Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1418: The Contents of the Ritual
"Is it possible that the pollution here was drained of too much power by the flower seller just now?"
Iluna asked, and Shard agreed:
"It’s indeed possible. I’m not sure if you’ve heard about the events of Tuesday. The distortion there directly connected to the roots of the earth also lost its pollution trait because the power was drained by an Evil God."
He took out soil and petals, clutched the Earth Rune Stone, and cast the spell "Power of the Earth: Healing Aura", purifying the area with ease. Because the pollution here was so mild, the final Holy Grail formed was only the size of an ordinary wine glass, with the inscription "Flowers in Bloom" on its body.
This kind of Holy Grail, Iluna had seen recorded in the Church. Flowers planted with this cup would bloom more magnificently, and the blossoms could have some unique effects.
So far, Shard still had Healing, Goldstone, Preservation, Memory, and Flowers in Bloom Grails in his possession. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
After purifying the blackened soil, Iluna also came in and joined Shard in examining the place. It was a modest-sized underground chamber, used as a storeroom from an unknown era. Along the walls were many heavily rusted longswords and armor. Due to the severe rust, they couldn’t even be sold as antiques.
Apart from those rusty weapons, there was also a seemingly heavy iron box against another wall. The box wasn’t large but was tightly bound with iron chains, and the old lock was completely rusted shut.
Shard used the Moonlight Greatsword to cut open the box’s chains, and after putting in effort to open it with Iluna, they found the box filled with reddish-brown metal blocks.
"Gold bricks."
Iluna picked one up, weighing it to estimate its density, then used it to knock against the wall to listen to the sound:
"The surface is rusted, after all, it’s been here for a long time. I’ll check the purity."
She summoned a flame to scorch it slightly:
"The purity seems quite good."
"Gold bricks, huh? I didn’t expect such a find."
Shard counted the number of gold bricks in the box, but was surprised to find that only the top layer was gold bricks, with various jewelry boxes underneath. These boxes, varying in size and style, contained both valuable and not-so-valuable jewelry.
At the same time, they discovered a small line of text engraved on the box:
"Fundraised by the Free Randall Valley Nobles to resist the dictatorial Southern Domain Carsonrick Army — Common Era Calendar 1124."
"In 1124, although the United Kingdom of Carsonrick hadn’t formally declared its establishment, when I read local history on the airship, I saw that Randall Valley Region had already been conquered at that time."
Iluna said, and Shard nodded:
"This should be the funds raised by the rebels, temporarily stored here. Somehow, no one came back for them... How about we donate a quarter to the Sun Church of our district, a quarter to the Dawn Church of our district, and split the rest between us? At least half of this money would be used for its original purpose."
The rebels had long ceased to exist, but this was nonetheless money raised by the citizens of Randall Valley City.
"Of course, that sounds great. I’ve had my eye on a few new dresses."
So Shard packed the gold bricks and jewelry into toys and would transport them to Tobesk City. Once matters in Randall Valley were concluded, he would take them to Old John, sell them, convert them to cash, and then make donations accordingly.
As they made their final check of these antique items, Shard unexpectedly discovered something that absolutely shouldn’t be there at the bottom of the box:
"Sapphire earring?"
The earring seemed to have slipped from a jewelry box, landing at the bottom. Shard picked it up and found that the gemstone earring encased a drop of blood preserved in glass.
His inspiration was telling him that this was the last item that Ston Osenfort wanted him to find. However, Shard couldn’t have imagined it would be hidden here.
If it wasn’t for the wonderfully guiding Fate of Iluna, other than seeking help from Luviya, Shard couldn’t think of any possibility to find it himself.
"Is this the item the demon asked you to find?"
Iluna, who had heard Shard mention the demon, curiously examined the earring:
"The ring was at the river bottom, the medallion in a stone, and the earring in an underground chamber of the sewer. According to your thinking, if these were hidden by the demon, then it really, truly didn’t want Osenfort to find them."
"The ring is already in his hands, and he asked me to return the medallion and this earring to him."
"So, are you planning to look for him tonight? Perhaps in a few hours, you’ll obtain [Genesis: Earth]."
Iluna asked with a smile, but despite his eagerness, Shard shook his head:
"Can’t be too hasty. I’ll write to him on Monday morning, then arrange to meet Monday evening or Tuesday. Returning this to Osenfort might give him a chance to resist the demon. Anyway, it’s only a few days now, and I’m patient... It’s bound to be mine sooner or later."
The earring was carefully returned to his pocket:
"Iluna, you really were a huge help today."
"Well, to thank me, would you like to have dinner together? Just the two of us, and then you can head to Huntington afterward."
Iluna made a modest invitation and added:
"If you want to invite Luviya, that’s fine too."
"So, Miss Iluna Beath, would you be willing to have dinner with me in a foreign land?"
Shard then said, and the seventeen-year-old girl nodded, turning away to hide her smile. Compared to the wealth she found earlier, Shard’s invitation was the highlight of her day.
After having dinner with Iluna, she returned to the church and arranged to meet Shard and Luviya at the Abundant Land Inn the following morning.
Shard, meanwhile, made a brief visit to the Wilder Opera House before returning home. After feeding Mia her dinner, he took the seemingly lethargic, well-fed cat with him to Huntington City.
Setting off from the White Valley Vineyard, now belonging to Margaret, Shard first visited his friend, the Vampire Kind, Mr. Benhart’s manor, only to find that Mr. Benhart was still in Velindale City and hadn’t returned.
So he rode his horse directly to the western part of the city. With no destination in mind, he rode freely under the moonlight until he decided to stop by a large lake. He then led the horse, pulled Mia out of his pocket, and placed her on the head of the chestnut-colored horse.
"Meow~"
Mia’s sound was rather reluctant, but upon hearing it, the horse instinctively moved towards the direction of the lake.
Huntington City had also entered the season of melting snow, yet this unnamed lake still had an ice layer. Rider, cat, and horse traveled on the ice, reaching the center of the lake where they discovered a large hole in the ice; beneath the hole, the water reflected three moon shadows:
"Always trying something new."
Shard muttered, then led the horse and jumped directly into the icy pit.
He did not feel drenched but rather as if he were gently floating like a feather. When his feet touched the ground and he looked around, he was already on Heart Lake Island of Lake Cherub.
Having only been here during the daytime, it was his first time seeing Lake Cherub at midnight; it was indeed a different kind of beautiful scenery.
Releasing the reins of the horse, allowing it to graze freely on the island, Shard carried Mia towards the center of the island.
There was also some snow on Heart Lake Island, albeit its central lake wasn’t frozen. Usually, "Water Walking" couldn’t be used here, but this time, when Shard attempted to summon his little boat, "she" told him to simply walk over it.
Thus, without utilizing any supernatural power, Shard walked directly on the water.
And under the moonlight, Cherub, dressed in a white robe, knelt on one knee at the sharp rock engraved with runes in the small lake’s center, praying. Once she stood up from her prayer, Shard greeted her:
"Good evening, my apologies for the intrusion."
"It’s alright, I already know what kind of enlightenment you seek."
The angel holding a staff stood emitting a soft white glow in the darkness, appearing unchanged from two months ago:
"But you should know the rules, obtaining enlightenment requires completing a trial."
"No problem, please trial me, and then tell me how to assemble those three God Summoning Rituals for the Feast of the Earth Mother Goddess."
The angel shook her head:
"It’s actually not as complicated as you think, Sage. You’ve already learned the whole truth, but haven’t seen past the unnecessary. Now that the disturbances of the earth have begun, what you lack standing upon it is the final insight."
"Hmm... perhaps you could just directly tell me the trial content, honestly I don’t understand."
Shard hesitated as he spoke, patting the cat on his shoulder. Although this cat had followed Shard here before, she still appeared curious.
"The answer is here."
A page of parchment roll flew from the sleeve of the robe towards Shard:
"Complete my trial: using wisdom rather than force, resolve the Stone Mirror Demon: Goethe, in the upcoming test."
Shard looked at the parchment in surprise, which had simple content written on it:
"Offer a sacrifice of the Flower of the Four Seasons and invite five controllers of the Power of the Earth to the feast."
"I haven’t completed the trial, and you’re already giving me the answer?"
The white-robed lady holding the staff smiled:
"Haven’t you already guessed this answer? The content of the Chosen One Ceremony was never important; it’s impossible to need twelve different offerings. So, overlapping offerings are the key, this visit was just to confirm your assumptions."
"I understand."
Shard nodded:
"But are you sure the trial is about playing a game with a demon?"
"This will allow you to gain more."
The angel said calmly.
