Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 762 - Dandelion Coin
Chapter 762: 762 Dandelion Coin
After returning home from Saint Byrons, Shard informed Lecia that the “Sleeping Princess” could replace the Sleeping Spirit Rune. As a result, the blonde girl became much more lax in her lessons for the rest of the night.
After all, once Shard set off for the time of the Fifth Era, that Spirit Rune was almost certain to be obtained, and the course she had been attending for over a month seemed to have had no effect whatsoever.
Lecia didn’t hide her emotions, and Shard could tell, so he took the initiative to tell her the story of the Red Butterfly.
Shard had already told Dorothy this story, and Lecia had probably heard about it second-hand, but hearing it again directly from Shard, she could learn many more details.
“Shard, what do you think will be the end for me and Dorothy?”
She propped her face in one hand, gazing at the moon outside the study window. The gesture was very unladylike, but when done by the princess, it appeared so elegant.
“I don’t know, but it’ll certainly be better than the current state of Grace and Helen.”
“But I think their state isn’t too bad, at least they can see each other every 22 years, while Dorothy and I…”
“Don’t talk like that.”
Standing by the window, Shard propped his hands behind him on the windowsill, with the cat lying beside them:
“Next week, I’ll be able to see them again. You see, the alchemical item made from their story allows you and Dorothy to look at each other, and I believe the Red Butterfly’s true power should enable you to make further contact.”
“Is that so?”
Lecia somewhat disheartened, closed her eyes briefly, then shook her head after opening them:
“If possible, I would really like to meet them. The story of the Red Butterfly is truly sad…”
“Don’t be so pessimistic. After next week’s business in Milestone is over, I’ll have plenty of time to find a way to help you meet. That door next door would be perfect, pity that each use is so brief.”
He bent slightly backward, even letting his head touch the glass of the window:
“Busy with one autumn, things are finally coming to an end.”
“What have you been busy with in Midshire Fort, exactly?”
Lecia asked.
“Looking for a Roder Card.”
“What card?”
“Impermanence: Death.”
Standing straight, a smile appeared on his lips, and his eyes narrowed slightly:
“I already know its holder, but he’s about to make a big mistake, so I’ve decided to first try to save him, or send him off, and then get the card.”
“When you talk like that, you’re as naive as a grown boy.”
The blonde girl laughed, then stood up:
“So let’s stop tonight’s lessons here. After you advance to Four Rings, we can consider the matter of the next fairy tale. Being your teacher is quite a challenge.”
After finishing, she pointed to the top of her head while laughing:
“I won’t disturb you and Luviya.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, my dear Shard, surely I wouldn’t naively think that she comes home on time after every astrology session, right? Detective, I’m not a naive sixteen-year-old girl.”
She laughed, gathering up the books on the desk, ready to leave. Shard thought for a moment:
“Lecia, would you like to see some magic?”
“Magic?”
Her Highness the Princess hesitated for a moment, then sat back down in her chair:
“Knight, please.”
Her fair hand made a circling gesture in the air, signaling for him to proceed.
Shard nodded, first reaching into his pocket, then with a snap of his fingers, a flicker of flame erupted from his fingertip.
“Don’t tell me, this is the trick.”
“Please watch closely.”
Shard concentrated on the flame, which subtly elongated, and in just two breaths time, turned into a lifelike flame rose in his hand.
Lecia’s face revealed a smile:
“Quite impressive control.”
“Madam, may I borrow your handkerchief?”
Shard asked, taking the handkerchief from Lecia’s hand which belonged to Dorothy, and covering the flame rose with it. The handkerchief wasn’t ignited, but instead, enveloped Shard’s entire hand.
He gave a light flick, and the handkerchief spun into the air while a somewhat wilted blue rose appeared in Shard’s hand:
“Miss, good evening,” he said.
He offered the rose to Her Highness the Princess, whose smile could hardly be contained:
“I didn’t see that coming, you’re quite thoughtful.”
Instead of taking the flower, she stood up, circled the table, reached out and wrapped her arms around Shard’s neck, and tiptoed to kiss him. However, Shard tilted his head back to avoid it:
“Luviya is still upstairs.”
The green eyes of the blonde girl sparkled as she spoke:
“Isn’t that even better?”
She kissed Shard.
The mist floated outside the window, and the tranquil moonlight shone through it onto them like a theater spotlight paused on this moment.
“Meow~”
Under the moonlight, Mia Cat placed her head on her fluffy forepaws and let out a soft meow.
“Oh~”
Shard pushed away the girl in his embrace:
“Dorothy! You two shouldn’t do this, it’s really not good… for my heart.”
“Was it your cat who told you again?”
Miss Writer asked with some dissatisfaction:
“Really, when will you be able to recognize us by yourself? Does kissing me feel exactly the same as kissing Lecia?”
In fact, Shard had recognized her. During their intimate contact, “she” had been able to feel the slight difference between the two souls.
“Here, this is for you.”
Shard held out the blue rose again, and Dorothy took a glance at it:
“Come to think of it, I haven’t thanked you yet for the birthday gift you gave my mother—it was very tastefully picked.”
Then, like Lecia, Dorothy wrapped her arms around Shard’s neck and kissed him.
Shard wished that days like this could last forever.
At least, after the events at Milestone Fort next week, he hoped for the brief peace to last a long while. Just as he said, after being busy in Mountain City all autumn, he really wanted to rest for a while.
The original plan was to use the Time Key from the year 3024 of the Fifth Era on Sunday morning for the last exploration of the key. But when Shard awoke on Sunday morning and looked askew at the cat curled up beside the pillow, he felt perhaps the key could wait a few more days.
After all, next week’s grand Divine Arts sealing ritual “Holy Tree Scar” was about to begin at Milestone Fort, and Shard was almost certain something would happen then. It would be useful to have a Time Key at hand in case of an emergency.
So, Shard decided to keep the 3024 key and spent the Sunday with Luviya, bustling around the city. They started at the Black Raven Library together, then went to a hidden black market of prohibited alchemical items in the slums south of the city. After lunch at the Three Cats Inn in Hymn Square, Luviya also ordered an alloy dagger from a blacksmith shop nearby the square.
In the afternoon, they first visited Old John, where Luviya inquired about Special Coins and Shard bought a special item related to the sun. This time, it was a flawed ruby, with a defect that vaguely resembled a sun pattern. This was a natural flaw, which after simple processing could become an excellent symbol for rituals.
Because it was a ruby, Old Man John priced it quite high. When Shard complained about the price of 33 Gold Pounds, Old John shook his head and said:
“This is a very rare gemstone; if you don’t need it, you might even break even if you sell it.”
“If I sell it to you, will you buy it?”
“I’ll take it for 18 pounds.”
Luviya, overhearing their conversation, couldn’t help but laugh, then persuaded Shard to buy the gemstone. Compared to the seal he was going to open, a two-digit number of Gold Pounds was nothing.
By evening, Luviya took Shard to a new black market within the city, the scholar’s tavern in Tobesk University District. Due to its proximity to Tobesk Intermediate Mechanical College, the tavern was mostly filled with young scholars or well-mannered citizens living nearby.
Luviya whispered a few passwords to the bartender and then introduced Shard, allowing him to make trades there as well.
After that, she finally got her hands on the target of this visit, the Poet-Level Relic “Dandelion Coin.”
The “Dandelion Coin” was a pleasing pale blue color, nearly the size of a penny. Despite being named “dandelion,” it wasn’t made of dandelion but featured dandelion patterns on both sides. One of the traits of such relics is that when someone blows a gentle breath at it, the “Dandelion Coin” can float up like a real dandelion would.
To verify if a cat’s breath could also have this effect, Shard held Mia Cat to test it back home after dinner. When Mia somehow managed to blow the coin up and let it drift leisurely towards the other side of the coffee table, the surprised expression on that cat’s face was truly hilarious.
Of course, the cat puffing out breaths repeatedly at Shard afterward was even more comical.
The most important trait of the “Dandelion Coin” is to call forth the wind. The coin itself is a medium of trade; when holding the coin outdoors in an open space, praying for the wind, one can use a “Dandelion Coin” to call forth any wind that could possibly arise in the local environment.
That is to say, if Shard stepped outside now and wished for a tornado to appear in Tobesk, it would be entirely possible.
Beyond that, carrying this coin and using any Arcane Technique related to “wind” would enhance the power of the technique. But its classification as Scribe Level danger isn’t just because of its arbitrary manipulation of weather and enhancement of Arcane Techniques; it is also because if one were to throw such a coin directly into a fire, a special destructive natural disaster called “Meteor Shower” would occur nearby.
The number of “Dandelion Coins” isn’t clear because people always seem to find them in remote corners after storms with heavy winds and rain. Thus, the known surviving number of “Dandelion Coins” has exceeded 2000, most of which have been collected by the Church of Nature.
The Church believes that using the coins is essentially trading with a Great One who once ruled “wind.” However, exactly which one is subject to some disagreement among the Circle Sorcerers.
