Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

By the time he reached Pig Tail Alley in the north of the city, it was already noon. Although it's called an alley, it was wide enough for a carriage to pass through; the alley was flanked on both sides by towering, age-old buildings covered with climbing vines that virtually merged with the steam pipes.

This was a distinctive summer scene of the city, further complemented by the chirping of little birds and the faint smell of cooking and smoke in the alleyway, creating a strong sense of life that really appealed to Shard's taste.

Of course, he definitely wouldn't consider moving out of Saint Delan Square.

Due to the way the sunlight hit it, the interior of the apartment was damp and dim. The corridor already smelled a bit foul, and without any windows, the space, lacking a way to ventilate, was filled with a mix of perspiration, food, and the odor of clothes that hadn't dried properly, making it very unpleasant.

As Captain Lades was casually chatting about the customs and practices of the kingdom's southern regions while climbing the stairs with Shard, they came face to face with an adult cat that was completely white except for a dark mark near its right eye, jumping down from the upstairs landing. It seemed skinny but had long, slender limbs, and wasn't afraid of strangers.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

After giving the Captain and Shard a look, it continued on its way down the stairs.

This cat didn't look as clean as Mia, possibly because its owner didn't clean it often.

"That's Mrs. Cullen's cat from downstairs. It's usually quite fierce with people, so how come it's so docile now? Detective, it seems this cat really likes you," the Captain said curiously and then continued leading Shard upstairs. Captain Lades lived on the second floor, sharing a washroom with five other tenants.

The wooden floorboards in the second-floor corridor were warped due to the dampness, creaking with every step. While Shard surveyed the surroundings, Captain Lades had already opened the door to Room 3. Following him in, Shard immediately noticed the empty bottles piled up on the desk.

The middle-aged Captain gave an embarrassed laugh.

The room was very small, serving simultaneously as a bedroom, study, dining room, living room, and more, with furnishings quite similar to those in Dwarf Rat Peter's room.

It was unsurprising that a single officer wouldn't clean his room often, hence it appeared somewhat disheveled. At least there wasn't much of a strange smell; he often opened the windows for ventilation.

Captain Lades invited Shard to find a seat wherever he liked, while he went to rummage through some boxes of clutter piled up in the corner. Being cautious, Shard used the "Echo of Blood" to inspect the room. Although there were indeed traces of old blood, they had nothing to do with the current tenant.

"Are you being too cautious?"

A voice came to his ear.

"When even attending a regular banquet can lead to encountering an Evil God, I can't help but worry about everything I do," he answered.

His gaze casually drifted to the dining table cluttered with unwashed dishes, utensils, and newspapers, and he even spotted his own business card in one corner of the table. After receiving permission, Shard picked up the newspaper to check it.

It was the "Steam Bird Daily". Detective Sparrow had never subscribed to this newspaper, so Shard was not very familiar with it. The date was today's, with the topmost page turned to the advertisements section, where information had been circled with a pencil—Captain Lades was probably looking for a job.

"If I had not chosen to stay and had left immediately after the former detective died, I might also be living in this kind of cramped apartment now, flipping through the newspaper in search of a job," Shard thought.

The sunlight slanted through the window into the narrow apartment, the warm summer sun feeling very comfortable on the skin.

The front page of the Steam Bird Daily reported that Princess Lecia, who is set to return to her homeland, would travel by ship along the west coast of the Old Continent, from the Kingdom of Carsonrick back to Coldwater Port City. She would stay in Coldwater Port for a week before returning to Tobesk.

Shard showed no interest in this and turned to the second page, which to his surprise, featured academic articles published by Tobesk University about the recent abnormal celestial phenomena.

Flipping further, there was debate about the renovation of the steam pipes in the old district of Tobesk, with editorial commenters calling the current plan "a money-swindling scheme by the bureaucratic machinery of City Hall, a shameful conspiracy of academic and political bureaucrats." Turning the pages yet again, he found more news and articles of the academic report variety.

He then realized that the Steam Bird Daily must be targeting students and intellectuals from Tobesk University District or the educated middle class.

"Hmm, this newspaper would be suitable for posting my advertisement."

With that in mind, Shard noticed an announcement from Tobesk University Union about an upcoming academic presentation that welcomed participation from the public.

He was genuinely interested in the university of the Steam Age, the real university, not the kind like Saint Byrons—interested in understanding the development of material science and technology of this era.

After all, Shard had been a university student back in his homeland. If it weren't for the existence of the mysterious and transcendent—forces he aspired to—it was quite possible that Shard would have spent the rest of his life in this world consumed by steam machinery and the fundamentals of physics and chemistry.

He counted himself among the intellectuals, and would gladly participate in the scientific advancements of the society at large, provided he could find time amidst his busy Circle Sorcerer studies. Especially since steam machinery unique to this place were truly fascinating.

"Professor Shard Hamilton... Not a bad title."

A slight smile appeared on his face, so he took out his notebook and jotted down the specific dates of the academic presentations, planning to go if he had the time.

Since he didn't hold much hope of finding the piece of jewelry in the first place, Shard didn't feel disappointed when Captain Lades regretfully said they might not find it today.

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Of course, since "another me" could know which item was the Relic, he asked inwardly whether she could locate the jewelry in the confines of this narrow room, receiving this reply:

"You have to at least see the thing before I can sense if it contains the necessary elements."

But if Shard could see the piece of jewelry, he wouldn't need to search for it at all.

Since they got along well, and since they couldn't find the pendant for the time being, Captain Lades wanted to invite Shard to a nearby restaurant for lunch, by way of a formal apology for the recklessness at Lakeside Manor.

Having received favor from the captain, even escaping death from the Heart Collector thanks to the Spear of Kindness, Shard didn't want the captain to spend his money. He offered to treat instead, after all, that antique revolver was worth much more than his own formal attire.

As the two poverty-stricken companions were exchanging pleasantries, suddenly, from downstairs in Pig Tail Alley, they heard a clamor of voices, rough male voices uttering sentences so filthy that Shard had no desire to translate them.

Following that, gunfire erupted.

Shard's first instinct was to take cover, but the middle-aged officer nonchalantly waved his hand, as if it were nothing unusual:

"No worries, no worries, this kind of thing happens around here often, although it is rare during broad daylight. We'll go look for a place to eat in a bit, these folks will probably clear out soon."

Life in the remote Lower District was completely different from Saint Delan Square.