Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"Hmm, this one is quite good,"

In the dimly lit room, Shard, who had been looking down, suddenly said, and then he checked the box next to "Satiety Food" with a pencil, handing over the pencil, the note and 11 Gold Pounds in cash. The library's commission for facilitating trades was paid by the party offering the goods, which Shard didn't need to worry about.

Sounds of a door opening came from behind the partition, and then, after a wait of half an hour, someone returned, passing a book through a hole in the wall. The book's title was "You Can Too: Simple Cooking of Lamb Stew."

The recipe book was thick but surprisingly light; upon opening it, Shard found its inside hollowed out, containing specific information and materials for studying Arcane Technique. After carefully checking everything under the light with no issues found, he stood up, ready to leave.

But the man behind the wooden partition called out to him again:

"Since it's your first time at the library, do you know about what happened at Lakeside Manor last weekend?"

Shard was startled but managed to keep a composed facade:

"I've heard about it. I heard that the Masked Person under Silvermoon kicked down half of the mansion in the moonlight,"

He deliberately gave false information, which was promptly corrected:

"Your information might be inaccurate. What I heard was that the man evaporated nearly half of Lake Schluch with a single kick,"

Offering even more questionable information, the man told Shard:

"Since it's your first visit here, you probably don't know we also collect intelligence. Right now, any information about that person is quite valuable. If you have any solid intel, you might consider selling it to us."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind,"

Shard said, hastily making his departure, not wishing to discuss this topic any further with others.

Leaving wasn't through the same door he had entered, but by continuing ahead along the corridor, exiting through a hidden back door in an alley on the other side of the library.

Shard deliberately wandered through the nearby convoluted alleys, taking full advantage of the day's particularly intense smog to ensure no one was following him. Only then did he remove his vest, correctly wear his coat, and take off his mask before rejoining the main road.

His stay at Black Raven Library had taken some time, but the days were long in summer, so the sunset was just beginning to emerge from the western horizon.

Mingling with the crowd on the street, Shard watched as carriages sped by, crossing from one side of the street to the other, then turning at a mailbox, heading forward along the street's low wall, keeping pace with two rusting pipes.

"So, the Spirit Runes absorbed from an Old God are different from ordinary runes?"

He pondered to himself.

[Yes.]

Stopping at the upcoming crossroads, looking left and right, Shard hesitated over which path to take home. The mist was hazy as a housewife in a long dress and lacy hat hurried past him, while uniformed policemen looked around on the other side of the junction.

Shard questioned in his mind:

"Does that mean by coming into contact with an Old God and absorbing their power, I can not only gain Divinity but also exceptional Spirit Runes? Interesting, it's almost tempting me to come into contact with an Evil God again."

[I'm not tempting you, this is just the truth.]

"I know."

He chose the path on the right; although the one on the left would be shorter, he had never traveled the right path before and wanted to give it a try.

Having made the decision, he stepped forward. The sight of the small building housing the printing factory's office grabbed his attention for a few seconds—Hamilton Detective needed to reorder a batch of business cards:

"That being said, what is the method to absorb a god's power? I can probably figure out that I need to actively approach a Deity. But is that all it takes?"

This was the most crucial question—the kind that should have been asked earlier, but he hadn't stopped for a moment since waking up.

"This is simple, just repeat the situation from that night, it doesn't necessarily have to do with the Vampire Ring itself. You just need to find a way, similar to how the Vampire Ring works, a relic capable of absorbing the power of a god, even if only for an instant, could reproduce the scene from that night. Of course, this is also knowledge of Divinity that was revealed to me."

"And then you'll appear?"

He thought of the soft body that had appeared behind him as he neared death that night; he longed for that feeling.

He did not receive an answer, nor did he get scolded for his impolite thoughts, the woman simply chuckled, a sound that made Shard to relax:

"But it doesn't matter, the Divinity needed to cleanse the First Ring's Sublimation Incantation Rune has already been obtained, and I won't waste it. So, I'll need another drop of Divinity at least until the Second Ring, which could take several years."

The woman didn't answer as Shard disappeared into the fog at the corner of the street, her laughter still echoing in his ears.

He didn't immediately return to Saint Delan Square, because of a hint given by "another me," he went to Old John's Pawnshop in the dying light of the sunset.

Even though the city was foggy, the brutal summer sunset could still cast a fiery glow through the shop windows onto the floor. He pushed the door open and the bell rang, but there were other customers in the Pawnshop at the time, a middle-aged lady wearing a slanted lace hat, conversing with Old John at the counter.

The Pawnshop owner gave Shard a look, gesturing him to not come over yet. After confirming that the woman was just an ordinary person, Shard did not pay her any heed and casually browsed the Pawnshop, taking an interest in the prototype of the dusty steam engine Mark Nine in the corner.

"What, interested in this? I can sell it to you for a reasonable price."

Once the woman left, her heels clicking satisfaction, Old John addressed Shard, who shook his head:

"What would I want that for? I'm not running a museum. Speaking of which, you sure do have a lot of strange things here."

He approached the counter.

Out of courtesy, Shard refrained from using the word "junkyard," which would have been more fitting.

"I run a pawnshop. As long as it's not actual trash, even if it's just a worn blanket, I'll take it."

The old man was somewhat proud as he talked about it, removing his reading glasses and closing his ledger.

Shard looked at him with a hint of surprise:

"May I ask why? This kind of business doesn't seem profitable, does it?"

A smile appeared on the old man's face, as he waited for Shard to inquire:

"What do you take me for? A miser who only thinks about Gold Pounds? Alright then, Detective, I'll ask you a question. What do you see from all these items?"

He gestured to the odd array of pawned items in the shop, among which were indeed valuable objects, such as the cane Shard had pawned last time, but most were merely ordinary goods.

"I see..."

He hesitated, pondering.

"If you can guess what I'm thinking, I'll give you a fifty percent discount on this transaction."

Elder John encouraged, and Shard's spirits lifted. However, such an open-ended question was not easy to answer correctly. After much contemplation and failing to find a precise answer, he could only offer a broader one:

"Society and life?"

Old John laughed:

"Close, but no, it's civilization."

Shard thought his answer was already far-reaching, yet John's was even more grandiose.