Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1437: The Tale of the Stable
"How will we know if we don’t try?"
Shard stood in the stable and said:
"Once I’ve dealt with the demon, I’ll go to the Heart of the Earth to find you."
"Before that happens, there might be some other matters."
The Guardian watched Shard:
"Even if there are hundreds of souls resisting the twisted power of the Earth together, even if the Heart of the Earth shields me, by the time you see this clay incarnation, I might have already gone mad."
"Hmm..."
"I’ve tried my best to seal myself underground, but there’s still a chance I might break out from the earth and become... some sort of terrifying Evil Object."
Shard wasn’t surprised at all:
"Is there a way to reverse it?"
"If the power of the Heart of the Earth can return to normal, I can also return to normal."
The Guardian said expressionlessly.
"It’s impossible. The purpose of the ceremony is to restore the Heart of the Earth to normal."
"Then there’s another way to temporarily clear my mind — a new soul becomes part of the Guardian."
Shard frowned and looked at him:
"You’ve left so many clues, isn’t there a suitable candidate now?"
"Over the past century, the demon has opposed me, causing some issues in the Guardian’s legacy. Since Lathes joined decades ago, no more suitable candidates have emerged. But now there are two more..."
"Ston Osenfort and Ciris Lathes, right?"
Shard spoke the answer he already knew, and the Guardian nodded slightly;
"Besides, recently a very special girl came from the Northern Kingdom. You’ve met her, seventeen years old, brown long hair, seems her last name is Beyas. But her destiny is more complicated, like yours, unsuitable to become a Guardian. Therefore, if either Osenfort or Lathes could become part of us, it can temporarily make us clearheaded."
After a pause, he added: 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
"And making Ston Osenfort a part of us should be that demon’s ultimate plan. So, that’s what it’s planning."
"I won’t let Miss Lathis die because of this reason."
Shard looked at him:
"Absolutely not."
The Guardian opened his palm, and a small golden stone, only the size of Shard’s fingernail, flew in front of Shard:
"This is a part of the ’Heart of the Earth’ that broke off during a great earthquake three hundred years ago. Separated from the main body, it can still stay normal. Unfortunately, it’s not large enough; otherwise, just this alone could bring me back to normal... Let Ciris Lathes touch it, and she could wield the Power of the Earth."
Since it’s not the main body of the Power of the Earth, it doesn’t carry the divinity Shard desires on it.
"I said, I won’t do that."
If Shard really did that, the only difference between this and the Bygone Era: Sixth Era is that the person revealing the truth to Miss Lathes would be him instead of Long-Haired Luviya.
"Would you abandon the entire world for one person?"
The Guardian asked. He now maintained the appearance of Mr. Lathis:
"Although I’ve known you for less than three months, I didn’t find you to be that sort of person."
"Did Mr. Lathis also agree with this decision?"
Shard countered, and the Guardian nodded:
"All our opinions are made jointly. When I speak, it represents the collective consciousness.
You must understand that for the Earth, for this world, any sacrifice is necessary. We are perfect examples; it’s all worth it. The Earth is with you and me, this is everyone’s final destination."
"Although what you said makes sense, don’t you feel you’re already abnormal now?"
Shard asked, and before the Guardian could answer, he took two steps toward him, fully exposing himself in the kerosene lamp’s light:
"I’ve said before, I won’t do that."
"Do you have different feelings for Ciris Lathes?"
"I’m saying, I have other ways to let you temporarily regain consciousness to perform the ceremony."
As long as Deification is achieved, it’s still possible to temporarily clear the Guardian’s mind.
And the Guardian clearly didn’t know this. He silently gazed at Shard, as the small golden stone continued to float in front of Shard.
Shard asked for the last time:
"You’ve lived for so long, I can’t believe you don’t have any other methods?"
The Guardian did not answer:
"I believe you’ll make the right choice. Take this pebble; when you enter the Butterfly Graveyard, its trait of aggregating with the Heart of the Earth will guide your way."
Shard squeezed the pebble and heard "her" gentle voice:
[Outlander, you have touched the "Miracle."]
[Arcane Technique - Ancient Sound triggered, you have acquired information from the First Era:]
[Divine Creation - Heart of the Earth, created by the Earth Mother Goddess in the Primal Era, as one of the cores stabilizing the world. Even after the shattering of the Primal Era, the Heart of the Earth’s power has severely depleted, yet it plays an extraordinary role in the world. Any interaction with the Heart of the Earth must be handled with utmost caution, for it represents contact with the essence of the world.]
"When I met you for the first time in the Emerald Dream, I promised to help you purify the Earth. I will keep my promise, in my way."
Shard said seriously:
"I’ll emphasize again, this is my promise."
The Guardian said nothing more, but bowed slightly and then his body transformed into soil, merging into the earth beneath his feet.
[It seems you must obtain the divinity of the Heart of the Earth.]
"She" said softly, and Shard nodded, holding the golden pebble in one hand, he picked up the empty glass with the other hand and walked out of the stable:
"The Godfall of the Evil God must be guarded against, and besides that, a drop of divinity is needed to handle other unexpected events and ensure I don’t lose my fighting strength."
He paused, looking at the night sky shrouded in clouds and thick fog:
"This story has turned to its final page."
It’s unknown whether the stable is endowed with some magical power that attracts all sorts of people here. Or perhaps, because it’s the farthest and most secluded building from the manor mansion, those harboring secrets prefer to come.
In any case, when Shard was about to return to the banquet with the wine glass, awaiting the final reconciliation announcement from Margaret and Prince William, hurried footsteps suddenly came from the other side of the bushes.
"What is it this time?"
Judging that the newcomers were ordinary people, Shard thought it shouldn’t have anything to do with him. He considered and decided not to get involved in other matters, especially since he really wasn’t in the mood to be part of another story.
Two butterflies flew out from his sleeve, dancing gracefully, weaving a red light trace that transformed into an illusion technique, hiding Shard’s figure under the moon.
Shard continued walking along the path in the bushes, intending to pass by the approaching person. Unexpectedly, after a few steps, the person revealed his figure, and it turned out to be a familiar face, Mr. Enriques.
He was wearing a black formal suit with a bow tie at his chest, but he looked very anxious. Upon arriving at the stable entrance, he didn’t go inside but looked around, clearly waiting for someone else.
[Didn’t you say you’d go back?]
"She" asked with a soft laugh, seeing Shard standing still instead of walking back, and Shard naturally responded:
"This isn’t joining a new matter, I’m just curious about what Mr. Enriques is doing, and how things are between him and Mrs. Enriques now... You’ve seen the beginning of the story, surely you wouldn’t stop me from seeing the end, would you? Oh, that would be too cruel."
The laughter of "her" was as reassuring as the silver moon in the night sky.
Shard didn’t wait long before the second and third pairs of footsteps emerged from the other side of the bushes. Soon, a noble lady who appeared to be in her forties, wearing a pearl necklace and a ruby ring, with slightly thick lips and blonde hair, came over with her maid.
She didn’t say a word, but handed Mr. Enriques a letter, to which Mr. Enriques immediately expressed gratitude:
"Thank you for your help, Aunt Louise."
"You and Maggie’s matter should reach a conclusion. Just newlyweds and such drama occurring, what does that seem like?"
The noble lady was evidently a senior to Mr. Enriques, hence her words were somewhat harsh, but she still showed concern for him:
"The things you asked me to check in Velindale are all inside this letter. I haven’t read it myself, so I don’t know the outcome. After you read it, remember to burn it, then make your own decision."
She softened her tone a little afterwards:
"Magila, you are a grown man, some things require you to decide for yourself. But regardless of everything, I’ll stand by you, just hope that you consider carefully."
Mr. Enriques nodded heavily, whereupon the noble lady accompanied by the maid retraced her steps back, while Mr. Enriques went into the stable, evidently wanting to read the letter under the light inside.
"Though it’s quite unethical to peek at someone’s letter, I really am quite curious."
Shard said to himself, transformed into a Red Butterfly and got ahead of Mr. Enriques, flying into the stable through the ajar door. Subsequently, he stood by the only oil lamp, seemingly curiously inspecting the strong black horse.
Upon entering the stable, Mr. Enriques wrinkled his nose because of the smell, then got startled seeing someone already there. But fortunately, he quickly recognized that the person here was "kind Mr. Watson", and he let out a long breath:
"Oh, Mr. Watson, you really startled me. So it was you here, I was wondering why there’s light in the stable... What are you doing here?"
"Watching horses. I’ll be leaving Randall Valley soon, and this time I’ll head to Tobesk City in Draleon for the spring citywide horsemanship competition, so I wanted to see if the horses from Randall Valley are worth bringing to Tobesk."
Shard made up a story offhandedly, and then turned smilingly to look at Mr. Enriques.
