Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

The gentlemen in the rain continued forward, and a woman appeared ahead on the path between the tombstones.

Holding a red umbrella in her right hand and a bouquet of flowers in her left, she crouched down in front of a newly erected tombstone. The woman had faded chestnut-colored hair tied in a simple braid, wore thick autumn clothes, and a red scarf around her neck that looked very warm. She seemed about twenty-five or six years old, but upon a closer look, there was an inexplicable sense of age about her.

The woman was not in the direct path of Shard and the doctor but was separated from the path by a lawn. Nonetheless, Shard stopped, and the doctor glanced at the woman placing flowers before the tombstone:

"A friend?"

"Not really, just an acquaintance... Doctor, wait for me a moment."

"No problem."

So, a black umbrella stopped on the path watching the autumn rain, while another umbrella moved towards Marilyn Handel.

The soul of Joey Barton stood beside the woman, gazing at the tombstone, and soon noticed Shard approaching. He didn't speak, but turned and nodded slightly at Shard. Shard walked over and read the name on the tombstone:

[Joey Desmond Barton]

[Died in late autumn of 1853]

[For the Beloved]

It wasn't until Shard got closer that Mrs. Marilyn Handel realized someone had arrived. She put down the bouquet and hastily wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes:

"Mr. Hamilton."

There were some barely noticeable gray lines on her face, symbols of the death curse.

"You haven't left Tobesk yet?"

"The train leaves in two hours. We're planning to spend the winter in Carsonrick."

Shard nodded, looking at the simple tombstone, with only the name and year of death etched on it, with the words "For the Beloved" as an inscription:

"I didn't expect you to put a tombstone here."

He said softly.

"Even though he will always be with me, he still needs to be commemorated... to show he once existed..."

Ms. Handel was dressed warmly but looked somewhat frail, with pale lips being the most apparent sign.

"It's good to have a tombstone. At least it leaves a mark."

Shard nodded, took out his business card from his pocket, and handed it to Ms. Handel:

"If you encounter any insurmountable difficulties, you can write to me."

He did not agree with Joey Barton's actions, but there was no enmity between Ms. Handel and him:

"Safe journey."

"And wishing you a happy life."

Ms. Handel bowed slightly to Shard, then left under her umbrella. Shard stood in front of Joey Barton's tombstone, watching her back, then saw Mr. Barton's soul turn to wave goodbye to him.

Throughout, Shard never spoke to Joey Barton. After all, there was nothing left to say.

On Wednesday night, Miss Galina had obtained some information about The Chosen One from Barton and, as a return, gave the newly resurrected and penniless Marilyn Handel an anonymous bill of exchange. Where this woman, bearing the burden of a cursed soul and the death curse, would go next, Shard could not know. But surely, they would tread the path of soul redemption.

For those souls, and for themselves.

[She has become a Circle Sorcerer.]

The voice beside his ear murmured in the rain as Ms. Handel's figure gradually blurred in the rain. Shard reached out and touched Barton's tombstone. His tightly furrowed brow relaxed, and he suddenly smiled before turning back to the path to rejoin the doctor.

The doctor did not inquire about the identity of the person just now. Reuniting with Shard, they continued forward, conversing about their topic:

"That detective at your residence earlier said that all mortals have a destined end, and no one can escape it."

Shard nodded slightly:

"But some people leave, return, and then don't want to leave again."

This referred to Earl Dalark.

"But some people leave and do not wish to look back."

This referred to Detective Sparrow Hamilton, who seemed to have let go of all burdens.

"But some people would rather come back just to redeem another soul."

This referred to Marilyn Handel, who had just left.

The doctor shook his head and made no comment:

"Isn't this the story of life? The stories of others, their choices. You are just a passerby in their lives, witnessing their stories, to write your own story."

Shard sighed, and the doctor continued lightly:

"Not only do mortals have a destined end, but even all things must face an end someday. This is the rule of the world. Though unfeeling and cruel, it is fair."

The doctor gave an example:

"For instance, I wouldn't want my boots to last forever; otherwise, I would have no excuse to buy new boots."

"Actually, you could still buy new boots even if the old ones aren't worn out… never mind, it's not important."

After saying goodbye to Ms. Handel, Shard's mood inexplicably improved:

"But the fact that all things have a beginning and an end is indeed a good thing. The world is not static; some come, some go. This is a dynamic balance and is truly fair."

The doctor strongly agreed:

"Just like you and Sparrow Hamilton. The detective left, but you came. Perhaps our city truly needs Hamilton detectives!"

The blue-eyed doctor joked, and Shard smiled at the autumn rain:

"Although you all call me a detective, I haven't completed many serious commissions this autumn. I plan to rest well in Tobesk during the winter and expand my career plans without being so busy."

Although Circle Sorcerers earn much more than ordinary detectives, the identity of a detective is essential for an Outlander to live in the civilized world. It's not just about earning less money; even if he had to pay out of his own pocket, he couldn't give it up.

"Winter is coming, signifying the end of a year. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter have always been like this."

The doctor nodded in agreement.

"Winter has arrived; can spring be far behind?"

Shard remarked, then realized it was a line from a poem in his hometown world. Unfortunately, he only remembered this line. Otherwise, when Angelina invited him to the salon, he could have written it down to prove he wasn't illiterate.

[So, are you?]

"Her" voice lightly laughed in the rain, and Shard thought for a moment:

"Of course. Even if I had a close relationship with a famous female writer, the education level of this body is still at the 'Sparrow Hamilton Family Tutor' level."

He slowed his steps because they had finally arrived at the resting place of Sparrow Spy Hamilton. The doctor stopped first, allowing Shard to go forward and clear the wet fallen leaves from the tombstone.

The outlander squatted slightly, brushed the cold, damp stone surface with his left hand, and suddenly thought of many things. From the midsummer of Common Era Calendar 1853 to his arrival in this world, nearly half a year had passed. The outlander had changed a lot, but the detective still rested here.

Raindrops struck the umbrella, rainwater slid down the tombstone, and eventually fell into the deep autumn soil. In this atmosphere, Shard wanted to say a few words suitable for the occasion, but he found it hard to speak when the words reached his mouth.

Fortunately, the outlander still had friends in this world:

"Loyal Sparrow Hamilton rests here."

Dr. Bill Schneider stood behind Shard and said:

"Loyal forever, up until his last moment of duty."

Shard stood up, took a step back, and stood with the doctor in the rain, watching the tombstone.

"At this moment, he rests here. Even if he can't return to his hometown, his spirit is already at peace."

Although it was only a few words, they still expressed Shard's feelings well:

"Doctor, you should try submitting articles to the newspaper."

He said with a smile.

"Oh detective, don't joke with me, I don't have the literary talent as Luisa... but in my youth, I did consider a career among writers and civil servants."

Thus, Bill Schneider became a very successful psychiatrist.

After the joke, Shard had one hand in his pocket, one hand holding the umbrella, and suddenly asked softly:

"Doctor, since mortals are destined to die and everything in this world has an end, do you think this world will also come to an end one day? Not destroyed by any conspiracy or unimaginable power, but naturally reaching its end."

He asked this question because of Sister Delphine's statement that "the fire is dying out" and Mr. Edmund of the Guiding Light Monastery often mentioned the destruction of the world to Shard. He wasn't sure if the apocalypse would come or when it would arrive, and this became a new secret he wanted to know.

The doctor was silent for a while, carefully pondering while listening to the rain:

"I think it might, but I can't imagine that scene. The destruction of the old world would lead to the birth of a new one, and that, I can be certain of."

Shard nodded, wanting to ask what they would do if the apocalypse came next year. But thinking about it, he found the question laughable and shook his head:

"You were right, mortals are destined to die. Although the end is predetermined, we can find ways to extend the length, making life more meaningful. If the world is also destined to end one day, I think many people would pay the price to extend the world's life, making our world more meaningful!"

The doctor shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and instead brought up another matter:

"Speaking of which, we seem to have forgotten to buy flowers, coming here empty-handed. Let's check at that small church over there; I think they should have fresh flowers."

"My house is actually filled with flowers, a whole living room full..."

And so, the scene from last night reappeared, and Shard hurriedly pushed those images out of his mind. This was not the time to think about that:

"Wait, I do have a flower."

He said, reaching into his pocket, pausing for a moment before taking out a somewhat wilted white flower.

It was the last flower bought from a little girl on the streets of Midshire Fort City, not a rose, but a rare white Lyon orchid, a subspecies of orchids, planted in spring and blooming in fall, known for its luscious petals.

"Look, the last flower has found its owner."

Shard said in his heart to "her", bent down to place the orchid on the ground before the tombstone. But before the flower touched the ground, he straightened up, hesitatingly looking at the white flower in his hand:

"Breath of Ages."

With a soft breath, a gray airflow emerged from the flower, entering his nostrils. Under Dr. Schneider's gaze, the flower slowly reverted into a seed.

"We can't change the outcome of ultimate death, but at least we can extend the process, making life more meaningful... This flower will wither quickly here, but..."

Shard summoned the Moonlight Greatsword, dug a small pit in the moist soil beside the tombstone, and placed the seed inside. He then used his fingers to leave an Elven Rune in the soil that promotes growth, and buried the fingerprint along with the seed:

"I hope a flower will bloom here next spring."

The doctor nodded:

"It will. When spring comes, I'll come back with you to see it."

After finishing this, Shard stood up, standing with the doctor on either side of the tombstone, holding their umbrellas and looking at the letters on the tombstone.

Raindrops pattered, falling to the ground and creating small splashes. The rain in late autumn played a light yet sorrowful melody in the world, just like those who slumbered here, leaving lightly while leaving behind thoughts and blessings.

The cemetery in the rain looked like an old oil painting with cool tones, with Shard and the doctor frozen in the central scene of this painting. What the doctor was thinking, Shard did not know, but he thought about his entire autumn in Midshire Fort, the various people, spirits, and events he encountered.

He finally thought of the seed he buried in the soil, just as he had saved Grace and Helen, and Joey Barton had found Marilyn Handel. They could not grant anyone eternal life, but they made life longer, more meaningful, and gave the chance to face the next spring.

Of course, what Shard did would not lead to disaster.

Listening to the sound of the rain touching the heartstrings, the slightly cold wind bringing the chill of late autumn. The damp air was so real, so real it seemed one simply needed to reach out to touch the departing autumn of Tobesk.

Mortals are destined to die. He couldn't change that, but the soon-to-be-dead flower had indeed reverted into a seed, waiting for the next spring.

"Say something."

In the rain, her voice came on time:

[Sixth Era, Common Era 1853, Autumn, Month of Withered Leaves. When the late autumn rain falls at your feet, the slightly cold wind cannot take away the thoughts of this moment. The living cherish their loved ones, not knowing that mortals are destined to die; the deceased willingly sacrifice, unable to think that all things must come to an ultimate end. Souls burdened with sin and purity walk towards the distance bearing curses, and the primordial flame ignited new power. On the unfathomable stage of destiny, the red butterflies accompany you in flight, the third act ends, but you who tread on death—outlander, do you truly understand what ultimate death is?]

"The description of the red butterfly, isn't it a bit strange?"

Shard asked but received no answer.

"But, all things have... an ultimate end..."

He pondered this sentence in the rain, feeling as if he had touched upon a deeper power. The "Genesis: Death" in his pocket slightly glowed, and Dr. Schneider suddenly turned his head, seemingly seeing a huge golden scythe flash behind Shard, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing:

"An illusion... why do I say again?"

This rain would probably last a long time; autumn would end, and winter would soon begin. Whether Shard liked it or not, death and time would be equally fair.

Only she lightly laughed in the slightly cold rain:

[Outlander, you have gained new power.]

(End of this volume)