Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 369 The Darkness of the Human Heart

The man's height was similar to Shard's, but underneath the clothes, his figure was skinny. His head was slightly lowered, allowing his hat to cover his face; Shard couldn't see his features from his angle.

"Are there traces of elements?"

[No.]

"Is he a Circle Sorcerer?"

[You need to get closer.]

Shard put down the newspaper he was holding, pretending to look across the street. He took out a pocket watch that had been water-damaged in Coldwater Port, glanced at it, then shook his head and sighed as if complaining about the tardiness of the person he was waiting for. Then, he folded the newspaper and walked toward the other side of the street.

He passed by a woman in a red top, Mrs. Swan, who was momentarily attracted by Shard's appearance but did not stop after a glance.

Shard went straight to an antique shop at the corner of the alley, where the voice in his head also answered:

[Neither a Circle Sorcerer.]

Mrs. Swan had already left the peeping range of the alley's entrance, and by the time Shard turned into the alley from the antique shop's doorway, the peeper had also vanished.

He quickened his pace to catch up, finding that the alley, marked with a "Black Horn Alley" sign, was a rather narrow straight path with no obstructions. Shard had only delayed by a few seconds, yet there was already no one in the alley.

Since the individual wasn't a Circle Sorcerer, the only possibility was that they were hiding somewhere else in the alley.

Both sides of Black Horn Alley featured identically styled three-story apartment buildings. Their walls, covered in mottled spots and moss, had long lost their original color. The wall near the entrance was plastered with warrants and various flyers. Clotheslines stretched between buildings across from each other, with partially dry clothes fluttering like dusty flags in the mist.

"The fact that the person disappeared just a few seconds after I was slow, indicates they entered a building close to the alley's entrance,"

Shard thought to himself while standing still:

"Moreover, when Miss Swan appeared, I was watching the alley's entrance, but I didn't see the door of the house closest to the alley open, which suggests that the possible building is one of the two second closest to the entrance."

Shard looked at the buildings on both sides:

"This person appears every time right when Miss Swan shows up, indicating that the building where this person is located allows a direct view of the street far away..."

The two buildings second closest to the alley entrance had no windows facing the street. However, their attics were higher than nearby buildings, and Shard noticed that the attic on the left had windows, while the attic windows on the right were completely sealed with plywood.

"This one."

Shard smirked, then turned and walked up the steps to the front door of the building on the left. The stone steps were uneven, and the front door looked as if it had been splashed with excrement.

He paused with his hand raised ready to knock on the door, thought for a moment, and kicked the door lightly in a rather impolite manner.

It took a good while before footsteps were heard from behind the door, and the man's voice asked anxiously:

"May I ask who it is?"

"Sir, I'm here to read the gas meter."

The mechanical gas meters and steam meters of Saint Delan Square were located outside the houses. The gas company checked them once a month and sent the bills directly to the residents. However, in these old buildings, the gas meters were often inside, and Shard had observed beforehand that there was no meter box outside the door.

"Okay, why are you coming so early this time? It's only the beginning of the month."

The door was opened a crack, and Shard immediately inserted his hand to prevent it from closing, then forcefully pulled the door open completely.

Behind the door was the strange man in black attire. But now, without his hat, his face was exposed.

Shard also recoiled in shock when he saw the man's face. It was entirely swollen, red and white in patches, with the upper and lower eye sockets swollen nearly covering his eyes.

Aside from the face, Shard saw the man's hands too. Similar to the skin on his face, they bore a horrifying appearance. This looked like scars from burns or scalding, and it appeared the man had been through a dreadful accident.

"What are you going to do? Oh, you're not here to read the meter!"

Seeing Shard's attire, the man immediately panicked.

"Of course not, I have other business, but I'm definitely not a bad person."

Shard, holding the door frame with his left hand to prevent the person inside from closing it, extended his right hand for a handshake:

"Good afternoon, sir."

Although the man's face and skin looked terrible, it was not infectious or dirty, so Shard didn't mind shaking hands with him.

Shard's gesture made the man feel somewhat better. He hesitantly extended his hand and shook hands with Shard briefly before immediately withdrawing it, but the touch was enough for Shard to conclude:

[Indeed an ordinary person.]

"I'm here concerning a matter related to Miss Swan."

Shard, holding onto the door frame, planned to discuss matters at the doorway while the man inside asked in confusion:

"Sorry, who is Miss Swan?...Oh, so her last name is Swan! That's indeed a nice name."

Some terrifying faces showed a dawning realization.

Shard's lips twitched, he already understood that this matter had nothing to do with the Transcendent. Indeed, it was impossible to encounter Relic consecutively. But now that things were clear, he didn't mind spending a few minutes wrapping up:

"Sir, every day for the past few weeks, you've been peeping at her from this alley corner. Miss Swan is very concerned, so she sought help from the security company, and then they came to me, the detective. May I ask, what exactly do you intend to do?"

The man's face flushed red, hard to distinguish because of his skin color, of course.

He stammered:

"Hello, detective. I was just... wanting to look at her. You know, given my appearance, I can't possibly... just wanted to look... I'm not doing anything wrong, I just..."

His voice gradually trailed off, and Shard waited for a while before he spoke:

"I'm merely here to investigate this matter, and everything we discuss will be reported to my client as it is. She might change her job..."

"No! I will not peep at her again. Please, don't disrupt her life."

The man suddenly became agitated:

"Do not let my actions affect her life!"

"I'm sorry, I don't have the authority to make decisions for others. This is a commission, and I must honestly report back the results of the investigation,"

Shard shrugged.

He didn't know whether the man before him would continue to silently watch from the shadows or suddenly do something unexpected. Therefore, Shard certainly wouldn't pretend he had found nothing just because he believed in something like love.

Luckily, it wasn't up to him to judge whether this man was good or bad because he was just here to clear up the matter:

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"Sir, every decision we make irreversibly affects those around us. Since you decided to watch her from this alley every day at noon, the impact on her has already occurred. I won't judge why you did this, but I hope you understand."

Shard paused for a moment, weighing his next words:

"Be careful not to let the darkness within you consume you. When you peer out from the shadows, you might think it's admiration, but what will that admiration ferment into eventually?"

In plain terms, Shard was warning him to be honest. But since he didn't know whether the man was good or bad, he used a very subtle way to express it to avoid hurting the man's pride.

"The darkness in human hearts, you should know better than I do. Even if you believe you are a good person, are you sure when certain thoughts take shape, those tiny seeds of darkness won't eventually consume your heart?"

Shard shook his head, deciding to add some more persuasive measures beyond the spoken advice.

So, he lifted his coat slightly to let the man inside see the gun at his waist. The latter stepped back in horror:

"What are you going to do?"

"Relax, I just wanted you to see how beautiful my revolver is. Oh, sir, if you feel affection for that lady, you could actually find an opportunity to pass her a letter, but definitely not use this method to express your love."

"But she will reject me, with my appearance..."

The man said softly, his accent heavy as a local from Tobesk:

"...because of my appearance..."

"If she rejects you, then please stay away from her, isn't that normal?"

Shard said, opening the door to leave, waving his hand:

"I already know who you are, if you try to do anything to Miss Swan, the police will come to see you here at the first opportunity."

"No, I won't, I won't bother her anymore..."

The man murmured with his head lowered.

Shard nodded, sighed, and turned away from Black Horn Alley. He was sighing not about this matter, but about himself; the second matter turned out to be a waste of time.

[But at least it was interesting enough.]

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Without receiving a response to the voice at his side, Shard thought about it:

"Indeed, it was quite interesting."

Outlanders liked witnessing different stories, even if they were just ordinary people's stories.

Returning to Lewis Street, Shard first went to a restaurant to take care of his lunch, then decided to take a carriage to the Northern District Tax Bureau located in Tobesk Northern Area to handle his taxes. The jurisdiction of the Northern District Tax Bureau included Saint Delan Square, and the office area on Swan Castle Street, where Blackstone Security Company was located, Shard wanted to tell Iluna about his recent investigation so Blackstone Security Company could inform Miss Swan.

If Shard's actions today really caused other consequences, he would indeed feel guilty.

"Only death and taxes are inevitable," in this complicated Steam Age, death is overseen by Deity and natural law, while taxes naturally fall under the jurisdiction of the City Hall tax department.

Overall, Tobesk has three tax offices, located in three different parts of the city, all three tax offices report directly to the finance department of City Hall. Tax evasion is almost impossible, despite this world being more backward than Shard's homeland, but a properly operating Detective Agency must have a license, and having a license means inspections for taxes.