Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 376

After the waiter left, Mr. Rondale lowered his voice and asked Shard, his brown eyes looking across the table at the young detective.

"It is I who have been searching for you, I am like you."

Shard thus hinted at his own identity as a Circle Sorcerer, folding his hands together on the table, where a golden candlestick with a burning candle stood between them. The candle, of course, was not for illumination. The gas lamp disguised as a crystal chandelier above was the source of light, and the candle was merely decorative.

The soft yellow light illuminated their faces and allowed them to see each other's expressions.

"I've been looking for a ritual."

Shard also lowered his voice to prevent others from hearing:

"A very ancient ritual, so I need the help of an ancient organization like yours. I bear no malice, otherwise, I would not have revealed my identity."

Mr. Rondale hesitated and nodded:

"In this era, not many people know about us, you seem friendly and have no intention of concealing your identity... So, what do you really need?"

"This."

Shard took a notebook from his coat pocket, tore out a dog-eared page, and handed it to the other party. The latter glanced at it and frowned slightly:

"You actually think we would have this kind of thing? This is for summoning... you know what it is."

He looked nervously around, which gave Shard the illusion that the two were secret agents meeting clandestinely:

"Aside from you, I can't think of anyone else who might have it. Is it possible to find this? If so, please name your price."

He leaned his left arm on the table and gestured with his right hand invitingly.

"I cannot answer you directly, I need to seek help from my companions, as my head is not a library. As for the price... Mr. Hamilton, if you can tell us where you learned about our existence, I promise you that we can give you the knowledge you seek at the lowest price."

Mr. Rondale spoke earnestly, and though he was not a professor, his frequent contact with schools made him appear like the qualified upper-class gentleman described in books.

"The Time Key."

Shard stated his already-prepared response without changing his expression:

"During my time travels in the Fifth Era, at the very beginning of the river of time, I encountered your organization and heard about your deeds, even hearing one of you mention that you would exist until the ultimate apocalypse and steadfastly uphold your beliefs. Thus, I thought to seek you out in this era. Having the good fortune to learn about the Guiding Light Club and to make contact with you was unexpected luck, perhaps the arc of fate is guiding us."

Although there were lies involved, most of it was true. As for this strange, adjective-laden manner of speaking, it was something Shard had learned from Luviya, which could make others think him impressive.

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Shard provided his excuse, and Mr. Rondale did not speak immediately. After a long while, he nodded slightly but kept his eyes fixed on Shard:

"Fine, I can accept that reason, and I think the Hermit Society will accept it too. It's unexpected that a reason like this would expose us... but please, do not tell a second person about the affairs of the Guiding Light Hermit Society."

"No problem, please keep my identity confidential as well."

Mr. Rondale then excused himself to go to the restroom, passing Shard's piece of paper to a companion waiting outside. The two sat at the table chatting casually and eating their meals, and it was not until half an hour later that Mr. Rondale suddenly got up and returned without anything in his hands.

"What, no news?"

Shard asked.

"I have the information you want, but it can't be recorded on paper, not here."

The middle-aged man pointed to his head, sitting upright, clearly accustomed to such events:

"Although we haven't favored exposing ourselves since the Sixth Era, the principle of fair trade has never changed. You know the value of this ritual, our offer is..."

"Wait, I need to know the completeness of the ritual."

Shard interrupted him, and Mr. Rondale considered for a moment:

"If you rely only on what we know, you definitely won't be able to complete the ritual. But if you have some information in your possession, perhaps it can corroborate and complete the missing parts."

"I am concerned about the final part, what the ritual ultimately accomplishes."

This was crucial, as the final part of the ritual was exactly what Miss Feliana had lost.

"We have that part of the information, hidden within a fairy tale. If you want all the information, it's 1300 pounds. If you just need the name of the fairy tale and the method of interpretation concerning the final part of the ritual, 430 pounds."

Strictly speaking, this was indeed the lowest price. Even though the ritual was incomplete, it was after all a God Summoning Ritual, and any knowledge connected to 'god' was expensive, a premium accepted by Circle Sorcerers.

"To be safe, I want it all, hm... can I owe the amount?"

Shard asked sheepishly, and Mr. Rondale clearly didn't expect him to say that, shaking his head regretfully:

"I'm sorry, Detective at Saint Delan Square, we only accept cash. Of course, we also accept Relics, but the specific appraisal needs negotiation."

Unfortunately, Shard did not have any Relics he could sell, although there was a scale from a drowned Merman at Dorothy's place, but he still needed that.

"Can we transact tomorrow? I need to arrange some things, you know 1300 pounds isn't a small amount. Tomorrow evening at six, at No. 6 Saint Delan Square."

He planned to sell the Merman's Elixir of Immortality to Miss Galina. But the Duchess wasn't so easy to meet; he needed to write a letter first to notify her of some matters.

"No, no, I am not entering a stranger's home."

Mr. Rondale quickly waved his hand, thinking:

"Tomorrow evening at sunset, next to the fountain at Saint Delan Square, I will have the briefcase with the documents, and you bring the box with the money. We'll exchange money for goods directly."

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"Agreed."

After finishing their meals, Shard and Mr. Rondale split the bill, but the tip was willingly paid by Mr. Rondale.

Dorothy didn't show up immediately after Shard left the restaurant, but waited until he turned into Saint Delan Square, then caught up from behind through the evening's thin mist.

"Thank you for your hard work, thankfully nothing went wrong this time."

Shard didn't forget to thank her, while Dorothy shook her head saying it was nothing, and then asked if the transaction was successful.

That night, Shard continued his study with the female writer on the Ancient Fairy Tale "Kiss of the Tree", a version of which even included a princess and an ancient tree walking towards The End amidst flames.

Dorothy really liked this ending.

Meanwhile, Dorothy was also using Shard's Spirit Rune to better master the powers of "The Little Match Girl" before the promotion ceremony at the end of this year.

Thanks to Dorothy's unreserved help, the progress in learning "Kiss of the Tree" was much faster than Shard's solo progress in "The Mad Light Chaser". He had a feeling that the Spirit Rune from "Kiss of the Tree" might be obtained faster than the "Light".