Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 269 Year 3002 of the Fifth Era

In his home at Saint Delan Square, Shard found the gateway had fallen to the floor, yet he didn't feel as though he had moved.

After his fingers stretched into the white mist of the hanging gateway decoration, he believed he stood still as the gateway in his hand vanished and the surrounding mist instantly engulfed the second-floor living room of Saint Delan Square.

Looking at the tiny cat-shaped doll in his hand, it indeed had been brought in, and he could also hear "her" voice.

"Outlander, you have stepped into the 'Time Corridor'."

"A message from the Ancient God 'Father of the Infinite Tree':"

"Autumn, Year 3002 of the Fifth Era, Western Continent, Forest of Thousand Trees."

"Event: God Summoning Ritual - Contact with Old God 'Blazar Gate'."

"Duration: thirty minutes (1/3)."

"As expected, this key can be used multiple times, not only did it specify the number of uses from the first time, but each usage is longer!"

Shard's eyes widened because the following information was crucial:

"Does the Ancient God of time have a task for me?"

"You have obtained additional information."

"The visage of the Father of the Infinite Tree watches you."

"The Ancient God of Time has given you a challenge."

"Assist mortals in completing the God Summoning Ritual - Contact with Old God 'Blazar Gate'."

"The Father of the Infinite Tree will grant you a reward: a piece of historical truth (Witch War at the End of the Fifth Era), Arcane Technique - Spatial Stabilization Aura."

The voice stopped, and Shard frowned amidst the white mist:

"A reward of historical truth? Hmm... now, isn't that a treat?"

Though there were no Spirit Runes this time, the truth of history given by an Ancient God was definitely of immense value. Moreover, concerning the Witch War at the End of the Fifth Era, it was related to the Whispering Verses and the secrets of the end of the Era. Even if it turned out to be useless to Shard, Miss Galina surely wouldn't mind spending money to acquire some hidden history from him.

He looked around at the white mist, his expression still grave:

"But the task this time is to assist mortals in contacting a deity, meaning, I might only see the Old God if I complete the task... that's troublesome."

He had thought that this time, he would be directly meeting a deity. If he encountered a Benevolent God like the "Creator of Innocence" as he had before, he would gain sufficient knowledge on how to use Divinity.

This time he was to help mortals summon a god, so it was highly unlikely that the time travel would be enough to complete the task. But looking on the bright side, such a task was certainly better than dealing with Evil Gods from the past, and he also gained an additional 30 minutes to ponder on how he would proceed upon returning.

"However, I have never heard of the Old God 'Blazar Gate'; is it another one of those unknown Old Gods?"

With that thought in mind, he didn't waste any more time but stepped forward.

The white mist dispersed around him, the sound of cicadas grew louder in the silence, followed by the barely perceptible sound of wind brushing through the treetops. As he stepped into the forest at night, all was quiet as though everything had plunged into sleep.

Without changing Mia from her doll state, Shard stood in the forest gazing around. No matter which part of his life it was, this was his first time in a true primal forest.

The light from three moons interlaced through the dense canopy overhead, casting mottled shadows on the ground. The shadows, stirred by the breeze, swayed slightly. It was extremely dark around him, as if something in the darkness between the trees and undergrowth was peeping at him.

The moment he thought that, a sense of panic rose inside him, completely unnaturally. Compared to being watched by an Evil God a few minutes ago, this unfamiliar environment shouldn't scare him.

"I have said many times not to look at the surface, but at the essence. I see the spiritual light of life in him, normal spiritual light, which indicates he is a normal human. I also see the Aether, faint but incredibly brilliant, flowing within his body, which suggests he is a mortal capable of using supernatural power. There are no traces of illusion techniques, and witches do not permit gender transformation, so, this is a man who can use supernatural power."

Shard didn't speak, he locked eyes with the woman at the center for a moment, deciding to listen to what she really wanted to say.

Since the Ancient God had sent him to help mortals complete the God Summoning Ritual, then surely the difficulty would not be in gaining their trust, otherwise three half-hour journeys would certainly not be sufficient. But even if the others were well-intentioned strangers, that did not mean he could let his guard down.

"Teacher, is this normal?"

The curious young witch on the left inquired, and the woman they called "Teacher" asked her students:

"What else do you see in him?"

"The light of Silvermoon."

The witch on the right responded.

"The breath of the trees."

The witch on the left responded.

"Teacher" shook her head:

"His Aether does not exist in the same form as ours, but as a peculiar form I once saw on the Southern Continent. Circle Sorcerer, this man is not a witch, he is a Transcendent of a quite mature Circle Sorcerer System, he—"

The witch's golden eyes met with Shard, and Shard understood what she meant. Witches who could hold a God Summoning Ritual and even have assistance sent by the Ancient God: Father of the Infinite Tree were indeed extraordinary:

"Comes from the future."

Having his identity so easily seen through was actually more convenient for Shard, as he didn't have to expend effort explaining it himself.

Moreover, the wideness of their knowledge and the strength of their power also meant that their God Summoning Ritual was very likely to succeed, and not start from scratch requiring Shard to build it himself.

"Yes, I indeed come from the future."

He offered no subterfuge, but then he saw the witches wearing puzzled expressions. Only then did he remember that they could not understand the language of the Sixth Era he was using.

As he was about to gesture to convey his meaning, he saw the witch referred to as "Teacher" whisper something to the young lady beside her. The latter then went into the tent behind her and fetched a small box.

"If you trust us and do not harbor malice, please come a little closer."

The witch said, and Shard nodded, cautiously approaching the bonfire. He noticed that the ground around the bonfire was sprinkled with a ring of gold dust. As Shard crossed each line, the dust would emit a sharp whistling sound or glow brightly, which must be some kind of warning system.

He arrived at the edge of the bonfire, and the woman called "Teacher" handed him the box, inside of which was a brooch. Silver in color, its shape was that of the ancient rune for "Language." Touching the brooch and confirming it was a Relic, Shard pinned it to his chest:

"What's this for?"

"We understood what you said."

The witch on the right said, and then she added:

"This is the Relic 'Translation Brooch'; I didn't expect it to be useful for the language of the future. There should still be a Relic system in the future, right? You should know what I'm talking about."

They signaled for Shard to sit and talk, seemingly completely accepting the man from the future at once.

The three witches must have witnessed many more wondrous things, so Shard nodded and sat down with them.

Even though he didn't make direct contact with a Benevolent God this time, this start wasn't bad either.