Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 465 - The Promise That Was Passed On

Watching Mr. Riddle eat, Shard wasn't worried that he might suddenly eat too much and upset his stomach, as the "Satiety Food" had an excellent healing effect on gastrointestinal issues.

However, Mr. Riddle did not finish all his food but, after eating one-third of it, asked Shard for a wooden box, gathered the remaining food onto a plate, and placed it inside the box, seemingly planning to save it for later.

After all, no one could stand eating biscuits for an unknown length of time.

Having tasted normal human food again significantly improved the spirits of Mr. Riddle, who had been on the brink of collapse. With Shard's arrival providing him with someone to talk to, Mr. Riddle's mental state visibly improved a great deal.

Before starting the gambling game again, Shard asked Mr. Riddle about the origins of the deity that had been summoned to this gambling table. The middle-aged man, who had been staying here for quite a while, indeed had an answer:

"This is the Holy Emblem of a deity."

He wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his robe. Although there was still blood in his eyes, at least he was no longer trembling when he spoke.

Asking Shard for paper and a pen, Mr. Riddle began to draw a complex pattern in Shard's notebook. It seemed he hadn't written for a long time; his hand was somewhat shaky:

"Every time I fall into slumber, I dream of this symbol, and I hear someone urging me to continue the gambling, as if the moment I close my eyes, these corpses will whisper in my ears. I even have a premonition that, even if I find another way to leave Horror Fortress, I would continue to hear this voice throughout my life unless I complete the gambling game, until I return here and sit back at the table."

After finishing the Holy Emblem, Mr. Riddle returned the pen to Shard, then bowed his head, closed his eyes, and prayed to "Mr. Ring." Since he already knew that "Mr. Ring" was Ouroboros, the circular Holy Emblem he drew on his chest at the end was not surprisingly an abstract representation of the Ouroboros.

Shard looked at the "God of Gambling" emblem in the notebook with a smile, thinking that with this, he could look for clues about this deity at the point of the Sixth Era.

Ready to once again gamble with the deity, Mr. Riddle took a few breaths and sat back down in a chair on one side of the square table. As the oil lamp's light and the rekindled candle's glow flickered, the other half of the room was illuminated, and the figure in the black robe reappeared.

Cracks reappeared on Shard's body surface, and Mr. Riddle groaned in pain. The air became viscous, and each breath required all the lung's strength to obtain oxygen. Although the shape that occupied the space appeared humanlike, the space it filled was much larger than it seemed.

"I have found your story."

Shard said softly behind Mr. Riddle, and began to recount the information he had seen:

"In the year you turned 32, you went out to sea with a fleet, traveling from the Eastern Continent to the Southern Continent. During the voyage, you encountered a storm at sea, and in the storm, you met..."

Shard paused, and Mr. Riddle, clutching his head and bending over, took over the conversation:

"The Siren—a sea creature with eight legs!"

With the reminder, he also recalled that segment of memory.

Mr. Riddle placed his hand over the third groove in front of him and lifted it away, and sure enough, a third card appeared. On the card, Mr. Riddle clung to a plank amidst tumultuous waves, while behind him, a mass of tentacles emerged from below the sea surface, entangling the ship and dragging it into the ocean depths.

The gilded card was named "Deep Sea Monster."

"But how did you survive this time?"

Shard asked curiously, as the records only mentioned that this gentleman was one of the few survivors of that incident:

"Could it be that the sea creature wasn't interested in you?"

The middle-aged man in the brown robe clutched his head in agony:

"At that time, I had a wooden Divine Statue from a friend with me, an image of the 'Lord of the Crimson Spiral.' I suppose the sea creature was reluctant to offend the statue and spared me because of it."

Hearing the familiar name, Shard raised an eyebrow:

"Your life has truly been extraordinary."

"I just wanted to learn more, to write down the secrets of the world."

Mr. Riddle shook his head vigorously, as if trying to dispel something invisible. Across the table in the opposing groove, a glimmer of light flickered, and a third card representing a Witch appeared.

Six differently colored grooves collected light from the front ends of the six cards on the table and converged it in the center. Three Witches struggled against the Undead, a Dragon, and a sea monster covered in tentacles.

With only four cards laid out, it was still unclear who had the upper hand, but in the chaos of the six-way battle, it was evident that Mr. Riddle's side was at a disadvantage.

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The three witch cards corresponded to real individuals who were probably Thirteenth Rank Witches like Miss Feliana.

"Sir, what else have I experienced?"

Mr. Riddle asked again. Seeing that the situation on the table was grim, Shard could only choose from the most powerful creatures mentioned in the information provided by Luviya:

"You have encountered a demon!"

"A demon?"

"Yes, a strange evil spirit left over from the Third Era. That was when you were twenty-five years old. Think carefully, Mr. Riddle, about the inverted cross~"

"The cross?"

"Think carefully, about the inverted cross you brought out from the ancient ruins. Made of stone, wrapped in chains."

"Oh, I remember now!"

Mr. Riddle looked down at the table and then slowly placed his hand on the fourth slot. As Shard showed a surprised expression, the gentleman added a lot of details Shard didn't know:

"It was many years ago, following ancient legends, in the deep mountains of the Western Continent, I excavated an ancient relic and obtained a stone inverted cross. The things that happened afterward were incredibly terrifying... I forced myself to forget this incident; it turns out I had such an experience."

The information Shard saw still only contained a few written records and a pencil sketch of the inverted cross:

"Mr. Riddle, if you have encountered a demon, how did you survive?"

The answer might also be helpful to Shard.

The middle-aged man hesitated, thought for a while, and then lifted his hand from the slot.

The fourth card appeared, showing Mr. Riddle, face marred by terror, running out of an old house with his suitcase. Behind the dilapidated mansion's door, a pair of crimson eyes watched him.

The gilt card name was "Demon Shadow," and seeing that this record was true as well, Shard grew even more skeptical of the account that the gentleman died at age 62; his very survival to this point was a miracle in itself.

The man in the brown robe seemed to fall into deep thought, and after a long while, he spoke again:

"In the mansion, the inverted cross, thrust into the ground, awakened the slumbering terrifying evil fiend... Yes! I once helped a witch search for ancient materials, and as a reward, she left an indelible burn mark on me with a red-hot stamp, which helped me expel the demon! Seeing that it temporarily couldn't approach me, it left."

As he spoke, he rolled up his right sleeve. On his arm was a nauseating burn scar exposed to Shard.

At first glance, the mark looked like a scar, but on closer inspection, it resembled several complex runes layered together, with dense lines and traces of burnt flesh making Shard feel slightly sick.

With the man's permission, Shard reached out and touched the scar. Upon contact, the voices at the edge of his hearing immediately informed Shard that he sensed an extremely faint Whisper Element.

"Extremely faint? The seal used by that witch must be a powerful relic against demons! Otherwise, even the mark left by the seal wouldn't have this effect!"

Shard was shocked, and hurriedly recorded this intricate symbol in the notebook he carried with him. Once back in his own time, even if he couldn't find the relic seal corresponding to the brand in the Sixth Era, deciphering this symbol might provide him with an effective means to combat demons.

Just this one discovery was enough to make the trip worthwhile.

And while the two were conversing, in front of the dark-robed deity across the table, a card also appeared in the fourth rectangular slot. The card showed the fourth witch standing in a temple, holding the Holy Emblem in both hands, praying.

From the roughly one-fifth of the Holy Emblem's pattern that was visible, it was exactly like the one Mr. Riddle drew from his dream.

Dark light flowed from the "Demon Shadow" slot, following the table's slender grooves, intertwining with the other seven streams of light before converging in the center of the table.

The chaotic luminescence grew stronger, and an odd darkness appeared above "Demon Shadow." The demon's form was that patch of darkness, and its ignited crimson eyes made it look human-shaped.

Its body gradually merged with the surging Undead Tides, and with the demon's roar, they completely fused. The demon's size at least doubled as it, along with the dragon and sea monster, charged toward the center of the table.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

"Demon Shadow and Resurrection of the Deceased are interacting!"

Shard thought to himself.

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Although Mr. Riddle only had three monsters left on his side, that demon, formed of darkness and facing two opponents at once, was still able to suppress the witches. It manipulated the darkness, coordinating with the Dragon Breath and the tentacles of the sea monster, almost with every touch it sent the witches retreating in defeat.

The great battle erupting above the tabletop truly enlightened Shard. The witches of the Fifth Era controlled flying light bullets to create strange lights and shadows, while the monsters' roars threatened to shatter eardrums. Not only the visual and sound effects but also the vibrations from the heat and energy bursts could be perfectly felt by Shard and Mr. Riddle at the edge of the table.

It seemed that as the number of cards increased, the realism of these battles became stronger. Right now, it was only enough to shock Shard and Mr. Riddle, but Shard could hardly imagine what would happen when all twenty cards were in play.

As the journey was already half over, Mr. Riddle was mired in memories while Shard refused to waste any time. With the addition of the demon, the tide of battle turned in favor of Mr. Riddle's side. Seizing this opportunity, Shard proceeded to reveal the remaining two pieces of information:

"Mr. Riddle, in the year you turned thirty-five, during an exploration of an underground cavern, you and your companions accidentally fell into an abyss and discovered a locked door deep within. Behind the door was a black one-handed sword capable of absorbing life force. Can you recall this event?"

Mr. Riddle covered his head and shook it a few times. After groaning in pain, he placed his hand on the fifth slot. Once he lifted his hand away, the card showed a terrifying black rune sword locked with several silver chains connected to the walls, inside a dark chamber. An old metallic door on one side of the chamber opened slightly, allowing the light from a torch to shine through, along with Mr. Riddle's horrified face.

Card name—[Cursed Sword].

The phantom of the rune sword appeared above the card, and the demon shadow laughed maniacally as it lifted the sword, charging towards the witch it faced. A new witch joined the battle, and at this point, Mr. Riddle's side was fighting three against five, and the terrible magic sword seemed unable to offset the disadvantage of numbers.

"What else? What else have I experienced?"

The man clasping his head asked urgently, aware that the situation was unfavorable for his side. But Shard had found only these experiences from the opponent's life, leaving no other choice:

"Mr. Riddle, in the year you turned twenty-nine, while inspecting the primitive tribes of the Northern Continent, you were pursued by a cannibal clan and got lost in the wilderness. You came upon an inn in the desolate wilds and eventually discovered that the inn itself was a gigantic, horrific, cannibalistic entity."

The sixth card displayed an abandoned inn with a terrified Mr. Riddle standing behind a second-floor window, right hand clenched into a fist striking the glass. Card name—[House of Cannibals].

This time no new monsters appeared above the card, but the shadow of the large house loomed near Mr. Riddle's side of the table, engulfing all monsters summoned by Mr. Riddle's life experiences.

This shadow brought new glimmers of light, and within these lights, the bodies of the demon, sea monster, and dragon grew even larger. Moreover, their bodies were better able to resist the witches' light bullets, and when they attacked, a strange gleam emerged from the three monsters, producing special striking effects.

The deity in the black robe remained immobile as the sixth slot in front of him shimmered with light. But this time, the card that appeared wasn't one of the witches; it was a gray stone altar.

The phantom of the altar emerged behind the five witches, connecting light and shadow that offered them new powers. Simultaneously, the altar's light and shadow also contended with the phantom of [House of Cannibals], each wearing down the other's strength.

The five witches stood together, their fingertips merging light into one. The dragon, demon, and sea monster charged simultaneously, with writhing tentacles providing protection, dragon breath carving a path through the light, and the rune sword in the demon's hand proving to be the mightiest weapon.

Finally, the light collided with the bodies of the monsters, the clash generating a massive wind that nearly blew Mr. Riddle from his seat at the table.

Shard held him steady from behind, eyes fixed on the temporarily halted battle. Three monsters versus five witches, and at the moment, the deity's side seemed to have a clear advantage.

"Cough cough~"

Mr. Riddle coughed loudly as the immense psychic and physical pressure from dueling with the deity caused blood to seep from the corners of his mouth. By now, the wager was more than halfway through, and as the strange lights cast reflections on Mr. Riddle's weakened face, Shard fully understood why he was called the "legendary Prophet."

Seeing that he could hardly hold up, Shard said softly:

"Mr. Riddle, let's stop here for now. I'm leaving, but when I return, I'll bring you victory. If you really can't hold on, perhaps I can find a way to win outside the wager."

"No, no, I must win."

The weakened man, supporting himself on the table, replied feebly yet with unwavering determination:

"Do you know what all these adventures were for, after all?"

His body was feeling the tug, signaling that time was running out.

"I don't know."

"To experience more, until my death, to ensure I haven't come to this world in vain."

The middle-aged man answered without a moment's hesitation, even though he had lost part of his memories, he still remembered his true heart.

Supporting himself on the table and with Shard's help, he rose to his feet as the candle opposite flickered out, and darkness descended once more.

"So if you were to die because of these adventures, would you regret it?"

Shard whispered, asking if he could help Riddle to the wall. The Outlander admired such people, perhaps some thought Mr. Riddle was a madman, seeking death on purpose, but Shard knew the world couldn't be without such people.

"Of course I'll regret it, but I would still do it. I don't wish to boast about being adventurous, I just want to see more, learn more. Even though, I've long known what this means to me."

After hesitating for a moment, Shard asked again:

"If you could stay alive but die mad in your old age, would you still not regret it?"

Mr. Riddle turned to look at Shard, his face pale with blood at the corners of his mouth, but his brown eyes held a steady gaze:

"As long as I have gained knowledge, even if I end my life in madness, I would have no regrets. I'm just an ordinary man, without the power of a Witch. An opportunity to face a Deity like this, I will not have a second chance in my lifetime. I wish to challenge The Great One, whatever the outcome, I want to challenge Him fairly. With my life, with my adventures, with all that I have."

Shard nodded and let him slowly lean against the wall and sit down on the ground:

"Alright, I will help you win the bet, in the way you hope for. Mr. Riddle, do you know about 'Impermanence'?"

He suddenly asked, as the white fog appeared behind him.

"Sorry, I do not. But if I can make it out alive, I will investigate for you. Even though you might just be my hallucination, even if we may never meet again after leaving Horror Fortress. But I will definitely investigate for you, that's my promise."

In the face of Shard's departure, Mr. Riddle seemed much more rational. He tried to stand up but unfortunately failed:

"Sir, thank you for your help. May the Father of the Infinite Tree and Mr. Ring, bless us both."

He said earnestly, it seemed that Shard's second visit made him more resolute.

"Aren't you curious about where I come from?"

Shard turned and walked into the white fog, turning his head one last time to look at him. Since he was leaving voluntarily this time, he wasn't dragged back unwillingly.

"Curious."

Mr. Riddle's figure was already becoming blurred in Shard's eyes:

"But it doesn't matter. One day I will figure it out..."

Shard stumbled backward out of the bedroom door, although he had been walking forward, he suddenly found himself moving backward, the dislocation causing him to lose control of his steps, nearly stepping on the cat pacing at the door.

After steadying himself and picking up Mia, he turned to look at the moon outside the living room window:

"So, Sludge Riddle researched and found the 'Impermanence Card' because of my guidance? Did he truly fulfill his promise?"

A month ago in Saint Delan Square when Luviya told the story of 'Impermanence', Shard never thought it was a promise spanning five thousand years.

Although the third key, so far, has not brought Shard any more doubts about this world, having so many instances of connecting the past with the present made Shard feel like what he was doing was predestined.

The arrival of the Outlander seemed to have brought no change to this world.

"Is that so?"

She chuckled softly in his ear, as she always did.

After sighing for quite some time, he went to retrieve the 'God's Gift Box' from the basement to the second floor and, after washing his hands, took out that week's gift.

Perhaps because last week's banknote printing version was so peculiar that this week's item was mundane. It was a brand new metal awl, with quite a good look, which would sell for about 5 shillings in a city shop.

"Indeed, one must not expect to gain special items through such means."

This week's requirement was to drink a glass of milk for breakfast, which for Shard was not a demand at all. He pushed open the living room window, intending to ventilate the room before sleep. The night wind at the end of summer was still warm but carried a different kind of coolness from the height of summer.

"It's Monday now, early morning, the 19th day of the Month of Blossoms."

He murmured to himself as he looked at the night scene, summer, was truly coming to an end.