Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 270 "Teacher

Once the four people were seated around the campfire, Shard didn't immediately start talking. Instead, he took off his coat in front of the three women and laid it over the hands clutching the Mia Cat doll. Removing the coat, the small orange cat appeared, hugging Shard's arm.

The ruddy gold flames illuminated Mia's orange and white fur. The domestic pet cat, finding itself in the unfamiliar environment of the forest, looked around in panic and then let out a "meow" at the three women by the campfire as a form of intimidation.

The witches all smiled at the tiny orange cat. The charm of cats was just as effective in the Fifth Era, but little Mia only liked Shard.

Shard plucked the cat embracing his arm and placed it on his shoulder. He scratched its chin with his fingers before finally raising his head to look at the three unfamiliar women.

They were all dressed in similarly styled grey robes with hoods. All three women were absolutely beautiful in Shard's eyes, just as captivating as Miss Galina, and they appeared quite young. But their true ages were certainly not reflected by their appearances, as there were many ways for high-rank Transcendents to maintain their youth:

"How should I address you?"

Shard asked quietly beneath the towering tree, where the crackling firewood under the firelight made everyone's face appear somewhat distorted.

"Moon Witch, a twelfth-rank witch."

The witch on the right said without hesitation, clearly the type who was very serious and rigid.

"Tree Witch, a twelfth-rank witch."

The witch on the left said after a moment's thought, her voice very gentle.

"I am their teacher, a thirteenth-rank witch. You can call me 'Teacher'; I like this title. Besides, since you come from the future, let's not reveal our true names to avoid unnecessary troubles. We must respect time."

The middle witch spoke.

Shard nodded, sizing up the three as they did the same to him:

"Thirteenth rank is..."

"The limit of mortals, Teacher is the strongest witch."

The Moon Witch said.

"One of them."

"Teacher" said, glancing reproachfully at her student with her golden eyes, then asked Shard:

"So, Man of the Future, you must have a purpose for coming here. What do you want to do?"

"I am here to assist you in completing the God Summoning Ritual—to make contact with the 'Blazar Gate'. Someone asked me to do so."

The two younger witches looked confused while "Teacher" furrowed her brows. The Old God, the Creator of Innocence, could tell at a glance that Shard's arrival was related to the Ancient God, but the witches were only mortals. Even as the strongest of their time, they couldn't think of the Ancient God:

"Can you only come here once?"

"Teacher" inquired.

"Three times, this is the first."

"I will give you a list. You'll return to your era and investigate some information regarding that Deity."

She seemed not to want to divulge too much about herself or the preparation for the ritual, not planning to share the ritual information with Shard. While Shard was cautious of them, they were also wary of him.

The evidence lay in the fact that they hadn't asked Shard how he was able to travel through time, just as he hadn't asked them why they wanted to make contact with the Old God.

To Shard, this was merely something that had already happened. If the others didn't intend to establish a deeper level of trust with him, he wouldn't waste time on superfluous actions. After all, the past was not absolutely safe either.

"I demand a reward from you."

"That is possible, what do you need?"

"Teacher" said.

"I'm facing danger, and after I return to my time, I must confront an Evil God. Moreover, that Evil God has a grudge against me—I have offended... gulped Him."

Three witches looked at him with strange eyes; it was quite a while before someone spoke:

"Hold on."

"Teacher" directed the two students to go back into the tent again, and this time they came out with three books to give to Shard.

Although the text was not the familiar Draleon common language, he could still read it—

"Little Tricks: The Proper Responses When Facing a Saint," "Witch Adventure Guide 3: Beings You Should Better Not Provoke," "Mana's Adventure Stories"

"Hmm... the last one is obviously a novel,"

Shard hesitantly pointed out.

"Yes, I wrote it, adapted from my own true experiences,"

"Teacher" said with a blink, and Shard was taken aback:

"You have also faced an Evil God?"

The witch nodded with a smile:

"I've only faced Saints, and the other party wasn't complete. We also had the help of deities on our side. That time... Mr. from the future, I've encountered gods several times in my life and also journeyed with Saints. Although the book is a novel, it can be very helpful to you."

Shard was very surprised, and he bent his head, eager to flick through the book, when the other party spoke again:

"Of course, book knowledge is still just knowledge. If you want to escape safely from the hands of the Evil God, or even save those you wish to save, you could tell me everything about your current situation, your own power, and the relics you control. We can write a detailed plan for you."

Her tone was very gentle, probably not trying to deceive Shard, but he was hesitant. Although there was a nearly five thousand year time span, he still did not want to reveal his information, especially about divinity.

"You can just tell me, and my two students will step aside. If you still don't trust me, then I can tell you about my things, as an exchange for probing into your secrets. I'm very curious about the power forms of the Circle Sorcerer System."

"This..."

It was clearly stated in the history books of Saint Byrons that the witches of the Fifth Era were generally stronger than the Circle Sorcerers of the Sixth Era, both in average and upper limits. And this witch with two Twelfth Rank students, who herself was Thirteenth Rank, was obviously one of the strongest mortals between the two eras.

After all, even Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers might not be able to face deities, but she admitted that she had done so.

Telling her about his Arcane Technique and Relic was no problem for Shard. What he needed to consider was whether he should reveal information about divinity to allow her to make a more detailed plan.

His eyes moved to the books in his hands, the firelight from the campfire illuminating the entire cover of the novel "Mana's Adventure Stories." Shard's left hand petted the cat while his eyes unconsciously scanned the words on the cover, his expression froze, and he suddenly understood why he thought the Thirteenth Rank witch looked familiar.

His expression stiffened, then he raised his head, the fire light illuminating his surprised face:

"You are..."

He pointed to the author's name written on the book, somewhat incoherently.

"Teacher," looked puzzled at the book cover, furrowing her beautiful brows:

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"Yes, oh, there is my name. Do you know me? I could not possibly have left descendants, and you do not look like you are from the Feliana family. So, am I famous myself in the future, or are my students famous?"

The young witches giggled shyly but seemed very eager to hear the answer.

"You really are Mana..."

Shard sitting by the campfire, really had no idea what to say.

"Teacher" observed his strange expression, her dazzling blonde hair messily draped behind her head, yet extraordinarily beautiful. She nodded, the campfire light illuminating her face, the branches of the giant trees swaying in the night breeze. Her smooth hair billowed behind her, her golden eyes looking at Shard as she gently said:

"Yes, my name is, Mana Feliana."