Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1663: Infiltration
Mr. Green put down the pen in his hand and looked Shard up and down, unable to believe this fact:
"Remarkable, that lady usually doesn’t give men the time of day, it seems you indeed have some exceptional qualities... Yes, there’s a way to contact her, she is a regular of ours. If you have any business with her, you can leave her a letter. This lady sends someone every day to deliver a letter, informing you about the progress in finding the key, and at that time, the messenger can deliver your letter back to her."
He and his sister, Ms. Helena Green, both showed great respect towards Megan. The information revealed at this moment suggested that their relationship with Megan was even closer than Shard had imagined.
[Haven’t you already begun to speculate that they are the last two ordinary people of the Sixth Generation, the grandchildren of Maria Edwards, the Third Generation’s youngest daughter?]
"She" whispered gently, and Shard nodded:
"Alright, I’ll write the letter now."
Shard borrowed paper and pen and mentioned the Water Ghost, Tomb Robber, and Rot-Eye Barry in the letter. Since Paradise Island Pharmaceuticals had considerable influence locally, he could naturally use the power of the Witch Followers to gather clues.
As for the owner of that fountain pen, the mysterious person Durut Giles, Shard needed to probe through other channels.
In fact, the process of discovering the identity of Durut Giles was far simpler than Shard had thought. It happened the next day, on Saturday morning. Shard originally didn’t plan to come to Randall Valley today, as he had an important ’divvying up meeting’ in the afternoon.
But early in the morning, Lecia sent a letter, hoping Shard would go to Mikaela Ironworks City to settle some content for today’s negotiations. So, after having breakfast, Shard headed to the basement.
After exiting from the back door of the inn, he habitually gave a few pieces of bread to the boy near the trash can. Then, leaving that Trash Alley, he thought to ask the innkeeper if Megan’s messenger had arrived before he departed.
But the messenger from the Witch hadn’t arrived yet; instead, another letter was delivered:
"Mr. Watson, just as you came. This letter came from Mikaela Ironworks City. I was just wondering whether to leave it at the counter or deliver it directly to your room."
Ms. Helena Green smiled at Shard as he came down from upstairs—last night, after talking with Mr. Soren Green, Shard had pretended to return to his room to rest.
"Mikaela Ironworks City?"
So far, Shard had only one acquaintance on that side. He opened the letter, and sure enough, it was sent by Professor Boulanger. This professor of geology and folklore had promised on Thursday at the tavern in the fishing village to help Shard find the owner of the fountain pen in Velindale City, but Shard didn’t expect results so quickly.
In two days, even the letters might not reach the Royal Capital from the City of Glass.
He sat down at the table and unfolded the letter. The professor first exchanged some pleasantries, then talked about Durut Giles:
[I asked my local colleagues about this name and learned that Durut Giles had been here two years ago. He is a lecturer at Saint Fabrice Academy in Velindale, employed in the history department. I have already written to Velindale to investigate whether he is still teaching at Saint Fabrice Academy, and I should have results by next week.]
"A lecturer in history?"
In this world, the subjects of history and folklore are quite ’dangerous’ disciplines.
At the back of the letter, Professor Boulanger also thanked Shard for introducing him to Captain Lades. With a professional bodyguard, their team’s activities in the Draleon region north of Green Lake went much more smoothly than before.
The professor had been conducting research and investigations in the Green Lake City recently. If lucky, Shard might even bump into the professor and his group.
Regarding the clues related to Durut Giles, they temporarily ended here; the future details depended on Professor Boulanger’s investigation. Of course, Shard did not place all his hope on the professor. He also planned to visit the Duchess, who had been very busy recently, and ask her to commission Miss Sylvia in the Council to conduct an investigation in Velindale City as well. Margaret’s influence, while perhaps not as deeply entrenched in the academic circles as Professor Boulanger’s, was at least convenient for conducting large-scale searches.
Since he had to return for a meeting in the afternoon, Shard did not linger long in Green Lake City. After boarding the carriage, he headed straight to the border checkpoint. There was a slight incident while crossing the border; just after bidding farewell to the driver, Shard showed the special pass given to him by Captain Lades to the soldiers at the border camp.
The soldiers immediately led Shard to an exit where he did not need to queue for registration, and they heard someone complaining loudly:
"Why doesn’t he have to queue?"
Shard turned to look at the queue. The voice came from a young man who appeared to be about the same age as the Outlander. He stared wide-eyed at Shard:
"We’re all citizens of Draleon, this is unfair!"
"This..."
Shard was just about to speak when the soldier who was guiding him spoke up:
"Sir, don’t pay him any mind. He saw many noble carriages crossing the border earlier and didn’t dare say a word. Seeing you’re not dressed like a wealthy and influential noble, and without a companion, he dared to speak up."
The bearded soldier finished speaking, and other patrolling soldiers, hearing the commotion, had already come over to handle the situation. Two of them directly dragged the young man out of the line and hauled him toward the other side of the camp.
During this time, no one else in the queue said anything. Shard just watched the scene, then followed the soldier away.
From the border checkpoint to Mikaela Ironworks City, it was still a horse-drawn carriage carrying seven or eight people at a time. By the time Shard arrived at the City of Glass District, it was almost ten in the morning.
Entering the city, he encountered a parade passing in front of him. Probably because Shard looked like a Draleon person, as he stood there watching the procession pass by, someone even waved a fist at him from a distance.
Of course, Shard didn’t get angry over it; he saw it as a symbol of history’s carriage slowly approaching. As for how the matter would ultimately turn out, he didn’t really care. The Outlander didn’t feel a strong attachment to any nation; he only hoped that even if a fight broke out, it wouldn’t spread too far.
The negotiation venue in the City of Glass was also in City Hall, but unlike in Green Lake City, the City Hall in the more economically prosperous Mikaela Ironworks City looked more impressive. In fact, it could even be said to be a bit too grand; a pure glass statue of King Louis III — the first king who unified the Southern Domain and established the United Kingdom — stood prominently on the square in front of City Hall, protected within a display case. Behind the statue, at the top of the thirteenth level of steps, was a porch supported by marble columns, large enough to park two carriages side by side.
The main body of City Hall was five stories tall, with a spire-like attic tower housing a bronze bell at the top of the central building. The overall architecture was grand and luxurious, more akin to an opera house or a bank than a city hall. This form also aptly demonstrated just how developed the commerce and industry of the City of Glass were.
After all, only sufficient tax revenue could support a government building of this scale.
The City Hall building occupied a large area, and therefore assumed more functions. During the meetings, only a small area of the City Hall in the City of Glass was closed off, while the rest continued normal operations.
Shard didn’t have time to wait until the noon adjournment to gather clues, so after surveying the building from the square, he turned toward a nearby alley.
He didn’t have the blueprints of City Hall, but fortunately, MI6 did, and Shard had obtained these materials from Miss Galina while gathering local information.
Entering unnoticed wasn’t difficult; many methods could be used, including the sewers. Shard ultimately chose to crouch under a carriage from the rear gate of City Hall’s backyard, entering the grounds alongside it. He then lowered his hat and entered the building, taking a side staircase seldom used, directly to the fourth floor from the first.
Approaching the fourth floor, he sensed the Arcane Technique element reaction, indicating that the Church had sent people to protect the safety of the participants. But this was not an obstacle for Shard. He closed his eyes, sensed heartbeats, and learned that an unknown Circle Sorcerer was sitting on a chair against the wall at the corridor by the staircase. Thus, he donned attire suitable for formal occasions, patiently waited for more than ten minutes, and when someone else came upstairs, Shard put on a familiar expression, waving warmly:
"Good afternoon, what took you so long to get here?"
As the person looked puzzled, Shard patted their shoulder:
"Puppetry."
The Arcane Technique took effect immediately, and the stranger was completely under Shard’s control. Shard softly apologized to him, then entered the corridor where multiple meetings were held on the fourth floor, talking with him as they went.
The two reached the bathroom at the end of the corridor, where Shard let the person he controlled take a nap. Then, in the bathroom, he tidied up his appearance in the mirror and walked out normally:
"That was easy... Lecia wanted me to see what happened in Room 404 regarding the weapon export trade negotiations today."
He wore gleaming leather shoes, a crisp suit, and a black tie. Holding a notebook with a black leather cover, a golden fountain pen tucked into his chest pocket, no one doubted his identity even though there were other people in the corridor.
He found the meeting room door by reading the room numbers. The meeting room door was closed, and due to good soundproofing, even Shard couldn’t hear what was being said inside. But after closing his eyes, he was sure there was no guard inside the door. Based on the arrangement of heartbeats, about ten people sat on either side of a long table, with someone standing up, probably speaking, and over twenty others sat against the walls.
