Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 1785 - 1784: Second Bygone Era · Sixth Era

"Although diviners always say fate cannot be changed, they also believe, who can truly be certain that what they glimpse and interpret is the real destiny? The Speaker has listed matters that might affect Laplace Klein Howard’s plans here for us to resolve."

Miss Galina handed the "task list" to Shard, and Megan added:

"These matters may have nothing to do with our family, or their impact may not be evident for decades, or His Excellency the Speaker might have judged wrong. But little changes combined are enough to shake the most precise plans. Before Benanis, Aphrola, and Granny Cassandra arrive, we will arrange for our followers to handle these matters. You can do them if you have time."

"I don’t have many followers, and I do have spare time, so I’ll handle these matters myself."

Miss Sylvia said, then smiled and pointed out:

"The Speaker has set a reward for each task this time, and they’re quite generous. The Council has accumulated a great deal of wealth, relics, and rare materials over the years. Shard, you might want to give it a try."

It was indeed a good suggestion, so Shard took note of the "Witch’s Task List." Before Dr. Schneider arrived, he could try to resolve these things while also waiting for other keys to appear one by one.

He had already made a plan to not re-embark on the island as a priority but to gradually weaken Laplace Klein Howard’s henchmen and powers outside of the island. The arrival of Dr. Schneider and Priest Augustus would inevitably make that diviner reveal more power, and once they confirmed all the opponent’s cards, and determined the "Chosen of Space" lineup order, it would be time to gather all forces for one last return to the island.

That night, Shard chatted with the witches until late, but he did not stay overnight in Mikaela Ironworks City; instead, he waited until Margaret returned from the banquet, bid farewell to her, and then cast the Crystal Shoes to return home.

The shoes landed on the first floor of his home, and after turning Mia back to normal, as he carried the cat towards the stairs, he noticed the house was silent, with no visitors tonight.

The house’s lights were off, and holding the cat in the quiet of his large home, the restlessness, pressure, and unease gradually faded. He felt as if he reverted to the person who worried about making a living when he first arrived in this world.

Gently stroking the obedient cat’s head, Shard didn’t climb the stairs but instead opened the front door from the hallway and walked into the warm breeze of the spring night.

Night had deepened; most neighbors around Saint Delan Square had turned off their lights, but the gas lamps circling the square still glowed. The warmth-infused glimmer made the night somewhat enchanting and blurred, rendering the girl fountain statue in the square’s center, holding a water jug, quieter and more mysterious than usual. The gas and steam pipes climbing the walls of buildings blended almost seamlessly with the night, and in the distance, the ember-like lights on the square’s streets were likely the smoking carriage drivers waiting for passengers.

The air carried the scent of spring but was also tinged with the acrid odor of waste gases emitted by steam factories. The night covered in a hazy mist was something Shard favored about Saint Delan Square’s nights, this Steam Age, and everything he currently possessed.

"Will these peaceful days continue?"

[Of course not, peace comes at a price.]

"That’s true."

Shard nodded, stroking Mia as the cat let out a soft "meow" that echoed into the night. Immediately, a howling sound of a heat-stricken stray cat arose from some unknown dark corner but was quickly driven away by Mia’s "fierce" call.

Shard smiled, returned to the house, and closed the door. His right hand now held the Black Time Key, and with the time being the fourth day of the Sowing Moon of the Sixth Era, he was preparing for a second journey to the already destroyed Sixth Era of the Bygone Era to witness the time after peace has ended.

"Wait for me, Mia."

He placed Mia on the stairs, and the cat obediently squatted on the dark steps watching him, its amber eyes glowing in the dark.

Shard then aimed the key at the lock of his front door:

"May the World Tree bless me in the infinite time."

With a click, though the door usually opens outward, now it opened inward. But beyond the door was not the night of Saint Delan Square but thick white fog.

He reached out to touch the fog—

[Outlander, please note. Message from the "Father of the Infinite Tree": This time, you are allowed to bring one extra relic.]

"This time?"

He hadn’t heard about this in the last lesson.

[Because of the instability of the "Sixth Era of the Bygone Era" time, each time you use the special Time Key, Tree Father will set a new limitation.]

With a flutter, Shard threw his coat to the back, the cat immediately leaped onto the warm piece of clothing to sit. Wearing a shirt, Shard waved his hand backward and, holding onto his selection, stepped into the doorway.

[Outlander, you have stepped into the "Time Corridor."]

[Message from the Ancient God "Father of the Infinite Tree":]

[Bygone Era: Sixth Era, Old Continent, Apocalypse City: Tobesk.]

[Event: Tobesk, the Last Era.]

[Duration Flexible (2/∞).]

[You have obtained additional information.]

[You have stepped into nonexistent history.]

[The shadow of the Father of the Infinite Tree watches you.]

[Note, during this exploration, you cannot leave the vicinity of Saint Delan Square.]

[Note, you are allowed to carry any Spellcasting Materials into this period.]

[Note, using the Time Key to defeat any strong enemy will allow you to return to the "present" time.]

Tossing the Black Key in his hand, Shard continued forward in the white mist toward the time of the bygone era. The mist dissipated, revealing the dilapidated home bit by bit. It was still so melancholic here, with the sofa in front covered by a white sheet and the black, damp fireplace behind.

In an instant, Shard closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists, resisting the chaotic elemental environment of the Apocalypse World and the power of the world itself. After opening his eyes, he first checked the marks he left on the wall last time, and sure enough, they were all gone.

"Non-linear time, or perhaps, there is no concept of time here; every time I appear, it is a brand-new time."

The only goal of the Bygone Era: Sixth Era is to defeat strong enemies; besides that, there is nothing of value here. But even so, Shard entered the basement and then walked through this home that did not belong to him from there.

"Luviya still isn’t here..."

Finally, he climbed onto the roof from the attic and gazed at the Sowing Moon era covered by yellow sand, looking at the black sun with red streams of light flowing downward.

Grains of sand, driven by the wind, struck Shard’s face. He squinted his eyes and looked again at the Floating City surrounded by storms in the distance, a doubt forming in his heart:

"Long-Haired Luvia, in such an environment, how long did she live before restarting time? Does she feel lonely... she certainly would."

His right hand tightly gripped the key and held it in front:

"May the First Silvermoon guide the ultimate direction."

In an instant, the world seemed to turn black, light scattering through the fingers, and a vast golden Ritual Array of Sun, Moon, and Stars unfolded at his feet. The light extended into a Black Long Staff, which Shard swung a few times. After preparing the Spellcasting Materials, he leaped off the rooftop and landed on the litter-strewn, now pitted square.

Driven by the wind, yellow sand rolled through the cracks of the shattered tiles of the square. Shard looked towards the direction of his next-door neighbor, the Smith family. Last time, when the Twin Lovers creature burst out of the house, it directly shattered the door, but now the door was intact:

"Indeed, chaotic time and space."

He patiently waited for the appearance of a strong enemy, listening intently to those abnormal sounds amidst the howling wind. The more he focused on the world itself, the more he felt a profound sense of loneliness and sorrowful emotion.

"A world heading to its end, a world where all the formerly familiar and usual beauties have disappeared. Is this also the inevitable end I must face?"

With the emergence of these negative thoughts, the dim yellow sky quickly darkened, a cold darkness descending, rapidly reducing visibility.

"Glug glug~ glug glug~"

Strange noises came from all directions, and Shard raised the Long Staff in his hand. The Silver Moonlight at the top of Yggdrasil’s Staff lit up the surroundings as he slowly spun it.

The sky had completely turned black, even the windborne grains of sand turning pitch-dark. The glug glug sounds, accompanying the whispers and murmurs that agitated the heart, arose from all around. In an instant, Shard realized what kind of power the formidable foe he was about to face corresponded to.

"Silvermoon."

Closing his eyes, amidst the chaotic elements and heart-corrupting whispers, he perceived that fleeting inspiration. Suddenly turning to face his house, he raised the staff high, and in an instant, the explosion of brilliant silver moonlight finally illuminated the scenery under the black apocalyptic sky.

A gigantic, mountain-like black shadow was standing behind No. 6, Saint Delan Square. It was evidently afraid of that holy and cool moonlight, but the moonlight could not fully illuminate its entire form. Even though Shard was certain that before he jumped off the roof earlier, the back of the house only had the dim yellow sky and the swirling sand, at this moment, it was impossible to suppress the imagination that the black shadow had been watching all his actions from the beginning.

The silver moonlight glittered for just a second, and in that instant of peeping, Shard saw that the giant black shadow appeared to be a massive merman. The features of the fish head, even in outline, differed greatly from humans. And in the next second, the darkness swallowed the light from Yggdrasil’s Staff.