Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 467 - Wishing Coin

Since he had temporarily dealt with the matters at hand, Shard planned to start resolving the last two commissions left by Detective Sparrow from that afternoon onwards.

But just as he had returned to Saint Delan Square from the Dawn Chapel and was about to take out the commission contracts before heading out again, the badge on his chest unexpectedly began to heat up.

It was Miss Galina paying a visit.

The Duchess, of course, wasn't just in the city for business and then decided to drop by to see Shard. After Daknis had fled Coldwater Port nearly two weeks earlier, the Witch Council had finally traced his whereabouts using that boot.

"Ivan Daknis is here, in Veilwood City, Charing County. Last night, our agents nearby spotted him, though he escaped once more; at least it shows we have located him," she said.

Miss Galina pointed out the location on the Old Continent map in Shard's house with her fingernail painted red. The massive map was now spread out on the floor of the living room in Room Two on the second floor, as Tifa knelt down and circled Veilwood City with a pencil cautiously.

Mia stood triumphantly over the map, seemingly trying to convey some message. Shard stood next to the black-haired maid, bending over to look at the map.

The location of Veilwood City had already crossed the midpoint between Coldwater Port City and Tobesk City, toward the southwest of Tobesk City.

His eyes scanned the map, unintentionally glancing at the crouching maid, and then he saw something that made him blush slightly. The black-haired maid indeed had a very nice figure, which became even more apparent as she crouched down.

The flesh of desire was still affecting him, and Shard struggled to shift his gaze away.

"However, how do you have a kingdom map of such high precision in your house? This could almost be used as a military map. Look, there's not even a publishing mark on the map, which strictly speaking, should be considered contraband," Miss Galina inquired while sitting on a chair nearby. Room Two was unfurnished, so the Duchess's servants had moved a few chairs from the dining room in Room One when Shard retrieved the map.

The map was, of course, left by the previous detective, but what Sparrow Hamilton intended to do with it was beyond the loyal MI6 agent, Shard Hamilton.

He dodged the question and then asked,

"Besides the Council, hasn't the Church discovered Daknis?"

"The fight in Veilwood City would have drawn the attention of the Church since it was too sudden and there was no time to cover the traces. The Church should link this to Daknis very soon."

Miss Galina also stood up, came to the other side of Tifa, and like Shard just moments before, was instantly drawn to the figure of the crouching maid:

"Nice view,"

She looked up and said with a smile to Shard. The maid was unmoved, and Shard did not wish to engage in this topic.

"From the trajectory of his movements, Daknis is heading toward the outskirts of Tobesk."

Shard redirected the topic back to matters regarding The Chosen, and the black-haired maid gently connected Daknis's route forward with the pencil.

If he didn't plan to turn elsewhere, but continued on the current trajectory, there was a high probability that he would appear around Tobesk. Even if he didn't enter the city, he might stay in a small town nearby.

"Yes, the Council also thinks his target might be Tobesk. That's why I came to inform you so that you can be prepared," she said.

"What should I be prepared for?"

Shard asked in surprise.

"Prepare for him coming to Tobesk to seek revenge on you," she explained.

"What? Seek revenge on me?"

Shard was even more astonished.

"Yes, agents of the Council in Veilwood City reported that the wounds on Daknis were still fresh. And from the description of the wounds, they don't seem to have been inflicted by Hevy but are marks left by the Sunlight Gun you fired using an alchemical item," Miss Galina said, appraisingly gazing at Shard:

"Although you used an alchemical item, you managed to do what even Hevy couldn't. Shard, you did well."

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"But Daknis didn't see what I looked like at the time."

Shard was sure of that.

"Who knows? Otherwise, there's no explaining why he is heading toward Tobesk instead of fleeing to the fringes of the civilized world."

The witch also bent down and stretched out her finger, asking Tifa to circle Tobesk:

"In any case, the area around Tobesk is likely to be where Daknis shows up next. Besides the Council, other Circle Sorcerer Organizations tracking Daknis will soon discover his traces since he is alone and, even with a devil, cannot become a master of disappearance."

"Tobesk is in for chaos again?"

Shard asked, to which Miss Galina merely shrugged:

"Hard to say, maybe the Council's adversary this time is intentionally misleading us in the wrong direction. He could have gone south immediately after leaving Veilwood City, even sneaking off to Carsonrick."

Shard didn't comment on this but discussed with Miss Galina about the situation caused by the second Chosen One.

The power displayed by Iluna during the Night of the God's Descent introduced people to the might of The Chosen, and the discovery of the new "Whispering Verses" tablet in the New World turned attention toward Coldwater Port. Following this, the major events in Coldwater Port involved the Merman, Evil God, God Summoner, and The Chosen taking turns on stage. And once Daknis's next destination is confirmed, potentially more Circle Sorcerer Organizations that believe The Chosen will influence the material world's situation might come to the fore.

"Speaking of which, aren't you looking for a Relic related to currency?"

The discussion proceeded for a full two hours. By then, Shard had learned more about the troubles caused by Daknis. When Tifa went to fetch other maids waiting in Room One to help pack up the large map, the witch suddenly asked.

"Yes."

Shard and the two witches had mentioned this matter.

"Here, take this."

Miss Galina flicked a coin, which Shard caught clumsily.

The moment his fingers touched the coin, he received a prompt of contacting a whisper. The cold coin was about the same size as an alloy silver coin, with thorny edging on the front, marked with the number 1, and the serial number 309 at the bottom. These were symbolic numerals, used since ancient times.

The reverse side bore the ancient rune for "wish," edged with thorns as well.

And on the edge of the coin, a circle of letters was finely engraved:

"Desires unfulfilled are the greatest enemy of the wise beings."

"Scribe Level Relic 'Wishing Coin'. On a flat surface, draw a pentagram, place five candles of different lengths at the pentagram's vertices, and the coin at the center, then you can make a wish," explained the witch.

The two returned to the sofa in room number one to continue their chat while servants cleaned up the chairs and map they had just used.

"I suppose there's something troublesome about how the wishes come true?" Shard remarked while examining the coin.

"Yes, it will indeed fulfill part of your wishes, but always in strange ways. In this respect, it is quite similar to those stories that warn us not to be too greedy," said the witch, her fingers twitching, possibly hinting at something.

"However, although the means might be problematic, the purpose of making a wish can be achieved. Hence, some Circle Sorcerers are willing to try utilizing this relic to make wishes, considering it a method of wishing that has both positive and negative outcomes. The smaller the wish, the more likely it will occur in the way the wisher hopes; the grander the wish, the more unexpected the manner in which it manifests."

"Oh, this truly is a splendid item."

Shard praised.

"Indeed, it's splendid. Like most currency-styled relics, 'Wishing Coins' are not unique. What sets them apart is that all 666 'Wishing Coins,' even if they vanish after a successful wish, can reappear in a span of decades to centuries. For example, your coin number 309—no matter how you intend to use it, people in the future will still see it. After all, these coins are incarnations of greed, desire, and hope. They can't just disappear."

"So, what compensation do I need to provide to acquire this from you?" Shard asked, looking up from the coin.

"Is there anything you need me to do?"

Miss Galina thought for a moment, her lips curling into a smile:

"Are you busy tonight?"

"Not at all."

He assumed Miss Galina would assign him another task.

"Then join me for dinner tonight, oh, and we can go to the opera after dinner."

With that, she glanced back at her maid, Miss Servit, who immediately nodded:

"I'll have the box tickets ready."

"Dinner and the opera... is that all?"

Shard hesitated.

"Of course, nothing else. There hasn't been any trouble in Tobesk recently, and I have no tasks for you."

She smiled, looking forward to his response.

"Can I bring Mia?"

Shard then asked, and the cat named in the conversation immediately looked up at him.

"Of course, you can."

"Then good, I think that won't be a problem."

Although this made him feel as if he were living off a woman, he now needed the special coin. He preferred to use an extra coin for divination rather than spending his only remaining Blood Coin.

"However, this should not count as my payment. I'll take the coin and participate in the evening's events, but consider it a debt I owe you, which I'll repay later," Shard emphasized.

"For a man's pride?" the witch asked with a smile, not rejecting Shard's statement.

"It's a pity, Little Lecia returns to Tobesk only tomorrow. Otherwise, I'd have loved her to see you like this now."

Shard ignored the remark, or the witch would definitely say something more outrageous... perhaps even change the invitation to tomorrow night.