Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

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After three weeks, Shard finally concluded the entire adventure of the first Time Key, witnessing the final story of the gods. The immense rewards meant that Shard could now attempt to unlock the second key.

He had acquired a key from Old John on Monday, dated Year 3002 of the Fifth Era. After summarizing his gains, he tried to use the new key to turn the lock.

As he expected, the key could be inserted into a completely mismatched lock, but it couldn't turn the lock open. The rule of using the Time Key every week applied to all keys.

So, if Shard wanted to explore another segment of the past, he would have to wait until next Thursday morning.

As for the Relic "Another Face" that he got from the Maid, Shard put it behind a hidden wall in the basement. The thing had massive side effects, but simple containment conditions—a sackcloth with blood from several clergy members, provided by Miss Maid, sufficed.

While placing the Relic, Shard clutched the wooden box containing the "White Stone Crystal" and looked at the Ancient God Statue in the center of the round space. After pondering for a long time, he did not immediately try to activate another spatial waypoint.

He was already very tired tonight, and he wasn't sure if long-distance teleportation had a cooldown period like the "Time Key" or whether there was no need to wait, like the last "Saint Delan Square to Saint Delan Square" incident.

But if he ran off to a faraway place and could not return immediately, the cost of taking a steam train was secondary, but no one taking care of his cat at home would be a big problem.

Therefore, Shard decided to wait until all his current matters were dealt with and he had time for a long journey before he would try the function of this Ancient God Statue. After all, the statue was right here and wouldn't run away because Shard didn't use it.

As for the most important gain of tonight, leaves representing Spirit Runes and Arcane Technique, Shard didn't know how to use them. Soaking them in water, eating them directly or sticking them on his forehead were all possibilities.

To avoid damaging the two leaves through reckless attempts, he decided to ask some reliable people tomorrow.

After dealing with a series of troublesome matters, he finally ended this magical day.

Closing his eyes and welcoming sleep, he recalled the events of the entire day, then was very certain that even compared to the night at Lakeside Manor, today was indeed a very magical day.

(Mia is running...)

Early Thursday morning, when Shard went downstairs to fetch the newspaper and goat's milk, he found a total of 5 letters addressed to himself, which was quite rare.

The first two letters were from Dr. Schneider and Miss Beyas, both inquiring about Shard's health. Both had been at Tobesk Station yesterday and witnessed the scene of Shard suddenly rushing out to block a bullet. Although they saw later that he was unharmed, they were still somewhat worried, hence the letters.

The third letter was from Priest Augustus, on church-exclusive, fragrant, high-quality stationery. He invited Shard to visit Dawn Chapel that afternoon and claimed that Bishop Owen had matters to discuss with him.

"Hmm... the commemorative coin matter?"

Seated on the sofa and looking up at the coffee table, he saw the commemorative coin, still embedded with the bullet, lying there quietly. After yesterday's street incident, it would be odd if Dawn Chapel didn't want to do something.

Conveniently having no plans today, he found no issue in visiting the chapel in the afternoon. However, he had to be careful to disguise himself as if injured, or it might raise doubts about his identity.

The fourth letter, unsurprisingly, was from Captain Lades. Because of Shard's unexpected shooting, Captain Lades had completed all the paperwork regarding the arrest of the fat woman linked to the children's disappearance case. He didn't leave Riddlevitch Field until eight o'clock yesterday evening but didn't feel it was a waste of time.

Very excitedly, Captain Lades informed Shard in the letter that since he was also a key figure in cracking this major case, he received news from a friend immediately after leaving Riddlevitch Field. Upon commendation of the case at the police department, once he received his reward, the Royal Army would consider allowing him to return to his original troop and rejoin the front lines as a Captain.

Captain Lades was truly elated, so much so that his already poor handwriting became even more twisted and difficult to decipher.

Reading the letter in his hand, Shard smiled lightly. He was happy for Captain Lades, whose current difficult life was due to a Relic. If Lades could return to his familiar place and resume his life, it would be the best compensation he could get for now.

In the letter, the Captain said he planned to visit Shard that evening to express his gratitude. He knew that compared to the minor deed he did, the detective's noon action yesterday was the real significant contribution. Hence, he guessed that Shard would be very busy lately, which is why he chose a nighttime visit.

The last letter, more of a note than a letter, was from Shard's nominal superior, Mr. Anlos from MI6. In the note, he informed that he would visit Saint Delan Square at eight o'clock that morning and told Shard not to go out.

"What could Mr. Anlos want with me?"

He speculated various possibilities, and an hour later, a middle-aged gentleman walked through the door, his first action being to hand Shard a thick envelope.

Shard pinched it, confirming that if it wasn't filled with paper, then it definitely contained banknotes.

"300 pounds."

As they ascended the staircase, Mr. Anlos, following behind Shard, spoke. Shard's grip on the envelope tightened, leaving a mark on its surface.

As an Outlander, he had never dealt with such a large sum of cash in this world, not even the amount of his share from the doctor's attempt to extract cash from the Academy.

"100 pounds is the reward set by MI6 and City Hall for solving the child disappearance case, which was supposed to be given to you in a few days. I got it for you in advance. The other 200 pounds are my personal thanks to you."

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Shard stopped in his tracks, turned his head in surprise toward the middle-aged man standing a step below him on the stairs, who was holding his hat and nodded slightly to Shard:

"Thank you for everything you did yesterday, Mr. Hamilton."

The tone was very sincere, and the expression was serious.

"It was my honor," Shard replied with a slight nod, and then continued to lead his superior upstairs. Only now, the veteran intelligence officer of the Kingdom's respect for Shard was finally not solely because of Miss Galina.

Shard's MI6 identity, unless he betrayed the Draleon Kingdom, was now solid and almost impossible to change.

Mr. Anlos's personal visit to Shard was not just about bringing Gold Pounds. He had brought two pieces of news, the first being that the investigation into the Tobesk children's serial disappearance case was going very smoothly.

It seemed to be a huge human trafficking organization, and the person caught yesterday was an important leader. Currently, Riddlevitch Field in cooperation with MI6 was conducting a nationwide pursuit based on the intelligence they had in hand.

Even though everyone knew it was impossible to find all the missing children, at least the distressing matter seemed to have come to an end.

The second piece of news was also good. Shard's "Draleon Honor Knight Badge" had been approved. This coming Sunday night, inside the Royal Family's countryside manor, the King would award those who contributed to solving the "child disappearance case," including Shard.

Apart from Shard, two other gentlemen were lucky enough to receive awards, but those were the lower-level Draleon Contribution Medals. One was an old detective from Riddlevitch Field who had been in charge of pursuing this case. The other was the current Chief of Police for Riddlevitch Field, for whom the medal was not of much importance since he held the title of Viscount.

"How come they decided to hold the award ceremony so quickly? Didn't this just happen yesterday? In one night, the Royal Family and City Hall made the decision?"

Shard questioned doubtfully, having no illusions about the notoriously slow pace of official proceedings.

"To soothe public anxiety, of course, and also to give Queen Diana a proper reason to appear in public, to calm some of the rumors," responded Mr. Anlos carefully.

"Rumors?"

"Right after the assassination incident yesterday, rumors that Queen Diana was shot dead sprang up immediately. The Royal Family needs to handle this with extreme care, hence the need for a suitable occasion for Queen Diana to appear in public..."

"Mr. Anlos, actually, I feel that there was something problematic about the assassination yesterday, and wasn't the spread of these rumors a bit too fast?" Shard asked, then thought of the words the black-haired Maid prevented Mr. Anlos from saying yesterday.

"Is it really..."

He pointed his finger in the direction of the kitchen, where the windows provided a view of Yordle Palace.

Mr. Anlos's face showed a profoundly cautious expression:

"Such topics should not be discussed recklessly, Mr. Hamilton. Do not speculate any further; this is none of your concern. Moreover, your identity as a concerned ordinary citizen will not be exposed. Your MI6 background will remain secret."

That being said, it seemed the background of the entire assassination incident was even more complicated than the Outlander had anticipated.

"But why Sunday night again?"

Shard asked again.

"Again? Do you have other plans for Sunday?" Mr. Anlos asked in return, to which Shard shook his head. He simply lamented that ever since arriving in this world, his Sunday nights had never been free. However, this time at least he would not have to play Roder Cards.

"Oh, remember to bring your Roder Cards. After the King leaves, such a high-profile banquet will become very relaxed. If networking is your goal, Roder Cards are a useful tool. Since Miss Galina holds you in high regard, making some friends could also be beneficial... Oh, this tea is really excellent."

Mr. Anlos exclaimed, and Shard glanced at the teacup, somehow reminded of Detective Sparrow. The former detective in his lifetime probably never imagined that his house and tea would be entertaining the head of MI6.

Mr. Anlos was a busy man and left after spending twenty minutes at Shard's place.

Afterward, Shard also left the house, and he did so with Mia in tow. First, at the street corner's mailbox, he posted replies to the Doctor and Miss Beyas, then carried the cat straight to the Prophet's Society.