Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1396: The Fourth Story Segment
The purpose here is easy to determine because the basement of No. 6, Saint Delan Square, where Shard has set up his magic potion and alchemical laboratory, is just like this.
However, compared to Shard’s laboratory, the experimental instruments here are quite outdated. From the materials, they seem to be from at least prior to the start of the Steam Age, some even worthy of being sent to a museum. And among these now obsolete old items lies a folded letter.
The letter is placed in a quite conspicuous position on the experimental table, with two stones imbued with long-lasting light spells beside it, as if afraid the newcomers won’t see it.
Shard stepped over the ritual circle on the ground with unknown effects, because he was worried the letter might be some kind of trap. After carefully checking, he picked up the letter. He didn’t look at the content first but at the signature:
[Thomas Granger]
This was the first Guardian Shard encountered, who gave him the Power of the Earth in the Emerald Dream, and whose bones laid by the Ancient God Statue at the White Valley Vineyard.
"I lied to Earl Granger before coming here, saying that his great-uncle might have visited the old family cemetery, not expecting it to be true."
Shard thought inwardly, then carefully read the contents of the letter.
[To the later comer:]
[Congratulations on finding this place.] 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
[This underground laboratory does not belong to me but rather to an ancestor of the Granger family, Ferrari Granger, born in 1405. I found the location of the laboratory in the family’s old books and discovered a tomb robber who died here. The tomb robber likely lived around 1690 and had become an Evil Spirit by the time I wrote this letter. I transformed it into a guard for this place. Please forgive me for doing so.]
"So this is the guard he left behind, no wonder it can resist Silvermoon’s power to some extent."
[This laboratory symbolizes a disgraceful history of the family. I am not the first Granger to discover the family Bloodline Power. According to the family genealogy, Ferrari Granger, born in 1408, died in 1460. But in truth, he was still alive until the Randall Valley Earthquake of 1495, secretly hiding underground in the family cemetery conducting his research.]
Shard frowned slightly. Since the letter mentioned the earthquake of 1495, it indicates that Ferrari Granger was involved.
Thinking about this, he reached into his pocket for the Mithril Cube and immediately sensed new information appearing with its slight vibration. Yet he didn’t look at the content on the Mithril Cube but continued to read the letter in his hand.
[Yes, latecomer, I am ashamed. The 1495 Randall Valley Earthquake was related to my ancestor. Ferrari Granger hid here, secretly researching the Power of the Earth, and inadvertently triggered that disaster during an experiment. I explain nothing further, but Ferrari Granger is already dead here, and I buried his corpse in the soil outside.]
[Being able to expel the guard proves you are skilled. As a reward, everything here shall belong to you. I only took with me a Silver Cube that might be related to causing the earthquake. Besides the worthless collections from the ancestors’ laboratory, I placed a gift for you in the box next to the letter. If you wish to obtain my secret, you can take the token in the box to my family to inquire about my information. It will guide you to find me. Whenever.]
The letter concluded with a signature. Although the letter was quite brief, Shard read it again after finishing it, then placed the letter down:
"It turns out that the Mithril Cube, recording so many stories of the Randall Valley, wasn’t originally created by Mr. Thomas Granger, but something he took from here. In other words, Mr. Thomas Granger left home shortly after visiting this cemetery... what exactly is this Mithril Cube? Mr. Thomas Granger left it at home, seemingly treating it as one of the clues for guiding the next generation of Guardians; does he even know what it is himself?"
Thinking to himself, he finally took out the Cube. After "Church of the Forgotten," "Saint Perry Cemetery," and "Stonemason Guild Chamber," "Randall Valley Gold Mine," the fifth story about Randall Valley finally emerged:
[Randall Valley Earthquake of 1695:]
Legend has it that the God shook the Earth to punish the irreverent. But in truth, earthquakes are merely natural phenomena. Nonetheless, the Randall Valley Earthquake of 1695 was a disaster accidentally triggered by a greedy and frantic mortal seeking ancient secrets. The truth of the earthquake lies within Granger, the secret of the earthquake beneath the land of rest and faith. This is not a pleasant story, but it warns us to respect the power we do not understand.]
"Beneath the land of rest and faith, this directly refers to the underground of the cemetery church."
Shard sighed softly, holding the Cube, looking at the vague ritual base formation not far from his feet. Right in the center of those lines was a square opening approximately the same size as the Cube.
"Hmm..."
Fortunately, he wasn’t very curious, and since the ritual base formation was severely damaged, even trying it would be pointless, so he put the Cube away again:
"Mr. Thomas Granger must have seen the Cube’s ability to guide stories and left it for future seekers to follow in his footsteps. The method of use written on that note should also have been explored by that gentleman. Having said that six stories can unlock it, I’m just one step away. What could it really be?"
Thinking this, he picked up the box mentioned in the letter. Upon opening it, he saw a silver pocket watch that no longer moved, a letter, and a small irregular piece of metal.
The pocket watch was a personal item of Mr. Thomas Granger, essentially a keepsake. The letter was one he wrote to his family, asking for their forgiveness for his sudden departure and urging them not to look for him. It seems that at that time, Thomas Granger had already planned to leave home:
"Which means that his health was already very poor due to contamination with the black mud."
The thumb-sized, pitted piece of metal, which looked at first glance like unpolished silver ore, was immediately recognized by Shard as something else when he touched it:
"Mithril?"
This small piece of mithril was enough for Shard to pay his entire tuition from first grade to ninth grade at Saint Byrons.
"He’s really generous."
Shard put that small piece of mithril into his pocket, his smile barely concealed.
Of course, he hadn’t forgotten his purpose. He was not here to follow in the footsteps of Mr. Thomas Granger and ultimately become a Guardian. He was here to find the gems left by the Butterfly family.
There was no mention of these in Mr. Granger’s letter. It’s unclear if the original owner never had them, if Thomas didn’t find them, or if he discovered them and took them away directly.
With the idea of spending an entire day digging three feet deep into this basement and uncovering every inch of the walls, Shard began his search, only to find the hexagonal golden gemstone in a small jar on the laboratory table containing fragmented gems and rare minerals within three minutes of starting his search.
The red gemstone below the memoir represented summer, the white gemstone given by Osenfort represented winter, and the golden gemstone before him represented autumn.
"Isn’t this too easy?"
With the three gemstones already in hand, Shard judged from their size and carving craftsmanship that the golden gemstone he found here was one of the four keys he was looking for. This left only the spring-representing green gemstone yet to be found.
"However, why didn’t Mr. Thomas Granger take it away over seventy years ago? Did Ferrari Granger, who established this underground lab over three hundred years ago, discover the secret of this family legacy gemstone?"
But no matter what, Shard was getting closer and closer to the secrets of the Guardians.
After riding back to town, Shard returned the pocket watch and the heavily faded ink letter of Mr. Thomas Granger to Granger Manor, thereby fulfilling the Earl’s commission.
At this point, it was just noon on this Monday, so Shard first went home to have lunch with Mia, then spent the rest of the day idling about at home.
He wasn’t idle, though; he read through Mr. Lyman’s memoir, learning about the ordinary yet tumultuous life of this man from the Fifth Era.
Since Shard had intersected significantly with him on his life’s journey, he knew very well how that encounter affected Mr. Lyman’s entire life.
At dinner with Lecia at the town’s secret club that evening, Shard recounted the story of this gentleman to Her Highness the Princess. Little Princess sat at the table eavesdropping, and Lecia was also curious about the life of an ordinary man from the Fifth Era, but she was more concerned about another matter:
"Did he marry three wives?"
Angelina was more interested in this topic.
"Yes, all butterfly maidens he brought out of the Worm Cave."
While stroking Mia, Shard continued,
"This bloodline has not died out. According to the information I’ve gathered from local folklore scholars, at least one-third of the locals living in Randall Valley today can trace their lineage back to Mr. Lyman. The butterfly bloodline is rooted in that valley, and I even suspect this was the intention of the Old God I once encountered, as they wish to stabilize the land in Randall Valley during the current Sixth Era."
"Why do you say that?"
Lecia asked curiously.
"Because the butterfly bloodline can withstand the petrified plague effects of the Crazy Earth. I only learned today from Miss Benanis that the Church is currently archiving those afflicted by the plague and tracing their ancestors, discovering that most of the severe cases are not native inhabitants."
