Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 429 - The Sea and the Cat

The next day was Thursday, and Shard woke up early in the morning to receive a letter from Miss Galina. The witch insisted, absolutely and unrefutably, that he must visit her manor that afternoon.

Shard knew she wanted to inquire about Coldwater Port, so he yawned, carelessly set the letter aside, and enjoyed a quiet breakfast at home with his cat.

After breakfast, Shard changed his clothes and prepared to go out. He grabbed a towel and motioned for Mia, who was excitedly watching pigeons on the windowsill, to come over:

"Mia, would you like to see the sea and the lighthouse?"

"Meow?"

The cat probably didn't quite understand the words "sea" and "lighthouse" in the common language of Draleon, but seeing Shard beckoning, she still ran over happily.

So, two hours later, Shard stood in front of the lighthouse watched by Mr. Edmund, holding the cat and looking with Mia at the sparkling, undulating sea far away from the cliff.

The orange cat with its mouth open and eyes wide looked really funny.

It was a good day, and beneath the azure sky, the water, though not calm, was much friendlier with its sparkling waves compared to the red ocean. Standing on the cliff, basking in the warm sun, and listening to the deafening sound of the surging waves, Shard truly felt like he was on vacation in Coldwater Port.

Mia, a pet cat born in Tobesk, was probably seeing the sea for the first time. When Shard turned her from a stuffed toy back to a real cat at the back of the lighthouse near the edge of the cliff, the cat had its fur standing up, shivering in Shard's arms.

But once it confirmed that the sound of the waves wouldn't harm it, little Mia peeked out again from Shard's embrace, looking around and even showing interest in the seagulls flying overhead. The sea breeze made the cat's soft short fur cling to its body, and the bright sunshine made the orange and white fur seem to shimmer.

Of course, Shard sincerely hoped that the seagulls circling above the lighthouse wouldn't have the habit of relieving themselves randomly... Judging from the traces on the nearby ground, these seagulls were less polite than he had thought.

On such a fine day, Mr. Edmund had placed a "Gone Fishing" sign on the lower door of the lighthouse and was not at home. Shard was in no hurry to look for him along the nearby coast but rather enjoyed the sea view with his cat.

He had already heard from Miss Aphrola about the conclusion of the big events at Coldwater Port. The local Merman cult's forces were almost entirely wiped out, and the few surviving Mermen, once again like their ancestors, lurked in the city in human guise, waiting for the next conspiracy in a thousand years.

The unexpected appearance of the "God Summoner" caused the battle at dawn yesterday to end faster than planned. To the citizens of Coldwater Port, yesterday morning was nothing more than the result of abnormal monsoon movements and an increase in city pollution discharge, causing a short period of sky and sea color changes in a small area.

This didn't have too much impact on the lives of ordinary people.

As for the victims who stepped into the sea during the Sea Return ceremony, affected by the Mermaid's Curse, although the official count has not yet concluded, according to the witch's calculations, the total number won't exceed 600, including the fishing boats that did not return to port in time and capsized in the open sea.

Compared to the scale of this incident, such a sacrifice was entirely within an acceptable range.

"This world is truly dangerous for ordinary people," Shard mused to himself as he held the cat and looked at the cruise ships passing by in the distance.

If no mysterious events happened around them, they probably would never understand how dangerous the world really is throughout their lives. And once they're involved with a Relic, Circle Sorcerer, or cult, the survival rate of ordinary people is actually quite low.

This can be seen from the family of Sophie Dais, a girl, to Mr. Freeman, a painter who collected oil paintings, from the Godfall of Tobesk's summer to the shadows of Coldwater Port.

The True God Church is currently working with Coldwater Port City Hall on the aftermath work. And the Circle Sorcerers who had gathered in this seaport city seemingly because of the Mermen were also leaving in an orderly fashion. It appeared that the witch had spread the word locally that the second Chosen One had left Coldwater Port, and now the focus of attention and investigation should be on the transportation hubs around Coldwater Port.

The red ocean receded, the Merman Ruins at the bottom of the abyss disappeared, and the giant mermaid corpse, split into four pieces, dissolved in the sea. Overall, the cult event that took place in Coldwater Port at the end of the summer of 1853 ended with a relatively perfect outcome.

Currently, what people are most curious about is the whereabouts of the Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer, the "God Summoner." The Church believes that this Circle Sorcerer found a cure in the Merman Temple, healing the injuries sustained while summoning divine beings in Tobesk.

Therefore, the Church is convinced that he won't leave the Old Continent for the New World. Although it is unclear to which faction the "God Summoner" belongs, his movements indicate that the Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer is also interested in the thirteen Chosen Ones prophesied in the Whispering Verses.

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From this perspective, the Church's guess is likely correct. However, they will have to wait a while to find Shard. Linking the detective from Saint Delan Square in Tobesk to the Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer fishing in Coldwater Port is not a simple matter.

With these thoughts and having not observed the seascape for long, Mr. Edmund approached the lighthouse from behind, carrying a fishing rod on his back, holding a bucket in one hand, and carrying a metal toolbox that could be used as a stool in the other. His catch for the day had been quite good. Without the influence of abnormal tides, the old man living by the seaside demonstrated his astonishing fishing skills.

It wasn't until he got close to the lighthouse that he realized he had visitors. As Shard turned around, holding the cat, a look of surprise crossed the old man's face:

"Do you need me to remind you that you aren't wearing a mask on your face?"

"Do I need a mask? There probably aren't many people in Tobesk that Old Man John knows who could introduce me to business, let alone those who know the Guiding Light Hermitage. Combined with my height and build, you would only need a few letters to easily deduce who I am."

Shard shrugged his shoulders; he had thought about this while running to the lighthouse on a rainy night, but for that drop of Divinity, it was worth it.

"No, actually, I have no intention of asking John about it at all. Whether you are Rejed's Hamilton is not important to me."

The old man continued to laboriously carry the water bucket and metal box upward, while Shard went over, placed the cat on his shoulder, and helped Mr. Edmund carry the water bucket. In the tin water bucket, now four bearded fish swam around, the clear water reflecting the sunlight, also allowing Shard to see all the bodily details of these aquatic creatures.

Mia was very interested in these fish.

"The Hermit Society isn't interested in the secrets of those we trade with. As long as you don't hinder us, it's fine. Rest assured, young man, I won't speak to anyone about your matters, neither do I wish to know what sort of relationship you have with that God Summoner."

After a strenuous effort to reach the base of the lighthouse, the old man searched for the keys in his brown vest full of pockets, which he wore while fishing. He had just opened the door at the base of the lighthouse when the cat locked inside immediately darted out.

"Meow~"

Mia, who had been behaving on Shard's shoulder, instantly "roared," and the much larger cat retreated a step, seemingly scared by Mia's "roar."

Shard petted Mia, trying to calm it down for a while. Your next read awaits at novelbuddy

Entering the lighthouse with Mr. Edmund, the old man tidied up the fishing gear before sitting down to speak with Shard:

"The Hermit Society was formed to deal with the apocalypse. As long as you don't hinder our collection and preservation of civilization's knowledge, and you have no thoughts of destroying the world, then we can become friends. As for secrets, oh, young man, which Cult Sorcerer isn't without secrets? Even if you say right now that you are the God Summoner, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised."

Shard summoned the Ring of Fate behind him:

"Unfortunately, I am not."

"Indeed, a pity," Mr. Edmund heaved a sigh of regret:

"I was actually hoping that you were; that way, I would have one more Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer to trade with."

He reached over and turned the gas valve on the wall, put on some water to heat on the small stove.

"Nevertheless, I do know that Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer. If there's a chance, I could introduce him to come here to shop."

Shard said, and, seeing the old man's noncommittal response, reached into his pocket and then took out the leather-bound, hefty book "Mystery of the Ocean" that could not possibly have been stashed in his pocket without a trace:

"This is what I promised you, the Crimson Cult's sacred text. That night when I entered the city, I found a Sea Return ritual node and, with a friend's help, raided it and got this."

He handed the book to Mr. Edmund, who, upon receiving it, first stood up to fetch a paper bag full of banknotes from the desk to return to Shard, then sat down and began to caress the book's cover with his hands.

"This isn't made of human skin, is it?"

Shard asked with some concern.

"Of course not, it's the hide of a male Gilded Seahorse. These magical creatures excrete feces containing minute amounts of gold. Although the quantity is very small, breeding Gilded Seahorses is one of the few ways in the material world to transmute other substances into gold almost without cost," explained the old man, which made Shard think of the famous Relic, the Philosopher's Stone.

Mr. Edmund placed the hefty book on his lap and began to carefully flip through it, casually checking its chapters, while Shard amused himself by taking in the lighthouse's interior decor.

The book was written in Merman script, using characters from not just one era. Shard could understand all of it, whereas Mr. Edmund could only comprehend parts.