Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1412: Eye Drops and the Ghost Town
Shard nodded and accepted the sword, it was his first time handling such a telescopic sword. It wasn’t suitable for real combat, but it was quite nice to be kept at home as a toy, especially since this sword was quite splendid:
"It looks nice, that’s enough."
He tried retracting and extending the blade, then thought of carrying it on his back, but realized it was difficult to draw, so he ended up hanging it at his waist instead.
Perhaps because it was imbued with the power of Death Angel, this alchemical weapon couldn’t really be turned into a toy. At least, Shard of the Five Rings couldn’t transform it into a weapon.
"Priest, thank you for your trouble this time."
Shard thanked sincerely.
"Don’t be so polite, compared to what you helped me find back, this is nothing."
The Old Cleric glanced at Dorothy on the other side of the basement, who was holding a cat while observing a boiling, glowing solution, and he lowered his voice to ask Shard:
"When do you plan to take action?"
Shard thought for a moment:
"Today is Wednesday, probably next week, I still need to make some preparations."
The Old Cleric nodded and this time didn’t mention anything about going to help:
"The two bottles of Golden Potion I gave you last time can’t be replenished for the time being, but after collecting the finger bones, I learned new knowledge about magic potions. This will be useful for you."
He handed Shard a bottle, about a third the size of a pinky finger, containing a clear viscous liquid. The small glass bottle was sealed with wax, and had no labels on it:
"Don’t drink it, it’s for external use. Drop it in your eyes to enhance the effects of vision-related sorcery and arcane technique, lasting about an hour. Be careful, it must not be dropped into any Demon Eye, or it will definitely go out of control."
Priest Augustus explained:
"I know you must have your ways to deal with the strong enemy, so I give you this ’Ancient Strengthening Eye Medicine’ to enhance your tracking ability. Once you’ve decided to take it down, don’t let it escape."
"Of course, this will be really useful."
Shard said with a smile, just that the bottle was so small, he had to store it carefully, otherwise, even if it fell on the ground or was broken by Mia, it would be hard to find:
"By the way, can you make this potion again in the future?"
The abilities of [Echo of Blood] and [Demon Vision] can both be enhanced by it.
"Yes, if you need more, come to me. However, the materials are hard to find, and the cost may be quite high."
"But there will always be situations where it’s worth using."
Shard cautiously put the bottle away. This way, if it weren’t for the task of simultaneously dealing with the demon and the Osenfort couple, the preparations for the demon hunt would have been complete.
This Wednesday, Shard indeed didn’t go to Randall Valley. After saying goodbye to Priest Augustus, he strolled around town with Dorothy and Mia, and they had dinner together.
After returning home that night, Dorothy mysteriously said she had a surprise to show Shard. She made Shard sit outside the desk, and then she carried out a shoebox from under the desk.
When opened, it contained a pair of small crystal shoes, emitting a glimmer under the gaslight.
"Look, Lecia’s ninth birthday gift, she finally agreed to let me show them to you."
Miss Writer said with a smile:
"I initially planned to have her personally show them to you on Saturday, but she wouldn’t agree, so I brought them myself. How do they look?"
She said, pulling out both shoes, and Mia immediately burrowed into the empty box, lying on the soft cushion with her head resting on the edge, watching Shard.
"What do you mean by how do they look? They’re just two shoes."
"I’d like to try them on."
She placed the shoes on the desk, pressing down on "The Butterfly Family: My Life" and her manuscript, then tapped the shoes with her fingers.
As the crystal glowed softly, the shoes began to grow visibly larger.
Although in a certain series of magical fairy tales from the Outlander’s hometown, transformation magic was a basic ability, in the Circle Sorcerer System, transforming the shape of objects is a relatively difficult ability, and human transformation in the Book of Pink and Immortality Magic is the hardest.
The ability to transform objects requires specialized training to master, and Dorothy likely hadn’t specifically studied such abilities. Shard observed carefully and found that the soles of the crystal shoes had been inscribed with ancient runes beforehand, transforming what were originally ordinary objects into alchemical items:
"Lecia wouldn’t use them anyway, and now that they’re out, they’re not going back to the collection room."
Dorothy said, her face a little flushed as she handed the shoes to Shard:
"Knight, please help me put them on. Tonight, since our Princess isn’t here, will you dance with me instead?"
"Of course, no problem. Let’s dance in the living room later, I’ll pick some music."
Shard said, and then thought of another thing:
"Next Tuesday, it’s the Day of the Red Butterfly again. Do you have any plans or arrangements?"
"Aren’t you going to Randall Valley next week for something important? I heard your conversation with Priest Augustus clearly."
Dorothy said, carefully slipping off her shoes, then tilting the chair to make it easier for Shard to crouch down:
"Wait until you have time. Although the Day of the Red Butterfly is the day when Lecia and I meet, without you, it doesn’t really count as a true Day of the Red Butterfly... How about finding another party?"
Her green eyes were full of laughter:
"I found that meeting at a party is really nice. There are delicious desserts, a lively atmosphere, and all sorts of interesting things. Of course, we should find one where a murder won’t happen, or else it would be a real downer."
Shard crouched down to pick up the crystal shoe for her right foot, and Dorothy bit her lip to prevent herself from making any strange noises when Shard touched her foot.
(Mia is running...)
Due to a high fever early Wednesday morning, Shard took the whole day on Wednesday to recuperate. That night, besides playing games with Dorothy, he didn’t forget to read for two hours before sleeping, keeping up with his studies.
And by Thursday, he returned to Randall Valley. This time he specifically asked Dorothy to take care of the cat to prevent it from being left alone at home again.
Arriving at the main hall of the Church of the Forgotten in the morning, he found it much livelier than usual.
Besides Miss Lathis and two other believers of the Old God, Miss Sylvia was also there.
As Shard walked through the partially repaired corridor from the back of the main hall, the black-haired witch was standing under the sunlight pouring through the hole in the church roof, looking around.
Seeing Shard appear, she first asked how he was feeling today, then explained to him:
"I found this church very interesting. You can’t see inside from outside, not just because of the influence of ’forgetfulness’, but also due to the role of spatial power. Together, they’ve hidden the area, including the courtyard."
She pointed at the hole above:
"Look at this, this hole certainly wasn’t smashed out. Shard, take a look at this hole’s shape, is it really naturally formed?"
Although Shard passed by here more than once, he had never really observed it closely. So he looked up:
"Hmm... it indeed doesn’t look natural."
"With this hole at its center, the building and courtyard themselves constitute a superb ritual. In addition to the residual forgetting power of the God of Bygone Days, it creates such a unique location near the city’s heart."
Miss Sylvia smiled, looking up at it all:
"Not just me, even when Miss Aphrola came, before being told the truth, she couldn’t see this church at all. It’s amazing! I bet the True God Church has checked this place multiple times due to local rumors of the ’invisible church,’ but they found nothing, which says a lot. While I’m in the Randall Valley, I must study this place thoroughly."
"Then, is it possible to recreate a similar hidden architecture? Like a ritual that could completely hide No. 6, Saint Delan Square."
Shard curiously asked, and the witch shook her head slightly:
"At the very least, it’s not possible right now, but when I reach the Thirteen Rings, I might attempt it."
With that, she finally lowered her head:
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Miss Iluna Beath is expected to arrive in town tonight. You should be able to meet her around tomorrow, Friday. The steam hover zeppelin she was on encountered some issues on the way."
"Did Iluna run into a green dragon again?"
Shard asked in surprise:
"Or was it another dragon? Or maybe a royal griffin? Or perhaps..."
"Oh, how could she always encounter such dangerous things?"
Miss Sylvia shook her head and then naturally took Shard’s hand:
"On Tuesday night, the zeppelin landed for steamboiler maintenance at an unnamed small town in central Carsonrick. The zeppelin lost contact there, only reestablishing communication with a nearby church by Wednesday morning. According to what we learned from the True God Church, the party mistakenly entered a ghost town. Everyone in the whole town was a ghost."
"That’s quite like a scene from a horror story, where lost travelers wander into a manor of ghosts."
"But this time, the town didn’t meet lost travelers. You should know that besides the Chosen of Balance, there were Church Ring Sorcerers of the Five Gods supporting Randall Valley from the central region of Draleon aboard the steam hover zeppelin. There were three of them with just Twelve Rings alone."
The young witch laughed while rubbing Shard’s hand with her thumb:
"Everyone else is busy with their affairs. I’m the only one here under the guise of personal travel, with nothing much to do. Shard, do you have plans today?"
