Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Just as Captain Lades had said, the gunfire had sounded only once, and the noisy clamor quickly faded downstairs. Shard breathed a sigh of relief and was about to continue the topic they were discussing when gunfire erupted again from below.

Shard had assumed that Captain Lades would remain composed; however, the middle-aged man froze for a moment before his eyes widened with a look of shock and disbelief as he stared towards the window.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem this time?"

Shard immediately inquired.

"Three-four Blackjack Bullet! Grass Pocket Single-shot Pistol! It's MI6!"

The man who had been calm was now shaking uncontrollably, his face filled with terror that seemed even more exaggerated than if Shard had seen the Evil God again.

Shard also tensed and shrank back, but he quickly regained his composure. Detective Sparrow couldn't possibly be involved in the incident, and even if there were an incident, it wouldn't involve him, so he didn't need to be anxious.

"What about MI6?"

This organization probably had some connection to Shard, but the captain's nervousness was somewhat odd.

"They're a bunch of devils; they trust no one! They'll lock you up, shine a gaslight on you continuously to make you tell the truth! They'll keep you in a dark cell, incessantly using noise to prevent you from resting! They will..."

The petrified middle-aged man shivered as he spoke, and Shard began to understand. Captain Lades had been rescued from Carsonrick as a prisoner and, due to his reputation as "Captain Eight-Guns" at the front, was naturally suspected upon his return to the country.

He had likely been interrogated by MI6 and had been left with some psychological trauma. Even though it was clear that the people downstairs were not there for the captain, the middle-aged military officer seemed to have flipped some switch and was caught in an immense fear.

This kind of emotion was almost impossible to console; the captain huddled against the wall, not daring to move, as if the people downstairs could see through the walls to him. After a long while of silence downstairs, he gradually returned to normal, but Shard noticed his collar was completely wet.

"Captain, are you alright?"

Shard asked with concern, the middle-aged officer shook his head, staggered over to the table to grab a bottle of liquor, took a big gulp, and then choked and coughed for a while before he recovered.

"Sorry, you had to see that."

He gasped, set the bottle down, and then slumped back into the chair in front of the desk.

"Is MI6... that terrifying?"

Shard cautiously asked, but also worried that his question might discomfort the captain. However, the middle-aged man was rather resilient, a strength that, perhaps, was bolstered by the shot of liquor:

"People from MI6 are madmen who will not rest until they achieve their goals, probably more terrifying than the rumored Transcendents."

The seemingly knowledgeable captain shook his head and said:

"For the past few years, rumors have persisted that the Gray Glove from Carsonrick has dispatched some formidable spies, infiltrating Tobesk, which is why MI6 has been acting so brazenly. But what good does that do? There are even recent rumors that the Gray Glove is planning operations against the Royal Family.

Oh, detective, you'd best never deal with them in your life; those people are all professionally trained, and I even suspect they lack any compassion or mercy."

Only when the captain fully recovered from his recent scare and confirmed that the gunfire downstairs would not resume did the two men leave to have dinner. Of course, both men insisted on paying the bill, but it was the young and strong Shard who eventually got the chance to pay.

The captain looked quite embarrassed and promised to continue searching for the ornament. Moreover, should the opportunity arise, he would introduce Shard to some business; he knew many people in this city.

After dinner, the two parted ways; Captain Lades had to visit some acquaintances at the veterans club to see if he could find new work. Shard headed back to Saint Delan Square, played with the kitten Mia for a while, and then translated a dozen more pages of "Chasing the Four Elements: Wind and Fire."

Around half-past two in the afternoon, while resting at his desk and seeing that the weather was nice, he decided to go out for a walk. Of course, this time Shard took the orange cat Mia with him. Since arriving at Saint Delan Square, aside from going out to eat, this cat rarely had the opportunity to venture outdoors due to being timid.

It was a sort of cat-walking excursion, but since he didn't have a suitable leash and he was worried about Mia getting lost, Shard actually carried the cat the whole time, and Mia certainly seemed happy not to have to walk.

Shard had already had his fill of watching the pigeon flocks on Saint Delan Square from his window every day. Since the weather was unusually nice today, and even the fog that enveloped the city had dissipated some, he walked to the University District of Tobesk, which was more suitable for an afternoon stroll.

The University District was mostly frequented by students and faculty from nearby higher education institutions. Although it looked the same as other parts of Tobesk, stepping onto the tree-lined paths gave one an instinctive feeling of greater comfort.

[That's your illusion, I didn't feel anything.]

The detective, holding the cat, peered curiously at people on the tree-lined path, paused at the Draleon Royal Mechanical College to check the facade of the Academy, and even, caught up in the moment, would sit for a while on a sunlit lawn, to enjoy the rare summer sunshine.

On the lawn, a group of young people were playing Roder Cards, seemingly students from the Tobesk Seminary by their attire and the books next to them. Shard, drawn by the excitement, walked over to watch their game. From their conversation, he learned that the group was part of the "Roder Card Research Society" from Tobesk Seminary.

"Why would a seminary have a Roder Card Research Society?"

Shard found this amusing but didn't join in the card playing. After standing there for a while and recalling that the Terael River crossed the University District on the map, he decided to take a walk along the riverbank. In a less crowded area, he thought that maybe kitten Mia could also have a chance to run around.

But no sooner had he left the lawn than he noticed a carriage approaching from behind on the dappled tree-lined path.

Stepping to one side to avoid it, the carriage unexpectedly came to a slow stop next to Shard. The window was pushed open, and the face of the blonde writer appeared in the carriage:

"Good afternoon, Detective. Oh?"

She glanced at the cat in Shard's arms and smiled:n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Out for a walk? Or on an assignment?"

"Good afternoon, Miss Luisa. I'm out for a walk, with a side of cat-walking," replied Shard.

Shard tried to get Mia to greet Miss Luisa, but the petite orange cat, being quite shy, "roared" meekly at Miss Writer and then tucked itself inside Shard's arms, refusing to move.

"Since you're free, would you help me with something?" Miss Luisa asked, flipping a lock of hair from her ear.

"What are you doing?"

Shard accepted the invitation and Miss Luisa stepped down from the four-wheeled hired carriage, searching for change to give to the driver while explaining:

"I heard a strange rumor and want to go buy a very special item."

Shard realized, she was going to acquire a Relic.