Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

When Iluna and Miss Green, the Ten-Ring Sorcerer of the Sun Church, Mr. Hog Lendel, known as "Sunlight Greatsword" and the Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer of the Sun Church, Old Mr. Modro, the Eleven-Ring Sorcerer of the Peace Church, and Mr. Franz Joseph, the Twelve-Ring Sorcerer of the Dawn Church, arrived at Saint Delan Square, it had been half an hour since Dr. Schneider and the four others had left.

The night was deep, and a thin mist drifted through the city, causing the gas street lamps encircling the square to emit strange halos. The starry sky and moon were especially dim, as if they too were slumbering on this long winter night.

And the five of them arrived here so slowly, not only to wait for the main forces of the Church of the Five Gods to arrive, to pacify those who had fainted at the Prophet's Society, and to properly handle the three princesses who had seen everything. The most important reason was, no one had forgotten, Saint Delan Square was home to two presences so mysterious that even angel-level relics could not name them.

Other events also occurred in the city tonight. As soon as "Sunlight Greatsword" arrived, they came here immediately. On the way, they had already seen the body of the [Dark Stalker] lying on the street, which was now prepared to be transported to the church for inspection.

Yet, once Iluna and the High Ring Sorcerers entered Saint Delan Square, they found nothing unusual here.

The district was very serene. The lights in the houses around the square were mostly out, with only a few windows, such as those at No. 6, Saint Delan Square, still illuminated. Steam pipes and gas pipes crawled along the walls, and in the empty square, only the fountain statue of the girl clutching a water pitcher stood beneath the moonlight.

The five remained silent, cautiously releasing Arcane Techniques to probe the surrounding environment. After confirming that the Arcane Techniques could not detect any anomalies, they used the angel-level relic [Illusory Doll], which was originally contained in the Church of Creation in this district, to investigate the surroundings.

The small doll, once placed on the ground, automatically walked nine steps forward before collapsing on the ground, indicating there were no presences nearby that could threaten it.

"Have they already left?"

Hog Lendel whispered, and after their companion retrieved the doll, he beckoned with his hand. Only then did the squad of Circle Sorcerers from the Church of the Five Gods, numbering over thirty, officially enter the square, inspecting each house one by one.

Accompanying them were the constables from Riddlevitch Field, with stars on their shoulders. The people living in Saint Delan Square were quite remarkable, so convincing them to open their doors at night wasn't an easy task.

After another round of inspections by the High Ring Sorcerers on the square, they prepared to enter No. 6, Saint Delan Square, to investigate the situation.

Shard's neighbor, Mr. Smith, was already in his pajamas, opening his door and looking somewhat uneasy at the number of people gathered in the square. Iluna approached the entrance of No. 6 and suddenly stopped, as did the High Ring Sorcerers beside her, because at Shard's doorstep stood a figure clad in black, with its face entirely obscured by shadows.

Even though they had never seen it before, based on the unsettling Whisper Element and historical data collected by the church, they instantly realized this was [Thief Jack]:

"You've caught me, I must give you a gift."

A hoarse voice spoke to Iluna. The seventeen-year-old girl was a bit surprised, and just as she intended to speak, the hoarse voice continued:

"Because you didn't defeat me using your own power, what I can give you is merely something I once stole."

With that, it handed over the Keeper of Secrets level (Level 3) relic [Mandela's Serpent Nest Bottle], which had previously been stolen from Blackstone Security Company.

With a soft cork sealing it, the bottle, inscribed with golden runes and its long neck crawling with small snakes, was pressed into Iluna's hand. She blinked at the bottle in her hand, and the humanoid relic in front of her spoke again:

"I will no longer steal from you or your residence."

It slowly retreated, not touching Shard's door, but instead seemed to merge into the darkness. The High Ring Sorcerers dared not stop it, watching helplessly as it disappeared, but Iluna, suddenly coming to her senses, asked another question:

"Have the bygone presences and incomplete ancient existences that once descended around here already departed?"

The thief's body was almost half submerged in the darkness, which clung to it like thick mud, as if the darkness itself was some kind of writhing malice:

"Yes, they left half an hour ago."

Speaking truthfully, it then retreated again, completely vanishing within No. 6, Saint Delan Square. Holding the bottle, Iluna exhaled a sigh of relief, but the Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer, dressed in a black trench coat with a Holy Emblem hanging on his chest, was still not reassured:

"We must inspect it again, after all, the nearby districts aren't ordinary places."

The deep night at Saint Delan Square seemed to become busy, but the church had proper methods for inspection, so the commotion wouldn't last long. The residents here mostly understood what large-scale nighttime actions indicated, so there were not many complaints or non-compliance.

Iluna handed the [Mandela's Serpent Nest Bottle] to the accompanying team, then instructed the Mechanic Church's Circle Sorcerers to directly open the door to Shard's home.

Shard believes in the True God [Mr. Dawn], so the group assured Mr. Franz Joseph, the Twelve-Ring Sorcerer of the Dawn Church, that they wouldn't randomly touch or take anything from the house before officially entering it.

They headed upstairs first, spotting the young detective lying on the carpet, glimpsing the [Sage's Glowstone] in the detective's hand, an antique knight sword, the cat by his head, and a smashed jewelry box.

"It seems Mr. Hamilton has also received a gift from that thief."

Miss Green whispered, bending down to check on Shard's injuries. The others did not enter the other rooms in this house at will but instead conducted inspections in the hallway, on the stairs, in the corridor, and in the kitchen and living room of Room No. 2. This incident, after all, involved both an Angel-Level (Level 1) relic and a Sage Level (Level 2) relic, requiring utmost caution.

"Mr. Hamilton is simply over-exhausted mentally and has passed out. It's now Wednesday night, and he should awaken by Thursday night or Friday morning. Of course, the church will conduct a simple check-up on him to ensure there are no hidden dangers left on Mr. Hamilton."

Miss Green, dressed in a blue long dress and appearing to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, said this, gesturing to make Shard float in the air, then placed him on the sofa. The moment she did so, the cat, Mia, which had been lying beside him, immediately followed. This time, it directly lay on Shard's chest, meowing pitifully once.

"Is this the cat with the 'Graceful Cat' trait? It's indeed very beautiful. Oh, its combat power is 2."

Miss Green smiled at Iluna, confirming the event had basically concluded, and she was very pleased.

Iluna nodded, pursing her lips while looking at Shard. Miss Green then let the teardrop-shaped blue crystal stone that had slipped from Shard's hand float over. She didn't catch the Radiant Stone but let it fall into Iluna's hand. The 'Sage's Glowstone' only works on the owner and the first person to whom it is gifted. The Radiant Stone that fell into Iluna's hand turned into a gray petrified state.

"So that's the case. It seems the church needs to figure out a way to get Mr. Hamilton to agree to transfer this Radiant Stone."

Miss Green shook her head, looking somewhat troubled:

"Although he's an ordinary person, he is connected to the royal family and cannot be forced. The unconsciousness can be explained by a gas leak, but how to explain the origin of this stone? Moreover, what price should be used to exchange for it?"

"Shard likes Roder Cards very much."

Iluna mentioned, looking at the broken jewelry box on the floor, then thought of the 'Mandela's Serpent Nest Bottle' from earlier.

'Thief Jack' had appeared so suddenly, which could be explained, but Iluna's intuition told her that was definitely abnormal. She guessed it was Shard who gave up obtaining the relic himself, allowing the thief to return the stolen relics to them. Thus, the team's punishment of "year-end bonus suspension," "everyone receiving disciplinary action," and "submitting a review letter" due to their loss would not exist because Iluna had rectified it.

She could imagine Mr. Robinson, their captain, smiling, Mrs. Moody downstairs, who was responsible for reception, feeling relieved, and Miss Katya, who took great care of her on the team, thanking the deities for preserving the year-end bonus... everyone on the team would thank her.

"I helped out tonight too."

She thought in her heart, biting her lip, looking at the young detective who was sleeping with closed eyes:

"You really are still thinking about me."

A slight, unconscious smile tugged at her lips.

Miss Green asked Iluna to temporarily watch over Shard while she went to help check if there were any remaining influences from relics in the house. Since Shard had visited the Blackstone Security Company to find Iluna and because the people of the Sun Church knew Shard Hamilton was friends with The Chosen One, but tonight's events proved Shard was just an ordinary person, they didn't have to worry about Shard being someone with ulterior motives.

"We cooperated well tonight."

Iluna said to herself, feeling proud. Glancing around and seeing no one was paying attention here, she reached out and touched Shard's face on the sofa.

A smile appeared on her face. She bashfully turned around with her hands behind her back, glancing around again. Then she turned back toward Shard; the seventeen-year-old girl was in a good mood. She flicked the brown strands at her ear with her left index finger, surveyed Shard's home again.

Unlike Luviya, she didn't often come here and found everything fresh.

Scanning the room with her hands behind her back, watching everyone still busy, Iluna pursed her lips and looked at Shard's face again. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she sat in front of where Shard's head rested on the sofa, adjusted her dress, then gently lowered her lively eyes, moving them slightly with side glances. She supported the sofa with one hand, pursed her lips, and leaned her face close to Shard as if to check his breathing but suddenly felt someone watching her. Slightly raising her head, she discovered Mia staring at her with big amber eyes.

The cat had its four small paws pressed on Shard's shirt-clad chest. Iluna felt slightly embarrassed, but then she realized it was just a cat, abandoning the idea of quietly kissing Shard's cheek, reaching over to pick up the reluctant cat, and held it in her arms:

"I'll take care of you while Shard is unconscious."

Looking down at Shard again, the seventeen-year-old girl thought of the dance under the moon at Lakeside Manor, the gown woven by Shard's Illusion Technique, and the fields under the Silvermoon:

"Everything will get better and better."

A certain inexpressible emotion surged in her heart as Iluna turned to look at the misty starry sky and moon outside the window, feeling that everything tonight was so wonderful.