Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic
Chapter 871 - 871: Snake Skin and Temple Oil Painting (Requesting Monthly Pass)

Holding the sword with both hands, Shard swung a [Moonlight Slash] forward. The brilliant moonlight temporarily illuminated the corridor, but the strike went straight through the serpent's head, as if the serpent were truly just an illusion.

The serpent looked at Shard, moving slowly but with an increasingly powerful force of Whisper, as it slithered toward him.

[Because the relic's properties are unknown, the exact reason can't be determined. But from the earlier contact with the serpent, it can be confirmed that it is in a corporeal state.]

"Then why…?"

[When your attack touches the serpent's scales, that specific location transforms into a special void state. You did hit the target, but failed to harm it. This should be one of the relic's properties.]

"Wherever I attack, it turns into a void?"

Shard understood, and the best way to deal with such an enemy seemed to be to attack its entire body in an instant. However, there was also the possibility that it could turn its whole body into a void.

"It is indeed a troublesome relic. No wonder even a Three-Ring would dare take on such a task. When I was at Three Rings..."

Thinking about what he was doing at Three Rings, Shard pondered:

"Still, since it doesn't actually avoid attacks but renders them ineffective, it must have a vulnerability."

He had another idea. From his left sleeve, the black Great Sin Chain clinked out. The runes [Gluttony][Greed][Sloth], written in different languages from various eras, intertwined along the chain. After linking [Sloth] to this Arcane Technique through a ritual, the Great Sin Chain became stronger and longer than ever.

Combined with the sorcery from the Book of Pink - [Animated Rope Trick], Shard could now manipulate the chain more freely.

The thin black chain crawled along the carpet toward the large serpent, while the pitch-black serpent slithered toward Shard. When the chain touched the serpent, the latter didn't even notice this slender "companion." Just as Shard anticipated, the Great Sin Chain attempted to bind the serpent but passed through its body.

At that moment, the climbing serpent suddenly paused, and Shard felt his spirit rapidly consuming energy as the chain was trying to bind an extremely powerful being:

"Indeed, though it can't be attacked, it can still be bound!"

The serpent didn't fully stop, but its writhing body seemed to be under a mediocre Petrification Spell.

Taking this chance, Shard stepped forward, appearing directly in front of the serpent. He swung his sword down with both hands, leaving a radiant trail of Silvermoon's light in the dark. But at that moment, the bound giant black serpent actually melted into the darkness, and Shard's attack missed again:

"Using dark spatial movement? Just what kind of creature did that serpent skin originally belong to?"

[To the left.]

Clang~

The swung greatsword swept towards the left, striking the open-mouthed, unusual triangular serpent head. Despite the serpent using its spatial movement to break free of the chain, Shard's sword didn't pass through the head but struck it with a heavy collision sound:

"It can't use spatial and phantasmic powers simultaneously?"

The Moonlight Greatsword forcefully knocked back the serpent. On the ground, the serpent hissed at Shard, its tongue flicking, as it grew increasingly stronger in the dark.

"Spatial Stabilization Aura!"

Shard stomped his left foot, sending invisible ripples outward. The serpent seemed to sense something and turned to retreat.

"Great Sin Chain!"

The chain slid out again. The serpent tried to dodge nimbly, but the [Animated Rope Trick] from the Book of Pink restrained such agile movements. Not even the most agile ladies could easily avoid a magically controlled rope, let alone a serpent. In a brief clash between the serpent's tail and the chain, it was still pierced by the chain.

The serpent slowly turned its head towards Shard, revealing sharp fangs, as if preparing for a desperate strike. But Shard wouldn't give it another chance. The last thing the serpent saw was the radiant moonlight.

"Moonlight Greatsword!"

The silver greatsword struck behind the serpent, passing through its head, and scattered into glimmering lights in the darkness.

Plop~

The serpent's head fell onto the carpet, followed by its heavy corpse.

Shard breathed a sigh of relief, noting that with the serpent's corpse burning, the corridor's gas lamps lit up quickly. Yet he still frowned, as within the burning serpent corpse, a male body reappeared, with its head severed just like the serpent:

"This relic is truly bizarre."

When the last pitch-black flame vanished, the giant snake corpse was completely burned to ashes, leaving only the man's body lying on the carpet. Strangely, no blood was flowing out. A small piece of snake skin was protruding from the man's mouth.

Shard bent down and pulled the snake skin out of the corpse's mouth, confirming it was indeed the relic. Probably due to Shard just defeating it, its whisper element was much weaker than before:

"Poet-Level (4) spoils of war, but this thing is really disgusting."

He placed the snake skin between the pages of his notebook and then briefly searched the man's body but found nothing:

"Going out without a wallet, no confidential letters, not even a diary? Could he be poorer than me?"

He muttered softly, using a handkerchief to revert the canvas toy back to canvas and then used it to transform the corpse into a toy.

Looking at the hallway damaged by the earlier brief fight, he took a deep breath. [Breath of Ages] reversed time, restoring everything to its original state.

Not lingering here for long, Shard continued down the hallway. Ascending the stairs, he quickly arrived at Miss Sylvia's room door but received no response after knocking.

"Sorry, please pardon my intrusion."

Shard said softly, turning the handle and pushing open the door.

Unfortunately, although the room's lights were on, there was no one inside. The room's windows were tightly shut, and the thick embroidered curtains blocked out the moonlight from outside.

"Where did Miss Sylvia go?"

He quickly walked to the window, pulled the curtains aside, and looked outside. The room overlooked the mansion's garden, which should have had gas lamps but was now in total darkness. However, with his dark vision, Shard could see three low-ring sorcerers from the church battling a five-ring sorcerer holding a flower pot, and he could also see a six-rings sorcerer from the Mechanic Church constructing machinery in the void, fighting a six-ring sorcerer manipulating vines.

In the garden of the mansion, at least a dozen people were fighting. The combatants were the church and the hired Pantanal Voodoo Society, with the church clearly having the upper hand. Yet, everyone tacitly refrained from using spells and arcane techniques with noticeable light and sound effects.

Shard didn't find any trace of Miss Sylvia in the garden. He furrowed his brow and looked back into the room, then suddenly closed his eyes, held his breath, and concentrated. Following a faint inspiration, he opened his eyes and came to the door, then looked directly at the painting facing the door:

"There is something wrong with this painting."

The gas light in the hallway was very bright, making the red carpet underfoot appear almost crimson.

Under the gas light, the painting depicted a gray pyramid-like temple sitting in a dense forest. The temple, built with square bricks, was almost entirely engulfed by massive trees and vines. At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary landscape painting of ruins, but staring at it intently, there was a subtle feeling of being drawn into it.

With a blink of an eye, the painting turned into an indescribable monstrous form made of trees, vines, grass, flowers, and thorns, but with another blink, it reverted to its original appearance.

Shard took a step back in surprise but quickly approached the wall again. Reaching out to remove the painting, he felt four elements upon touching it.

He extended his hand to touch the painting, but it was instantly repelled by a strong force:

"What's going on?"

[A subspace is sealed within the painting, similar to 'Sublimation Incantation' and 'Maze Lock,' but not exactly the same. Emma Sylvia is likely inside; I can sense a witch's power in the painting.]

"Can I enter it?"

Shard frowned slightly; although he didn't know what was happening, as long as he found Miss Sylvia, everything would be resolved.

[Use your sword, pierce it. But be careful, such spaces are easy to enter but difficult to exit.]

"I know."

His right hand drew the Moonlight Greatsword from the air again, but this time, it was the slender yellow sword. Holding the sword in both hands, he pointed the tip at the painting, his expression serious:

"I will see what exactly is going on."

The sword tip pierced the painting, and the bright light in the hallway was instantly extinguished. Everything around began to fade, with the illusory colors rapidly reconfiguring.

Shard vigilantly observed his surroundings as the stench and scent of rot overwhelmed him. He now stood in a tunnel with sewage flowing underfoot, and the stone walls around him were covered with green plants emitting a ghostly green light, providing illumination.

This appeared to be the interior of an ancient structure long abandoned in the Great Swamp. The desolate tunnel exuded an ancient, weathered atmosphere, seamlessly merging the natural and the mystical.

Carefully examining the verdant stone walls, he cautiously observed the shallow water beneath his feet. Moving forward along the tunnel, the glowing, wood-like veins on the walls grew thicker. The air gradually became thin, and an inexplicable mental pressure made each step forward increasingly challenging.

He soon reached the end of the tunnel, arriving at a square temple space. The entire room's six surfaces were made of rough gray stones, with a stone altar against the farthest wall. On the altar stood a horrifying statue pieced together from plant remnants.