Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 269 Year 3002 of the Fifth Era

In his home at Saint Delan Square, Shard found the gateway had fallen to the floor, yet he didn't feel as though he had moved.

After his fingers stretched into the white mist of the hanging gateway decoration, he believed he stood still as the gateway in his hand vanished and the surrounding mist instantly engulfed the second-floor living room of Saint Delan Square.

Looking at the tiny cat-shaped doll in his hand, it indeed had been brought in, and he could also hear "her" voice.

"Outlander, you have stepped into the 'Time Corridor'."

"A message from the Ancient God 'Father of the Infinite Tree':"

"Autumn, Year 3002 of the Fifth Era, Western Continent, Forest of Thousand Trees."

"Event: God Summoning Ritual - Contact with Old God 'Blazar Gate'."

"Duration: thirty minutes (1/3)."

"As expected, this key can be used multiple times, not only did it specify the number of uses from the first time, but each usage is longer!"

Shard's eyes widened because the following information was crucial:

"Does the Ancient God of time have a task for me?"

"You have obtained additional information."

"The visage of the Father of the Infinite Tree watches you."

"The Ancient God of Time has given you a challenge."

"Assist mortals in completing the God Summoning Ritual - Contact with Old God 'Blazar Gate'."

"The Father of the Infinite Tree will grant you a reward: a piece of historical truth (Witch War at the End of the Fifth Era), Arcane Technique - Spatial Stabilization Aura."

The voice stopped, and Shard frowned amidst the white mist:

"A reward of historical truth? Hmm... now, isn't that a treat?"

Though there were no Spirit Runes this time, the truth of history given by an Ancient God was definitely of immense value. Moreover, concerning the Witch War at the End of the Fifth Era, it was related to the Whispering Verses and the secrets of the end of the Era. Even if it turned out to be useless to Shard, Miss Galina surely wouldn't mind spending money to acquire some hidden history from him.

He looked around at the white mist, his expression still grave:

"But the task this time is to assist mortals in contacting a deity, meaning, I might only see the Old God if I complete the task... that's troublesome."

He had thought that this time, he would be directly meeting a deity. If he encountered a Benevolent God like the "Creator of Innocence" as he had before, he would gain sufficient knowledge on how to use Divinity.

This time he was to help mortals summon a god, so it was highly unlikely that the time travel would be enough to complete the task. But looking on the bright side, such a task was certainly better than dealing with Evil Gods from the past, and he also gained an additional 30 minutes to ponder on how he would proceed upon returning.

"However, I have never heard of the Old God 'Blazar Gate'; is it another one of those unknown Old Gods?"

With that thought in mind, he didn't waste any more time but stepped forward.

The white mist dispersed around him, the sound of cicadas grew louder in the silence, followed by the barely perceptible sound of wind brushing through the treetops. As he stepped into the forest at night, all was quiet as though everything had plunged into sleep.

Without changing Mia from her doll state, Shard stood in the forest gazing around. No matter which part of his life it was, this was his first time in a true primal forest.

The light from three moons interlaced through the dense canopy overhead, casting mottled shadows on the ground. The shadows, stirred by the breeze, swayed slightly. It was extremely dark around him, as if something in the darkness between the trees and undergrowth was peeping at him.

The moment he thought that, a sense of panic rose inside him, completely unnaturally. Compared to being watched by an Evil God a few minutes ago, this unfamiliar environment shouldn't scare him.

"The Forest of Thousand Trees has problems, just like Hope Town."

The wind whispered gently, and the rustling in his ears sounded like countless overlapping Whispers. A sense of nausea began to emerge, causing Shard to subconsciously raise his hand to his head, while before his eyes appeared double vision and Illusions—or maybe they weren't Illusions at all. He saw eyes opening on the trees surrounding him.

These eyes were watching him, and the headache was becoming more intense.

"The first time I went to Hope Town, I was surrounded by eerie scenes, too. Why is it always like this?"

There was a glimmer of light in the trees ahead, so he ran forward enduring the headache, and after pushing through the bushes in front, the warm light shone right onto his face.

He stumbled out from the bushes, and the damp decayed smell of the forest was gone. The air was fresh and dry, and he could even faintly smell a high-quality spice.

Shard had only ever smelled a similar scent on Miss Galina.

After running out of the thicket, a towering ancient tree stood before him. In comparison to this tree, the Corpse Tree he had seen not long ago was as insignificant as a weed.

This was a true giant tree, under which no other trees stood, and Shard was now standing on the open ground beneath its canopy.

There was a campfire at the base of the tree, its flames a dazzling golden red. It was this firelight that drove away the eerie sounds and atmosphere around it, making this clearing feel safe and even cozy, unlike the dangerous forest behind him.

Two simple tents stood beside the fire, complete with water bottles, a small mirror, wooden bowls, a wooden box, a basin filled with water and clothes, and other assorted odds and ends.

Three hooded women sat by the campfire, as still as statues. Hearing Shard emerge from the bushes, the women removed their hoods and looked up.

"Did you forget something?"

The whispering voice asked softly in his ear.

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Shard stood at the edge of the clearing, and also at the edge of the bonfire's light, his shadow flickering and stretching across the grass behind him which was as tall as a man due to the dancing flames.

Listening to the crackling sound of the wood in the fire, Shard's face twisted into an ugly expression:

"Damn it!"

Last time, he had encountered a deity in the Fifth Era, but this time, it was mortals he came across. The characteristic of the Fifth Era was that only women could use supernatural power, and witches had a particular disdain for men. Since they could perform the God Summoning Ritual, the three women before him were undoubtedly witches.

"How am I going to explain my presence here?"

He was somewhat troubled.

The three witches by the bonfire had already stood up, and the young lady on the left said:

"Teacher, someone is coming, oh, it seems to be a man. Something isn't right, I don't feel anything unusual on him, could it be an Illusion Technique?"

It was a language he hadn't heard before, fortunately, Shard could understand it.

The young lady on the right then said:

"Teacher, he dares to enter deep into the Forest of Thousand Trees at night, even we don't dare to do such a thing. Teacher, I understand now, this is a monster formed by the malice of the forest, he is not human."

The woman in the middle holding a book looked at Shard, she appeared to be around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, with skin as pale as milk, and her golden long hair incredibly dazzling. Her golden pupils were truly glimmering. Close by was the bonfire, with the witches' shadows cast upon the giant trees behind them.

For some reason, Shard actually thought the face of the woman known as "Teacher" seemed familiar.

This lady appeared exceptionally calm:

"I have said many times not to look at the surface, but at the essence. I see the spiritual light of life in him, normal spiritual light, which indicates he is a normal human. I also see the Aether, faint but incredibly brilliant, flowing within his body, which suggests he is a mortal capable of using supernatural power. There are no traces of illusion techniques, and witches do not permit gender transformation, so, this is a man who can use supernatural power."

Shard didn't speak, he locked eyes with the woman at the center for a moment, deciding to listen to what she really wanted to say.

Since the Ancient God had sent him to help mortals complete the God Summoning Ritual, then surely the difficulty would not be in gaining their trust, otherwise three half-hour journeys would certainly not be sufficient. But even if the others were well-intentioned strangers, that did not mean he could let his guard down.

"Teacher, is this normal?"

The curious young witch on the left inquired, and the woman they called "Teacher" asked her students:

"What else do you see in him?"

"The light of Silvermoon."

The witch on the right responded.

"The breath of the trees."

The witch on the left responded.

"Teacher" shook her head:

"His Aether does not exist in the same form as ours, but as a peculiar form I once saw on the Southern Continent. Circle Sorcerer, this man is not a witch, he is a Transcendent of a quite mature Circle Sorcerer System, he—"

The witch's golden eyes met with Shard, and Shard understood what she meant. Witches who could hold a God Summoning Ritual and even have assistance sent by the Ancient God: Father of the Infinite Tree were indeed extraordinary:

"Comes from the future."

Having his identity so easily seen through was actually more convenient for Shard, as he didn't have to expend effort explaining it himself.

Moreover, the wideness of their knowledge and the strength of their power also meant that their God Summoning Ritual was very likely to succeed, and not start from scratch requiring Shard to build it himself.

"Yes, I indeed come from the future."

He offered no subterfuge, but then he saw the witches wearing puzzled expressions. Only then did he remember that they could not understand the language of the Sixth Era he was using.

As he was about to gesture to convey his meaning, he saw the witch referred to as "Teacher" whisper something to the young lady beside her. The latter then went into the tent behind her and fetched a small box.

"If you trust us and do not harbor malice, please come a little closer."

The witch said, and Shard nodded, cautiously approaching the bonfire. He noticed that the ground around the bonfire was sprinkled with a ring of gold dust. As Shard crossed each line, the dust would emit a sharp whistling sound or glow brightly, which must be some kind of warning system.

He arrived at the edge of the bonfire, and the woman called "Teacher" handed him the box, inside of which was a brooch. Silver in color, its shape was that of the ancient rune for "Language." Touching the brooch and confirming it was a Relic, Shard pinned it to his chest:

"What's this for?"

"We understood what you said."

The witch on the right said, and then she added:

"This is the Relic 'Translation Brooch'; I didn't expect it to be useful for the language of the future. There should still be a Relic system in the future, right? You should know what I'm talking about."

They signaled for Shard to sit and talk, seemingly completely accepting the man from the future at once.

The three witches must have witnessed many more wondrous things, so Shard nodded and sat down with them.

Even though he didn't make direct contact with a Benevolent God this time, this start wasn't bad either.