Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 345: To Coldwater Port

"Well then, it seems it can’t possibly be me."

Shard chuckled awkwardly, settling himself on the sofa as he stroked the cat beside him:

"So let’s continue with the divination. We have two Blood Coins and one Atonement Coin left... Knowing the gender now, we’re still not familiar with those ten people... We definitely can’t divine their place of residence, oh, I want to know when the person will leave Coldwater Port City."

Shard wanted to define the search area, as he could only operate in Coldwater Port City and Tobesk City for now. Even if he precisely knew the person’s identity, once they left Coldwater Port, he would have no way to continue the search.

"I can do that, but just like my initial divination for Iluna, I can only provide a vague result."

First, she used a Civilization Coin, but it was ineffective, and then she tossed a Blood Coin, which was still ineffective.

Lecia glanced at Shard, and upon seeing him nod, she threw the last Blood Coin into the air. When Lecia opened her eyes, her words proved to be satisfying:

"The second Chosen One will stay in Coldwater Port City for around a week before heading to Tobesk."

"Coming here?"

Shard revealed a smile similar to Lecia’s:

"Then things are much simpler. I’ll head to Coldwater Port to gather information. I have friends there, and I can try to find out the identities of the Circle Sorcerers who fled last night. Even if I can’t find the exact person in Coldwater Port, as long as I know their identities, I can determine in a few weeks’ time which of the males arrived in Tobesk, and then the choice will be clear."

"Right, it seems to be going smoother than my search for Iluna’s identity."

The consecutive divinations had taken their toll on Lecia’s complexion, but the valuable information they yielded excited her.

Since they still didn’t know who the second Chosen One was, Lecia asked Shard to try finding them, and even if he did, not to make immediate contact but to ascertain their character and what factions they belonged to first.

What Lecia wanted to do was unite, secure, and witness the Chosen Ones standing before the last door, ensuring that the majority of The Chosen standing with her at that final door were on her side. But if the person was a villain, Lecia had no interest in dealing with them.

"Leave the following matters to me. I’ll take care of everything in Coldwater Port City before the other person heads to Tobesk. Besides myself, everyone else is cursed with the Mermaid’s Curse, and I just need to search for those looking to break the curse, and I’m bound to find leads."

He paused for a moment, thinking of Mr. Daknis, who had cheated at cards in the tavern, and who had escaped on the pirate ship:

"In addition, Lecia, I know the name of one of them. Although after the pirate ship accident, that person probably won’t show up easily in the tavern, but we can still follow up on it. Beyond that, there are roughly nine others whose identities await verification..."

Shard didn’t take this as a difficult task, as, apart from his own search, the church, which also wanted to find people, couldn’t possibly overlook the Coldwater Port officials, and Princess Lecia would certainly find a way to obtain the list of names under special surveillance.

"However, I’m more curious about why the person would choose to head to Tobesk in a week. My friend said that the curse is a regional one. Once you leave Coldwater Port, the curse might mutate."

That was Shard’s only question at the moment.

"We should know in a week’s time."

Lecia spoke, sitting quietly there, watching Shard pick up the cat and continuously stroke its little head; Mia Cat quite liked this treatment from Shard.

"Shard?"

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"I’m here, what is it?"

The purple-eyed diviner shook her head again:

"No, it’s nothing... If your fifteen credits really aren’t enough, I still have some Relics you can use that I won’t need. It’s a pity I don’t trust you enough yet to go with you."

(Mia is sleeping zZ...)

Early Wednesday morning, the sound of rain pelting against the windows woke Shard. The heavy downpour must have started the night before, and by morning, as he opened the window, the rumbling sound of rain seemed like it was going to submerge the entire city.

Today was the last day of Thunder Moon, and this was the largest rain Shard had seen since he came to this world.

"When I see rain, I think of water, and when I think of water, I think it’s time to give you a bath. Mia, next month, I’m definitely going to bathe you."

Shard said to the cat at his feet as he picked up the newspaper and milk from downstairs. The small orange cat followed Shard up the stairs, looking forward to breakfast, showing no reaction to what Shard had said.

The feeling of not needing to go out in such a rainstorm was quite pleasant, but Dorothy, who had braved the weather to get to Saint Delan Square, was in a bit of a bad mood. Wearing rain boots and holding an umbrella, she held her notebook and books closely. Even taking a carriage, she inevitably got wet from the rain.

Today, Shard was supposed to meet Princess Lecia in Coldwater Port, and Dorothy had come to help look after the cat.

Her main task lately was writing the detective novel that would begin serialization next week in the "Steam Bird Daily," for which she needed to consult Shard’s detective records, so she brought her notebook and books needed for writing. While Shard was away, she could also take care of Mia Cat, killing two birds with one stone.

"Would you like to see how I’m going to Coldwater Port?"

Shard left the Transmutation Ring behind, so Dorothy could play with the cat. But the Blonde Writer, who had already started writing in the study, had no interest in seeing the dangerous things in the basement and waved her hand irritably, asking him not to bother her.

"Come to think of it, will I be able to see you in Coldwater Port?"

Shard asked again. He preferred adventuring with Dorothy over the "familiar stranger" Princess Lecia.

"Aside from the mandatory swap once a week and for emergency safety during danger, we generally don’t perform the switch. Plus, Lecia certainly won’t help me with writing articles here."

Dorothy replied with annoyance, lowering her head to start writing. Shard felt somewhat regretful, and after saying hello to Mia, who was licking her paws, he set off on his journey.

Mia Cat wasn’t dissatisfied with Shard’s departure; she knew it was raining outside, and cats do not venture out in such weather.

He headed from the cellar to the Sea Cliff Cave beyond the Coldwater Port Dock. After emerging at the sea’s surface, he discovered that it was also raining in Coldwater Port today.

By the time Shard braved the rain to set foot on shore, the waves, whipped up by strong winds and continually hitting the coast, nearly dragged him back into the sea.

But the rainy weather meant he didn’t need to change clothes to enter the city. The "ugly merman from the deep sea" shiveringly reached the front of Golden Rose Inn on Hoglenz Avenue, still dripping with water as he entered.

The plump innkeeper thought Shard had carelessly left without an umbrella and kindly reminded him there was hot water in the washroom of his room, but he should turn on the steam valve:

"Just make sure not to turn the valve all the way to the end, or else the pressure might become unstable and cause leaks at the pipe joints!"

After Shard finished his bath and changed his clothes in the somewhat cramped washroom, it was already nine-thirty in the morning.

He pushed open the washroom door while drying his hair and was surprised to find someone in the room.

A girl with red hair and a long dress was standing with her back to him, gazing out the window at the rainy scene. Shard’s room on the third floor of the inn offered a clear view of the entire block.

"Good morning, Prin... Her Highness Lecia."

He still felt somewhat awkward saying hello. The princess, hearing the voice, turned around with a smile to look at Shard:

"Just call me by my name, Shard, good morning. This must be the first time I formally greet you with my own body, it feels really good... Yes, you did have me introduce myself the day before yesterday."

She was wearing a relatively plain long dress today, but even plain clothing could not hide her unique presence. Lecia stepped forward:

"Good morning, Rejed’s Hamilton. I am Lecia Cavendish. I am pleased to meet you in this rainy summer at Coldwater Port."

"Good morning, Lecia."

Shard replied with a smile, feeling that she was indeed someone he was familiar with.

Then, Shard asked Lecia for more details about the aftermath of the pirate ship incident. He learned that since the night before yesterday, the church had been looking for the Circle Sorcerer who had escaped from the ship. Of course, the princess was in hiding, and the boatmen and servants who picked her up were well taken care of.

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She thought the church just wanted to learn more about the pirate ship after hearing about the Sea Return ceremony. But Shard knew that the church had realized that among the escaping Circle Sorcerers, there was the second Chosen One.

Coldwater Port was probably going to see an influx of more strange people.

Shard then asked Princess Lecia to help him find out information about the Circle Sorcerers who jumped from the ship, to which she readily agreed. Afterward, he inquired about the mermaid’s curse, but the princess reassured Shard not to worry, she wouldn’t be in any trouble.

"Shard, you’ve come to visit me, how can we keep talking about these boring matters? Is it always like this when you’re with Dorothy?"

The red-haired girl was in high spirits today:

"Because of the curse, I’ve been stuck in Coldwater Port for two weeks without being able to leave. Finally, someone comes to see me, let’s go do something interesting, shall we? I can’t teach you for the time being as I didn’t bring many books with me on this trip to Carsonrick. You see, I gathered some interesting information yesterday. There’s a Circle Sorcerer in the area who was cursed but managed to remove it on his own. Would you like to come with me to investigate? We’ll visit incognito, observe whether he really lifted the curse, and if it’s true, then we’ll reveal our Circle Sorcerer identities."

"There’s someone that amazing? Of course, I’ll go."

Perhaps the people on the ship might also be drawn there.

"Does the church know about this? If this method could be widespread, wouldn’t it solve the problem of the mermaid’s curse? The Sea Return ceremony would be resolved as well."

He asked again.

"But the premise is whether the Circle Sorcerer who was cursed truly managed to lift it. That’s why we’re visiting in a private capacity first to confirm the details."

The red-haired girl raised her hand to touch the ruby on her ear, asking with a smile:

Rejed’s Hamilton, do you pledge on the honor of a knight that you will protect the princess you serve today?"

Knight’s loyalty is to the king, not the royal family, so strictly speaking, what Princess Lecia said was problematic, but Shard wasn’t about to be foolish and correct her now:

"Oh, yes, Your Highness, the Princess."

He replied obligingly and guessed what kind of reaction the Blonde Writer would have when he told Dorothy about the conversation.