Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 1974: Space-Time Guardian

"Wait a minute, I’m maintaining the normal order of time. It’s one thing not to get a reward, but why do I still have to pay a price?"

Shard protested in his heart, but in truth, due to exhaustion, he had no energy left to object.

"She" smiled gently:

[If you complete the Time Key mission, the help the Tree Father gives indeed requires no price. But didn’t you use the Key of the Black Mist Camp early for the Silvermoon Library?]

"I’ll emphasize again, that wasn’t for the Silvermoon Library... at least not entirely... alright, alright, let’s purify the curse. I’m really fed up tonight."

He stepped back, watching the green leaf on the forehead of the black humanoid silhouette melt into a gentle green light, enveloping the soul of Envy Edwards. However, after only a few dozen seconds, the green light faded, and the bewildered pure white soul rose from the ground, helplessly witnessing everything before him.

His father, Sloss Edwards, came over and embraced him, staying silent for a long time.

"The Ever-Youth Leaf can be considered a remnant of the Tree Father’s power, so Space-Time guardian..."

Watching this scene, Iluna felt as though she understood something. She let out a breath of relief and said to Shard with a smile:

"Didn’t expect it to be so simple."

"It’s not so simple."

If it weren’t for Shard, others would have had a much harder time triggering the power left by the Ancient God of Time, even with the leaf.

But the matter here was not finished, [Night Watchman] was still in the lake on the east of the island, and Laplace Klein Howard needed handling:

"Iluna, think about how to explain what just happened. However, you can say it was that ’God Summoner’ who rudely borrowed your power."

Iluna laughed again and looked at Edwards Family’s bewildered crowd:

"What about these people?"

"We’ll be in the Old House, waiting for you to come see us. Before that, I won’t let anyone enter the house."

Sloss Edwards said to Shard, besides his father and the already vanished Laster Edwards, he was the eldest here:

"Father has already lost to you. You needn’t suspect my words as some other conspiracy."

"Alright, but you may need to wait for me for a few days."

Shard said, Sloss Edwards nodded, and the fifteen of them disappeared through spatial movement.

The still weak Megan came over, and Shard picked her up. Compared to Megan, Shard was in better shape, having just eaten a piece of the Ever-Youth Leaf.

Feeling the weight of the witch, he said to Iluna:

"Well then, Iluna, I’m off to take care of the Diviner’s matter, wish you a happy birthday."

"Happy birthday."

The witch in his arms softly said, and she said it twice.

"You’ve already wished me that, remember my gift, alright."

The eighteen-year-old girl smiled as she watched Shard carrying Megan, jumping down from the edge of the wreckage.

The Circle Sorcerers from the Church now flew towards here, and as for Shard and Megan who had fallen, they were quickly caught by the witches.

Miss Sylvia grabbed Shard’s hand, and Miss Galina held Megan’s hand.

The Grand Witch of Wisdom and Knowledge, with a pale face, asked the red-haired Duchess:

"I thought you always disliked me."

"Oh, how you speak. We are sisters of the Council. Besides, don’t we both have him now?"

The red-haired Duchess seemed particularly exuberant.

"Shard, where are you going?"

Miss Sylvia asked him, and Shard pointed in the direction of the lighthouse:

"Just place me over there, I’ll handle it myself. You guys check on the Guardian of the Earth, something seems off about his state. Oh, and also look into Luviya, Angelina, the doctor, and the priest, as well as the girls in the inn. In the first half of the night before you arrived, it was fortunate to have their support; hopefully, everyone is alright... Oh, and Durut Giles, tell him not to be so saddened. I’ll find a way."

Even though they knew it was dangerous even now, the witches had confidence in Shard, hence they didn’t insist on accompanying him. Miss Galina took Megan back to the inn to rest, while Miss Sylvia delivered Shard to the grave of Sloss Edwards’ wife outside the lighthouse, then immediately went to the entrance of Edwards’ Old House to find Luviya and Angelina.

There was still a long time until dawn, and although stars and the moon were now visible in the night sky, the southern hills of the island remained utterly dark.

Shard didn’t see the diviner and pushed open the door under the lighthouse, where Sister Delphine stood in the empty first floor of the tower.

With her hands clasped and hanging in front, the nun turned her head, directing her intricate-patterned mithril eyepatch towards Shard:

"He’s ahead."

"Alright, let’s go."

Shard nodded and opened the trapdoor on the ground.

They both entered the basement, which wasn’t very large, emanating a stale odor. Various objects of unknown era piled along the walls, yet there were no traces of human activity.

Sister Delphine extended her right hand, and after enveloping her palm with flame, she seemed to grab something in the air and gently twisted it.

A flame unlike that on the nun’s palm emerged in the air. The nun stepped back two paces to stand with Shard, watching the rotating flame in the air eventually transform into a fiery portal wide enough for an adult to pass through.

The flame’s glow was exceedingly bright, warm, and uplifting. Not only Sister Delphine, even Shard could feel it, knowing that behind this fiery portal lay the Primal Fire spark and the ancient sealing ritual that had sealed the island for several eras.

Though through sensing the Primal Fire, Shard had been able to perceive the flame’s location since arriving on the island. Without Sister Delphine, he probably wouldn’t have opened this door. The "Key of the Door," no matter how powerful, requires finding the door to be effective.

The nun first passed through the portal, and Shard followed closely. The gentle warmth felt like warm water, slightly washing away the weariness from a night of toil.

Beyond the door wasn’t dark; underfoot was crimson cracked land, surrounded by firelight. The raging flames seemed ready to engulf the entire world, and even looking upward revealed nothing but flame.

Walking ahead, Sister Delphine and Shard both simultaneously displayed fiery red cracks on their bodies. The glow from their cuffs spread across their bodies, until even their hems scattered fiery red embers as they walked.

The "Glow of the Primal Fire" special state detected the strength of these flames, responding instantly. The fire around slowly absorbed into Shard with his breathing, transforming into spirit.

Normally, Shard could absorb flames to transform into spirit, but now the absorption speed was faster, and the transformation efficiency higher. Shard often believed he had a special constitution for "Breath of Healing" or "Breath of Revival," but now he felt this was the true state of recovering by mere breath.

These flames, though not the Primal Fire, were definitely not ordinary. Sister Delphine seemed to understand Shard’s confusion and gently explained:

"Divided Primal Fire, without a Fire Guard Nun to guard it, even if kindle firewood, the power of the wood cannot become part of oneself. These flames are all firewood ignited by the Primal Fire. The flames themselves are useless to others, but we can transform them into spirit."

She held out her right hand to Shard, who hesitated a moment before taking the nun’s hand, sensing the burn marks all over her warm palm by touch. Then, a gentle warm flow surged into Shard’s body from her palm, transmitting the flames absorbed by her left hand into him through the right, subsequently converted into spirit by Shard, rapidly aiding recovery.

Compared to Shard, Sister Delphine absorbed flames markedly faster.

These flames here were likely left intentionally by those who implemented the sealing long ago, serving as external defense. From that ancient time, the island must have continually had items accidentally fall into this space and ignite, causing these seemingly eternal flames to grow ever more intense.

The large spirit transformed by the flames soon sufficed for Shard to cast Maze Lock once more. Though not comparable to the earlier "Divinity Overflow" state, using "Kiss of the Tree" for sealing should be more than adequate.

The fiery sea parted naturally before Sister Delphine, and the two followed their sense of the Primal Fire spark deeper forward. Shortly, traces of Miracle Element emerged amid the flames ahead, and further ahead, the glow of a divine ritual was vaguely visible in the firelight.

Laplace Klein Howard awaited them here.

He appeared to have methods to avoid the flames, clad in a blood-red robe. Though his power had diminished from the Thirteen Rings, at least his damaged limbs were wholly restored.

In his hands was a conical glass bottle, containing a double door bound tightly with brass chains, yet still floating in the bottle.

"Evil Object - Door in the Bottle."

Shard spoke, as this was the last of the five dangerous items in the hand of the traitor divined by Luviya from the Prophet’s Society, yet to be used.

The diviner nodded:

"I lost to you, so please allow me to do one last thing for you."

He pressed the bottle against his left chest, lightly pushing, and the bottle actually melded into his chest.

The monocle had long vanished; compared to his initial graceful calm, now, even reviving via cards, he looked particularly weathered. Taking a deep breath:

"This thing is too dangerous. Being burned by the Fire of the Primordial, to sustain the Primal Fire, is what it deserves."