Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1744 - 1743: Confrontation with the Mirror Keeper

Chapter 1744: Chapter 1743: Confrontation with the Mirror Keeper

"Safe now."

Having confirmed complete safety with "Demon Vision," Shard spoke as he wearily put away the orb floating above his head. Looking at Megan, she also appeared exhausted. Walking wasn’t tiring, but the traits of the Demon Maze increased the loss of spiritual power and stamina.

Fortunately, they had finally made it out. The time was 9:43 on Wednesday night. In this season, the sun had long disappeared beyond the western horizon. The starlight and moonlight couldn’t penetrate the dense fog covering the island, and naturally, no lights would exist in the abandoned town. It was pitch black everywhere, and after Megan called forth a light orb for illumination, the visibility around them returned to daytime levels:

"Did it really let us leave so easily?"

Neither of them had the heart to do anything else, so they left the town along the path they’d traversed many times that day, passed through the forest, and returned to the dock. This took another ten minutes, and by now, it was almost ten. Although the lunar eclipse hadn’t occurred yet, the perceptive Circle Sorcerers could already sense the indescribable change happening within the spirit of the entire world, especially the spirit in the starry sky.

This change was both a transformation of nature and the world and a good opportunity to comprehend the Spirit Rune.

Megan’s small boat was docked at the pier. As the boat carried them away, Shard turned to look at the dock disappearing into the fog. He wasn’t at ease; he couldn’t believe the demon would just let them go like that, especially him.

He gently rubbed the "Demon Hunting Seal" on his finger, then noticed Megan, sitting at the bow, also appeared vigilant:

"The demon didn’t seem like it wanted to trap us."

The witch was quite rational:

"It seemed more like it was deliberately wasting time so we couldn’t leave early. The lunar eclipse is about to begin; what is the ancestor planning to do this time?"

For the moment, no anomalies occurred, and the small boat silently glided across the lake, gradually approaching the edge of the mist area.

The two on the boat said nothing, sipping holy water and magic potions to recover their poor state and prepare for the unknown battle ahead.

The surface of the water remained unusually calm, with no disturbances from creatures like Water Ghosts, but as they neared the edge of the mist, their senses heightened to the maximum. When the faint moonlight shone on the brown-haired female sorcerer, she suddenly stood up, having caught sight of Green Lake beyond the mist:

"We’re out!"

The bow first burst out of the mist area. As the evening wind from the lake blew across the female sorcerer’s face, she felt an unprecedented fondness for the warm breeze. The starry sky unfolded overhead, with silver, yellow, and red moons hanging amidst the stars.

The marvelous sight of the starry sky, like a painting, instantly made her feel as though she would soon grasp the truth of the cosmos. Meanwhile, the back half of the boat, where Shard stood, also emerged from the mist, bathing him in starlight and moonlight.

The Outlander looked up at the moon, and then felt an involuntary tremble. He couldn’t comprehend what was happening, but Megan came over and said with a smile:

"The third island visit successfully concluded. We definitely won’t return in the near future; it’s too dangerous. Once my friends arrive, we’ll discuss the next step."

"Look over there."

Shard said, and together with Megan, they looked to the left of the bow. Despite the disguise, they noticed a small boat sailing towards them.

The purpose of the other party wasn’t them; they just happened to encounter each other. The Circle Sorcerers on the small boat noticed the boat emerging from the mist when they got closer, so both stopped in mutual recognition at a hundred-meter distance, staring silently.

The small boat carrying the five individuals from the Mirror Association, including the Mirror Keeper and the Edwards Brothers, was slightly larger than Megan’s. Although both boats were disguised, at such close range, each could easily discern who the other party was.

"What a coincidence?"

This was probably what everyone was thinking. One of the blind brothers whispered something to the "Mirror Keeper," who wore a light gray coat and had a small, reflective mirror as an earring on his right ear. The Keeper nodded, walked to the bow, and spoke:

"Since our last parting at the island’s cemetery, I have eagerly awaited meeting you again."

He spoke in very standard Casenric:

"Mr. Edwards, Miss Edwards, from your appearance, did you encounter danger on the island? Could we share some information? My students hold great respect for you."

The blind brothers nodded to Shard and Megan, and because the latter stood together, they still hadn’t realized Shard wasn’t really an Edwards.

It seems last time’s encounter with the Wish Demon left quite an impression on them. The demon’s revelation likely frightened them; otherwise, there was no reason for the Mirror Keeper not to act against Shard and Megan right away.

The female sorcerer signaled to Shard to communicate, and Shard nodded lightly:

"There’s an Evil Spirit Demon on the island related to Spatial Power."

He didn’t reveal too much detail to prevent others from seizing the doctor’s prey.

"A Third Era Evil Spirit...."

The Mirror Keeper nodded slightly, then continued:

"After our last meeting, my students expressed a desire for cooperation. I think it’s quite a good idea, considering our objectives are Edwards’ secrets and... The Chosen One."

"We don’t want to cooperate with the Mirror Association."

Megan said this is also Shard’s attitude; he doesn’t need to cooperate with these people.

The Mirror Keeper shook his head with a smile:

"Miss, you probably misunderstood. I haven’t decided whether to cooperate with you either, since The Chosen One is only one, and I don’t want to share Edwards’ secrets with others."

The blind brothers behind him showed an apologetic expression to Shard and Megan, while the Mirror Keeper’s sharp brown eyes looked at Shard:

"I’m just curious, what kind of power do you really have? During the brief confrontation at the cemetery last time, I could only determine you were High Ring, but my students said you can even threaten a dangerous Sage Level demon relic."

"What do you think?"

Shard asked coldly, and so the Mirror Keeper nodded:

"I can’t guess, so I want to try. You see, the scenery here is really nice. Since there’s an opportunity, why not here, and why not now? If you can defeat me, the Mirror Association will absolutely not oppose you for some time."

Saying that, he jumped off the boat onto the water surface, and the remaining four people on the boat quickly sailed away.

Megan frowned slightly:

"Are you crazy? Do you know how many Circle Sorcerers from the True God Church are around this lake? If you make a move here, three Thirteen Rings from the True God Church could show up."

"Of course I know, which is why this is just a brief confrontation, not a real duel."

The expression on the Mirror Keeper’s face didn’t change, and he suggested to Shard:

"Mr. Edwards, why not let your sister leave first? My students say she doesn’t have your kind of power. Let her leave first, don’t accidentally hurt her."

He really seems to be unable to fathom what kind of power Shard has, which is why he suddenly proposed the confrontation. But the issue is, Megan is quite certain that unless Shard uses the power he showed last Monday on the rainy night, splitting space with one sword, he is absolutely not an opponent for the Thirteen Rings ’Mirror Keeper’, even if he far exceeds the average level of Six Rings.

Shard himself is aware of this, but he also knows exactly how to handle the current situation. His concern is not for the Mirror Keeper, but for what those fellows on the island want to do on this Night of the Eclipse:

"You leave first."

He said to the brown-haired girl beside him, pulled down the key from his chest turning it into a magic wand, and jumped onto the water surface.

"But..."

"Trust me."

Shard turned to face her with a stern look, Megan instinctively shivered a bit, somehow recalling Shard’s appearance when wielding the whip:

"You really are... take care."

She said softly and then also took the boat to the shore.

On the lake surface reflecting the starry sky, only Shard and the Mirror Keeper were left. The two men didn’t immediately make a move, but examined each other.

"Do you know who the Chosen of Space is?"

The man in the brown suit suddenly asked.

"I have a guess; it must be related to the Edwards Family."

Shard replied.

"Do you know? Our association possesses some unique fragments of Poem Chapters, which allowed us to look for clues during the horsemanship tournament period in Tobesk City."

His voice was low, almost like sleep talk in the wind:

"Part of it isn’t even known by my students, but I’m quite concerned about it. The Ancient God of Space has the authority of disjunction and reconnection, related to the Chosen of Space. Disjunction and reconnection, United as One, perhaps, you all are merely steps and fodder for your ancestors to ascend to higher positions."

"I know all these things, what’s the purpose of saying them now?"

"I just hope that whether you’re really Thirteen Rings or not, you should seriously consider whether to cooperate with us."

A human-sized silver mirror rose from the water and stood to the left of the Mirror Keeper, reflecting his body. Shard shook his left hand, revealing the golden bracelet on his wrist, then reached into his pocket and took out the red leather book given by Miss Danester:

"None of us want to be caught by the True God Church, so how about deciding the winner in one move?"

"Of course."

Shard looked up at the exceptionally clear starry sky with the three moons, then jumped into the night sky, while the Mirror Keeper turned and stepped into the mirror.