleon language version is available now.”

Shard thought he might be able to find a pirated copy here.

The building behind the Owl Library was like a large club; this place itself was the Circle Sorcerer’s black market in Huntington City.

Miss Sylvia had been waiting for Shard here. When the waiter led Shard inside, this lady was holding a teacup and flipping through a book in her hand, which was exactly the ‘Hamilton Detective Stories’ that Shard had just mentioned.

“Good morning, knight.”

The Grand Witch, whose body was a bit younger than the outlander, raised the book in her hand towards Shard. She was still wearing a black dress today. Her black hair didn’t quite match the black dress, and people in this era were superstitious that black would bring calamity. So this fashion style was something Shard had never seen before.

“That book was written by my friend.”

Shard said, pulling out a chair and sitting across from the witch. The witch waved to the young girl standing nearby, who came over to pour tea for Shard. She was also a follower, but of a lower level than Shard.

“Yes, otherwise it wouldn’t describe you in such detail. Miss Galina Cavendish really has found a good follower.”

“No, I’m not Miss Galina’s follower.”

Shard corrected, thanking the girl who poured the tea:

“We’re more like… partners.”

“Yes, I understand. You are equals.”

The witch said, fully understanding the meaning in Shard’s words:

“But, your friend says in the book that you’re very good at mathematics?”

“Pretty good.”

Shard nodded modestly. When Dorothy was creating the story characters, she borrowed heavily from his image. She had asked Shard if he was good at any art or had any special hobbies, to which Shard replied that he was good at mathematics.

Dorothy hadn’t asked how good Shard was, merely happy that math suited a clever detective.

“Can you answer this question?”

The witch pushed her notebook towards Shard. Shard tilted his head to look at it, discovering that she had specifically used the Draleon Language:

“Multivariable equations? The entrance exams for Draleon Higher Academy are even harder than this. No need to ask me this question, right? And does this have anything to do with spatial power?”

Because he had considered going to Tobesk University, obtaining an honorary degree through donations to rid himself of the “Detective Sparrow Tutor” level of education, Shard knew this information.

“It’s unrelated to spatial power, but I was curious about your mathematics level.”

Miss Sylvia smiled and turned to the next page for Shard to continue looking.

The next page had some pencil sketches, with scribbles of letters all around:

“Solid geometry? Madam, although I’m not really good at this, you’ve already selected the coordinate system and reference points. Solving this isn’t too difficult.”

He picked up the notebook and quickly drew a few auxiliary lines. Having been in this world for almost six months, these skills weren’t unfamiliar to him.

“Very nice.”

The witch nodded again and then turned to the last page:

“Look at this; I think it might be a bit challenging.”

Shard continued reading and realized that the words written in calligraphy on the notebook looked very familiar:

“Mos Expansion?” (Chapter 201)

In the outlander’s hometown, this was actually called Taylor’s Expansion.

“You know this?”

The young Grand Witch was genuinely surprised this time. Shard nodded:

“In the summer, I attended several academic lectures and reports in the Tobesk University District. I didn’t expect you to know about this too.”

Miss Sylvia scrutinized him carefully:

“You are much smarter than the girls of the Anjou Family. I always believed that mastering mathematics could make the thinking of a Circle Sorcerer more rational, logical, and systematic. Besides, basic mathematics, geometry, and Ritual Studies are always closely intertwined.”

She put away her notebook:

“Mr. Hamilton, you are quite impressive. Now I can ask this question – are you interested in becoming my apprentice?”