Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 724 - : To Be Continued Story

Chapter 724 -724: To Be Continued Story

The deity squinted his eyes and smiled as he asked Shard in front of him, his face creased with wrinkles, just like an old man strolling along the street asking a boy he happened to meet if he wanted some candy.

Shard turned his head to look at Miss Orland, who nodded cautiously and said very respectfully,

“Deity, I am in the process of establishing a library to help my teacher collect knowledge. Please, within the allowed range, grant me your blessing.”

It was indeed that wish, and Shard once again felt as though he were witnessing history. To give up the wish was certainly regrettable, but at this moment he understood he had done the right thing.

“This wish is indeed good, and it is within my power to grant it,” he said.

The outwardly kind old man nodded his head with a smile:

“I admire your determination, and I can see the library you wish to build, how excellent it is. Very good, descendant of the Longleaf Elves, I am willing to bless you.”

The “Longleaf Elf” was a classification of the ancient Elven Race, something Shard had learned in his Elven knowledge.

He stretched out his empty hand, as specks of white glimmer began to converge. But suddenly, after glancing at Shard, he retracted that hand. Casually drawing back his pipe from the air, he chuckled and asked:

“If you want to establish the library you desire, a simple blessing might not suffice for you. So, do you want more blessings and power? I can give them to you.”

The Witch of Zaras seemed a bit surprised, and Miss Orland was visibly frightened:

“Deity, I do not have enough in return.”

The deity’s blessing was never free, a fact Shard knew all too well.

“I ask for something simple. I am the Guardian of the library, but I also enjoy collecting stories. Give me some interesting stories… those that have never existed in this world, that shouldn’t have existed in the past, present, or future.”

Having taken a puff from his pipe, he slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke. Amid the swirling smoke, Shard seemed to envision the grand library of Saint Byrons Integrated Academy. Although it wasn’t entirely the same, it felt strikingly familiar.

“I originally just wanted to give you a simple blessing, but your determination has moved me. Now, mortal, I present you with an opportunity to try.”

The grey-robed deity smiled, lifting an eyebrow:

“This is a rare opportunity.”

“I…”

Miss Orland started to speak but was quickly silenced by Miss Samuel, who grabbed her sleeve from behind:

“Think carefully before you speak, you know what this situation entails!”

Adjusting her glasses, she spoke rapidly, her face flushed with excitement:

“Knowledge that should not exist in the past, present, or future is the most forbidden of knowledge. Briony Orland, since the deity has made a request of you, what you can gain after fulfilling it will certainly exceed your imagination.”

“Forbidden knowledge…”

The two witches discussed quietly, while Shard, knowing that time was running out, looked towards the grey-robed deity seated atop a pile of old books, as if seated upon a throne, who was looking back at him with a smile.

“Please allow me to answer for her.”

Shard pointed to himself.

“Are you sure?”

Of course, for in this world, no outsider possessed more stories never before seen.

The witches behind could not see Shard’s expression, but the deity could. Stroking his beard like a Sage in an oil painting, he mused:

“I will give you this one opportunity; if you help her, in any case, you will no longer be able to obtain knowledge about enhancing Time Perception or delving into forbidden secrets from me.”

Shard slightly frowned:

“Do you know? I once nearly died on the streets from a heart attack incurred while helping a woman I did not know find her child. I also turned to face the shadow of the Evil God for a girl I had only met once. I do not desire to be a saint who helps everyone, but I never hesitate to help those in need within my capabilities. Moreover, that witch over there is my friend.”

“So, what interesting stories do you have?”

The conversation between the two paid no mind to the witches behind them; their place was not to interject.

“This…”

There were actually many options, and Shard was happy to share stories from his homeland with the deity in front of him. His eyes casually scanned the surroundings, then rested on the ice coffin and the red-haired girl whose waist was ensnared by his own tail. An idea immediately came to his mind:

“Would you like to hear an interesting fairy tale? It is indeed a story that should not exist in this world,” asked Shard.

The grey-robed Sage smiled kindly:

“What story?”

“The Princess, the Eternal Slumber, and the Story of the Kiss.”

Shard laughed, then paused as the image of the golden-haired girl, who had appeared in the study every Saturday for over a month, and the princess holding the spindle, leaped before his eyes.

He took a deep breath, for time was continuous and chaotic for Shard, and he had touched history once again:

“Ah, I see, I knew there were not so many coincidences.”

The old man wearing a pointed hat revealed a somewhat inscrutable smile:

“It seems you have come to understand some things.”

“Yes, and it looks like you understand as well, so… would you like to hear a story?”

Shard made a gesture of invitation.

“Of course, let’s sit down and talk, everyone sit.”

The old man with the pointed hat exhaled a puff of smoke toward the campfire, making the light of the fire somewhat hazy:

“Sitting around a campfire, listening to stories from the young ones, this is perhaps what I look forward to the most.”

Miss Samuel and Miss Orland did not understand why the atmosphere had become a bit strange and wanted to ask Shard, but he just shook his head:

“Sit down, ladies, please sit and listen to a story about a princess and a prince. My time is running short.”

The Deity left the pile of old books, holding a staff in his left hand and a tobacco pipe in his right, and sat down in front of the campfire. Shard sat to his left, and further to the left, in order, were Miss Samuel and Miss Orland, though the two witches leaned against each other.

No one spoke, but they all watched the campfire they surrounded. In the fluttering flames stirred by the Deity’s smoke, the fire grew brighter until a grand palace appeared. It was not Shard manipulating the flames; it was the Library Guardian assisting Shard in fully recounting the following tale.

The scenes in the flames became more realistic, turning even the faces of mortals and deities red. It obscured the chill and veiled all troubles. Sitting by a campfire, narrating stories from distant homelands, was indeed a comforting activity.

Shard squinted at the campfire, pondering a story that connected the past and the future and pondering the meaning of his own life:

“Long ago, in a distant kingdom, a queen gave birth to a princess.”

The flames formed a palace, with middle-aged men and women holding a baby, displaying the “treasure” to the densely packed crowd outside the palace.

“The king invited everyone in the country and twelve witches from the Black Forest to the feast, but he did not invite the old witch who lived in the Black Forest.”

The picture in the flames split into two halves, one showing the beautiful witches blessing the newborn princess in the banquet hall, and the other showing the terrifying witch brewing potions in the forest.

The flames of the campfire burst outward continuously, lighting up the four people around it. Shard’s voice was very steady, the gray-robed Deity squinted, enjoying the tobacco in his hand, Miss Samuel frowned as she looked at the flames, and Miss Orland tilted her head looking at Shard.

“Thus, after the twelve witches had bestowed their blessings on the princess, the witch inflicted a vicious curse of fate—on her sixteenth birthday, she would surely touch a spindle and fall into an eternal slumber!”

As Shard raised his voice, the campfire actually burst into flames, shooting up into the sky, even swallowing the Saffron Moon called forth by Miss Orland. The explosive fire not only shot upwards but also spread outwards, almost engulfing the people sitting by the campfire.

The outside blizzard was completely drowned out, and feeling the extreme heat in front of them, everyone watched the scenes in the flames—

Those flames formed a life-sized, exquisitely beautiful princess who closely resembled the appearance of “Desire” shown to Shard, holding a candlestick and walking up the fiery attic staircase. At the top level of the flames, facing the huge Saffron Moon, was indeed a spinning wheel.

“This represents the spinning wheel of fate.”

Shard said softly, and the princess in the flames also approached the top level. In the flickering light, both the princess and the spinning wheel expanded until they filled the whole campfire. The princess, holding the oil lamp, reached out and touched the spindle of the spinning wheel.

“Just as the witch had cursed, the princess fell down, but she did not die; instead, she fell into a permanent slumber.”

Shard paused because a white fog had begun to wrap around him. It seemed to seep out from the campfire in front of him, and in the time it took to lower his head, it almost completely enveloped him.

“This story, to be continued. Gray-robed sage, please allow me to tell it another time.”

“Of course, see you next time.”

The old man nodded.

The white fog completely enveloped Shard and took him away. At the same time, the deity sitting in front of the campfire also disappeared, leaving only the shrine on the pile of old books, as if it had never left.

“It feels like witnessing an epic.”

When everything quieted down, Miss Samuel finally spoke softly, her eyes on the campfire in front of her, her glasses reflecting the flickering light:

“Briony, did he really come to witness our story?”

Miss Orland shook her head, waving her hand to control the flames, and Shard’s vivid appearance appeared in the fire:

“The teacher said, it is us, witnessing his story.”