Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 319 319

Besides relics, curses, and nursery rhymes, Miss Princess had also wanted to buy some books from the lighthouse to pass her recent boring times, so after the conversation at the cliff by the sea, Shard and his companion were finally invited inside the lighthouse.

The brick and stone structure of the lighthouse was cramped, but it was at least clean and devoid of any strange smells. The lowest level housed the living area of the Tower Keeper, while the upper levels were dedicated to work areas. Mr. Edmund served them with inexpensive tea, and ultimately, Miss Princess spent 78 pounds and bought two books.

One was a study notebook of a Circle Sorcerer mastering Enlightenment Elements, and the other was an old book that could possibly grant the reader the "Ocean" Spirit Rune after reading.

That morning, Shard had found an old book related to "Wind," titled Windy Abyss, at Lemer's safe house. While Miss Princess was picking old books, Shard took it out and asked Mr. Edmund for an appraisal. The elderly man ultimately priced it at 41 pounds and 4 shillings, far less than what Miss Princess paid for the Sea Soul Record.

After all, Windy Abyss was considered a basic book for Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire Elemental Spirit Runes, and the copy in hand had been translated twice from its original, making its lower price reasonable.

Choosing not to stay, Shard immediately sold the book to Mr. Edmund. If he wanted to obtain the Spirit Rune "Wind" in the future, he could simply borrow a book from the Saint Byrons Library, as it was not some rare book. With connections to the Red Moon Witch, he didn't worry about not being able to borrow books.

Unfortunately, Saint Byrons didn't offer practical credits for recycling mysticism books, otherwise Shard's pressure of 15 credits would have been somewhat alleviated.

The two spent the remaining hour and a half of the afternoon inside the old lighthouse, and by the time they said goodbye to Mr. Edmund, the western sky had already shown the evening glow.

They didn't leave immediately but stood at the edge of the cliff, looking out at the sea to catch their breath, for the lighthouse had been quite stifling inside.

The calm sea surface was now bathed in red, the gleaming waves almost dazzingly bright. Seagulls circled in the distant sky, and the sound of a siren drifted from even farther away, mingling with the sounds of the waves.

"That curse..."

Shard started to speak but hesitated, while Miss Princess reached up and removed the mask she wore on her face. Shard saw her face, a very pretty lady whose expression occasionally revealed a look that Shard was very familiar with.

"Don't worry, even though it's a curse caused by a Sage-Level Relic, hasn't it already been contained?"

She shook the golden ring on her right finger, the sea breeze fluttered her side locks of hair, her green eyes reflecting Shard, who was close at hand.

Shard turned to glance behind at the lighthouse, then also took off his mask. He hesitated, exchanged a look with Miss Princess, and then turned his gaze towards the sea. He had never lived in a seaside city, neither in his past nor in his new life. Although he had been to Coldwater Port City before, he never had the opportunity to silently watch the sea beneath the setting sun like he did now.

Neither spoke, and when a seagull flew overhead, its distant cry echoing through the sky, Shard suddenly spoke:

"If you trust me... may I touch your forehead with my finger? I have a peculiar skill that can detect curses."

Shard wanted to explore traces of the Whisper Element through close skin contact. Although Miss Princess and Shard didn't have much of a relationship, given this fateful encounter and her earnest help, Shard thought he might as well assist her.

However, not just for ordinary people, even for Circle Sorcerers, it's very dangerous to have someone touch their head. Many mental control and necromancy curses and arcane techniques require touching the skull as a condition.

"Of course, I trust you."

Contrary to what Shard expected, Miss Princess did not tactfully refuse and didn't take extra time to think, but nodded in agreement instead. Seeing him standing there in a daze, she even asked with a smile:

"What's the matter? Do you need any more preparation?"

"No, no more needed."

As the sun set and the sea breeze grew a bit brisker, Miss Princess raised her right hand to brush back some hair from her forehead, then slightly tilted her body and leaned her head forward.

Her skin was flawless, with no visible pores or blemish marks. As Shard came closer, she had a very relaxed smile on her face, which made Shard hesitate:

"Could her affection for me be a bit too high?"

But considering she had earnestly helped him, and faced with a curse from a Sage-Level Relic that threatened her life, Shard reached out with his right index finger and placed it on her forehead.

The warmth of her skin made Shard somewhat embarrassed:

"Please wait a few minutes."

He said, then asked in his mind:

"Is this contact sufficient?"

"Yes, the Whisper Element has already been detected, it's indeed a strong curse."

Shard quietly waited for a while, maintaining his hand on her forehead. In the silence between them, the atmosphere grew a bit awkward. In close proximity, Shard could also smell the pleasant scent of her perfume.

The scent was very subtle and not at all overpowering. He hadn't smelled anything like it on anyone else, even the perfumes Iluna mentioned that were three pounds a bottle seemed not as fragrant as this.

"It's sufficient now."

"What are the results?"

"The Whisper Element is very strong and endlessly entangled with her soul. The ring she bought and the ruby earrings she wears can contain this curse, but they can't completely cure it."

"Can I help her?"

"Extract her soul completely from her body, then rely on your 'Soul Echo' to tear the soul inch by inch, using moonlight for exposure."

"Alright."

Shard nodded and withdrew his hand:

"Sorry, I think I can't help you either."

"That's alright, if the curse of a Sage-Level Relic could be lifted that easily, we would have to doubt whether the relic deserves the Sage rating at all."

The blonde girl said, her face showing a look of regret, but not because Shard couldn't help her:

"It's already evening... Today really flew by."

The sunset by the sea was particularly dazzling, making Miss Princess's long hair shimmer under the sunlight. Sighing towards the sunset sea, she then turned to look at Shard: Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

"So, Mr. Watson, we have one last item on today's agenda. After finishing it, our employment relationship will end."

"Hmm... Alright. Where to next?"

"There's a small Circle Sorcerer's auction locally, and I just happen to have an invitation. But to attend the auction, one needs to dress formally."

She glanced at Shard's attire:

"How about we each go change into something appropriate and meet in an hour at the Conch Street Corner in the Dock Area?"

"One hour... I didn't bring any formal clothes in my luggage."

Shard said somewhat embarrassingly, knowing that an hour wasn't enough to go back home, especially since he was far from the beach where he had landed.

"But any later would be too late."

Miss Princess stared at him.

"Oh, actually, I could just find a ready-made clothes store and buy a set of formal wear."

Shard was simply not keen on spending the extra money, as the price of formal wear for an official occasion wasn't counted by the material and craftsmanship alone. A suit could cost enough for several weeks' wages for an ordinary person.

"Actually, renting a set could also be an option."

He said, nodding.

"No need for all that trouble, I do have a set of men's formal wear at my place, prepared for when I last disguised myself to go out."

Miss Princess said.

"But... Does it fit?"

Shard was somewhat embarrassed; he was much taller than Miss Princess and the young Female Sorcerer was quite slim.

"It should fit well enough."

She said with an easy tone, but seemingly not worried at all.

So the two first walked back to the Dock Area from the secluded old lighthouse cliff, then took a carriage back to Robin Hood Street apartment in the southern part of Coldwater Port City.

As the journey was long, by the time they re-entered the apartment, the streetlights outside had already been lit.

Miss Princess opened her wardrobe and actually took out a set of men's formal wear. Jacket, shirt, pants, leather shoes, tie, belt, and even a tie clip were all included.

Since the apartment only had a narrow washroom that was completely isolated from other spaces, Miss Princess let Shard change in the washroom while she changed outside.

Shard of course agreed, but only after changing did he realize that the suit wasn't just suitable, it was perfectly tailored to fit him.

He looked at his attire in the mirror inside the washroom, adjusting his tie, becoming ever more puzzled about the lady changing clothes outside:

"This couldn't just be a coincidence... Could it be Miss Galina, whom I haven't seen in a week, playing a joke on me..."

But the lady outside was clearly not the Witch, and there seemed no clear connection to the Duchess. Yet, Shard thought of the content of the diary he saw in the afternoon, the inexplicable familiarity of Miss Princess, and all her abnormal behaviors today:

"Could it be..."

Shard frowned.

Miss Princess changed into a very nice blue evening gown, her jewelry remained unchanged. They both got ready and left the apartment to take a carriage to the Dock Area.

The carriage took them to the pier location in the Dock Area, and only after donning masks did they disembark, then walked shoulder to shoulder onto the pier.

The sun had completely vanished below the horizon minutes ago, heralding the nightfall over Coldwater Port City. By the seaside, although still in summer, it felt somewhat cold in the sea breeze.

Even a small-scale auction wouldn't dare to take place openly in Coldwater Port City, under the watchful eye of the Church of the Five Gods. The specific location was on a cruise ship, where a masked ball was held for the local ladies and gentlemen in disguise, its purpose hardly a mystery.

Circle Sorcerers thus attended the deck party under the guise of participants, wearing masks legally. After the ship sailed away from the coastline, they participated in the small auction and returned to port at midnight. Ladies and gentlemen would sneak out of their cabin rooms under cover of night, kiss strangers goodbye, and leave, allowing the Circle Sorcerers to conceal their identities in the process.

In the free-spirited and chaotic seaport city, an Outlander could encounter more unimaginable situations.