Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1422: The Petrified Stonemason Street
Miss Galina asked while glancing at Shard, who was helping Tifa and the others gather the pieces of ice and stone.
When the question was heard, almost all the women in the basement laughed.
Miss Sylvia shook her head with a smile:
"How could Vanessa possibly tell me something so private?"
Just as Shard breathed a sigh of relief, she added:
"But you are aware of Shard falling ill last week, right? I inquired about what happened before, and found out that, to ensure Shard’s perfume bottle was entirely filled, they..."
She leaned in to whisper a few words into the ear of the Red-Haired Witch, and Miss Galina’s gaze toward Shard gradually changed:
"Really, even Benanis seems to be competing with me..."
She secretly made up her mind.
Shard didn’t linger too long at the witch’s manor, and after confirming that the witches were all making their respective preparations, he set off once more for the manor where the professors of Saint Byrons were staying.
The old doorman at the entrance of the manor seemed to have heard Miss Danester mention Shard, so this time he did not prevent him from entering. Miss Danester happened to be in the manor at that moment, and upon hearing of Shard’s arrival, she received him in the study.
This manor, a property of the Academy, was clearly less lavishly decorated than the witches’ manor, but the study’s decor was an exception. The four walls were entirely covered with bookshelves, reaching up to the ceiling, leaving no sign of the walls. Since the walls couldn’t accommodate gas lamps, a crystal chandelier above provided the light.
"I have received your letter."
Shard mentioned to his teacher the information:
"Miss Danester, in your opinion, how are the original founders most likely to have acquired the current school grounds?"
He posed the question to the Thirteen-Ring Female Sorcerer, and Miss Danester, after some thought, provided an answer similar to Shard’s guess:
"Treasures from the First Era. Gods rarely have thoughts about mortal things, since there is an essential difference between the Gods of Bygone Days and us mortals. What we consider precious is equivalent to dirt on the ground in the eyes of the gods."
Though she didn’t know exactly what Shard was planning, she didn’t hold back in sharing her thoughts:
"In fact, not only during the initial establishment, but even now, the school still holds some treasures related to the Primal Era. These are Saint Byrons’ most precious secrets, but I dare bet that Zaras Academy of Literature and Xerxes Higher Medical Academy should have similar collections."
"Can you tell me what treasures the school holds?"
Shard was very interested in this.
"Not supernatural items, but things that have been preserved to this day."
Miss Danester listed them:
"Some things are not suitable for you to know yet, but among them, the most important to us is a stone tablet inscribed with the oldest story of the Moon Goddess, the Sage of Silvermoon. Even though I am now at Thirteen Rings, I still cannot fully recount this story. I can only say the gist is that the Ancient God incarnated as a Saint in the Material World, and together with the Sun God, the Supreme Binder of the Sun, defined day and night."
Shard showed a look of amazement:
"I didn’t expect we had something so remarkable."
Miss Danester smiled and said:
"When you reach Twelve Rings, I can take you to see that stone tablet. But for now, you cannot bear the weight of that knowledge."
As they were talking, a knock was suddenly heard at the study door.
"What is it?"
So Miss Danester inquired.
"Professor, something happened in the city, the church sent a letter, if you have time, please go and take a look as soon as possible."
"Something happened in the city? Can’t they handle it themselves?"
The Female Sorcerer stood up abruptly:
"Where?"
"Randall Valley Stonemason Association."
The young voice outside the door replied. This time Miss Danester traveled with two professors from the Academy, and she also brought some assistants to help with documenting and errands.
"I’ll go immediately."
She was about to bid Shard farewell when Shard also stood up:
"I’ll go with you, since I have nothing this afternoon."
Miss Danester hesitated for a moment:
"If it weren’t very dangerous, the church wouldn’t let me go... I can take you, but you must stay by my side, and if I tell you to leave, you must leave."
"Of course, I never go to dangerous places."
Shard nodded in agreement, and after joining the two accompanying High Ring professors, the group quickly took a carriage to the Stonemason Guild in the old city.
Last week, when they were investigating the flower-selling girl with Iluna, they had come to Stonemason Street where the guild is located. But since the stonemasons on the street were fighting at the time, they didn’t go in.
Now, on this overcast Monday afternoon, the entire street was blocked off by the police. Large thin wooden boards were erected at the street entrance to prevent anyone from peeking inside. As soon as Shard and Miss Danester got off the carriage, Shard felt a strong presence of the Desecration Element.
The professors also sensed the unabashed power and were about to further investigate the situation when the elderly priest who had come to greet them approached.
Professor Lemar from the Divinity Academy, his hair gray, opened with a question:
"What’s the situation now?"
"Please come inside and take a look. The professors from Zaras and Xerxes just arrived as well. It’s quite complicated."
The local police were guarding the entrance, while the Circle Sorcerers from the church were behind the boards blocking the view. Once they entered the street through the gaps, they immediately saw lifelike statues standing on the street.
But shortly, Shard and others quickly realized these were not statues but living people.
Upon a rough count, there were hundreds of stone figures visible on the street.
"Living people corrupted by the Crazy Earth?"
Professor Mason from the Ancient Literature department asked softly, reaching out to touch the nearest statue, one looking like a merchant. The statue raised its right leg, its eyes looking to the left, with no panic in its gaze. The event seemed unpredictable.
"No, it’s not permanent petrification, more like a Malicious Transformation Spell."
Professor Mason made an accurate judgment, and the leading priest said worriedly:
"Indeed, it’s not permanent petrification; it’s akin to a curse. But if they are not returned to flesh quickly, even if we succeed in saving them, they might just be a group of soulless vegetative people."
"When did this happen?"
Shard asked, and the elderly priest of the Sun Church thought for a moment: 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
"Around two-thirty in the afternoon. The Peace Church’s chapel is also in the old city, so they immediately detected the wave of desecration and received the news quickly."
"The Peace Church planted spies in the Stonemason Guild to maintain peace between the guild and the royal family?"
Miss Danester inquired, but the old priest shook his head solemnly:
"At that time, two very special people were inside the guild. The local church, out of duty, had people protecting from a distance at the street entrance, which stabilized the situation quickly without causing city-wide panic. Those two noble individuals were also petrified, which is the crux of the problem."
"I’m not familiar with the local scene. Who are these two nobles?"
Miss Danester asked again as they passed by one stone figure after another, approaching the Stonemason Guild.
"Prince William and Princess Margaret."
"What?!"
Shard abruptly looked up in the direction of the Stonemason Guild, but no one was paying attention to his expression at that moment.
Miss Danester frowned deeply:
"These two absolutely cannot be harmed, or the entire order of Carsonrick will change. Now, at this time, this absolutely cannot happen... Haven’t they been reverted yet?"
"No, the statues of the Anjou Family’s descendants are inside the guild, but... Please follow me."
The group quickly arrived at the entrance of the Stonemason Guild and noticed that a large crowd had already gathered.
In addition to representatives from the Church of the Five Gods, professors from Xerxes Higher Medical Academy and Zaras Literary Academy were also present. As per the rumors heard by Miss Elf Emilia, Xerxes Higher Medical Academy indeed sent the Thirteen-Ring Dean of Studies, known as "Iron Punisher" Professor Miller Stuart.
After a brief greeting, Miss Danester looked up at the building’s upper floors:
"What’s on the third floor?"
She asked, and Mr. Granger from the Sun Church, known as the "Earth Shaker," said gravely:
"Similar to last Tuesday night, the statue brought by cultists. Last Tuesday night, the cultist’s statue attracted the attention of the Evil God. If it weren’t for the Guardian and God Summoner helping, we would have been in big trouble. This time, although uncertain, we cannot take the risk with the cultist’s statue. For safety, we did not strike it directly."
To respond to the events in Randall Valley, the Church of the Five Gods gathered six Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers to Randall Valley, together with two from the Three Major Academies, the "Weeper" Hermons, and the uniquely manifested Guardian. Randall Valley City now boasts an unprecedented gathering of eleven High Ring Sorcerers.
To prevent a repeat of last Tuesday night, the Sun Church’s "Earth Shaker" Mr. Granger, Peace Church’s "Singer of Freedom" Ms. Triss Michelle, and Church of Creation’s "Illusion Master" Mr. Chris Evans, are all here. Along with the two Thirteen Rings from Xerxes and Saint Byrons, five Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers will solve this matter together.
Time is of the essence, so the gathered five Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers wasted no time on pleasantries. Mr. Granger of the Sun Church, as the overall commander of the operation:
"Do not worry about anything else, make sure to take down that statue in one strike, preventing any possible leakage of Evil God power beyond this street. Of course, if a similar issue to last Tuesday arises, our church’s Ascetic, carrying an Angel-Level Relic, will confront it head-on."
