Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 364 Iluna’s Harvest

"Shard, how many academic credits is the Academy planning to reward you with for this operation?"

After lamenting the dangers of the Relic, the doctor asked.

"I haven’t submitted the report yet, the Academy said they will give me an answer after I turn in my report, but it’s probably around 10 credits." Continue reading at novelbuddy

The Poet-Level Relic "Infinite Mercury Bottle" is worth about four or five credits, while this Scribe Level Relic is worth about seven or eight credits on its own.

The reason Shard could receive 10 credits this time is that he could also submit a complete artifact recovery report, and mention a brand-new method of relic recovery in the report, instead of merely "selling" the Relic to the Academy. The report Shard has yet to write will be entered into the Academy Library. It will not only be of great reference for this Relic but also for the containment of similar-type relics, which is actually the value of knowledge.

"That makes 15 credits in total!"

Shard couldn’t help but smile. He originally treated the case provided by the Cleric as a backup, thinking he wouldn’t encounter a real Relic until Friday from Iluna, but he ended up completing the mission today.

"Doctor, I’ll turn in that Mercury Vial on Saturday. I’ll try my luck tomorrow and see if I can stumble upon another case. If I really do, it’s like saving a Relic."

He said to Dr. Schneider, who shook his head:

"That arrangement is fine, and I’ll inform the Academy. But one should not always rely on luck; luck is such an elusive thing."

Such words coming from Dr. Schneider were indeed thought-provoking.

"It’s not just the credits, I expect to receive around 20 pounds as a bonus too."

Shard, in high spirits, added that compared to the actual value of this complex and versatile Relic, the 20-pound bonus likely only counted as a small fraction.

"If it’s for submitting the Relic for credits, with a complete containment report, the cap is 5 pounds for Poet-Level, 20 pounds for Scribe Level, and 80 pounds for Keeper of Secrets Level. That’s been the old rule for years. The one you found is very valuable, so it’s being rewarded to the full extent."

The doctor said quite expertly, shaking his head as he put down his wine glass:

"So, the most suitable way to get credits is still the Academy’s tasks or the Academy Bounty Notice. Of course, the Time Key is also an excellent choice for you."

"Shard’s time was too tight this time; besides, he’ll be promoted to the second year in a month, so he doesn’t have much time for many things."

Old Cleric said, also happy for Shard:

"I was originally worried that today’s matter was just an Evil Spirit, but it turned out to be a Relic, and the containment process went very smoothly, saving a family. Shard, I don’t know if this should be counted as your luck or mine."

"Priest, this is certainly your luck."

Shard replied with a smile, putting down the document paper in his hand, and then he picked up the soft Mia who was lying on the couch. During the men’s conversation, the well-behaved cat had been lying next to Shard, sleeping.

"However, I can’t relax too much; I still have many things to deal with this week..."

Shard’s main task for the week was to probe into the God Summoning Ritual "Contacting the Blazar Gate". Because of the sudden appearance of the second Chosen One, Shard couldn’t spend his coins recklessly; he was still waiting for a message from Professor Manning.

"Try to deal with another matter tomorrow. There’s a high probability that there will be no result, so I can find time to inquire with Professor Manning."

He was planning his schedule for tomorrow, but he also felt the headache of his profession. Since solving Mrs. Lemer’s inheritance commission, he had gone an entire week without any other business.

"Detective Sparrow had four commissions pending, the lover’s investigation ended, and the cat-finding commission turned into a new fostering commission. It’s already reaching August; perhaps it’s time I settled the remaining two as well."

Shard thought to himself, but these matters could only be addressed next week.

After saying goodbye to the doctor and properly thanking Priest Augustus for his help today, Shard left with Mia.

To reward the cat for its contribution that afternoon, Shard took it to a restaurant near Saint Delan Square for a lavish meal as agreed. Although it was a feast, Shard didn’t give it too much food for the sake of the cat’s health.

The petite orange cat threw a little tantrum, but by the time night fell and they returned home, Mia had forgotten she was annoyed with Shard and meowed as she "led" him upstairs.

There was no leisure time even after returning home; taking advantage of the uneventful night, Shard, under the gaslight, took up the fountain pen and spent a great deal of effort completing the report that needed to be submitted. He didn’t have the ’mind writing’ ability like Dorothy and had to handwrite letter by letter. Although the report didn’t require any specific format, to make it look more formal, the letters had to be well-written.

This was a great challenge for Outlanders, while writing the report itself was quite simple. After all, there was nothing about today’s events that couldn’t be disclosed.

"If things go smoothly, on Saturday I could receive the notice of promotion to the second year, then there are textbook expenses... I definitely have enough savings on hand, but after paying tuition, the remaining savings won’t be much, making it hard to deal with urgent financial needs."

Before washing up for the night, he was still pondering his income. Then he realized it was the start of the month, and he could go to MI6 to collect and reimburse some money, but taxes, gas, water, and steam charges were also not small amounts.

"I need to take on a few commissions; I remember the fees for the other two commissions left by Detective Sparrow aren’t high either."

Income had increased, but so had expenses. Even if Shard could confront a deity face to face, he couldn’t help but worry about making a living.

(Mia running around...)

Early on Friday, the city was enveloped by a light fog. In the absence of rain, this was typical for Tobesk. August marked the last month of summer, and although it was still the height of summer, the thought of autumn approaching was quite pressing for people contemplating their livelihoods for the coming half-year.

There wasn’t much local news in the morning paper; Tobesk’s public order had been unexpectedly good in the past two weeks, marking the best period in decades. Shard was interested in news about the reform of Tobesk University mentioned in the ’Steam Bird Daily’. The heavily ink-scented paper revealed that some local Advanced Academies were willing to open education courses to individuals with outstanding contributions to society.

"Outstanding contributions" referred to donations to the school, and education courses basically meant no attendance was required; only some basic assessments needed to be participated in. Correspondingly, degrees obtained this way weren’t regular bachelor, master, or doctorate degrees, but instead, honorary degrees.

Although some may view honor degrees as not real degrees, but rather donation certificates obtained through despicable educational contributions, they can be publicly mentioned.

For instance, King "Fire Jumper" Larus III himself boasts honor degrees in philosophy, economics, and sociology from many of the kingdom’s advanced academies.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.

Shard was interested in this news, actually intrigued by the notion of educational status. The basic education of this body was almost nonexistent. If Shard hadn’t come along, all of the education of the homeless man would’ve been crash-coursed in just a few months by the foreign spy, Mr. Sparrow Hamilton.

In the foreseeable future, Shard would live many more years in Draleon Kingdom, so he also wanted to acquire a presentable educational identity to enrich his background.

Of course, there were no actual benefits, it simply added a line on the business card, and people would have one more thing to mention when announcing his titles. However, getting a "gold-plated" educational background was necessary for a detective navigating the great cities of the Steam Age. Besides, beyond the convenience of status, it also fulfilled Shard’s pursuit of his own potential.

Back in his homeland, he had a high level of education. In this world, if there was a way to obtain an educational status, he certainly wanted to try his best.

"But this donation is really not small..."

So his main problem now was the lack of money.

After breakfast, Shard shared his attempt to seek a local educational status from Tobesk schools with Luviya and Iluna, who arrived on time. His friends were very supportive of the idea, as it was always beneficial for their professions to have more backgrounds.

Today was Iluna’s second day back from the Papacy of the Sun Church, and the young lady was not idle yesterday. After being away for over a week, besides her duties at the church, she also had to do a thorough cleaning of her apartment.

The reason the three of them gathered at Shard’s place today was mainly to discuss the information Iluna had acquired since becoming The Chosen One.

The girl with the brown hair was happy to visit Shard’s home again and remained enthusiastic about Mia. But little Mia wasn’t a cat to be cuddled by just anyone, she lay atop the back of the sofa behind Shard’s head, and from Iluna’s view, only the cat’s tail was visible behind Shard’s neck.

"This knowledge and information gradually appeared in my head over time. No, it wasn’t that I received messages from some existence, but rather that these bits of information have always been there, I just didn’t know it before."

After giving a brief introduction, Iluna formally began to explain:

"The most important and complete is about the use of the ’Balance’ power. I didn’t gain new abilities, but I obtained more powerful forces based on what I already had."

She asked Shard and Luviya to manifest their Rings of Fate, then pressed her finger downward and looked into their eyes saying, "Balance." Immediately, both felt their powers become suppressed.

Shard’s level was too low, so he didn’t feel it as keenly, but the female diviner frowned and admitted that under this state, her power had at least diminished by a third, stronger than the suppression before Iluna’s awakening.

Beyond suppression, Iluna could also use the power of "Balance" to enhance the power of Circle Sorcerers. However, she wasn’t yet fully proficient at controlling her ability, so the effect of enhancement was not as pronounced as suppression.

Not only the Low Rings, but Iluna could now influence even High Ring Sorcerers. Although the influence on High Rings wasn’t significant, in battle, any negligence could lead to a fatal disadvantage.

With Iluna present, any Circle Sorcerer could defeat an enemy beyond their level. Moreover, Iluna was only at Three Rings now. As she continued to grow, the power from the Ancient God would become stronger and stronger.

```

Based on her own speculation, when she grew to the Thirteen Rings, the power of "balance" would even be sufficient to suppress any Circle Sorcerer below the High Ring to the First Ring.

Of course, this suppression and enhancement of power was only a part of the power she had obtained so far. More power awaited Iluna to uncover, and her path as a Circle Sorcerer would become much easier. The identity of The Chosen One seemed to have a peculiar effect of directly improving the efficiency of her acquisition of Spirit Runes.

"The growth of power is something we can all anticipate. I suppose the Sun Church has arranged a detailed promotion plan for you. What I’m more curious about, though, is, what information have you obtained? Do you have any that relates to ’Whispering Verses’ and the final door?"

Luviya asked, and Shard also looked at Iluna curiously, as this was the content they were most concerned about.

"There is indeed some information, but it’s very scattered. I think I need more time to sort it out."

The seventeen-year-old girl patted her head, then realized the action was not very ladylike. She sheepishly smiled at Shard and mischievously winked:

"Each of The Chosen corresponds to an Ancient God, that much we already know. The Thirteen Chosen are interconnected, and if someone else becomes The Chosen through a ritual, I can vaguely sense their presence. Right now, it’s only me, so I can’t describe what that vague feeling is like."

"So others can sense you as well?"

Shard asked.

"Yes, but some unique Arcane Techniques and Sorceries or even Relics can shield this perception. However, one must become The Chosen to know about this, so at the moment someone becomes The Chosen, I can feel them, but they must accept the information to shield this perception."

Iluna summarized, and Luviya’s purple eyes sparkled with amusement:

"That’s good news, even if we can’t find The Chosen, at least we can know the current tally."

"Have you told the church about this?"

Shard asked again. Iluna nodded:

"Sooner or later, Chosen of other factions will appear, and that’s something that can’t be concealed."

"You’re right, there is no need to hide the matter of The Chosen from the church. What I want to do is to unite more of The Chosen so that when the final door is opened, we make the right choices. We do not stand opposed to the church."

Luviya reiterated her viewpoint, and Iluna looked at the cat’s tail behind Shard’s head and continued:

"I haven’t sorted out everything else, but what’s certain is that each of The Chosen must be a Circle Sorcerer, not an ordinary person. Furthermore, most people, like me, would discover their unusual unique abilities after becoming Circle Sorcerers."

But there are no shortage of Circle Sorcerers with unusual abilities, like Shard, like Dr. Schneider, Priest Augustus, Luviya, and Dorothy. Yet Shard is definitely not one, so this method of searching is not viable.

```