Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 349: Crimson Cult

"Teacher, teacher..."

Mr. Scott, still in shock, pointed to the painting that Shard had put back into the safe. Professor Katja shook her head:

"Stay calm, Scott. Did you think the work of a folklore scholar was just to read literature in the office? Calm down, oh, Scott, you are a good lad, stay calm!"

"Teacher, have you ever seen something like this before?"

"I’ve seen worse. This is the first time I’ve taken you out to see the world. If you still wish to learn from me, you will encounter many more things like this."

The young scholar had a look of horror, and Professor Katja felt slightly disappointed. Then she turned to Shard and said:

"Sir, from your expression, you must be more than just..."

"Yes."

Shard took out a document and flashed it before Professor Katja:

"MI6. We are tracking a batch of contraband. I am an agent of MI6, and Miss Princess is... my superior."

This explanation was fine.

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Professor Katja, who clearly had seen a lot, took the document, glanced at it, and knew it was genuine:

"Then it seems we’ve stumbled upon real trouble this time. Agent, what else is in the safe?"

"Deeds and property titles, it seems that besides this house, most of the houses in this entire alley belong to Mr. Jude. There are also some jewels, cash, odd badges, and seals."

The professor took the stone seal Shard had handed over, and after a glance and a furrowed brow, suddenly her eyes widened:

"The Crimson Cult!"

"What?"

Shard asked in surprise. Mr. Scott, still unsettled, was also puzzled, but Lecia thought for a moment and explained:

"The Crimson Cult is an ancient term. The formal name today is the cult that worships the ’Lord of the Crimson Spiral’, the Evil God."

"Teacher, is Mr. Jude a cultist?"

The young man looked even more panicked. He only thought this was a regular academic investigation and had not expected to encounter something so thrilling.

But the professor was much more composed:

"Don’t panic. As a folklore scholar, you can’t avoid dealing with these kinds of people. Oh, look at this book."

Professor Katja took the book Shard had just taken out of the safe. The black cover bore the title "Mystery of the Ocean". The book was the size of two standard sheets of letter paper put together, with a thickness surpassing two standard red bricks:

"I never thought I’d see this! Now, I suspect that Mr. Jude himself is one of the organizers of the cult. Gentlemen, lady, look at this. This book is forbidden. In my youth, I assisted the church in research and saw a manuscript of this book. ’Mystery of the Ocean’ was a symbol of the identity of the hosts of the Crimson Cult back then. Inside, there’s an ancient language recording some very terrible things, even more frightening than that painting, and it’s said that a mere glance could drive a normal person insane."

This description sounded like one of those books that could contain Spirit Runes. But Shard did not ask for the book Professor Katja was holding and instead took out more letters from the safe.

The majority of the letters were written in Draleonese, a few in Carsonrick, and a tiny fraction in a strange script unknown to mankind. He selected a few envelopes inscribed with the unknown language, the conch-like characters were obviously not of human origin, but Shard understood them. After a few glances, he had essentially confirmed Professor Katja’s opinion:

"We must leave soon. According to the content of the letters, this ancient alley is a nesting ground for the cult. The people who have gone missing nearby have all been captured by them. It seems we’re indeed in big trouble now." Your journey continues with novelbuddy

He haphazardly stuffed a few letters into his pocket. The professor looked reluctantly at the book in her hands, but it was simply too large to take, so she had to let it go reluctantly.

Shard and Lecia were not very interested in the book, although it might be possible to obtain Spirit Runes by reading it, but one might also be tainted by the knowledge of the Evil God. Even Shard, basked in Divine Afterglow, did not dare to try such a thing.

So they had no choice but to leave the book behind and prepare to leave.

"Scott, get ready to smash the window."

The professor said, as he and Shard aimed their guns at the tightly shut door. The young scholar, whose spirit had been disturbed by witnessing the strange painting, reacted after a moment and fiercely swung a stool at the window.

Crack~

Mr. Scott put all his strength into it, but the glass remained unscathed, and instead, the chair in his hands split apart with a loud noise.

Finally, attracted by the abnormal noises inside, Shard patted the professor’s shoulder, handed him his own functioning revolver, pushed Mr. Scott aside, and swung his fist at the window.

Of course, Shard wasn’t planning to pit his body against the specially-made tough glass. Before his fist swung forward, the silver moonlight had already shot out.

Right at that moment, the doorknob turned from the outside, and then the door was pushed open—

Bang! Bang!

The professor calmly fired the dual handguns at the door, and the approaching butler was immediately hit by his bullets, cried out, then staggered and fell to the floor.

While Mr. Scott’s attention was also drawn to the door, Lecia quickly stepped beside Shard, pressed her hand against the glass that had already been cracked, and gently pushed, shattering the entire pane into pieces.

"Let’s go!"

Shard yelled loudly as more and more sounds began to emerge from the dim corridor outside the door.

"You go first!"

The professor shouted, as he adeptly pressed the hammer of Shard’s revolver with his thumb while still holding guns in both hands.

The writhing butler on the ground, despite being shot in the heart, was unbelievably not dead yet, and struggled to stand up. His throat emitted a gurgling sound, which was actually a form of language; he was calling for help. It seems that the butler, who had been monitoring the hallway, was the first to rush over upon noticing something was amiss.

"You go first!"

Shard told the Princess, and so the red-haired girl jumped through the window into the pouring rain outside, without any hesitation.

Bang bang bang~

The professor fired several more shots, making the convulsing butler on the ground twitch even more violently. Yet he still wasn’t dead, smoke rose from the bullet holes in his body, and his face looked like it was melting, transforming into something ugly and terrifying:

"Mr. Scott, it’s your turn! Jump!"

"But this is the second floor... I understand."

The young scholar was frightened by what was suddenly happening before him, but seeing a lady jump, he too shouted and leaped out.

"Professor, it’s our turn now!"

Shard grabbed Professor Katja, who kept firing calmly while retreating, forcing the shadows in the corridor to dare not approach the doorway.

As the two reached the window, Shard dropped into a crouch, then pulled the professor and leaped, jumping straight out from the windowsill to the ground. When he lightly landed in a puddle on the street, he didn’t even splash much water.

He even had the strength to spare, supporting Professor Katja’s back so that the professor too could land steadily.

This resulted in Professor Katja standing in the rain, staring at her legs in disbelief, somewhat suspecting how her agility was so exceptional that day.

"This way! My people are on a street just outside of here, once we run out we’ll be safe!"

Lecia shouted loudly in the rain, which was heavier than they expected. Now, whether it was gunfire or bomb explosions, none could be expected to reach beyond one street away.