Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 453 - The Wrong Path

When Shard left the Prophet's Society, he was in high spirits. His home was still undergoing renovations, so he decided to spend the day at Coldwater Port.

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Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he sneaked back home and headed to the port city on the West Coast through the basement. The weather in Coldwater Port was very pleasant today, with blue skies and white clouds above the calm sea, which was a delight to the mind and spirit. Both Shard, who was in a cheerful mood, and Mia, who had shown a fearful attitude towards the ocean last time, widened their eyes in awe at the beautiful scenery.

Whether it was due to her young age or breed, Mia's fur hadn't grown any longer since being adopted by Shard. In the sea breeze, her short cat fur shimmered in the sunlight and was gently flattened by the wind.

Seeing her like this, Shard couldn't help but reach out and stroke the cat's head, and Mia immediately let out a gentle meow, further brightening Shard's mood.

It was beneficial to one's mental health to occasionally stroll along the seaside with nothing particular to do.

After arriving at Coldwater Port, Shard was keen to visit Mr. Edmund at the Sea Cliff Lighthouse. The old man happened to be going fishing and invited Shard to join him.

Being an Outlander, Shard didn't know how to fish, so he first learned some basic fishing methods under Mr. Edmund's guidance at the base of the sea cliff, then tried casting the line and waiting. Mr. Edmund teased him, saying his movements were as stiff as a teenager's.

"Although I can't claim to be a fishing master, I did catch a big one a few days ago."

Shard responded nervously while holding the fishing rod.

"So what did you catch?"

The old man, while drawing the fishing line through the water, asked:

"You're not going to tell me that you fished your cat out of the water, are you?"

He laughed himself after saying this.

In fact, Shard was referring to the mermaid's corpse he had found.

During the fishing lull, Mr. Edmund shared some of the knowledge he'd learned from the "Mystery of the Ocean" with Shard and let him take some of the organized manuscripts with him before leaving.

Shard then asked if the Guiding Light Hermitage was aware of the "Whispering Verses" and the matter of the thirteen The Chosen Ones, and of course, the answer was yes.

"So how do you view The Chosen One?"

Shard was very curious.

"It's a grand ritual, with the thirteen The Chosen Ones serving as the executors. It's hard to say how it will end up, but having a The Chosen One from one's own faction must be important,"

the old man replied.

"But when the second The Chosen One was here at Coldwater Port a few days ago, I didn't see you make any moves. Oh, sir, don't tell me you only heard the news after that person left Coldwater Port."

"Are you very familiar with Ivan Daknis?"

Mr. Edmund asked as he carefully tightened the fishing line amidst the sound of the waves, seemingly having a catch:

"Of course, I got the message when so many Circle Sorcerers started pouring into Coldwater Port two weeks ago. But that demon-possessed fellow isn't a comrade of the Hermit Society. It's highly likely he won't meet a good end."

"Oh? Why's that?"

Shard enjoyed asking questions of such elderly folks.

"Because... got one, give me the net."

Mr. Edmund instructed Shard to pass him the tool while speaking:

"The Witch Council leaked the news about the second The Chosen One, including his power and combat style. It seems like the witches would rather see him killed by others. From the information I have, that Daknis is better at using demonic powers than relying on his own Dark Gift."

Luviya had mentioned this point as well.

"What's wrong with that? Are you suggesting he chose the wrong path?"

Shard asked again.

"That's correct, it seems you understand,"

Mr. Edmund pulled the black fish he had netted into a bucket, and Mia immediately leaned over to look. After getting splashed by the fish tail, she panicked and ran off, hiding under Shard's legs, peering curiously at the bucket.

"Do you think a normal human could coexist so perfectly with the Ancient Evil Spirits that linger from the Third Era? His Dark Gift allowed him to barely control the demons, yet he gave up digging deeper into the power of darkness and instead exploited the demonic powers more deeply."

The old man cast the line again and, after the hook landed in the water, he snorted with contempt:

"This is no longer about picking up a copper coin and losing a gold nugget. He has ignored his true nature, while that Ancient Evil Spirit Demon will certainly not overlook the power of Daknis. The young Circle Sorcerers nowadays really have no sense of reverence for—and the thought of controlling demons... He has completely lost his way. Even if in the end, the demon devours the second The Chosen One, aspiring to take The Chosen One's place for himself, I wouldn't be surprised at all."

"Could such a thing really happen?"

Shard asked, noticing a slight tremble on his fishing rod, he quickly jerked it up, but caught nothing, not even a blade of seaweed.

"Why couldn't it? The Chosen One isn't immortal, and besides, he hasn't even performed the ritual yet."

Mr. Edmund said, then sighed once more:

"If someone were there to guide Daknis, say, a Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer from the Blood Spirit School, 'The Weeper' Hermons, there might still be hope for him. But after fighting the Grand Witch and experiencing even deeper the power of the demon, I fear he will never turn back from the wrong path."

"Is Daknis definitely going to meet a bad end?"

"How many who dare to consort with demons can ever meet a good end?"

Mr. Edmund answered the question with another question.

Whether it was because Mia was always causing trouble, the luck today was bad, or perhaps it was just that Shard wasn't skilled enough, by 11:30 a.m. as the two men carried their buckets along the trail beneath the cliff back to the Lighthouse, Shard's bucket was still empty, whereas Mr. Edmund's tin bucket was nearly full.

It was now the last fishing season in the Coldwater Port Region in summer, and as long as there were no special currents or unusual marine creatures, fishing would be a bit easier than in other seasons.

The two enjoyed grilled fish for lunch under the Lighthouse, and Mia and the pets Mr. Edmund kept were also shared a portion of the fish meat.

After lunch, Shard said his goodbyes and then headed for the city, although finding a carriage into the city was not easy.

Following the fall of the Crimson Cult, a few merpeople were forced into hiding offshore, but confined to the vicinity of their ancestral habitats. They occasionally came ashore to attack travelers for food and supplies, rendering carriages leaving the urban area scarce to avoid the risk.

The Church had no good way of dealing with these few scattered merpeople; after all, the city had more than just merpeople to deal with.

So local black markets offered Bounty Orders to Circle Sorcerers, with a merperson's head being exchangeable for Gold Pounds or Krone, while the body of a Merman Priest could be traded for No. 3 Holy Water.

Although these bounties were not low, considering the number of tribally entwined merpeople and their almost human-like reproduction rate, the bounty on merpeople would likely continue for many years.

For Shard, this meant that after the grand event at Coldwater Port was over, in addition to being an extra trading and information-gathering location, the coastal area of Coldwater Harbor City, West Coast of the Old Continent to which his basement provided access, now also had the function of killing monsters to exchange for money and Church prestige.

This kind of thought was a joke an Outlander would make to themselves when reminiscing about their homeland and seeking self-amusement.

Once he arrived in the city, Shard took Mia to the Seven Brooms Tavern to sit for a while to inquire about local news and to check the messages related to the bounties for Currency Relics he was purchasing. Afterward, he stayed for ten more minutes to watch unfamiliar Circle Sorcerers playing Roder Card and stood by listening to people talk about the drowned bodies the Church had fished out of the nearshore waters during the Sea Return.

Most of those bodies showed traits of the merpeople and needed to be dealt with collectively to prevent other accidents.

After leaving the Seven Brooms Tavern, Shard headed to the Algae Tavern on the same Coastal Conch Avenue as Aphrola Manor, wanting to buy some locally characteristic medicinal liquor to take back to Tobesk as gifts for Priest Augustus and Dr. Schneider.

Whether Priest Augustus liked to drink, Shard did not know, but Dr. Schneider certainly enjoyed tasting liquor. As a wealthy, single, middle-aged man who neither smoked nor played Roder Card and had no other improper hobbies, he was sure to appreciate a good drink.

The old bartender at the Algae Tavern seemed to have already forgotten about the rainy Wednesday night last week when Shard came here, and he once again recommended the tavern's special liquor to him. Shard bought a bit of each variety, but because he had bought too much, it was inconvenient to carry, and since he could not turn the liquor into toys in front of ordinary people, he had to go to Aphrola Manor and find a servant to help carry it.

As it happened, Miss Aphrola was also at the manor and, hearing that Shard was there, invited him to meet her in the study.

"Do you like to drink a lot?"

In front of Miss Aphrola, Shard turned the liquor into toys and crammed them into the carry-on case he had with him. The Witch, with her beautiful brown curly long hair, curiously watched his actions and signaled the servants to bring her stored wine.

"No, I hardly drink at all; this is a gift for a friend... There's a merman peeing in your wine cellar."

He just remembered this incident.

"I'm aware. Besides Daknis who escaped, I turned all the remaining merpeople into fish food," the Witch said nonchalantly, signaling Shard to sit down for a talk.

Miss Hevy Aurora would not stay in Coldwater Port for long. Once she settled matters at the shipyard, she would begin her journey back to the United Kingdom of Carsonrick. Indeed, if not for a sudden agreement with Lecia, she should have left immediately after the Coldwater Port event ended.

Shard would probably no longer often see her at this manor, and the Witch seemed somewhat regretful about that:

"Speaking of which, last time I mentioned I would help you obtain a Spirit Rune related to 'Vibration.' Now there's news."

"So soon?"

"It's just good luck, and besides, 'Vibration' isn't exactly a rare Spirit Rune, given that the rune can lead to many interpretations. However, since I won't be staying here long, I chose the quickest method."