Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"What is this?"

The dim sunset of Tuesday evening shone upon the living room on the second floor of No. 6, Saint Delan Square. Although Tobesk City wasn't snowing like Huntington, the city's heavy fog still left a deep impression.

The haze dimmed the sun's glimmer, so the gas lamp provided supplementary lighting in the evening.

The Priest Augustus, called over by Shard, was sitting on the sofa. He took the small box handed to him by Shard and found a crude stone statue inside upon opening it, reminiscent of artifacts from primitive tribal ruins.

Priest Augustus frowned as Shard held the soft Mia he had retrieved from Luviya. The cat seemed well-rested this afternoon, as Luviya mentioned that the female diviners from the Prophet's Society had fed Mia a substantial amount of food, although the quantity hadn't reached her limit.

"This afternoon, I went with Professor Kansas Drake from Huntington City to meet the Lake Goddess and then had a fight with an angel."

As the Old Cleric examined the statue in his hands, Shard recounted his afternoon itinerary.

"Hmm? What?"

Priest Augustus was startled, turning his head fearfully toward Shard, scrutinizing him as if worried he was a ghost.

"Oh, no need to worry. The 'Lake Goddess' showed mercy, so I'm fine. Not only am I uninjured, but I've also acquired the last Ascension Words Rune and the fourth Spirit Talisman of the Four Rings. It was a very productive afternoon, even helping an old professor overcome past psychological shadows."

Priest Augustus was still somewhat concerned:

"Fighting angels? Young man, why do you always embark on such thrilling adventures? Sometimes you need to pause, stay at home, read books, and take commissions, rather than wandering all the time."

Priest Augustus knew Shard's afternoon was definitely not as relaxed as he described.

"Anyway, I returned safely. After going back to the professor's house, he wrote a reply letter to Professor Manning, and then asked me to check the room. I found a stack of books that didn't belong to the professor; those books were left in his care by his Circle Sorcerer friends and mostly involved knowledge about the Pantanal Swamp. Though not very useful, they were interesting.

I didn't find other relics but discovered this statue. However, it wasn't a gift from his Circle Sorcerer friend but an antique the professor had acquired from the countryside in his youth, supposedly linked to a primitive worship and belief in the 'Lake Goddess' in the area. That was from bygone days, now only the items remain as evidence."

Shard recalled the events of the afternoon:

"Professor Drake wished not to be involved with this matter anymore, so he also gave this statue to me. It contains a faint miracle element, weaker than the holy emblem element held by the guests we met at the Three Cats Inn last week."

Shard took a sip from his teacup, while Mia squirmed like a yellow insect on Shard's lap. Priest Augustus examined the statue:

"Indeed, it carries very little miracle element. I suspect the professor's ability to visit the Lake Goddess successfully in 1842 had something to do with this statue. It's intriguing, I think I know which angel it is."

The priest returned the small statue to the box, as neither he nor Shard had a use for it. Shard decided to keep it as a memento of his adventure in Huntington City.

"Which one is it?"

Shard asked in a low voice, Priest Augustus frowned and replied:

"Cherub - Kirubel. Indeed, the pronunciation of 'Kirubel' that I mentioned is very similar to 'Lake Cherub' mentioned by Professor Drake, but I'm referring to a genuine term from the Second Era. By exploring the angelic knowledge I possess, combined with the power attached to this small statue, I can confirm the Lake Goddess is the Cherub created by the Ancient God, the Secret-Keeping Mentor."

"Cherub?"

This is a significant symbol in mysticism, often needing to embody these angels for rituals to function. However, cryptic knowledge does not record exactly which deity the Cherub belongs to, but now Shard understands:

"I recall basic Ritual Studies mentioning there are five Cherubs."

Shard's first-year basics were fairly solid.

Priest Augustus nodded:

"The Ancient God, the Secret-Keeping Mentor, created a total of nine Cherubs, though modern Ritual Studies only mentions five, because..."

The priest slightly frowned, his voice became somewhat hoarse, Shard knew this was ancient forbidden knowledge:

"As ancient deities fade, four angels followed them, while five remained in the mortal world. It's even said that some among the Cherubs handed down angelic bloodlines to mortals, forming distinct family lines. The Cherub you encountered, Kirubel, is the foremost Cherub. Although there is no hierarchy among the nine Cherubs, you might consider him the first.

He's rumored to be the right hand of the Secret-Keeping Mentor, responsible for writing the blessings for mortals, closest to the Ancient God."

"But why did the five Cherubs appear in our time? What is their mission?"

Shard asked curiously, this was also his fourth trial.

Priest Augustus surely shook his head:

"Based on your descriptions, I suspect he is not complete. The power of ancient angels is incomprehensible; if the Cherub were intact, anyone who saw him would immediately fall into madness, not as amiable as you described. You yourself mentioned that not only you and Professor Drake, but many have seen the 'Lake Goddess.'

The old cleric sighed gently, having listened intently to Shard recounting Professor Drake's story, feeling quite sympathetic:

"For mortals, excessive knowledge and wisdom are poison; anyone who witnessed the true face of a Cherub would go insane, even a Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer."

Shard nodded, knowing he needed to find ways to uncover the answers to his final trial, and he was very aware none of his friends could answer this question.

Probably only a deity could provide the answer.

"Oh, priest, actually I called you here also to give you this."

He moved his hand away from stroking Mia's back, making the squinting cat a bit disgruntled. Shard slightly turned and carefully lifted the enormous stone box from the floor beside the sofa, placing it on the coffee table.

After pushing open the stone box, Priest Augustus stood up in surprise upon seeing the pure white skeletal remains inside. Radiant white bones emitted a faint glow, merely their presence in the room subtly manifested the phantom of scorched black feathers falling:

"This is..."

The priest's voice shifted somewhat in pitch.

"Indeed, it's a gift from the angel to you. I also don't know why a part of the Primeval Angel remains would be in the hands of a Cherub, but since he gifted it, I brought it back."

"Detective, I didn't expect you to give me such a huge surprise at the end of a dull day."

Priest Augustus chuckled, as slightly aged hands stroked the bones gleaming white. Mia also stood atop Shard's leg, poking her small head into the box, lost interest upon realizing the contents were bones.

"Quite remarkable, 19 ribs. Shard, in a few days I plan to give you a gift."

The priest spoke solemnly:

"After merging these remains, I'll be able to create more useful alchemical items and magic potions. Don't refuse, it's your due. Additionally, the quality of the holy water can greatly improve, although still unable to mass-produce No. 3 holy water directly yet very close in quality."

Having said, he lowered his head again to touch the bones in the stone box, his expression was somewhat similar to Shard's when petting Mia.

Shard leaned back slightly on the sofa, holding a teacup in one hand and petting the soft cat with the other. Amidst the glow of the sunset, he glimpsed the flash of black wings behind Priest Augustus in his thick robe. When he squinted slightly, Priest Augustus's body overlapped with a broken skeleton.

As his own level increased, Shard's eyes could see more and more "real" visions, naturally, this was also due to Priest Augustus not guarding against Shard. Shard was curious about why Priest Augustus, years ago, survived a catastrophe and indeed fused with angelic power. The reason he survived that catastrophe years ago is the priest's greatest secret, possibly more hidden than possessing angelic power.

Priest Augustus did not linger long, leaving with a smile and the stone box, asking Shard about his preferred style of accessory; he planned to craft Shard's gift by tomorrow or the day after.

Shard bid farewell to Priest Augustus at the door, while the priest holding the heavy stone box, prepared to find a carriage, saw one parked at Shard's doorstep:

"Looks like my luck is pretty good."

He turned to speak with Shard.

Following that, both saw Dorothy step out of the carriage, dressed in a black floral dress and scarf. The blonde girl blinked at the two men standing in the doorway, teasing with a smile:

"Shard, priest, were you specifically waiting to greet me?"