Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1523: The Detective and the Maids

Since the abandoned manor outside the city was quite far, even after using spatial movement to return home, Shard arrived around noon.

He realized that the "Holy Grail," "Crown," "Philosopher’s Stone," and "Heart" were all perfectly prepared. The only thing that barely matched was the "Infinite Wine Spring." After all, while the relic [Bacchus’ Bottle] could produce endless fine wine, it wasn’t a fountain.

So, taking advantage of lunch break, Shard went to Old John’s pawnshop with Mia in his arms once again.

Old John was surprised to see Shard for the second time that day. But after hearing Shard wanted a nozzle that could make the liquid in a bottle spray out like a fountain, he gave Shard a peculiar look:

"You must have a special girl by your side, don’t you?"

"Of course, why do you ask?"

"Haven’t you seen the pressurized nozzles on girls’ perfume bottles? Or the liquid spray nozzles. It’s a purely mechanical structure that changes pressure to pressurize and spray the liquid. The city’s municipal fire department steam-pressurized water gun has a similar structure."

Old John shook his head:

"Detective, detective, although we’re Circle Sorcerers, we must remember the times we live in, and not rely solely on supernatural powers to solve everything."

"I’m not looking for that kind; I want something that continuously sprays liquid, and it’s to be used on a relic."

Shard explained his wine bottle, and surprisingly, Old John had heard of this relic:

"That thing is in your hands?"

His eyes widened, as if he suddenly realized Shard was a "God Summoner":

"Even if you offered 10,000 pounds, someone would buy this famous relic."

"Old Man John, don’t joke around. This is just a Poet-Level relic."

Shard chuckled, but the old man behind the counter was serious:

"You don’t recognize value, this truly endless wine bottle allows the user to pour out any fine wine they’ve ever tasted. For those alcoholic enthusiasts, you can’t imagine how tempting this is. And because it’s Poet-Level, its danger is considerably low, which makes it more valuable. If it were more dangerous, no one would care."

"No, I’m not selling it. I’m planning to give it to a lady."

Seeing that the old man really wanted to make this deal, Shard hurriedly shook his head in refusal.

"Tsk, no wonder."

The old man seemed disappointed:

"You want to make it a fountain? Because the Whisper Element can affect alchemical items’ effects, I can only give you a nozzle that works for two hours. I must warn you, casually modifying relics increases the likelihood of losing control."

This is also common knowledge among Circle Sorcerers, mentioned in first-year courses at the Three Major Academies. After all, the best way to "use" relics is to "contain" them.

"I know, I’ll only demonstrate the effect for ten seconds."

Old Man John also knew Shard was always cautious, so he gave him the brass nozzle. This item was originally meant to draw groundwater through pipelines for water supplementation during wilderness explorations, so Old John could produce it immediately.

Thus, Miss Galina’s commission was simply completed, and it wasn’t even two in the afternoon.

Since Tifa mentioned it was best to arrive early, Shard didn’t waste any more time and got into a carriage right from the pawnshop entrance, holding the cat who had eaten a hearty lunch and was now napping, and headed straight out of the city.

Shard must have arrived way too early. When he paid the carriage fare at the entrance of Miss Galina’s manor and waved at a young blonde maid cleaning the courtyard inside the closed gate, the maid dropped her broom and quickly ran towards the manor house, lifting her skirt hem.

"Do I look that terrifying?"

Shard wondered, then looked down at the cat in his arms:

"Or is Mia that scary?"

He expected someone to open the gate soon, but Shard stood in the chilly early spring afternoon wind for a full ten minutes before finally seeing Tifa, cloaked against the wind, hastily approaching along the central path with a team of maids.

Miss Maid, who was always nice to Shard, surprisingly showed an angry expression when she reached the gate. She looked up at Shard with her black eyes, as if questioning:

"Shard, how could you give up so early? Can’t you try a bit more and come back in the evening? For the lady, can’t you push your limits?"

"What... give up?"

Shard asked hesitantly, seeing his innocent look, Tifa blinked, took a step back. The usually composed and elegant Head Maid, for once, showed a hesitant expression:

"So, the commission is completed?"

"Yes."

Shard nodded, patting his chest:

"So I came over after lunch."

"You even had time for lunch..."

Tifa showed an even more incredulous expression, then lowered her head to apologize. As she bowed too quickly, her hair swayed behind her:

"Sorry, I just now..."

"May I come in first? It’s really cold outside."

Shard said, and the maid behind Tifa opened the gate. The black-haired Miss Maid took off her cloak and gave it to Shard, and the group headed towards the mansion:

"We kept you waiting so long because the manor is still preparing. We didn’t expect you’d arrive so quickly."

"Preparing for what?"

"Well... you’ll find out soon enough."

Once inside, Shard still didn’t notice any special arrangements. The floor was as clean as ever, and the indoor lighting was just as bright.

Shard initially thought of going directly to meet Miss Galina to complete this strange yet simple task. But the maids stopped him together, and Tifa directly grabbed Shard’s sleeve, preventing him from heading upstairs.

The girls, pulling and tugging, led Shard to a side dining room on the first floor. Of course, this wasn’t the dining room used by the manor’s owners but rather the one for the maids.

They shoved Shard inside, then closed the door and blocked the way out.

The girls, dressed in standard black and white maid dresses, all looked at him, led by Tifa who asked:

"Before meeting the Miss, Detective, please first prove that you have completed the task. It’s not that we don’t trust you, but a person of the Duchess’s noble status is not someone you can meet just anytime."

She made a valid point, so Shard placed the unusually soft-bodied sleeping cat on the dining table, then reached into his pocket:

"The Crown."

He took out the toy crown and restored it to a real crown. Shard casually handed it to the young black long-haired maid beside him, who he saw every time he visited. This was Miss Marsha, who also accompanied Miss Galina to Randall Valley.

After receiving the crown, the young maid, not knowing what to do, quickly handed it to the girl next to her, and it was eventually passed on to Tifa. The latter looked at it, hesitated, and nodded:

"No problem."

"Then there’s the Holy Grail, the Infinite Wine Spring, and the Philosopher’s Stone."

The Holy Grail and the wine bottle were casually placed on the table by Shard, as he demonstrated the function by fitting the spout onto the bottle. Lastly, he took out the Philosopher’s Stone and hung it on his chest, embedded in silver jewelry.

He pulled out the tiny crimson-glowing stone from his arms but didn’t untie the string. Under the light, the stone actually emitted a shimmer, causing the dining room’s girls to hold their breaths; this relic had an intriguing trait of enticing anyone to strive to seize it.

"As for the fifth treasure, which is my heart, I’d like to present it to Miss Galina in person."

Shard said, picking up the confused cat sniffing at the wine bottle to prevent it from getting drunk:

"Is that satisfactory?"

The young girls then looked toward Tifa, who nodded decisively:

"It’s satisfactory, but we need to authenticate these items first, so you still cannot meet the Duke for now."

Shard could tell they were trying to delay him no matter what, so he did not resist:

"No problem, but how long will it take? Since I can’t go upstairs, could you find me an empty room? I have a few books with me, so I could finish them and write a reading report afterward."

In the fourth grade, Shard hadn’t fallen behind in his studies.

"Detective, it wouldn’t be right to neglect a guest like you; that’s not the etiquette of the Duke’s Manor."

Tifa shook her head and exchanged a glance with two of the Duke’s personal maids:

"You’ve been standing outside for quite a while, to prevent catching a cold, how about a hot bath first? The manor has a designated bathhouse, you will like it."

Shard knew there was a bath here, and it could even be called a hot spring, spacious enough for swimming.

"It’d be best if you can bathe until four in the afternoon."

The black-haired Miss Maid added, and Shard calculated the time; it was just after two o’clock, plenty of time for a nap.

But since it’s a request by the client, he didn’t object. Hence, he followed the maids, as though under their surveillance, and was taken to the large bathhouse on the first floor.

As for Mia, this cat absolutely would not follow into such a damp environment, so Tifa arranged for a specialized maid to watch it, preventing it from accidentally going missing.

The water in the bath was surprisingly hot, copper steam pipes coiled along the bathroom walls, extending into the floor. The ends of the pipes were at the sides of the bath, and a dozen rose-shaped faucets were slightly above the water surface. While the pipes delivered hot water, the heat they emitted made the indoor moisture heavier. All this seemed to be pre-arranged, but in this weather, soaking in a hot bath was indeed a relaxing indulgence.

"Luxurious enjoyment, how good it is to have money..."

Shard changed out of his clothes, declining the maids’ assistance, and entered the bath alone. Once in the water, he leaned against the bath’s edge, closed his eyes to rest, contemplating what Miss Galina really wanted to do.

However, shortly after, distinctly audible footsteps came from behind. Despite having his eyes closed, the Arcane Technique [Heart of Stone] allowed Shard to perceive clear rippling waves, like seeing in the dark, a sign of a heartbeat. Judging by the frequency, the heartbeat of the girl entering the room was evidently too fast.

"Who is it? Oh, I really don’t need any assistance, please let me be..."

Shard turned his head to speak, then abruptly swung his head back, appearing to have seen something ghastly:

"Tifa, you are..."

She didn’t reply to Shard, but the sound of her feet touching the damp floor grew ever closer. Until finally, that figure stood behind Shard.