Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 1907 - 1906: Nadia Folan

The test was very successful. As long as Shard was willing to expend his Spirit to maintain the existence of the vessel, he could keep it present even from a distance. However, without Shard aboard, others could not propel the boat with mere thought as he could, and had to row the boat traditionally.

Further tests confirmed that the properties of Shard’s boat remained unaffected even if he was not aboard. It was not easily damaged, was hard to sink when damaged, and could carry the Undead.

The final and most crucial test was to see if the boat summoned by Shard had the power to pierce through Space.

Shard had his suspicions about this. When he previously used the boat to bring up the old vessel from the lake bottom, he noticed that his boat could dispel the thick mist around Heart Lake Island, which was symbolic in itself.

On this night, Miss Sylvia’s use of a Relic to apply spatial lockdown, combined with her own Arcane Technique affecting spatial movement of the boat, further proved that Shard’s boat was immune to the spatial restrictions of both Relics and Arcane Techniques.

Unfortunately, this old wooden boat could only exist within waters; if removed from such a setting, it would automatically disappear. Otherwise, carrying or even rolling the boat on wheels beneath it could significantly expand its utility.

Realizing it was getting late, Shard left the boat to the two Witches and Luviya for further testing, then headed upstream along the Duin River, returning to the city to meet with the Cultist of the Dragon Feast Cult.

Gently holding his umbrella, he walked alone into the southeastern slum of the city. The night rain quickly covered Shard’s tracks. Regardless of the weather, entering the city’s slums at night was quite dangerous. The rain could conceal some noises and wash away the scent of blood. Shard truly hadn’t expected to be ambushed in the alley by two people on his way to the meeting, neither of whom hesitated to stab towards his abdomen.

Thereupon, Shard wasn’t polite either; Moonlight flew forth, taking off two heads.

Curious whether he had been set up or if it was sheer bad luck, he used the Arcane Technique "Guide to Death" to perform Necromancy on one of their souls in the rain:

"We were originally Porters at the dock. The reduced trade between Green Lake City and the City of Glass cost us our jobs. We couldn’t immediately find work in the city, but our families and rent required Gold Pounds."

The soul dully revealed their identity and story, after which Shard placed the two bodies against the wall, waiting to be discovered by daybreak. He dispersed the soul and continued toward his destination.

The Barking Dog Tavern in Black Dog Alley was the kind of tavern deep in the slums that Shard imagined would be involved in illegal dealings.

On a rainy night, most surrounding buildings had no lights; the people in the slums were mindful of changes on the gas meter readings. Only the tavern’s window still glimmered with a dim light. But when Shard pushed the door open and entered, he found not many people inside and it wasn’t as noisy as he had imagined.

The men gathered to drink and talk about the awful weather, or congregated around tables to play Roder Cards. At the tables along the wall sat brightly dressed girls who either conversed with companions or flirted with men eyeing them.

The intrusion of Shard into the tavern on the rainy night attracted attention from only a few near the entrance.

He folded his umbrella at the entrance, surveyed the worn but evidently well-maintained tables and walls inside the tavern, and unexpectedly found that the person he was waiting for seemed not to have arrived:

"Now it is... eight forty."

Casually ordering a pint of Barley Wine, Shard carried his glass and climbed the creaky wooden stairs to the tavern’s second floor. There, even fewer patrons were present; such dreadful weather indeed made people reluctant to go out at night.

He sat near the corner, confirmed that his golden and silver rings were on his fingers, then pulled out a newspaper from his pocket, reading it under the somewhat dim light.

At eight fifty-six, footsteps approached Shard’s direction, followed by the sound of a chair being pulled out and someone sitting down.

Shard put down the newspaper and looked at the woman sitting opposite him, dressed in a black leather coat and black long skirt. She had brown hair similar to Megan’s and Audrey’s, was in her thirties, and her eyes resembled vertical pupils. As she scrutinized Shard, she revealed a wary and puzzled expression.

More importantly, when Shard attempted to listen to her heartbeat, the rhythmic thumping was exceedingly strong, not only vibrating the air but also disturbing Spirits and Elements; this was not a human’s heartbeat.

Noticing the silver dragon-shaped insignia on her chest, Shard nodded:

"Nadia Folan?"

The woman, her face severe and lips pursed, looked like someone quite stern.

She also nodded:

"How can you prove to me that you are the God Summoner and not someone the Church randomly picked?"

Shard took out five small keys from his pocket, these keys obtained from the Blacksmith, Mineralogist, Rot-Eye Barry, Boatman, and Mayor. As for Durut Giles’s key, Megan had already returned it to him.

"Currently, the Church has identified only the Furen Brothers as Edwards descendants, and they have only one key. The Truth Society holds one, you have one, the Tyranny Club has one — likely now also in the Truth Society’s hands, the Mirror Association holds one. Out of thirteen keys, eight remain, and I’ve brought five. Is this proof enough?"

The remaining three keys he did not mention were with Durut Giles, the Green Siblings, and the Old Ghoul.

A woman who looked under thirty years old, with slightly damp hair, nodded:

"Although I know your current appearance is an Illusion Technique, I’m still surprised at how young you are."

"Ms. Furen, what do you think I should look like?"

"More mature, with a neatly trimmed beard, elegant yet with a touch of reserved arrogance."

For some reason, Shard immediately thought of Dr. Schneider.

He shook his head:

"Nice to meet you, so what are we discussing tonight? I don’t mind staying late in a tavern with a beautiful lady like you, but you know the situation is unstable now, and the police might rush in at any moment to search for suspicious people."

He tapped the newspaper folded beside him, which featured an image of the man caught with a steam bomb. After his arrest, he said nothing. Shard knew that MI6 would soon arrange for his discreet disappearance.

"I want to talk to you about my ancestor."

The woman said, leaning slightly forward, her entire face illuminated by the oil lamp on the table.

"Are you seeking my protection?"

After Shard asked, he saw a contemptuous smile appear on the serious woman’s face:

"No, I never believe others can protect me; only I can protect myself. I just hope you can get some information that might increase the chance of disrupting my ancestor’s plan."

"Free information? Even if you proposed a trade, I wouldn’t refuse."

Nadia Folan shook her head:

"You’re right, it’s not safe here, so I’ll get straight to the point. Whether you believe what I’m about to say is up to you. But I trust you’ll understand; our Order no longer prioritizes the Chosen of Space matter. If it weren’t for me being a member of the Edwards Family, I wouldn’t have stayed."

"Then please, tell me your information. What I’m most concerned about now is whether I can join the Edwards at the earliest opportunity for your family feast."

"Without the ancestor’s consent, that’s difficult. The power isolating the two islands is ancient, but you can try to force an Edwards by your side to stay. Regardless of how the ancestor ensures the disobedient descendants attend the feast, you are the biggest threat to him at this moment."

This method is exactly what the witches are preparing, with the Green Lake Hotel as their base for this purpose.

"I don’t know much about entering and exiting the islands; the core secrets of the two islands are only known to the ancestor. Today, I want to warn you about the Alchemical Cards set, which the ancestor crafted by imitating the Angel-Level Relic, [Poetry Cards]. Each card in that set seals a creature resulting from the ancestor’s experiments or an evil object he summoned, one of which you saw during the Night of the Eclipse."

"Yes, I remember that event. But after all, the deck is just alchemical items, powerful but limited. What are you trying to caution me about?"

"The deck is the contingency plan the ancestor prepared for himself in case of failure. That deck can truly enable his ’resurrection.’ So, if you have the chance to kill the ancestor, you must destroy his deck beforehand."

"Oh?"

Shard looked at her with surprise, the candlelight on the woman’s face flickering with uncertainty. The window on the tavern’s second floor had a draft, but it also kept the interior from feeling stuffy.

"You’re revealing the most crucial secret of that diviner to me."

"You need this secret; you are the most likely person to defeat him. Everyone in the family who has seen him knows just how powerful he is. You can’t afford to be negligent in dealing with him."

"But have you considered that if those cards are so important, why would he let you know? Is there a chance that he anticipated this too?"

Nadia Folan nodded:

"My ancestor’s Divination Arts are terrifying; perhaps everything is indeed within his plan, but that doesn’t mean I will submit to his arrangements or the so-called family fate... One person ascends, and everyone else is just a stepping stone, ha~ I will do everything I can before the family night banquet. The Order still needs me, and I can’t die in Green Lake."

"You truly are devout... that’s not sarcasm; it’s a compliment."

Shard raised his glass with a smile, toasting her, but the woman ignored his gesture.