Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1508: Crystal Shoes and Maze Lock

"Shard!"

This Sunday afternoon, as Shard stepped out of the basement, marveling at how it felt like he hadn’t been home for over a month despite being away for just two days, footsteps echoed from the stairs, and then Dorothy rushed down, directly embracing Shard.

"I’m okay, don’t worry too much."

"If you’re really okay, I wouldn’t believe you wouldn’t come home to stay last night."

Miss Writer, who knew him quite well, secretly wiped away a tear and then said to him. Shard was caught off guard by this remark, so he let Mia jump upstairs on its own and then took Dorothy’s hand and walked upstairs as well.

"I’m really okay."

He reiterated, and Dorothy nodded, smiling as she said:

"Now I know, if you weren’t feeling well, you definitely wouldn’t have taken a bath before coming back."

"Hmm..."

"Priest Augustus came by yesterday."

Dorothy didn’t notice Shard’s hesitation when they entered the living room on the second floor, and continued speaking.

"Priest Augustus? What was the matter?"

"Of course, he was looking for you. With such a major event happening in Randall Valley, it’s already spread across the world. I think aside from those folks deep in the ruins of the New World who are out of the loop, everyone knows about what happened early Saturday morning."

She let Shard sit down, and with a cheerful look, brought a teapot from the kitchen, as if predicting Shard’s return at that moment:

"Priest Augustus knows you’ve been frequenting Randall Valley lately, so he came to check on you and see if you were involved with the Southern Nation. But when he saw it was just me at home, he more or less figured it out."

Dorothy didn’t question Shard about what he’d been doing in Randall Valley:

"Speaking of, how are Luviya and the doctor?"

"They’re both fine. Luviya will be back in a day or two, returning with professors from the Academy, so she won’t need to take the steam train. As for the doctor, I think it’ll be another week before I see him again."

Shard said, then realized it seemed the doctor was, as always, the unluckiest.

"I don’t know what you’ve been through, but it’s so good to see you again, Shard."

After pouring the tea, she sat beside Shard. Leaning towards Shard, she straightened up again, and was already Her Highness the Princess:

"Oh, Shard!"

Despite being two different souls, their way of speaking was so similar. Lecia and Dorothy could share memories before and after exchanging souls, so Shard didn’t need to explain his good health again.

Compared to the more reserved Dorothy, Lecia gave Shard an incredibly passionate kiss. After the fervent kiss, she wrapped her arms around Shard’s neck, in a very good mood, and asked:

"The incident in Randall Valley, it was related to you, right?"

"Yes."

Shard nodded directly, and Lecia’s grip around his neck tightened slightly:

"Luviya helped you a lot over there, right? That’s great. If possible, Dorothy and I would also like to help you. But I also know that even if we combined forces, we might not be able to match Luviya."

Though she said this, Her Highness the Princess wasn’t too disappointed. She knew she could help Shard in other ways, where Luviya, having been born as a commoner, could not:

"Now that the Randall Valley matter is resolved, I suppose you’ll be less busy in spring compared to the recent past?"

"Of course, I think I can take a break. How about we go for a spring outing outside the city?"

Shard extended an invitation, and Lecia smiled and nodded. Closing her eyes, Lecia turned back into Dorothy, the joy in Miss Writer’s soul clearly evident in her blue-green eyes:

"Lecia forgot to mention earlier, last time’s Day of the Red Butterfly was delayed due to your busy schedule. She said she’d find a fun party for you soon."

With a slightly flushed face, Dorothy softly asked:

"So, tonight, Shard, are you staying home?"

"Of course!"

As long as he could return home, Shard never liked spending the night out.

"Alright then, I’ll help you... prepare the bed in advance... Lecia said she wants to help the knight check his health."

The Golden-haired Girl slightly bit her lip and spoke. Shard, of course, understood what she meant. Luviya would be back soon, and both Dorothy and Lecia wanted to make the most of the remaining time.

Mentioning the topic of bed-making, Shard thought of something else:

"Dorothy, I remember that last time after we used the Crystal Shoes, they’ve been left in the closet."

He suddenly said, and Miss Writer had a knowing smile:

"Yes, I’m glad you remember them. Do you want me to wear them again tonight? I never thought, Shard, that this would be your preference."

"No, no, that’s not what I meant!"

Shard quickly said, as the Ring of Fate slowly appeared behind him. While Dorothy was surprised at his advancement, Shard pointed to the rune emitting a brass spiritual glow:

"Enlightenment - Cinderella."

"I’m not surprised one bit. Is it still a Maze Lock this time?"

Dorothy asked, and Shard nodded:

"Because my Maze Locks are interrelated, forming a more massive composite Maze Lock, even now after advancing to Six Rings, I still can’t fully unlock the effects of the Maze Lock. But ’Cinderella’ is a bit special; I can use some of its capabilities in its normal state, probably because Cinderella herself possesses two different forms. As for the normal effects of the Maze Lock, to put it simply, when I throw down a Crystal Shoe, I can return to what I consider my ’home’. Of course, the discarded Crystal Shoe will return with me."

And in the fully unlocked state of the Maze Lock, Shard could grant the girls the power of "Transformation," and even bring back the surrounding environment together.

The Golden-haired Girl knowingly nodded. For the past months, she and Lecia had been discussing this story with Shard every Saturday, and she had her own guesses about the possible effects of the Maze Lock:

"This indeed is very similar to that fairy tale, and combined with your innate spatial power, the traits of Arcane Technique aren’t too surprising. So, you can go home anytime you want from now on?"

"Not anytime, using such an effect, consumes a lot of Spirit. And although the Maze Lock state allows me to bring living people back, in the normal state, it only allows me to bring myself and non-living things."

Shard corrected:

"Of course, in Tobesk, the consumption of using Arcane Technique doesn’t matter; I can afford it. But if it’s a city far away, I must consider the consumption of Spirit. Fortunately, the closer the time of spellcasting is to midnight, the less Spirit is consumed. If it’s a few seconds before midnight, I can return directly from the southern end of the Old Continent, the Randall Valley, with almost no loss."

"That sounds great."

Miss Writer complimented, getting up to go to the bedroom’s closet, bringing Shard the right Crystal Shoe:

"If Lecia knew that from now on, wherever you go, you’ll carry her shoes with you and occasionally take them out for use, she’ll be very pleased."

She joked.

"Dorothy, that makes me sound like a pervert."

Shard complained, throwing the Crystal Shoe aside, and with a "meow" sound, the cat that was originally lying on Shard’s lap landed on the sofa, then stood up in surprise, looking for Shard, confused about his sudden disappearance.

Meanwhile, there was a noise from the bedroom, as if something fell on the bed. Mia immediately ran over, and shortly after, Shard came out carrying the cat and holding the Crystal Shoe:

"The effect is not bad, but the landing point seems to be a random position in the house, determined by the astrological signs of the day, my state, current location, and luck."

He sat back down beside Dorothy:

"By the way, do you have plans for the afternoon?"

"Yes, I have pre-arranged tasks for gathering materials. I need to visit an old lady living alone, so let’s meet in the evening. Seeing you’re fine puts my mind at ease."

The Golden-haired Girl said, tenderly kissing Shard on the side of his face. Then, she saw Shard pick up the Crystal Shoe and lightly kiss it. A blush appeared on Dorothy’s cheeks, which was quite a bold act for that era.

So, she softly said:

"I will, very much look forward to the coming night... see you tonight, Shard."

She stayed with Shard for a while longer, inquiring more about the conditions of Randall Valley. When it was too late, she bid farewell to Shard and left No. 6, Saint Delan Square.

As for Shard, he did not return to Randall Valley but took Mia to the basement. Upon entering the Hidden Space, he took out the black Stone Mirror, covered in cracks, given to him by Dr. Schneider after the battle at Osenfort Estate on Friday night.

This was the Demon’s relic. Due to the mirror’s special properties, it concealed the "spoils" obtained from the Stone Mirror Demon - Goethe. Considering the safety issues, Shard only took out the mirror at this point.

The small Stone Mirror looked ancient, and although it was riddled with cracks, the reddish-brown protrusions like blood vessels on the mirror’s frame gave it a ruined beauty. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Although the Demon initially only granted Shard six types of rewards, this ancient Evil Fiend’s "wealth" far exceeded those things. However, because it involved Demon Power, most items could not be used casually, so Dr. Schneider passed only what Shard could use to him.

This ancient Evil God did not have messy odds and ends. After reaching into the mirror to inspect its interior, aside from the five ’rewards’ and special, precious materials, the only noteworthy discovery Shard made was three rounded, golden coins.

"Scribe Level Relic - [Demon Gold Coins]."