Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 195: One hundred and forty-six: Conversation (2)

Chapter 195: One hundred and forty-six: Conversation (2)

Having seen off Maya, Ollie looked at Margaret standing at the door, "This child’s spiritual energy has been enhanced, I can hardly imagine this is something a child under 14 could possess. You say she hasn’t even undergone enlightenment, nor has she had the ritual to awaken her spiritual energy?"

"Of course, your excellency, we humans do not preserve the profession related to Shamans and Prophets, the ’Lamps.’ You do not trust us, but would you also doubt the secrecy work of The Great Forest Land?" Margaret said this and patted her chest, "I just saw what was in the mirror too, it was terrifying. I never knew that Malin meant so much in Maya’s heart. I always thought he was just her brother who was particularly good to her, and that in her eyes, he was just very important."

"Important enough that she would not hesitate to become a Black Bride, I really can’t imagine if I really did so, whether she would kill me," said Ollie, a little frightened by the thought.

And Margaret was somewhat puzzled as she glanced at this great Divine Master, "But you are a powerful being above the second ladder, your excellency."

"No, Prophets believe in fate. Without this belief, we could not continue to exist as Prophets. Though my reason tells me that this child couldn’t harm me, my instinct tells me that she, or that gaunt young man in quirky ceremonial dress in the mirror, would certainly kill me. My end would be in her and his hands," Ollie said with a wry smile to the human girl in front of her—humans do not believe in fate, or rather, they do not like to believe in it, but Ollie, as the great Divine Master of The Great Forest Land, the Shamans who followed the Way of the Shaman, believed in fate.

For the profession of a Prophet, if one does not believe in fate, then the very foundation of that profession would cease to exist.

"... Your excellency, I find it a little hard to understand, but maybe you could meet with Lord Hoffman. Oh, and I heard that Mr. Gaiate has also returned. As Maya’s foster father, maybe you could have a talk with him," suggested Margaret with a smile.

Ollie nodded.

Indeed, child, that was precisely my intention.

.........

"Gaiate, did you find any clues this time?"

Looking at the middle-aged man who pushed open the door, old Hoffman tossed a piece of firewood into the fireplace as he turned to look at the man approaching him.

And Gaiate, entering the room, shook his head. He pulled out a bottle of wine from his pocket and tossed it to Hoffman, "A good wine from Pitzport, old man. Have a drink. If I remember correctly, you don’t have much time left."

Old Hoffman laughed and sighed, "What’s the matter, everyone seems to know about my time of death."

Standing at the door leading to the balcony, Gaiate slid open the wooden door, gazing at the afternoon street, "Nearly half of the Supernatural Realm of the Sydney Union knows about this news. I never knew you were a vessel."

"Because the Goddess of Harvest is unlike the Church of Justice and the Church of the War God, not all are fighting on the front lines... And since the first generation of the Secret Oathkeepers up until now, seven hundred years have passed, fourteen generations. I consider myself to have lived a long time, same as my mentor. I’ve been a vessel since I was young," the old man squinted, enjoying the sunlight pouring into the room and the warmth brought by the fireplace, reminiscing about the past, "You wouldn’t understand."

"Yes, I don’t understand, just as I don’t understand why you gave up on Colin," Gaiate turned to look at the old man, "Malin cannot walk your path. I warn you, old man."

"I never planned for a child of destiny to take over the dreadful monster inside me. Although Malin is more suitable than Wyman, if I dared do such a thing, those two old crows from the Mowish family would definitely come with the orders of a Legendary battle Mage to butcher me. Or she herself would come personally to do it," he said.

"It seems my son is more fortunate than my life; how many fair maidens does he exactly have?" Gaiate searched through the wine cabinet for two cups.

"Five, or perhaps more," old Hoffman pulled out the cork from the bottle, "Do you want to know their names?"

"Of course, I want to know who all those lucky ladies are that like this fortunate lad," Gaiate stepped forward, offering a cup to the old man.

"Faye, you know which family she is from, don’t you," said the old man as he filled the cup with wine and then took it, handing the wine bottle to his kinsman.

Taking the wine bottle, Gaiate nodded, "Of course, the little princess of the Mowish family. She’s quite the beauty and seems like she will grow into quite the stunner."

"Jessica, Werewolf, you should know her," old Hoffman took a sip, very pleased, and nodded while Gaiate poured himself a drink and nodded in acknowledgment, "Of course, I fought alongside her father when we were young. It’s a pity he got injured. His daughter, I have no reason to object to."

"Lillim, Sheep-person, you must have heard of her," Hoffman snapped his fingers, prompting a Domestic Fairy in the corner to bring over a wooden tray filled with various pastries.

"I’ve heard about those two sister-obsessed brothers using Thanan terms. Looks like my son can handle them, right?" Gaiate filled his own glass with wine, then took a small sip, "Who else is there?"

"Clovis." "The beast-transformed rabbit? I know her father and mother. Heard that she’s now living with her adoptive father?"

"How do you even know them?"

"Have you forgotten my travels when I was young? It was during that time that I met her and him. At that time, the two were still eloping. I blessed them but did not think highly of their ending, and as it seems, I was not wrong." Gaiate clinked glasses with old Hoffman, downed his drink in one gulp, and while pouring himself another asked, "Who’s the last one?"

"Maya Gaiate." After Hoffman finished speaking, he handed over his empty wine cup, waiting.

Gaiate paused and looked at his elderly relative, "I disagree."

"I’m sorry, I just heard you say you disagree." A young girl’s voice came from outside the door, raspy with the characteristic of Orcs: "Old Hoffman, young Gaiate, long time no see."

"Oh, Ollie, my sweetheart, come here and give your uncle Hoffman a hug." Old Hoffman smiled and opened his arms wide, smiling as he sat in his wheelchair.

"Aunt Ollie, what do you mean by that?" Gaiate frowned, then rolled his eyes with a smirk—as his aunt Ollie stepped on his foot as she approached.

"Your adopted daughter Maya is smitten with her brother Malin." Ollie laid out what just happened in great detail for both men: "I think there’s something wrong with Malin; it seems he has this special ability to enhance his companions. If possible, I’d like to perform a very thorough examination on him."

Old Hoffman laughed and patted his leg, "I knew it, Malin must have some peculiar power. Jessica had already been confirmed by at least four mentors to be incapable of igniting the bloodline flame. Yet, in less than a year by his side, she broke their adamant declarations; Faye’s health wasn’t good, and many casters, myself included, didn’t see her advancing to become a six-ring mage. Nevertheless, she still broke our predictions..."

"Is there another example?" Gaiate asked.

"Of course, it’s your adopted daughter. Why do you think The Great Forest Land sent her away? Because she had no talent, right?" As he said this, Hoffman looked at Ollie, whose face showed her surprise: "Surprising right, little Ollie? Maya used to be a child of The Great Forest Land, born into a prophet lineage without any Spiritual Energy gifts. Her family sent her away from The Great Forest Land while she was still in swaddling clothes because times had changed. A child without gifts deserved a shot at life. At that time, you were not so young either, Gaiate. I was the one who asked for Maya from her family." He took out a contract bearing the sacred mark of the Lord of Justice from a desk drawer: "This is the adoption agreement. See this?"

Ollie glanced at the names in the signature line: "Their family!"

"Yes, their family. A Prophet lineage, yet they birthed a child with no Spiritual Energy gifts. In the Middle Ages, this child would have been killed to be a sacrifice for her siblings. Lucky for her, she was born in better times. She couldn’t live in that family, but at the very least, she could leave The Great Forest Land." He put the contract away, sliding it back into the drawer: "I’ve never told Maya about this. Don’t mention it to her, little Ollie, understand?"

"Why would I spread such misfortune? That child nearly unleashed a Spiritual Energy rampage with just one assumption I made today. I’m still young; I don’t want to die so early... By the way, Gaiate, is Malin really a half Frost Giant?"

"I knew you’d ask that—Hoffman, where did you put the report?"

"Behind you, on the shelf, third row from the top, the seventeenth report."

Gaiate pulled the report from the shelf and handed it to Ollie, who after reading it shook her head: "Unbelievable."

"I thought the same at the beginning, but his bloodline is truly too exceptional, so much that I cannot comprehend it." Gaiate sighed, "It seems I need to find a time to have a proper talk with Malin. If he truly loves Maya... then I will consent to them, but with one condition, I will kick him out of the house."

"Why?" Ollie furrowed her brow.

"Humans and Orcs are different; blood relations marrying is forbidden, even if there is no blood relation between them. But as long as she has Gaiate as her last name, then it’s not possible." Gaiate responded.

His answer made Ollie shake her head: "I can’t imagine it. And if I remember correctly, even if you kick Malin out of the family and he takes a new last name, won’t Maya also use his new last name if they get married?"

The atmosphere grew heavy until old Hoffman spat out his wine laughing, barely able to catch his breath with amusement.