Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1742 - 1741: Maze and the Witch’s Spirit Rune

Chapter 1742: Chapter 1741: Maze and the Witch’s Spirit Rune

Although Shard lacked the courage and had no interest in trying this magic potion, which was said to drive people mad, he had just detected the distinct scent of the potion’s main ingredient, "Blood Mint."

The smell was similar to that of catnip.

He was not at all surprised that Audrey and Megan had also read the "Book of Pink," as the book was not banned, and it was quite normal for the Great Witch of Knowledge and Wisdom to have read it. He just did not expect that the other party would creatively use a pleasure-oriented magic potion to develop such a purpose.

Since Megan carried this potion with her, it indicated that she had anticipated the possibility of them needing to share visions. Even with her powers diminished, this Eleventh Rank Witch clearly possessed strength and insight far beyond ordinary Circle Sorcerers.

"However, if on the Day of the Red Butterfly, Dorothy and Lecia were to drink this potion... They would already vaguely perceive each other’s presence on the Day of the Red Butterfly... Oh, what am I thinking?"

He attributed this particular thought to the aftermath of encountering "Desire" earlier that morning.

After drinking the potion together, the golden thread wrapped around their fingers emitted a pink hue.

"The effects are quite good. The fog has cleared a little, and my perception is much better... Is the potion’s effect really this strong? I originally thought it would only help me barely see what’s in front of me. Is it that the potion has max effect, or that the two of us are particularly suited for this potion?"

Megan muttered skeptically but did not pay much attention to it. To avoid getting separated in the mist, they held each other’s hands again. As they moved along the street towards the northern part of the island, they also saw what had attacked them earlier.

The swaying figures were actually rigid corpses, which were blasted by Megan’s light beams, leaving only broken bodies lying in the street. The corpses varied in their degree of decay, and their clothing differed as well.

Not wanting to waste time here, they did not check these corpses for detailed identities, roughly judging that they were manipulated by the power of the undead.

"First demons, then the undead—what on earth are they trying to do?"

The two quickly left the town and entered a forest path connecting the dock and the town. As expected, they encountered more enemies. This time, a large group of ghastly green undead rushed at them, screaming and wailing, from the mist on either side of the forest path.

If their vision was suppressed by spatial chaos, an attack like this might genuinely be troublesome. But at this moment, for Shard and Megan, these enemies were just as harmless as the resurrected corpses earlier.

In Shard’s view, these evil spirits were much weaker than those at Midshire Fort. He did not understand why they would send such weak creatures to attack them.

But ultimately, it was not Shard who took action. Megan wanted to show that she was indeed stronger than Shard and hurriedly cast a purifying spell on the wraiths first.

The time passed three-thirty in the afternoon, and they finally returned to the dock. Once they boarded the ship, they quickly set sail. Turning around, Shard watched the dock gradually disappear into the mist, puzzled why they managed to escape so easily, with that demon not reacting at all.

Megan shared the same concern, holding Shard’s hand while waiting for the small boat to break through the dense fog.

Both were calculating the time, but even after twenty minutes later, the ship was still sailing in the mist. This situation was clearly abnormal; given the speed of the ship, they should have reached the shore long ago, let alone leave the Mist Area.

"As expected, it’s not that simple... Enhanced Spatial Awareness."

This time wasn’t ordinary spellcasting, but expending extra spirit to expand their spatial awareness range with all their might.

The flat surface of the lake and the rugged underwater terrain slowly appeared in Shard’s mind, with Megan vaguely sensing what Shard "saw" as well.

The perceived area grew larger and larger, but there was no trace of any land around them, as if they were not in a large lake but in some sea realm.

[The exit is on the water.]

To maintain their strength for the upcoming battle, Shard promptly ceased using the Arcane Technique. He took a breath to recover his spirit and stamina and shook his head at Megan:

"No, we appear to be trapped in some special area. But since the surface route is blocked, it looks like there’s another way."

"It’s the only option left, so let’s do it."

The two held each other’s hands tightly and simultaneously jumped from the boat towards the water’s surface. As his body touched the lake water, Shard faintly heard the sound of a mirror shattering. Yet, instead of the sensation of sinking into the water, his feet came into contact with the ground, and the surroundings were not wet at all.

Glancing around, Megan was still holding his hand, and their current location was surprisingly the same street they jumped out from earlier in the dream.

[Not time reversal. The lake water formed a passage, returning you here.]

"Back to the starting point? Has this island turned into a maze?"

Megan said softly, frowning slightly as she considered their next move. Hearing the word "maze," Shard suddenly realized something. But before he could voice his guess, several figures appeared in the mist once more.

This time, they were not the swaying corpses nor the screaming souls. Seven human figures with different attire hurriedly ran over from the northern part of the street. They were just as surprised to see Shard and Megan:

"Encountered others again!"

Among the seven, five were Circle Sorcerers, with the highest-ranking being a man and a woman with Six Rings. They intended to approach Shard and Megan but took a step back upon seeing the glimmer in Shard’s hand.

"We are not enemies!"

The seven people explained in a flurry:

"This island has become increasingly strange, and we’ve all been trapped here. Now it’s just a giant maze; no matter where you go, you eventually end up back at the starting point. Join us, whether to survive together or find a way out, we can help each other."

Megan shook her head, exchanged a grave glance with Shard, and then took the initiative to ask:

"How long have you been trapped here?"

"Can’t remember, but for a very long time. Believe us, this place is not something you can easily walk out of."

Their tone was quite sincere, even Shard didn’t think they were lying, but he still shook his head:

"We want to take a look around this island first, if cooperation is needed, we’ll come find you."

"But once separated, we may not be able to find..."

Before the Six-Ring woman’s words were finished, Shard pulled Megan’s hand, turned around, and walked toward the other end of the street, disappearing into the mist.

Neither spoke a word, and after walking for five minutes, they stopped, ensuring the others were not following.

"Those things aren’t human. The corpses, the Evil Spirit we saw earlier, should be them."

Megan said gravely:

"There are many legends about this island owned by the family. It’s rumored that some people disappear on the island, and I fear the truth is that the Lost Ones have turned into this state. Based on the current situation, they are very likely to have died multiple times in the mist, and their memories have been twisted and altered countless times, yet they have not realized what truly happened."

Shard took a deep breath:

"Turning the island into a maze, imprisoning the souls and bodies of the Lost Ones, until they fall into the deepest despair... typical demonic behavior."

Megan slightly frowned:

"So, from the moment we woke up, we’ve already entered the sphere of demonic power’s influence."

"Yes,"

Shard nodded, realizing the current situation. Only then did the Arcane Technique called Demon Vision faintly discern hard-to-detect black streams of light within the dense white fog.

"If we can’t escape, we’ll gradually lose consciousness, just like those people earlier, completely becoming toys of the demons, wandering within this giant maze forever."

Shard spoke softly, and Megan then took off the small book hanging around her neck, gently shook it, turning it into a large book of gold and silver color. This was Megan’s Angel-Level Relic, the Tome of Desire. Given that she was already able to wield High Ring powers, the strength of this relic book also grew:

"I was prepared when you mentioned demons last time. Seems like it’s coming in handy now."

She quickly opened the book and found the corresponding page. The dense crimson text and intricate ritual diagram formed a powerful Arcane Technique known as Margaret’s Exorcism.

Of course, the "Margaret" mentioned here was not the Princess of the Southern Nation known by Shard, but rather a female Demon Hunter living in the ancient era. The exorcism ritual she created has been passed down through several eras, and integrated into the Circle Sorcerer System.

The page Megan turned to detailed the learning method, spellcasting method, and taboos of this High Ring Arcane Technique. After carefully reading it, she said to Shard:

"Leave it to me this time. I specifically asked my Twelve-Ring friend to record her Arcane Technique in my book."

It’s highly likely another Grand Witch, though Shard did not recognize her.

"This time, I’ll be the one saving you."

Megan showed a bright smile, then reached out to Shard:

"Let me borrow that ring; it can enhance the Arcane Technique’s effect."

Shard handed over the Demon Hunting Seal, and after Megan placed it on her finger, she held the book with her hands, one above and one below. An intangible wind expanded outward from the female sorcerer. For the first time, Megan’s Eleven-Ring Life Ring appeared fully behind her.

The Core Spirit Runes were remarkably rare, six in total—Enlightenment - [Immortality], Enlightenment - [Twins], Enlightenment - [Wisdom], Enlightenment - [Metal], Enlightenment - [Potion], Enlightenment - [Book]. Judging solely from the Core Spirit Runes, including the Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers, Shard had never seen anyone whose Talent and potential could compare to Megan.

[Immortality] and [Twins] matched the Furen Brothers, any one of [Wisdom], [Metal], [Potion], and [Book] were exceptionally rare and highly practical Spirit Runes. Although a Circle Sorcerer’s Talent cannot be simply judged from Spirit Runes, Shard still completely understood why Audrey, who possesses Spatial Talent, was the Great Witch of Knowledge and Wisdom.

Seeing her Life Ring, it’s apparent that no one would be more suitable.