Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 481: Waiting

"Oh~ I had only heard about such things before, I never thought I'd actually witness it with my own eyes!"

Miss Maid whispered in awe, and Shard's face was brimming with a smile:

"It's even better than I thought. The ability to observe blood remains intact and has become even clearer. But what's more important, the attribute of the 'Echo' has been enhanced. With living people, I can now, by dropping some individual's blood or a similar component into my eyes or injecting it into my body, enable my eyes to see their movement trajectories for a certain period of time."

He stood up, holding the cat:

"Tifa, you just dropped blood into my eyes. So for about an hour, as long as I activate the Arcane Technique, whenever I come to a place where you've been within the last 24 hours, my eyes will be able to see your blood-colored phantom outline, those silhouettes with halos, which will trace your continuous actions and movements in space. This is not only an echo of blood but also an echo of time and space."

Miss Maid pondered:

"Blood, time, space... Although the Arcane Technique lacks attack power, the effect is really useful. What about corpses?"

"The body doesn't need to be intact; I just need to drop the blood of the corpse into my eyes or inject it into my veins, and I will be able to see all the movements composed of blood halos from one hour before and one hour after the person's death. Yes, combined with my Necromancy talent, 'Soul Echo', now no dead person can keep secrets from me... of course, I need to find the place of death first."

Shard nodded, reigning in his smile:

"Furthermore, I think I understand how one could normally obtain this kind of Arcane Technique. I must be the first Circle Sorcerer who possesses it. First, one needs the Sorcery 'Echo of Blood', then possess Space-Time and blood powers, and have had at least some significant connection with a deity related to this. If one doesn't have this red potion I used, they would need to conduct a ritual related to restoring sight, but I still need to think about the details of the ritual, as my knowledge in Ritual Studies isn't that good... Maybe I should change the name of the Arcane Technique. How about 'Shard's Echo of Blood'?"

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Shard joked, though he made it sound simple, acquiring the Arcane Technique was quite difficult. Just the prerequisite of having a significant connection with a deity with powers of blood, time, and space was nearly impossible on its own.

The Arcane Technique, challenging as it was to obtain, was rich and powerful in its functions.

"You indeed have the right to name it. Congratulations, Mr. Hamilton."

Tifa said with a smile.

"Just call me Shard in the future."

Shard waved his hand and noticed that he had used half of the red potion, leaving only a quarter of it in the bottle:

"The rest of the potion is yours."

"How can that be right? Being able to evolve an Arcane Technique and Sorcery without cost, although limited by the type of ability, the remaining liquid is worth..."

She shook her head intending to refuse.

"I plan to keep that ring Relic for myself, but you played a part in driving off the demon and obtaining these items."

Shard picked up the mischievous cat:

"How about considering it a memento for today's work as a Detective's Assistant? I doubt Miss Galina gives you holidays often enough for you to do your own stuff. I hope our day's activities in Tobesk have given you memories worth cherishing. Keep the potion; it was free for me anyway."

Tifa hesitated for a moment, gave a quiet thanks, and then tucked the small bottle into her skirt pocket.

She brushed back a lock of hair near her ear and said softly to Shard:

"Mr. Hamilton..."

"Hmm?"

Miss Maid smiled a little, shaking her head gently:

"No, my mistake."

She spoke again:

"Shard, the memories of today are indeed a treasure for a lifetime to me."

A gentle breeze blew into the living room on the second floor of No. 6, Saint Delan Square through the window, where Shard looked on Miss Maid standing beside him. Today was another ordinary day for him.

(Iluna is praying...)

"Aren't you moving a bit too fast?"

Thursday morning, as carriages passed by the window and morning light streamed into the room on Silver Cross Avenue, Luviya squinted at the Black Iron Ring lying on the table and took a long time to ask:

"You only asked me to divinate this Relic on Monday morning, and by Wednesday afternoon, you had it in your possession."

She touched the slightly cold ring, now fully aware of the Relic's properties, so the voice in her ear immediately reminded her what it was:

"And it wasn't due to coincidence, but because you postponed a commission for nearly two months before getting it... Is that Detective Sparrow Hamilton really just an ordinary person? Why does every commission you decide to take on have such serious issues?"

"No, no, first of all, Detective Sparrow isn't an ordinary person, he may have the identity of Carsonrick, but that's not important. Second, not every commission is problematic, three have been resolved, though the mistress tracking and the ophthalmologist did bring some trouble, but look, isn't Mia fine?"

Shard poked the cat lying on the table, which stood and glanced at him before lying down again.

"Besides, Miss Mia Gold, although she complained in her letter about her family's decline, is living quite well."

Shard emphasized.

"I'll visit Detective Sparrow Hamilton's grave some time to divinate about his matters."

Luviya said helplessly, but she was also uncertain whether the coincidences were due to one of the two detectives or because of that house. From what she could see, even if Detective Sparrow hadn't encountered an accident, he would surely have died due to some other commission later on.

"Didn't I translate that Parchment? It's from centuries-old Circle Sorcerers who accidentally discovered relics from the Third Era Demon Hunters. The seal will appear in the hands of those who can battle demons due to the ties of fate; it's one of the seal's traits, the belief passed on by the ancient brave ones... They were real heroes."

"I know, I know, you intend to find that sword some time later, and you gave that potion to that big-breasted maid."

She used an unrefined term, and Shard, not wanting to discuss a woman's figure, chose to steer the conversation elsewhere:

"We've obtained the Demon Hunting Seal, the Weak Angel Potion, and encountered the Servant of the Hidden. The question now is, if we confront Daknis not within the city but inside the uncontrollable Angel-Level Relic—the Dark Realm—how are we to contend with those strange Servants of the Hidden? A single one may be manageable, but inside the Relic, there isn't just one."

Luviya assured Shard that there was no need to feel tense. During the time Shard had been mingling in Tobesk, she had gathered more information:

"Killing demons requires a specific method. The Church has mastered this technique, and our president even assisted with this matter not long ago, so our association has the information as well. In short, within the Dark Realm, those demons that spread darkness, they fear the light."

"But my Flash Spell is useless."

"You still think that's a Flash Spell... Indeed, it's useless. Specifically, their nemesis is the 'Light' and derivative Spirit Runes pertaining to the concept of above and below."

With that, Luviya confidently lifted her chin:

"And as fortune would have it, both Iluna and I possess the corresponding Spirit Runes."

"So, it's only me who can't kill those Servants of the Hidden."

Shard nodded, already formulating a plan:

"Then what about the demon on Daknis's body? How do we kill it? What is its nemesis in terms of Spirit Runes?"

"Why would we kill it? We need to deal with Ivan Daknis. Besides, someone who hasn't been taken care of for thousands of years, even the Twelve Rings friend you have in Coldwater Port wouldn't dare kill Daknis, for fear of releasing the demon. So it's highly unlikely we could kill it either," Luviya explained.

"So, if we kill Daknis, wouldn't that mean letting the Human Pus Demon escape?"

Shard was quite worried.

"Even if we can't kill the demon, the Church will intervene. And besides, even if the Church is a step late again, we can still seal it. Shard, that box you're holding onto..."

Reminded by Luviya, Shard then thought of God's Gift Box. That box could contain divinity, hold uncontrollable Relics, and there was no reason it couldn't seal a demon.

Though this would mean that Shard wouldn't receive a gift every week, considering the uncertainty of those gifts, the loss seemed tolerable.

"No issue then. We kill Daknis, we seal the demon..."

Shard took out his notebook and started writing and sketching:

"Amongst the difficulties in confronting Daknis, his Six Rings Warlock powers will be suppressed by Iluna's 'Balance' talent; the palm demon's power countered by the seal and Magic Potion; his Dark Gift, still opposed by 'Balance'; even if he transforms into that state where half his body is entangled with dark pus, I can use my Moonlight to dispel that corrosion that feeds on negative emotions."

He looked up and pondered for a moment:

"It seems Daknis has already been utterly defeated."

He laughed to himself, knowing, of course, that this was impossible.

"Battles like this, where we are prepared and especially where we have intelligence on the opponent, tend to be simpler, much like when we dealt with the 'Silver-Eyed One."'

Although Luviya's expression was serious, she did not seem to worry that the three of them would fail:

"Once Daknis is spotted in the city, we must act immediately. We cannot delay; he must be killed at once."

"You're right, but if we really can't handle it, I have no issue with letting the Church take over the fight," said Shard, reminding everyone that the True God Church's stance towards the second Chosen One was also to "eliminate." The Dark Gift isn't much of a problem, but he shouldn't be controlling the bizarre entities left behind from the Third Era.

The Church took a zero-tolerance policy towards the intelligent oddities left from past eras.

After saying goodbye to Luviya, Shard intended to use his spare time to complete his last commission - aiding Miss White in her search for her missing sister. However, upon visiting the apartment of Mrs. Black, who was supposedly "missing" but had actually just run away from home, he unexpectedly learned that the lady had gone on vacation in the Tobesk countryside and wouldn't return for at least half a month.

"It's just as well, avoiding further unexpected incidents. Detective Sparrow really has a knack for taking on these bizarre commissions."

Thus, Shard could only put the commission aside once more, patiently awaiting Daknis's appearance.

On Thursday, with no news, Shard spent the day reading at home without any income, and in the evening, he strolled through the University District with his cat, where he encountered Iluna on a mission. Shard waved to her from across the street but didn't engage in conversation since Iluna was with her teammates. That night, Shard went on to sort through the specifics of "Shard's Blood Echo."

On Friday, still without news, Shard spent another day at home reading, also without any income, and his attempt to enhance the "Time Perception" ritual failed once again.

In the evening, he visited Priest Augustus at the Dawn Chapel, got dragged into the chapel's nightly prayers, and, along with his cat, mixed in to enjoy a rather lavish supper before discussing some political issues with Bishop Owen.

The Bishop seemed to be using Shard to probe into the Kingdom New World Exploration Corps' next moves after Prince Sax's arrest.

Saturday was still without news; Shard spent half the day reading at home without any income and spent the afternoon attending Dr. Schneider's study group. During the study group, Shard submitted the evolved information on the Arcane Technique "Shard's Blood Echo" to the library.

The Academy Library, after reviewing the information, accepted the naming of "Shard's Blood Echo."

Shard had assumed the Academy would give him just a few coins to send him on his way, but instead, they surprisingly gave him a generous reward of 100 pounds. He had been preparing for another income-less week, but this one payment equaled the income a common working family might not see in three years.

"Since when has the Academy been so generous?" Shard mused, holding the money and half-suspecting he was dreaming.

"This means the Academy finds the Arcane Technique information you provided very useful," explained the doctor, looking annoyed at the notice in his hand.

The summer practice had been canceled, with an additional winter off-campus practice added for this academic year. It seemed the Academy still considered Tobesk unsafe, but to Shard, it indicated that Saint Byrons had also recognized Daknis's whereabouts.

After the study group, the usual routine was to have dinner with Dorothy and then start the evening classes. Yet as Shard just got onto the carriage at the corner, the blonde girl spoke in a hushed tone:

"Shard, tonight's class is canceled. Lecia will find time to leave Yordle Palace and see you later in the evening."