Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 613 - Cannibalism
Chapter 613: Chapter 613 “Cannibalism
Chapter 613: Chapter 613 “Cannibalism
“Is Ms. Cassandra in charge? If Midshire Fort is really that dangerous, isn’t it too risky to leave her there alone, given that she only has Ten Rings?”
Unable to hold back, Shard asked, and Miss Galina shook her head:
“But she has a good teacher.”
Sister Delphine had said the same thing, and she also mentioned that Granny Cassandra’s teacher was not a Witch.
“What Rings does Ms. Cassandra’s teacher have?”
“I don’t know, but they are not a Witch. As you might know, the Council’s power inheritance follows the ancient apprenticeship system. Each of us has our own protege, that is, an apprentice.”
Teachers nurture apprentices and offer free lodging conditions, but correspondingly, apprentices also have duties to undertake during their learning period and after graduation, which is a very ancient tradition.
“Granny Cassandra’s corresponding seat is ‘Darkness,’ but the previous ‘Darkness’ Witch and her apprentice both died in a terrible accident. At that time, Granny Cassandra was just an ordinary student beside the previous generation Witch, somewhat similar to my other Followers. The previous generation’s Darkness Witch’s good friend, Granny Cassandra’s teacher, recommended her to the previous Council Speaker and personally taught her the knowledge of Circle Sorcery. That respectable lady also knew some of the Witch’s powers.”
“So, is Granny Cassandra’s teacher older than her? Oh, is she still alive? What Rings does she have?”
“Indeed, she is still alive, and very strong. The Speaker personally said she was very strong.”
Miss Galina cautiously commented:
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“I once had the privilege of seeing that lady in Midshire Fort City. She looked very young, probably… looking a bit younger than Bittifa. And she seemed very strange, not at all like an aged person like Granny would be, but rather like a young person matching her outward age… But in any case, with Granny Cassandra’s teacher in Midshire Fort, the Granny can handle most troubles. If she really can’t cope, the Council would then consider sending another Grand Witch to help her.”
“That’s good then.”
Shard said, then looked towards the morning glow outside the window. The situation in Midshire Fort City was still unclear, and he could take targeted action only after Luviya carried out Divination and Investigation concerning the third Chosen One.
Therefore, after rescuing the Priest, he temporarily had no urgent matters at hand, and life seemed to have returned to tranquility for the moment.
“However, both Priest Augustus and Sister Delphine could be The Chosen One… I wonder who it is? Or are they just secondary candidates, and The true Chosen One has yet to appear.”
[You should still have some matters to take care of.]
“She” reminded him softly, while Miss Galina called for Shard to change into formal attire and then join her for breakfast. The Duchess had booked a spot at the upscale restaurant in the private club to the east of the city, where a Carsonrick Chef with quite impressive skills had recently joined, and it seemed that Shard had not yet tasted the specialties of the Carsonrick breakfast.
“Yes, I should enjoy a few rounds with the Roder Card Players in Midshire Fort, who knows, I might be able to get my hands on some interesting Special Cards.”
Choosing clothes from the wardrobe, Shard made a joke in his mind.
Tifa also entered the bedroom, making Shard step aside from the wardrobe, apparently wanting to help him select his clothes. There were several nice formal suits in Shard’s wardrobe, only the one missing a sleeve was left by the previous Detective, the rest were gifts from others.
“Besides playing cards, there’s indeed still work to be done, such as returning the Demon Hunter’s sword, as well as the Sergeant’s pistol from the Rising Wind Trail army.”
Miss Galina’s voice came from the living room, asking Tifa to also pick out a nicer tie for Shard.
“Nevertheless, these two tasks aren’t important, they can be completed at any time.”
[Is that right?]
“She” chuckled softly.
Shard looked toward the bedroom window:
“According to the games from my homeland, these two tasks are just side streams in the river, better if completed, but it’s also fine if they are not. So the most important thing for me in Midshire Fort is actually to have Priest Augustus invite me to the city’s finest restaurant for a meal.”
He still had not forgotten about the matter.
After breakfast, the Witch didn’t leave Shard’s house, but prepared to teach Iluna there. The seventeen-year-old girl had formally begun learning about the balance of power from the Witch, and although she was somewhat reluctant, she at least showed Miss Galina respect. Both had missed a lesson over the weekend due to other engagements, but why the lesson was to be held at Shard’s place on a Monday, the young Outlander couldn’t fathom.
However, he didn’t sit in on a class that had little meaning to him, instead organizing his own findings.
This half-week-long “Priest Augustus Rescue Operation” had not been without benefits for Shard. Although he had been cursed with being “prone to attacks by Evil Spirits” and an unknown bout of misfortune due to his use of a Relic that manipulated luck, he had also acquired the first Spirit Rune of the Three Rings, Whisper “True Death.”
Currently, this Spirit Rune was linked to the Arcane Technique “Gate of Death,” but the technique was utterly useless to Shard; he couldn’t think of a reason why he would enter the Land of Death once more.
Therefore, he planned to learn a related Arcane Technique. As for which one exactly, Shard decided to make that decision when he visited Priest Augustus in Midshire Fort City on Tuesday.
What truly troubled him, however, stemmed from having listened to the ten-part story of the Evil God creating Blood Brew at the second wine party, bestowing upon him the Sorcery of “Blood Wine Brewing.”
The effect of this Sorcery wasn’t complicated. By using a bottle that once contained some kind of alcohol and still had a stopper as Spellcasting Materials, it could turn any creature that had lost consciousness into Blood Brew and draw it into the bottle. The process was not instantaneous; it required a prolonged wait.
The Sorcery was useless against those far stronger than the Spellcaster. When the Sorcery took effect, the stronger the subject, the longer the brewing time for the Blood Brew, which could span several years. Throughout this period, the subject must remain in deep unconsciousness, with the bottle’s mouth buried inside their body. Should the unconscious regain consciousness, the brewed Blood Brew would become ineffective, and that individual could never be chosen again.
When the Sorcery ended, clothes would be left at the scene, but flesh and spirit would be brewed into Blood Wine.
Drinking such Blood Wine could heal one’s injuries, enhance one’s physical and spiritual qualities, and even bestow partial memories and powers of the consumed, including Spirit Runes.
The Sorcery worked on corpses too, for without spirits, only flesh remained. Thus, despite the greatly increased speed of casting, the effect was merely healing and strengthening of one’s physical qualities.
Besides having a spirit, the Sorcery was also effective on spiritless plants. However, using this ability on plants like apples or grapes was essentially the same as brewing wine. The wine made from ordinary plants without spirits could hardly be called “Blood Brew,” amounting to rather fine plant or fruit wines.
In simple terms, the essence of this Sorcery was a more refined method of “cannibalism,” a rare ability to imprison souls from the Sixth Era.
Without moral judgment, the effects of this Sorcery could be described as omnipotent, far more potent than any Sorcery or most Arcane Techniques in Shard’s possession. But the problem was, no sentient being with a sound mind could “consume” their kind without psychological barriers.
Why the Evil God had given Shard this ability, the Outlander wasn’t entirely clear, but he understood well that the other party surely anticipated him using this power and then losing himself in it.
Perhaps, when Shard eventually succumbed to madness, the Evil God would appear to brew the special individual into Blood Brew using the same method.
Of course, this was merely conjecture. The other party might just be seeking amusement, watching Shard struggle between morality and power.
But the Outlander, upon arriving in this world and first encountering the mysterious, had had a conversation on this subject with Dr. Schneider. Although he yearned for power, he also had his principles. Thus, even now that he possessed the Sorcery of “Blood Wine Brewing,” he was resolved never to drink Blood Brew made from any sentient being with a soul within his lifetime.
He had no interest in “cannibalism.”
Even if it were someone as evil as Ivan Daknis, Shard wouldn’t brew them into Blood Wine to drink. To help him always remember this vow, Shard had even asked the “her” within to remember this, so that she could remind him should he ever be tempted to “eat” someone for power.
“I will not interfere with your choices.”
This was the response given by “her” during dinner with Miss Galina. Iluna had already gone back; her partner had been injured while containing a Relic, so she needed to take on the work at Blackwater Security Company for the time being.
Exotic dishes were served course by course, with Shard and the Duchess sitting opposite each other. They were now on the pre-meal sweet, a dessert called “Roasted Wind Mushroom,” which Shard and Mia particularly liked. Made with Carsonrick’s specialty—a mushroom that resembled a windmill—roasted and smeared with sweet paste, serving the mushroom and fruits together.
A mushroom was about the size of Mia Cat’s head and tasted not like ordinary mushrooms but rather like a cantaloupe with a mushroom texture.
“You weren’t asked to interfere with me, just to remind me.”
Lost in thought, Shard mused,
“What if you act as my guardian? Always behind me, invisible to me, yet overseeing my heart, ensuring I don’t stray from the path, even though what is wrong and what is right is hard to define… It sounds, actually, like a decent premise for a novel, something for Dorothy to consider, like the crime motive of a dual-personality schizophrenic.”
