Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Besides exchanging thoughts and grievances about their studies, the three also shared their recent plans. Shard did not mention his work on Genesis: Silver Moon, planning to bring it up only after the final evaluation next week, while the doctor had already accepted an Academy reward to obtain a Keeper of Secrets Level Relic, the "Forged Philosopher's Stone".

Even though he knew this matter related to the Sage-Level Relic "God's Gift Box" and the organization "Blood of Mercury"'s insane plan, the doctor still intended to participate. He planned to invite Miss Luisa to join his plan but cautioned Shard to absolutely not get involved, as it would surely lead to a battle with Circle Sorcerers in the end.

Compared to the Circle Sorcerers of Four Rings and Five Rings, Shard was still almost a mere mortal.

Miss Luisa's plan for next week was much simpler. Other than assisting the doctor, she was determined to stay home and study, absolutely not leaving the house. She must pass at least five exams by the end of July's examination season, only then would she have the hope of advancing to the fifth year by the end of this year.

The golden-haired girl had already collected the four different Spirit Runes of Four Rings and was now waiting to hold the ceremony that would string together the Sublimation Incantation of a Low Rank Circle Sorcerer, instantly advancing her to Five Rings.

Saint Byrons had been notified about these matters, and the Academy would send a tutor to Tobesk in the autumn to assist with this critical advancement.

Thus, the cultural and theoretical exams were the biggest obstacles preventing her from entering the fifth year.

Diviner Miss Annette had still not returned to Tobesk City, and Priest Augustus had not shown up until this evening, so Shard did not have the chance to inquire about the "God's Afterglow" mentioned by the former Old God.

He did try to mention it in front of Dr. Schneider and Miss Luisa, but neither of them reacted, taking it as some sort of religious metaphor.

"As expected, if such matters could be easily inquired about, it would not fit the level of difficulty corresponding to the event. Just like a simple commission could not possibly garner a high reward...except for Mia."

Shard consoled himself inwardly and planned to visit the Dawn Chapel when he had the time to see Priest Augustus.

Of course, the Priest's absence wasn't due to bad luck or an unforeseen accident. He later sent a message via someone to the psychological clinic, explaining that the church had suddenly scheduled a meeting that afternoon to discuss the upcoming Day of Prayer activities hosted by the Dawn Church in July.

Dawn Church held a grand religious celebration every year during the last week of July, on the day with the longest daylight hours. Believers called it "Day of Prayer", while heathens referred to it as "Holy Prayer Day".

Therefore, in the following month, Priest Augustus, an Old Cleric who had participated in countless Day of Prayer events, would be quite busy as an important organizer of these activities.

And it was very common for a study group meant for five to only have three attendants like today. Everyone had their own life and plans, and life was always full of strange interruptions, as Miss Luisa, the writer, had put it.

"Ha, that line isn't a quote; it's something I said myself, written in my short story 'Midsummer Night's Wish'."

The golden-haired writer spoke with a hint of pride.

That evening, after returning home to Saint Delan Square, Shard immediately studied the sorcery "Frog's Leap", and with this, including the three basic spells, the number of sorceries Shard mastered had climbed to six.

The sorcery learning materials were the Supreme Clear Liquid from the ground-up innards of a frog, as well as four complete frog skins, all of which Miss Luisa provided for free. She even offered more than ten Dried Frog Legs for Shard to use as Spellcasting Materials.

Shard had to prepare these things himself in the future, so the doctor advised Shard that he could set aside a special room in his own home for alchemy, magic potion preparation, and herbal cultivation.

Shard planned to remove the wooden planks on the ground floor in some time and check whether there was any space in the basement. That night, however, both he and the orange cat Mia did not sleep well because of the smell of the frog materials.

But at least he had learned the sorcery: he covered three-quarters of the supreme clear liquid on both of his legs, and wrapped four pieces of frog skin around his ankles and knees. Using a steel needle, he pierced the wrapped knees and ankles until they bled. In this injured state, he chanted the spell words provided by Miss Luisa.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Shard once again demonstrated his ability to "understand and read but not speak or write," and after memorizing those bizarre syllables, he understood this was asking for help from the frogs that had been sacrificed, through the method of witchcraft sacrifice.

"They were killed, and now they are being asked for help?"

Although he did not understand this behavior, while enduring the nausea and vomiting, he drank the last quarter of the supreme clear liquid, and in the midst of retching, kept up the injured leaping until he finally mastered the sixth sorcery. Your next read is at empire

"Since you are me, can you take my place and complete this dreadful learning for me?"

He still had the mood to inquire in his heart, but the usual murmuring of a woman by his ear did not appear this time.

Having learned the spell, Shard cleared the furniture from the living room, leaving enough space to move. As he chanted the spell words, he rolled the dried frog legs with his fingers. As the sensation of strength in his legs gradually became apparent, he seemed to see a cyan glow around his legs.

He tossed the frog legs aside, and with the completion of the sorcery, he jumped vigorously upward. His whole body leaped into the air, performed a 360-degree spin, and then landed firmly on the ground with a thud.

"Oh! This is really impressive!"

Shard thought with a smile; the sense of power had not diminished, indicating that the power of the sorcery could last much longer. He was about to try again when he saw the orange cat on the couch staring at him with wide eyes.

Subsequently, Mia stood up on the couch, tried a few slow jumps, then suddenly leapt forcefully, mimicking Shard's movements moments earlier. The entire orange cat made an elegant spin in the air before crashing down onto the couch.

The couch was soft, and Mia hadn't jumped very high, so after a struggle, it stood up and, seeing Shard looking at it, turned its back to him and lay down again, curling into an orange ball in the corner of the long sofa, seemingly determined to ignore Shard.

"Hmm..."

Actually, having a cat at home brought enough joy to offset the cost of cat food and daily care. At least, seeing the money for the expensive cat food on the coffee table made Shard happy, but it wasn't the kind of joy that came from deep within.

Of course, there were unhappy things that evening as well. The smell of frog skin and the supreme clear liquid lingered until the next morning, and Shard suspected he would remember the taste in his mouth for a lifetime.