Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Leaving Dr. Schneider's psychiatric clinic, Shard found the outside world bathed in the glow of the setting sun. The city, shrouded in a light mist, reflected the sunlight in such a way that walking through it gave Shard an impression reminiscent of another era.

Just half a day ago, he was an ordinary person, and now he could ignite a piece of paper with his mind...

"Actually, it's not that different," he muttered.

Upon reflection, he realized that he hadn't given up much to gain what he now had. This seemed a bit too lucky.

"But according to the doctor, besides the compulsory credits earned through study, each academic year requires completion of the Academy's practice tasks to obtain practical credits. Otherwise, even if one advances to the Second Ring, they would have to repeat the year."

It seemed his life had truly gotten back on track, creating a sense of unreality for the Outlander who, just the day before, was contemplating collecting relief food. With newfound strength, he could now continue working at the Detective Agency.

Shard planned to complete the three-month task left by the previous detective; of course, the condition was to successfully resolve at least one official commission to see if he was suited for the job.

To save money, he still walked home, but to celebrate, he treated himself to dinner at a restaurant.

By the time he got home, it was already seven in the evening. After briefly studying Dr. Schneider's notes, he learned that both Arcane Technique and Sorcery were formally taught at the Academy. But when it came to Spirit Runes, each person had to explore on their own, from which one could develop their own Arcane Technique. It could be shared or kept for oneself to study.

With that in mind, instead of researching Arcane Technique by himself, it made sense to wait for the textbooks and start with some conventional ones. Nevertheless, Shard couldn't contain his curiosity and spent the entire night exploring Spirit Runes.

Thought affects matter, the mind interferes with reality. By bedtime, he was unable to draw upon the power of Space-Time at all, and could only make the tips of his fingers emit a faint Silver Light—an Arcane Technique of the Silvermoon Rune.

That light was incredibly serene, and gazing at it soothed Shard's mind.

"It's not much use... At least it'll save some on the gas bill... Speaking of which, do I have to pay the water, gas, and steam bills for this house?"

With these disheartening thoughts, he fell asleep, exhausted.

Outside, the night sky of March hung high, and although the brightest phase of Silvermoon had passed, it still shone upon him.

Despite both Dr. Schneider and Miss Writer believing that the consequences of becoming a Circle Sorcerer were not so easily overlooked and that the detective would likely need to rest in bed for three days,

Shard woke up on time at six-thirty the next morning without feeling any different from the day before.

He lay in bed for a while, contemplating the connection between the world and life, then had his thoughts dragged down to a more prosaic and realistic level by his own dismal financial situation.

Only then did he stretch out his hand in front of his face and noticed the faint silver light at his fingertips. He stared at that light for quite some time before heaving a small sigh of relief; the terrible mood brought on by the thoughts of his thin wallet instantly lifted, and he didn't even consider the gas bill he had thought about before going to sleep.

He got up, washed, and at just past seven o'clock, he was on time to wait for the newspaper and milk at the door. He hadn't seen the newspaper yesterday because he had gotten up too early, but in fact, he had noticed the Tobesk City Morning Post and Kingdom Morning Post lying on the doormat when he came home last night.

Of course, starting next month, he would have to pay for the newspaper himself.

After downing two bottles of milk, Shard stepped out for breakfast and instinctively placed the empty milk bottles in the milk box by the door. Although Dr. Schneider had advised Shard to rest properly for three days, Shard didn't feel anything amiss and attributed it to the strength of an Outlander's soul.

So today, he was still planning to try out the commission left by the previous detective.

If the commission didn't go well, he would consider pawning the detective's inheritance to pay off debts.

Mr. Lawrence's mistress investigation, I'm not planning to get involved in it anymore. In three days, after asking the doctor and others about that pebble ring, I'll make further plans.

Of the remaining three commissions, finding Miss White's missing sister and seeking information about a doctor who can treat eye disease are both somewhat difficult, so today's task is to find the lost orange cat for Miss Mia Sun Gold.

Actually, the former Hamilton detective had already found the cat, but left the simple task to Shard as he hadn't handed it over. So all Shard needed to do was to pick it up and return it to the client.

After having breakfast at a restaurant near Saint Delan Square, I rolled up the newspaper and tucked it under my arm, walking east along Charled Avenue. At the next intersection, I waited a moment, watching the crowd getting ready for work on Monday morning amid the thin mist.

Then I turned left into the somewhat narrow Purple Iris Alley, glancing at the wall's corner where the wild grass was unusually lush due to the onset of summer, carefully avoiding the barefoot children running wild in the alley. Based on the detective's notebook, I stopped under the building with the sign "Good Man Peter's Pet Shop".

My nose had already picked up the smell of fermenting animal feces, but just as I was about to knock, the door of the pet shop opened on its own. A girl with brown long hair came out; she looked very young, clutching a red lady's handbag in her hand.

She also paused when she saw Shard, then nodded politely and walked past him along Purple Iris Alley toward the east.

Shard's gaze followed her, watching the brown-haired girl merge into the flow of people at the alley's entrance.

"She..."

Naturally, it wasn't love at first sight. The moment Shard saw her, he suddenly felt a strange sensation.

"It was as if the light around us dimmed in that instant, and only a spotlight shined on her, making her the main character on stage..."

"That's a person from the Sun Church, young man, best not entertain any unnecessary ideas," someone said.

Only then did I notice the middle-aged man in front of the pet shop's door behind me, with a ruddy, heavily veined nose, watching Shard as he turned around.

The man reeked even more strongly of a mix of fermenting animal feces and food. He was dressed in blue work overalls, a topcoat whose original color was indiscernible, and black boots covered in mud.

"Can I help you?"

The middle-aged man asked.

"Hello, I am from the Hamilton Detective Agency. I've come to pick up... please wait a moment."

Shard cast aside the odd sensation he felt for a second and looked at the note in the former detective's notebook:

"An orange cat, about half a year old, with a pure white tail. It has orange markings on its left front leg, the other legs are all white. Its name is Mia."

He described the characteristics of the orange cat, but to his surprise, the color drained from the man's face inside the door.

"You're not about to tell me that the cat is lost, are you?"

Shard's own face paled as well, pressing against the door frame and asking in a low voice. The former detective had paid to board the cat here, and the client—described as a "generous lady"—had offered a reward of two pounds and three shillings to find the cat, even allowing for reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred during the search.

This offer was extremely unreasonable but also showed the cat owner's anxiety. If it weren't for the fact that "Good Man Peter's Pet Shop" was closed on weekends, the first commission Shard would have chosen definitely wouldn't have been Mr. Lawrence's mistress.