Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic
Chapter 868 - 868: The Apprentice and the Banquet Game

Princess Margaret is the main character of this banquet, so she cannot stay here for too long. After informing Miss Sylvia about the specific time and arrangements to head to the floating airship, she got up to leave.

But just as she stood up, the Princess pressed her lips and sat back down.

She glanced at her personal maid, who wisely left the room temporarily. The Princess then looked at Miss Sylvia's personal servant, the lady who had brought Shard here, but she remained unmoved.

Princess Margaret bit her lip again before softly asking:

"Teacher, do you still refuse to let me be your apprentice?"

Shard held his breath in the wardrobe as the Grand Witch suspiciously looked at her:

"Margaret, we have discussed this many times. I am willing to be your teacher, but you cannot be my apprentice. You lack the talent for space, which cannot be changed."

"What if I could inscribe the [Space] Spirit Rune for myself?"

The Princess asked excitedly, but the Grand Witch still shook her head:

"You know my nature well. To inherit my position in the council, besides space, you also need to understand mathematics. I want a student who can truly inherit all my knowledge. But mathematics... you either know it or you don't. Even if you gain knowledge through extraordinary powers, logic and thinking skills are not so easily changed."

Shard widened his eyes, peeking through the gap in the wardrobe, afraid of missing any detail. Although it was a bit unethical, this conversation was much more interesting than the banquet itself.

He understood Miss Sylvia's perspective, that this Grand Witch wanted to find a genuine heir. He also understood Princess Margaret's perspective. Although becoming Xerxes' student and even the student of a deputy dean through royal connections, no Royal Family member has ever become a High Ring Sorcerer in history; never. Perhaps it's a coincidence, or perhaps it's a necessity under some tacit understanding.

Therefore, if Margaret Anjou wants to go further on the path of Circle Sorcerer, Miss Sylvia is the best choice.

"Teacher..."

The Princess bowed her head in silence, then got up to say goodbye. But suddenly, she asked:

"Do you have a suitable apprentice candidate now?"

"You know I rarely lie, and I would never lie to you. Yes, I do."

Margaret Anjou looked at her teacher in shock, she had just asked casually:

"Why?"

"He... her core Spirit Rune is... [Space]. They possess space divine arts that even I can't analyze. And they easily discuss functions and spatial geometry with me without any preparation. Their achievements in advanced mathematics are profound, even with unique perspectives on imaginary numbers, proposing ideas on groups and sets that have pointed out the direction for my future research."

Miss Sylvia looked regretfully at her student:

"I couldn't find a better candidate."

Princess Margaret could no longer control her expression:

"Teacher, does such a person really exist?"

"Yes, they do."

The Grand Witch suppressed the urge to look at the wardrobe.

"Are they an old scholar immersed in academia for years? From which school in the United Kingdom?"

"They are very young, younger than you. They don't belong to any school. In fact, based on my understanding... "

Miss Sylvia looked at her student. Her Highness the Princess knew her teacher was about to reveal a harsh truth:

"Based on my understanding, they are self-taught and haven't even attended elementary school."

She didn't mention that according to the data provided by Miss Galina, Shard might not even be literate before this summer. All this knowledge and talent were acquired through his adventures and efforts over the past six months.

But even with Miss Sylvia's "compassion," the Princess painfully closed her eyes:

"Teacher, are you saying that true geniuses really exist in this world?"

"Yes."

The Grand Witch cautiously expressed her opinion:

"Sometimes, talent is indeed crucial. But don't be too sad, she refused me."

"What?"

The Princess wearing a silver crown reopened her eyes:

"She doesn't want to be your apprentice?"

"Because many people want to teach her."

Miss Sylvia pressed her lips together, indicating she had thought of something unpleasant.

"So, teacher, can I meet her?"

Princess Margaret asked again. The Grand Witch immediately shook her head:

"She is not in this city, and besides, she won't reveal her identity to you."

"Where is she?"

"In Tobesk City."

The princess nodded:

"I understand, teacher. Since she refused you, please remember, I will never refuse you... Even though I came first."

This young lady, who in the eyes of others appeared knowledgeable and elegant with royal demeanor, showed a pitiful expression. However, this did not move the witch sitting on the sofa. Miss Sylvia smiled and said:

"Margaret, you've used this trick many times. If I accepted you as an apprentice out of sympathy, it would be a tragedy for both of us... Enjoy this party. There will be many things to do when you go to Tobesk later."

"Alright, teacher. See you later... Even though I came first."

Princess Margaret left the room, seeming in a good mood. After the door closed, Shard waited another ten seconds before he pushed open the wardrobe door and took off the red lady's soft hat that had fallen on his head when he rushed into the wardrobe earlier:

"Miss Sylvia, I won't meet her in Tobesk."

"Don't worry, I won't let you meet her either."

The witch said, sighing as she looked out of the window at the moon:

"However, I have a premonition that this visit to Tobesk will not be simple. Now that we have suddenly obtained new fragments of the Poem Chapter, it is reasonable to believe that the fourth Chosen One will soon take the stage of the elusive fate... Just where will this stage be this time?"

Shard did not stay long in Miss Sylvia's lounge. Shortly after Princess Margaret left, he also returned to the first-floor banquet hall of the manor to join Mr. Benhart.

When he found this gentleman, he was in the lounge area in one corner of the hall, under the watchful eyes of a circle of guests, playing Roder Cards with Baron York, the "drug trafficker" wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

Seeing how focused they were on their game, Shard stood behind the crowd without disturbing them. However, he listened to the surrounding discussions and learned that these two gentlemen were using their collections of fine wines as bets, which were considered high-class stakes second only to "special rule" Roder Cards among Roder Card players in Huntington City.

Roder Cards deservedly was the most popular game of this era. At parties in Carsonrick, people regarded the nobles' Roder Card games as symbols of status. The Casenli-speaking crowd discussed the progress of the game, predicting who would win, and seeing that the game had just begun and would last a long time, Shard turned away to search for Princess Margaret.

He still remembered that Miss Sylvia had given him the invitation letter for him to keep an eye on any unusual events around the princess during the party.

At this time, the ball was preparing to start. The manor's servants were clearing the long table. Her Highness the Princess was also in the nearby lounge area, discussing something with local noble ladies, young noble gentlemen, and noble girls. The other nobles in the visiting group were also chatting with the local nobles of Huntington City in small groups, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

When Shard saw the princess, she also saw him. She slightly hesitated, then had a maid call Shard over:

"This is Mr. Sherlock Holmes, who runs a winery in the New World and is a friend of Viscount Benhart."

She introduced him to the others before stating the purpose of calling Shard over:

"Mr. Holmes, you are from Draleon and probably don't understand Carsonrick parties. Here, we prepare some interesting games for large parties. Are you interested in participating? Just now, we were short of an interesting player."

Shard blinked, curious why the princess had summoned him for games, but he still nodded:

"Of course, it would be my honor."

After all, he had nothing else to do.

"But what game? I'm quite confident in Roder Cards."

Shard said modestly, and Princess Margaret smiled:

"The gentlemen here are all very good at Roder Cards, so let's try another game."

Saying this, she instructed a servant to bring three empty goblets and placed them in a triangle close together on the coffee table. She then called for an opaque black cloth and from her maid, three coins.

These were not ordinary Carsonrick Crowns but pure gold "Carsonrick Kingdom Commemorative Coins." These commemorative coins were also regarded as high-value currency. An outsider who understood the world's currency system knew that one gold coin could exchange for 10 to 12 Crowns.

"Cover your eyes with this cloth, stand at a distance, and throw the coins into the goblets. If someone can throw three coins into three goblets, these three coins, and my earrings, will be his."

Princess Margaret announced, directing her words at Shard as the other young gentlemen seemed to know about this game already.

Shard nodded suspiciously, still unsure why the princess had specifically summoned him. It was definitely not just for showcasing the friendship between the two countries.

In any case, the unexpected party game began. Seven people signed up to play, each looking incredibly confident.

Princess Margaret cleared a space in front of the coffee table and laid down a ribbon on the floor as a starting line for the coin toss. The party game hosted by the princess herself, with its "precious" prizes, attracted even more onlookers.

After all, the ball had not yet started, and this was the liveliest place to be.

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