Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"I'm glad you understand. Do you have any other questions? I can assist with issues concerning your studies or any difficulties you might have encountered." Miss Danester added. Shard immediately thought of Miss Feliana's gift. He wasn't sure whether the Witch from the previous Era would remember him after leaving the Forest of Thousand Trees, but he was still eager to try and find traces of her. However, even Miss Danester seemed not to have heard of Shard, so whether the two Witches had completely forgotten him upon leaving the forest, or whether time had eroded all traces, the likelihood of that "gift" still existing was probably quite slim. "I'd like to know what the process is like for an official student to enroll at the Academy." Shard asked cautiously. Miss Feliana had said that if the gift existed, it would certainly be gained when Shard heard her name in his own era, which is why Shard thought of the enrollment ceremony. "Are you curious about this?" Miss Danester asked with a smile: "Apart from the process you've already gone through as a correspondence student, official students also have complex written exams, interviews, family investigations, birth investigations. These rules are slightly adjusted every few years. If you want to know more, I can find a book for you to read." "Aside from that, are there any enrollment regulations that have been in place since the founding of the Academy?" Shard asked again, and Miss Danester thought for a moment: "Probably not. The modern enrollment regulations were initially drafted at the beginning of the Sixth Era and have evolved step by step. After all, male Circle Sorcerers appeared at that time, so many of the old rules had to be extensively changed." "I see..." Shard felt a bit disappointed. Miss Danester was curious about his attitude at the moment but did not ask further. "We're in the Sixth Era now, right?" Shard suddenly asked. "Of course." The Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer confirmed his question: "I've discussed your issue with Professor Garcia, and he said that from the papers you want to read, you seem to be doubting the correctness of time?" "It's a conjecture." Shard was still very cautious. "Be careful not to lose control. Circle Sorcerers need to use time and space to anchor their position in this world. The chaos of time and space can make people like you, who deal with Space-Time, more prone to mental disarray." Shard nodded to show his understanding, but in fact, he was feeling regretful. Perhaps, Miss Feliana and the Moon Witch, Miss Orland, had truly forgotten him completely. After canceling the ceremony, Shard returned to Dr. Schneider's clinic, picked up the cat again, and told his friends about the recent events, claiming that Miss Danester had given him a rather troublesome Academy assignment. In truth, the task had already been passed down to him, specifically assigned in the name of Miss Danester for Shard to complete. However, the content of the assignment had nothing to do with the Library; instead, it requested that Shard submit a detailed hand-drawn map of Tobesk and the surrounding areas as an update for the old maps in the Library. Luviya didn't seem to believe this was really an assignment from the administrator, but everyone else did. The five of them chatted casually in the doctor's clinic until five in the afternoon before leaving. There wasn't much happening amongst the Circle Sorcerers of Tobesk that week, so there wasn't much worth discussing. However, Priest Augustus did bring up the incident involving Yordle Palace and the Prince with a gun, which was quite astonishing to everyone. On Saturday night, as per routine, it was Shard's time to study with Dorothy. So the two of them, along with the cat, first had dinner together, then took a walk back to No. 6, Saint Delan Square. The study of "Kiss of the Tree" was halted due to the unexpected acquisition of a Spirit Rune by Shard. The next step in learning about "Sleeping" would have to wait for Lecia to return to Tobesk to explain it to him in person. Actually, Shard thought that Lecia could use Dorothy's body to start teaching directly this Saturday, but he cautiously did not voice this suggestion. With no clear goal in mind for the time being, the study was tentatively set to be an interpretation of "The Mad Light Chaser." Before the formal study began in the study room, the blonde girl shared some good news with Shard: "I've found an Arcane Technique possibly related to the 'Kiss of the Tree'." She smiled very happily: "It really wasn't easy, the Arcane Techniques in Zaras Literary Academy and Saint Byrons Integrated Academy Library are all different from your rare Spirit Rune. But Lecia found a very interesting Arcane Technique through her friend in Carsonrick from the Church of Nature." She handed Shard the letter she had prepared from far away, in which was written about the Arcane Technique - Brave Heart. The name of the Arcane Technique seemed to have no relation to Kiss of the Tree, but it was created by Mr. Hilard Kubrick, a High Ring Sorcerer of the Church of Nature, 380 years ago, inspired by the story after reading "Kiss of the Tree." Different people have different interpretations of the same story, and what the Circle Sorcerer, who lived nearly four hundred years ago, saw was "courage." Princess Tawel, betrayed by her lover and parents, living alone in the forest coexisting with trees - this showed courage in Mr. Kubrick's eyes. Although this interpretation method had nothing to do with the real history that "Kiss of the Tree" represented, it oddly resonated with Shard's experiences. The two witches, facing loneliness and darkness alone in the Forest of Thousand Trees for a common goal, stubbornly survived by the campfire, until the very end when they, along with Shard, dispelled the darkness - this also showed courage. Shard was very fond of this passive Arcane Technique, which could enhance the mental resistance and cardiopulmonary function of a Circle Sorcerer. Seeing that the learning material was not complicated, he tried to study it with Dorothy's help. However, after completing the entire ritual lying shirtless on the floor in the Ritual Circle, Shard's Ring of Fate showed no response. Mia Cat lay on the windowsill, and Dorothy was in charge of presiding over the ritual. They both saw Shard lying on the floor in the center of the pentagram for quite a while, and then he had to admit defeat. "It seems we still need an Arcane Technique truly related to this story... You actually have such a good figure?" Dorothy was somewhat disappointed and carefully glanced at Shard, who was getting dressed. Shard didn't feel disappointed: "The experience of obtaining this Spirit Talisman itself is a gain, so it doesn't matter if there's no related Arcane Technique." It had only been a little over half a month since his promotion to the Second Ring, and he had a long road ahead. There was no need to insist on gains with every attempt. But thinking about it, in just over half a month, he already had two Spirit Talismans. Miss Aphrola helped search for "Vibration," and after experiencing "Feliana's Witch Light" and the illumination of Priest Augustus's Holy Light, the reading of "The Mad Light Chaser" was almost immediately yielding results. If these two Spirit Talismans could respectively correspond to silver desecration and brass enlightenment, then it wouldn't be long before Shard reached the Three Rings. But before this slightly serene Saturday came to an end, there was a small incident. As Shard was looking for keys in the hall, planning to send Dorothy home at the street corner as she was looking for a carriage, she suddenly slapped her forehead: "Oh, I actually forgot something very important! My little Mia, it's already Saturday! I'm glad I remembered." "What did you forget?" The blonde girl asked curiously. Shard hesitated for a moment, then looked seriously at Dorothy, which made Miss Writer blush slightly. "May I help you with something?" "Sure, what is it?" She looked up at Shard with some anticipation, her green eyes blinking a few times, her eyelashes very beautiful. "Can I help you wash some clothes?" Shard asked hesitantly. "Huh?" The blonde girl took a step back clutching her handbag, accidentally bumped into the door, and even uttered a cry of pain. If it were not because she had already learned from Lecia about the matter concerning the Ruby Earrings, Shard might have been branded a pervert from then on. This would have been extremely detrimental to his reputation.