Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Even from across the half of the room, Shard could sense the danger exuding from the object in the young man's hand as he slept. It was as if the box was out of place in this world, carrying with it an aura that could make all things wither. This was the Relic that Shard saw for the first time and believed he would never mistake in the future.

The doctor surveyed the room and continued to speak:

"Relics can be tangible objects but can also be events, or even just a piece of information, a phrase. The True God Church has classified Relics into five levels, which the Academy has also accepted and recognized:

Poet-Level (Level 5), information that could be sung by poets, but only considered common hearsay or legendary tales, the standard measure being Poet Cohen's Manuscript;

Scribe Level (Level 4), which requires detailed recording and archiving of this relic information, with the information only existing on paper and not to be casually disseminated, the standard measure being Scholar Unknown's Thesis;

Keeper of Secrets Level (Level 3), tightly trained guardians of secrets to specifically safeguard information about a Relic, which must be contained under non-special circumstances and used with extreme caution, the standard measure being Secret Keeper's Eye;

Sage Level (Level 2), only Grand Sages are privy to their information and containment status, and should such items be found uncontained, under the agreement, both the Academy and the True God Church must immediately notify each other, the standard measure being Philosopher's Stone;

Angel Level (Level 1), extremely dangerous, the descent of the Evil God and the loss of control of an Angel-Level Relic are generally considered as events of the same level. I'm only a fifth-year correspondence student. I won't know the characteristics and containment measures of such items until the next grade, the standard measure being Heart of the Evil Angel."

"What is a standard measure?"

Shard asked.

"A standard measure is a reference when grading a Relic. Should the danger exceed the standard measure, it immediately falls into the next level."

Shard nodded in understanding, but since there was also a standard measure for the highest Angel Level, it seemed to imply...

He did not ask further, as Dr. Schneider likely did not know either.

He proceeded to inquire softly, muffling his voice as he held his breath:

"So what we are dealing with this time is…"

"A Poet-Level Relic (Level 5). I've confirmed it. It's the Life Countdown Pocket Watch.

Yes, it's the object in that box over there; he dares not touch it directly. With a blood sacrifice, the pocket watch allows its bearer to rotate it within a certain range. Pointing the face of the pocket watch at any life form, the amount of life countdown it assigns depends on the angle of rotation.

The shorter the countdown, the more flesh and blood is required, which is why Detective Sparrow Hamilton had such a long time."

The doctor asked Shard to wait at the door, then he stepped over the blood mud on the floor, entered the room, and took the box containing the Relic. It wasn't until he returned to Shard's side and opened the box—he cautioned Shard to concentrate and not be influenced by the power of the Relic.

As the doctor opened the box, an even more pungent stench of blood assaulted their senses, revealing a container full of blood inside.

After pouring out the blood water, the silver pocket watch fell into Dr. Schneider's hands.

Without opening the watch cover, Shard could only see grimacing skull carvings on both the front and the back of the pocket watch. The watch cover was surrounded by rune scriptures, which he had also never seen before, yet Shard once again deciphered the inscriptions, confirming to himself he truly could understand all the writing from this Otherworld:

"The price of life is the secret of flesh and blood."

At that moment, he actually tasted blood in his mouth, as if he had just bitten into raw meat... Shard actually began to retch, fortunate that he hadn't eaten breakfast and therefore had nothing to expel. The doctor promptly put the pocket watch back in its box and stowed it away in the briefcase he carried with him.

"Is this the thing that killed Detective Sparrow?"

After a while, Shard, who had recovered somewhat, murmured. The detective had taken him away from the life of a vagabond and given him all of his inheritance; he was more than happy to avenge him.

"Yes, that's it. People in a countdown state know their life deadline, but cannot reveal it to anyone, or they will die instantly. But this Relic, born of the Fifth Era, although very dangerous to ordinary people, Circle Sorcerers have ways to negate its influence, so it's only the lowest Poet Level.

"The Life Countdown effect, restrained by various 'Miracles' and 'Enlightenment' elements, is not highly dangerous and can only be considered a common Poet-Level Relic... Unfortunately, Mr. Sparrow Hamilton was just an ordinary person."

Dr. Schneider shook his head regretfully:

"In fact, I had been investigating this relic for several months, so I was able to understand your situation in just one night. However, with so many victims, although I saved a few, I ultimately didn't manage to meet Detective Sparrow Hamilton in time. It seems he passed away in the early hours of the morning we met, which is truly regrettable..."

What came next was simple, the two searched the nearby rooms, and the psychologist used the methods of a Circle Sorcerer to dispel the illusions brought on by the Poet-Level 'Relic,' finding all the piles of bodies, making sure they didn't mistake the murderer.

Afterwards, when Shard refused to be the killer, the doctor directly killed Bide Morode in his dreams, a process that, in Shard's eyes, took only a second.

Having done all this, they then left the place together. The doctor had written an anonymous letter that morning during his visit to Shard and had it delivered to Riddlevitch Field in Tobesk City, also known as the Tobesk City Police Department, through special channels by noon. Soon after, the police would discover this place, thus drawing the attention of the True God Church.

"This area falls under the jurisdiction of the church of that Sun God, they act quickly, so we need to leave soon."

When they boarded the carriage waiting for them, the doctor still joked, but Shard was not in the mood for conversation. As an outlander with no attachments here, the bloody scenes he had witnessed still made him feel uncomfortable.

It brought him a profound realization of the cruelty and strangeness of this world.

Together, they returned to the city area and had a meal at a goose restaurant in the Tobesk City Eastern District. Of course, it was the doctor who treated. Shard didn't eat much, though; the scenes he had witnessed earlier on the second floor of the sanatorium would likely trouble him for a long time.

They then went to the doctor's psychological clinic, which was located on Rontgen Avenue in the Tobesk City Eastern District, the wealthy district. Although not as bustling as Saint Delan Square in the city center, the neighborhood was very picturesque.

Mr. Bill Schneider's psychological clinic was flanked by an antique shop on one side and a high-end tobacco store on the other. The clinic was three stories, with the first two floors being the clinic and the third being the residence of the doctor himself.

The clinic was spacious. In addition to Mr. Bill Schneider himself, there were five other doctors employed by him on staff, as well as receptionists, cleaning staff, a tea lady, and so on, all very formal.

The doctor invited Shard to his second-floor reception room, which was a consultation room used only for important patients, to rest. It wasn't until the servant brought over the tea that the conversation could continue.

More like a study than a reception room, the curved wall was adorned with dark brown bookshelves, packed with leather-bound books. An imposing desk stood on the red carpet, and just by looking at the fountain pens in the pen rack, you could tell the owner's financial strength.

The sofa and coffee table arrangement wasn't as formal as that of the Detective Agency, but the family-style tea set was indeed conducive to relaxing visitors and allowing them to reveal troubles and secrets.

"How do you feel about this trip?"

The doctor asked casually, leaning on the single leather sofa, his right hand on the armrest and his fingers on his chin.

Shard sat on the fabric long sofa, which was the one used by Dr. Schneider's "patients."

"Thank you very much."

"For helping you resolve the hidden threat?"

"Yes."

Shard responded, his worries not any lighter.

This outing was merely to avenge Detective Sparrow, and it also meant that Sparrow's death was due to the detective assignment and not related to the task he had entrusted to Shard. In other words, Shard still didn't know what other secrets Sparrow Hamilton might be hiding.

The current speculation was that Sparrow Hamilton had a mysterious identity besides being a detective, but due to an accident in a detective case, he had to find someone to temporarily take his place. However, that secret identity likely had nothing to do with the Transcendent; otherwise, the detective wouldn't have known about his impending death and still been completely unable to save himself.

Of course, there was no need to explain this to Mr. Bill Schneider. Although the morning's events had led Shard to more or less trust him, he still hadn't let down all his guard.