Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic
Chapter 861 - 861: The Story of Professor Drake

Shard did not make an appointment for this visit, but when the professor heard that it was an author from Draleon visiting for research on a new book, he was delighted to invite him in and received Shard in his study.

Professor Kansas Drake was a frail old man with brown-framed reading glasses, and had a red checkered blanket covering his legs, so Shard could not see below his waist. Unlike the Draleon people Shard usually encountered, Professor Drake had the typical appearance of a southerner from the Old Continent, a long face with slightly darker skin and slightly upturned eyelashes.

Shard entered the study first, followed by a maid pushing Professor Drake in. He instructed the plump and reliable-looking maid to prepare tea, then began chatting with Shard.

This was not the first time Shard had pretended to be an author from Draleon, so he could talk fluently about this profession he wasn't really engaged in. He quickly transitioned from local folklore to the legend of the "Lake Goddess."

"Yes, I have indeed studied that legend. Mr. Watson, you should also be familiar with the gist of it. In a certain lake west of Huntington City, there is said to live a goddess who can grant people's wishes."

The old professor solemnly made the Holy Emblem of the Church of Nature on his chest, showing his loyalty to the God of Nature:

"Mortals always crave such legends, but most research suggests that perhaps in ancient times, a solitary woman lived in the lake region west of the city. Local villagers occasionally saw her bathing in the lake or walking in the forest on misty mornings, hence the legend of the Lake Goddess emerged. You know, country folk always like to exaggerate their experiences, and those orally passed-down stories have, through several eras, become the legend we now know."

"But is that really the truth?"

Shard asked suspiciously, knowing the truth was certainly different; otherwise, Sister Delphine and Mr. Edmund wouldn't have recommended Shard to come here.

"This is just the most widely spread version of the story, and the general consensus among scholars studying Huntington's local history and folklore."

The professor shrugged, answering Shard in Delarion. Although Professor Drake was a southerner, he had lived in the Northern Country for a long time in his youth and spoke Delarion very well.

"What is your opinion then? Viscount Benhart, who introduced me, said you're a scholar with very original ideas."

Shard gave a small compliment, and Professor Drake smiled:

"Young people today are so good with words. I know what you want to learn from me, and you are not the first to ask me this question. Yes, I do know some things that ordinary people don't, but I can't tell you directly."

"Do you require Krone? No problem, I'm willing to sponsor your research."

Shard put down his teacup and was about to take out his wallet, but the professor shook his head slightly:

"Young man, I'll ask you three questions, and your answers will determine whether you get the information from me."

Shard didn't expect such a request but nodded nonetheless:

"No problem. Although I don't excessively boast about my wisdom, I can probably handle just three questions. Professor, please ask."

A sparrow flew in from outside the window and landed on the windowsill of the study. The professor looked at the sparrow and sighed softly:

"In my view, wisdom is equivalent to wealth. I don't want your wealth or your wisdom. Listen carefully, Mr. Watson, if you met the Lake Goddess and she gave you the chance to make a wish, what would you wish for?"

Shard thought for a moment:

"Besides gathering material, I am currently looking for something I've lost. If I really met the goddess, I would ask her to tell me how to find the lost item. Or perhaps she could directly give it back to me."

Shard said, glancing at the sparrow on the windowsill and thinking of Mia, the cat he left sleeping at home, which might have woken up and be "inspecting its territory" by now.

"Second question, if the Lake Goddess could help you fulfill your wish, but it comes at a price, would you be willing to pay it?"

The disabled professor asked again, eyeing Shard sharply. Shard pondered:

"Is it a fair exchange? Or do I have to pay more?"

"You don't need to pay directly, but once you get what you desire, some unnoticed change has already occurred."

Professor Drake said in a low voice, making Shard raise an eyebrow:

"Then I wouldn't make the wish. Though I want to find the item, there are other ways to try, and there's no need to take the risk. I have too many cherished things in my life that I don't want to lose... Professor, what is the third question?"

"If killing the Lake Goddess would grant your wish without any cost, would you do it?"

The professor asked finally, and Shard shook his head:

"Although I don't believe the Lake Goddess in local legends is as powerful as the True Gods, I don't think such a legendary being can be easily killed."

"Assume she wouldn't resist at all."

The professor stared at Shard, who still shook his head without hesitation:

"Professor Drake, what a peculiar question. But a long time ago, when I was still naive about this world and my life, I told my friend: pursuing one's goals through murdering others would only result in a lifelong burden of guilt."

This was something Shard once discussed with Priest Augustus and Dr. Schneider, during the summer.

Professor Drake smiled:

"Not bad at all. You are more rational and kind-hearted than most young people I know. I am quite curious about your upbringing."

He raised his hand and pointed behind him:

"Now, could you hand me the red album on the third shelf of the bookcase? Please forgive an old man's request with limited mobility."

Shard got up, found the album on the bookshelf, and handed it to the professor. The professor, with a nostalgic expression, opened it and pulled out a photo to give to Shard:

"Mr. Watson, take a look at this."

As the black-and-white photo touched his fingers, a sound immediately echoed in his ears:

[You have touched 'Whisper.']

It was an extremely faint Whisper Element. Without "her" prompt, Shard wouldn't have noticed it right away. He was slightly stunned but didn't show too much surprise and instead looked at the photo itself.

The black-and-white photo made it hard to discern fine details, and it had yellowed due to oxidation over the years, even though the professor's finger pointed out the specific spot. It was a lakeside scenery, taken at least ten years ago.

He examined the yellowed old photo very carefully. It was clearly a very normal lakeside scenery, yet the more he looked at it, the more uneasy he felt, as if staring at something terrifying. But the photo really only showed an ordinary lakeside view.

"Feel it? Staring at it long enough will make you feel unsettled."

The professor said softly, then pointed at the photo again:

"Look behind that tree, there's a face there."

Shard suspiciously looked down at the tree again, trying to imagine the shadow behind it as a human face. Unexpectedly, as the black shadow slowly squirmed, the Whisper Element in the photo rapidly intensified.

At the same time, from the spot the professor pointed at, a blurry, black-haired woman—a woman with a ghastly pale face—slowly emerged from the shadowy blur. Though the photo was black and white, the woman with long black hair appeared.

Most of her body was hidden behind the tree, showing her shoulders and upper body, which seemed unclothed. As the woman became clearer, the rotting sludge on her body also became more vivid and lifelike.

She looked at Shard from within the photo, her eyes blinking, and her face showed an unmistakably malicious expression.

"A relic?"

Even though the Divine Afterglow lingered, without Divinity to protect him, the cold feeling spread along with the curse from his fingertips throughout Shard's body, before being suppressed by the Primal Fire coursing within him.

Shard immediately let go of the photo and looked at Professor Drake in shock, only to find that the professor hadn't seen the increasingly clear woman, instead looking at Shard with hesitation:

"Mr. Watson, what's wrong?"

"The professor can't see it?"

Shard was puzzled but soon understood. Professor Drake's inspiration must be too weak to capture the malice in the blurry face in the photo. However, Shard's high inspiration caught the malice, thus drawing the curse upon himself.

This photo was definitely not the relic itself; it had only recorded the relic's power to spread the curse. Shard had heard of such items, which could be considered relic derivatives, but their effects were generally weak.

"I saw the woman, yes, very vague, only a silhouette."

Shard said vaguely:

"Is this the Lake Goddess?"

"Of course not. This photo, sold to me by some locals many years ago, proved to a young me that there did indeed exist some things in the western part of Huntington that were beyond normal understanding. This world is not as simple as it seems."

The professor said, casually tossing the photo onto the table. Sunlight from the window shone onto the photo, and as they stopped gazing at it, the Whisper Element in the photo returned to an extremely faint level.

Shard nodded immediately. Now he knew that at least one curse-related humanoid relic with a woman's appearance existed in the western part of Huntington City. Its level was at least Sage Level (Level 2). The curse was still suppressed within his body, and he had to find a way to resolve it once he left the professor's place.

"Did you start then, transitioning from an ordinary scholar to a part-time folklore scholar in mysticism?"

"Indeed. I used to think that legends were just legends, but later I started trying to study folklore from a mysticism perspective. Of course, my knowledge is very shallow as it is quite dangerous. As for the existence of the Lake Goddess, there is actually much evidence to support it. Young man, you might not know this, but the extent of the Pantanal Swamp Region has been shrinking for nearly five hundred years."

"Oh?"

Shard raised an eyebrow, turning to look at the city tourism map hanging on the wall of the study:

"Are you saying that the area where the Lake Goddess appears used to be part of the Pantanal Swamp?"

"Yes, I have extensively researched the folklore and legends of the Pantanal area. Oh, it was strange, evil, and twisted things. I often regret poking around those things in my youth."

The professor shook his head and said to Shard again:

"But encountering those terrible materials wasn't without gain. I'm quite certain that the 'Lake Goddess' in local legends truly exists, and she resides in a lake somewhere in the eastern part of Huntington City. The location of this lake is not fixed. According to certain rules, only special people can encounter it."

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