Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1393: The Location of Saint Byrons
"You’ve already been tainted with my scent."
Fiona whispered softly in Shard’s ear after taking a deep breath.
"What?"
Shard thought this was some sort of crude metaphor, but he didn’t believe Fiona would say something like that.
"The ancient ritual you used essentially allowed the dragon to be ’reborn.’ And when dragons are born, their bodies carry a long-lasting unique scent to help the Dragon Mother distinguish and track her offspring."
She seemed somewhat enchanted as she continued to lightly sniff the nape of Shard’s neck. Shard could even feel the intriguing sensation of a pen tip brushing against his skin:
"This will follow you for several weeks. But don’t worry, ordinary people can’t smell it. Moreover, this scent will instinctively drive away common beasts and monsters with low intelligence."
Mia certainly didn’t belong to the category of "beasts with low intelligence," for it clearly didn’t have any intention of avoiding Shard. Instead, it cried from the side, as if seeing Shard being held captive by the Dragon Mother.
Fiona clearly had more thoughts and words, but Shard was right, there wasn’t much time left, and they didn’t have the luxury to waste it on other matters.
So Shard left the tent with Mia temporarily, allowing Fiona to change her clothes inside.
To display his gentlemanly demeanor, Shard deliberately turned his back to the tent:
"So, do you know what I did while you were sleeping?"
"I only vaguely knew you came. I was trapped in a very long dream, under the light of the Red Moon, ancient dreams guided me to awaken further the power in my bloodline."
The voice from behind was very gentle, and Shard simultaneously heard the sound of clothes dropping.
"When I returned here half an hour ago, I was also startled, but thankfully I found paint that could be used for painting in the nightfall, and I traded for that Golden Needle. It was that needle that led me to the Dragon Shell Book, ’Dragon Book: Breeding and Growth.’"
Shard said, and Fiona responded with a slightly awkward tone:
"Oh, so it was that book, that’s why it recorded... Although the original of ’Dragon Book: Breeding and Growth’ has been lost, there are still some copies... used to educate young dragons."
In other words, for half-blood Dragonfolk like Shard, the book he found was actually a coming-of-age sex education book, which is why Fiona felt a bit embarrassed.
He heard the sound of clothes being lifted and shaken:
"This book should be quite useful for you. Later, let’s take that stone tablet as well. I’ll carry it; just chain it to me. Oh, I don’t have enough ritual items with me. The ritual I used didn’t have a negative impact on you, did it?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
He asked with some concern, and then heard soft laughter from the tent behind him:
"The ritual was perfect. I even gained some new power. Did you use the Sand of Time we traded last time? I feel I am more adept at perceiving and manipulating time, a talent that Red Dragons don’t possess. Also, after waking up, I suddenly feel a familiarity with the night. We’ll test my new abilities when we get out later."
The Sand of Time and the paint brought changes to the ritual, but fortunately, they were positive changes.
"Before sleeping, I was at the Eleventh Rank; after waking up, I’m already at the Twelfth Rank. The benefits of this slumber were indeed many."
As she spoke, Shard heard the sound of clothes being put on. He wasn’t sure if it was just his vivid imagination, but he could almost ’see’ the sequence in which Fiona was getting dressed.
"Teacher Orland is of the Yellow Moon, whereas I am of the Red Moon. This Red Moon dream further repaired my damaged spiritual power, and I’ve recovered some of the forgotten memories."
She said softly, and Shard quickly asked:
"So, what is your real purpose for coming here?"
"To meet the Deity."
This time she was quite clear:
"Crossing the shroud of the Eternal Night of the City of Night, when I reach the deepest part of the night palace, the ruler of the Eternal Night will be seated on the divine throne waiting for me."
Rustling sounds like someone buttoning their collar.
"What does Miss Feliana want?"
Shard asked again.
"A part of this city. Miss Feliana wants a part of the City of Eternal Night to become the site of the Academy she’s building."
Fiona said, and Shard heard the flapping of her wings. Apparently, she had also cut a small opening in the back of her clothes to allow her wings to extend out.
Shard had carefully observed her wings earlier. They weren’t large, and their bones didn’t seem very rigid, so they could likely be well retracted without affecting daily life and sleep.
As for Miss Feliana’s thinking, it was quite similar to that legend told by Miss Danester during the Sixth Era. Currently, the Randall Valley of the Old Continent in the Sixth Era corresponds to the Midland of the Fifth Era. By this saying, Saint Byrons on the Far North Great Ice Cap during the Sixth Era corresponds to the position on the Northern Continent during the Fifth Era. However, the current Northern Continent is clearly, for the most part, a habitable area. Moreover, the great ice cap of the Sixth Era is far from being as large as today’s Northern Continent.
"So, what kind of bargaining chip did Miss Feliana offer? Given that she wants to trade with a Great One, the bargaining chip should be quite surprising, right?"
Shard asked, then continued to hear the rustling sounds. Upon closer distinction, it sounded like fabric brushing against skin, and at the end of the sound, a highly elastic snap resounded. Shard raised an eyebrow, recognizing it as the sound of the end of a stocking snapping against skin.
The same action repeated with the other leg.
"That’s the one thing I haven’t recalled yet."
Fiona said regretfully, and as she spoke, the sound drew nearer, until she stepped out of the tent and stood behind Shard. The Red Dragon Girl once again reached out from behind and embraced Shard, who was facing away from her, with a touch that was exceptionally soft:
"You promised to venture with me into the deepest part of the City of Eternal Night, and then leave with me, right?"
"It’s not leaving together, but ensuring you leave safely."
Shard corrected her. Despite using so many Time Keys, he had never once managed to voluntarily exit the task location set by Tree Father.
"Yes, you promised."
She whispered in his ear, and Shard felt his ears inexplicably redden.
Turning to look at Fiona, she had changed into an outfit identical to the last one. Over a women’s blouse with lace vertical stripes at the chest, she wore a somewhat snug dark blue jacket. Her lower half was clad in a dark red skirt reaching the knees, her legs covered with black fabric, and on her feet, a pair of brown flats.
The Red Dragon Girl lifted her right foot, her shoe tip tapping the ground.
"What about your wings?"
Shard asked curiously. Seeing him scrutinizing her, Fiona clasped her hands behind her back and, slightly embarrassed, spun on the spot, revealing a small exposed patch on her back to Shard:
"The wings can be fully retracted and will extend when needed. This consumes some Spirit, but the cost is minimal."
After completing her turn, noting that Shard and Mia were both staring at her tail, the previously bold girl blushed instantly:
"The tail can’t be retracted, no matter what."
In conclusion, due to the lengthy time spent earlier, Shard was now left with less than ten minutes. The two of them swiftly packed up the camp, then Fiona took the Golden Needle from Shard’s hand and, with a mighty force, drove it into the center of the Compass she had always carried.
The Compass itself was lodged in gears obtained from the clock shop, while a teaspoon from the café was threaded onto the Golden Needle by Fiona.
Having done so, she used the remaining metal mechanical parts from her small bundle to process the Roder Disc, refining the crude Compass into something quite mechanical with gears. Subsequently, she bit her own finger and inscribed runes representing the four cardinal directions onto the Compass.
"Moonlight."
After softly chanting, the red moonlight from her fingertip illuminated the Compass. Under the curious gaze of Shard and Mia, the shadow of the Golden Needle appeared on the Compass’s surface and began to rotate clockwise, while the teaspoon rotated counterclockwise.
The marks Shard initially thought were scratches on the Compass’s surface gradually lit up, until they formed a Star Map on the Compass’s face. The unknown clock gears, infected by the Star Map’s light, started intermittently rotating, and with each turn, Shard seemed to hear the ticking of a clock.
Not until three full minutes passed, did the rotating teaspoon and the shadow of the Golden Needle come to a complete stop, aligning with one another.
They both pointed toward the southwest, specifically to the corner of the art gallery’s Antechamber:
"Are we supposed to trek toward the southwestern city? Even with this cat now, there’s just not enough time."
Shard inquired.
"Use this."
Fiona once again produced that black curtain:
"The Compass points in that direction, so all we need to do is unfurl the curtain in that direction and use the Compass for positioning; we will surely arrive. It’s an alchemical item crafted by Miss Feliana - it won’t fail."
She had great confidence in Miss Feliana.
Two retractable metal rods were forcefully thrust into the floor’s crevices by Fiona, and a horizontal bar was laced atop the metal rods. The curtain was then hung, forming a doorway-style curtain.
The painstakingly crafted Compass was placed beneath the curtain, its light adding a touch of starry sky color to the pitch-black, night-like curtain.
"Get ready to go; this is the final stop."
Shard, wrapped in chains, carried the half-man-high Stone Tablet on his back. One hand cradled Mia, and with the other, he proactively held Fiona’s hand. Because of Mia, they didn’t go to purchase Ever-Burning Candles this time.
"Yes, the final stop."
Fiona took a deep breath, then together with Shard, who held the cat, charged into the curtain swaying with an unknown breeze.
