Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 454: The Witch’s Song

"Shard, I need to take you to a town. We'll set out from Coldwater Port Station on a steam train and arrive at our destination three hours later. If we can accomplish our goal before evening, we can return the same day. If not, I fear we will have to spend the night in a small country town."

It seemed obtaining the Vibration Spirit Rune required contact with some immovable object.

"Very well, Miss Aphrola, when do we depart?"

Shard asked, as he fortunately had no plans for the next few weeks. The commission from Detective Sparrow could be postponed, the Spirit Rune was most important.

"If it's convenient for you, we'll depart tomorrow morning at nine."

Shard calculated his time:

"That works. However, where exactly is the location? Do I need to prepare anything in advance?"

Shard asked again.

Miss Aphrola pointed to the map of the Coldwater Port Region on the wall of the study:

"The town on the outskirts of Klein City in the eastern part of Coldwater Port, Hercules Town. Just prepare the Spellcasting Materials in advance, nothing else is needed... However, I need a favor from you."

Witches always liked to add conditions.

"Please speak."

"I would like to invite you to a ceremony, right here in the manor, right now. You only need to stand behind me."

She said this, sizing up Shard as if judging whether he was qualified to participate in the ceremony.

"Will there be any danger?"

"Absolutely not, I swear by the reputation of the Aphrola family, how about that?"

The witch asked with a smile, and Shard felt somewhat relieved.

But Miss Aphrola was not Miss Galina, and Shard did not fully trust her:

"So, what do we need to do?"

He assumed Miss Aphrola wanted to test some ceremonies that required an assistant.

"It's very simple. Just follow me, and leave your lovely cat here; the servants will take care of it."

Thus, Shard followed the lady out of the study, walked through the corridors inside the three-story manor, and arrived at the outermost corridor near the edge of the mansion.

On one side of the corridor were doors tightly shut, and on the other side were windows allowing the warm breeze to blow in.

They did not continue moving, and Miss Aphrola hesitated for a moment before quietly saying to Shard:

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"Follow me through the corridor in front of us."

The corridor in front was not peculiar, and Shard had walked through here three or four times. He let the voice in his heart feel out the surroundings, but he detected no trace of any elements.

"I just need to follow you, right?"

"Of course, the ceremony is very simple."

Miss Aphrola nodded:

"But remember to keep up with me, and be sure not to get lost."

"Get lost?"

Shard asked in surprise, but Miss Aphrola did not seem inclined to answer him.

"So, are you ready, Mr. Hamilton, please follow me."

She coughed to clear her throat,

"Be sure to keep up with me, I am going to start."

The witch took a deep breath, and she actually began to sing:

"The princess in the castle cannot understand, the freedom of walking in the world, that is our pursuit."

"At the crossroads filled with lavender, you meet the witch, where are you going, to pick that bunch of herbs."

Suddenly, the wind from outside blew through the window, causing the blue handmade woven curtains on the side of the corridor to flutter up and down. Miss Hevy Aurora, wearing a red dress, walked forward, crossing the floor, and from the shadowy corner of the corridor into the sunlight, Shard immediately followed.

The sunlight from the window poured onto the scrubbed hallway floor, causing the clean floor to reflect a dazzling light. The shadows of the window frame divided the sunlight on the floor into irregular blocks, and Shard and the witch coming through the fluttering curtains, the wind made the witch's skirt sway, standing behind her, Shard could smell the scent on the witch's hair.

It was the special perfume known as "Witch's Scent," detectable only by very few people. However, unlike Miss Galina and Miss Servit's perfumes, Miss Aurora's perfume seemed to have other spices mixed into it.

"Pick up the snow atop the snowy mountain, gaze at the sun deep in the desert."

"If you can meet us, dear girl~~"

She continued to sing, this was not the common language of the Sixth Era, but Shard had heard this song before, and remembered the lyrics. Under the giant trees of the Forest of Thousand Trees, Miss Feliana had once sung this song in solitude.

The singing was soft and soothing, yet carried a hint of melancholy. Through the fluttering curtains, Shard saw the light ahead in the corridor suddenly dim, and as they moved forward, the surrounding light gradually disappeared, even the appearance of the corridor transformed:

"Please call our name softly, please ask your doubts."

"In the blooming lily flower bed, or, where the sunflowers face west."

This was no illusion, at some unknown time, they had moved from the sunny mansion corridor into a narrow brick pathway. There was no clear boundary between the corridor and the pathway, in a certain area, the windows and bricks seemed to be completely merged, and moving forward, they fully entered into the pathway.

Shard wanted to turn his head to look back, to confirm how the two had merged, but worried about "getting lost," so he could only keep his eyes on the witch's back, steadily following her forward.

The ground was covered with white ash, leaving clear footprints behind. Torches were placed on the walls, illuminating the narrow and dilapidated brick pathway, which seemed like an ancient ruin that had endured long years. But Shard felt strangely familiar with this place:

"Not the Merman's Temple, although similar in style, it clearly isn't, this place isn't damp. Nor is it the corridors of Horror Fortress, the walls there have spaces for oil lamps, this place has torches."

And when his eyes moved over Miss Aurora's shoulder to look ahead, he finally understood that feeling of familiarity.

"Please put on your beautiful dress, hold the purple thyme."

"The one who loves you and the one you love, both are here, in this hall bathed in sunlight."

The song came to an end, as did the pathway. Ahead, white mist drifted like cotton fluff from that incredibly familiar Mist Gate, Miss Aurora stopped, sighed softly, then turned to look at Shard.

In that moment their gazes met, Shard was sure he saw a look of surprise in her eyes.

"Good, you haven't gotten lost,"

the witch said, examining Shard up and down. Suddenly she reached out, wanting to touch his face.

"Oh, Miss, that is quite impolite."

Shard caught the witch's wrist, which she likely allowed.

"Yes, it is a bit impolite."

She suddenly leaned closer to Shard, and as their eyes met, it allowed Shard to catch a more distinct whiff of that peculiar perfume:

"I am just very pleased, you really haven't gotten lost."

With that, she withdrew her wrist from Shard's hand, then, facing the Mist Gate, she smiled and gestured invitingly:

"Now, Knight, please, come in with me."