Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 373 Miss Gawder’s Letter

"Yes, speaking of which, the last time I went to the Academy Library to see Miss Danester, the Red Moon Witch, I did not feel particularly cold in the Academy,"

Shard agreed.

However, thinking about it, he reminded himself that next week, when he met Lecia, he could ask her about the location of Zaras Literary Academy. Her Highness, the Princess, had been a formal student at the Academy during her lower grades. The location of Zaras Literary Academy, like the other Magic Academies, would probably be beyond Shard's expectations.

"Oh, speaking of which, Shard, there's another thing,"

The doctor slapped his head and then said very calmly,

"Today, you sold those books..." Find your next adventure on novelbuddy

"Doctor, please don't bring that up again,"

Shard quickly shook his head:

"If I were to start explaining everything from the beginning, such as their origins, why I was wandering around with them, why I sold them, it would be very complicated. Please don't misunderstand; I don't have any odd hobbies."

"Alright then,"

The doctor nodded, but Shard was not sure if the doctor truly believed his explanation.

By the time he got home, it was almost four in the afternoon, and Iluna's three requests were all unrelated to Relics. Although it was still Friday, Shard did not feel like seeking out any new cases.

After all, he really was not The Chosen One, lucky enough to encounter Relics just by stepping outside.

He finished writing today's investigation report at home, then wrote a letter to Professor Manning. Taking the opportunity to go out for dinner with his well-behaved cat, he mailed the report to Iluna and the letter to the professor.

According to Luviya's Divination, the professor should be able to find someone from the Guiding Light Hermitage soon.

Although today was busy, it indeed was a very calm day.

So came Saturday. In the morning, when he went out to get newspapers and milk, Shard was surprised to see several letters addressed to him.

This was unusual, given that he did not know many people.

The first two were bills from the Steam Company and the Gas Company, followed by a tax receipt from Tobesk City Hall. Continuing through the letters, one surprisingly came from a small town by Tis Lake in the southeastern part of the Kingdom.

At first, Shard thought these were letters addressed to Detective Sparrow from former clients, but then he remembered that was the real owner of the orange cat Mia, Miss Mia Sun Gold's address.

"Mia, look, your owner has sent a letter,"

Shard said while opening the envelope and walking up the stairs, the petite cat trailing behind his slippers. Hearing the sound and looking up, seeing Shard shaking something, it sprang upward with its hind paws. But realizing Shard had no intention of giving anything, it disdainfully stopped paying attention to him and quickly dashed up the stairs, seemingly waiting for him by the dining table.

Although Mia had always been alongside Shard, Miss Gawder was the true owner of the little orange cat, Mia. She had taken the cat to her countryside home to handle some affairs and could not take the cat away. In her letter last month, she had said she would send a letter each month to check in, and this time too, just like last time, there was a 10-pound note as maintenance money for Mia.

Miss Gawder expressed her gratitude to Hamilton Detective again in the letter and regretfully informed Shard that she not only had to deal with family matters but also faced some minor health issues and feared she could not travel to Tobesk to pick up Mia within this year.

Besides, she requested in the letter that Shard take a photo of the cat with this month's newspaper in the background, ensuring the date was visible. The generous lady, paying the fees, was also concerned that Shard might have been harsh to the cat, or even had gotten rid of it.

"It seems I must bathe you in the next few days and then take the picture, to show Miss Gawder how well you are,"

Shard said while patting the obedient cat, which squinted its eyes, still unaware of what Shard was planning to do.

In his heart, the Outlander had already decided to gain ownership of this cat. Keeping a client's belongings, even if paid for, was unethical, so Shard wanted to tentatively gauge Miss Gawder's attitude in the letter.

He had to approach it step by step, not revealing his thoughts outright. This was partly because he feared an immediate rejection from the unprepared Miss Gawder, and partly because she was also facing significant troubles back in her hometown. Shard wanted to formally make his request when the client was in a good mood.

So at least, the reply letter to be mailed in a few days, containing the photo, could only be a preliminary probe.

"Our family has declined," Miss Gawder mentioned several times in her letter. She belonged to a very famous ancient lineage in the town by Tis Lakeside, but she had moved away with her parents when she was very young, only returning to the town when her family needed an heir, to live with her parents who had returned years earlier.

Outlanders do not quite understand what exactly the situation is with large rural families in this era. However, he sincerely hoped that Miss Gawder would be able to resolve her troubles soon, as this generous lady deserved a good life.

After preparing breakfast for himself and his cat, Shard continued reading the last letter. Astonishingly, the last letter was from Professor Manning, but Shard had only sent his letter the night before, which meant even if the professor had seen it, it was too late to reply – this letter must have been sent by the professor last night.

"The professor found the Apocalyptic academic organization!"

Professor Manning was quite direct in his communication, getting straight to the point after the initial pleasantries, telling Shard that after his investigation, he had confirmed that the largest Apocalyptic academic organization in the Old Continent was called the Guiding Light Club. It was not rooted in any particular region or Academy but was a loosely organized academic group formed by professors from various higher educational institutions across the Old Continent, aimed at preserving the achievements of human civilization and passing them on when the Apocalypse arrives.

Therefore, this academic organization made up of ordinary people was aptly named "Guiding Light Club," signifying the passing on of the torch of civilization.

"Just by the name, it's clear that this club is definitely supported by the Guiding Light Hermitage."

Shard murmured to himself while reading the letter, which smelled of tea leaves – he wondered how the letter had been stored.

He didn't expect them to be so bold, using their organization's name directly as the name of the ordinary people's organization they supported. It must be that the "Guiding Light Hermitage" had really declined to the point where they were confident enough that even the True God Church could not detect their traces.

However, supporting an organization of ordinary people not only allowed them to spread their ideas and recruit more talent, but it also provided a suitable means to secure funding and cover the activities traces of Circle Sorcerers, which was indeed a good strategy.

As an academic group formed by intellectuals, members in big cities like Tobesk, the capital of Draleon, were naturally found. Professor Manning had already contacted one, asking Shard to meet him at his home at ten o'clock this morning.

He knew Shard was eagerly searching, so he arranged the meeting urgently.

"Ten o'clock..."

Shard thought about the time, feeling very pleased. His two main goals for the week, acquiring 15 credits and investigating the Guiding Light Hermitage, seemed likely to be accomplished, and he admired his own efficiency, yet he still hoped that life would not always be this stressful in the future.

Since they were visiting Professor Manning's home, Shard, of course, could not bring Mia along. Timing his arrival perfectly, he reached Cat Tail Alley at nine fifty in the morning.

After knocking, the familiar plump maid opened the door for him, and the guest Shard was to meet had already arrived.

Professor McCain Heink, who worked at the same university as Professor Manning. However, Professor Heink was from the philosophy department, and thus he had only had a nodding acquaintance with Professor Manning before.

As Shard was led by the maid into the study, the two professors were discussing the school's terms. Professor Manning was actually of retirement age and was working only because he was rehired, while Professor Heink, dressed in a brown checkered suit with a white beard, was two years away from retirement and quite unhappy about his pension.

Seeing Shard had arrived, the two elderly professors paused their discussion. Professor Manning made brief introductions, and Shard also exchanged business cards with Professor Heink.

Professor Heink had heard of "Rejed's Hamilton" and was previously informed that he was a detective from Saint Delan Square, so he was not surprised by the address on the business card. Conversely, Shard, through the act of exchanging business cards and shaking hands, confirmed that the other party was just an ordinary person.

After making the introductions, Professor Manning left, giving them private time to talk.

"Good morning, Professor."

After the pleasantries, Shard got straight to the point,

"I've encountered some problems while conducting a commission, so I need the help of an academic like you who studies Apocalyptic theories."

"No problem at all, so Mr. Hamilton, what would you like to know?" Professor Heink asked warmly.

Shard actually wanted to directly ask if the other party knew about the Circle Sorcerers, but he still didn't know the specific relationship between the "Guiding Light Club" and "Guiding Light Hermitage," so he couldn't just bring it up rashly. Thus, on his way here, he had already figured out exactly how to phrase his questions.

"No, it's not about Apocalyptic theories. My client is an antique dealer who prefers to remain anonymous. He recently acquired a collection of antiques, and to ascertain the value and exact era of the antiques, he investigated the symbols that frequently appeared on the surfaces of the antiques. But those symbols, almost impossible to trace, were only incidentally discovered to be related to Apocalyptic groups, which is why he commissioned me to conduct further investigations."

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As Shard spoke, he took out his notebook and with a pen, drew the symbol: "The main body is an equilateral triangle, each corner of the triangle is connected to a small circle, and inside the triangle is a person with wings."

As he handed it to Professor Heink, Shard closely watched his expression. Although the old professor controlled it well, Shard still noticed his eyes naturally widen a bit upon seeing the symbol.