Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic
Chapter 877 - 877: The Witch's Pursuit

Violet Marshall, the Witch Empress of the late Fifth Era. Shard had actually seen her before this... Just a few minutes after he obtained the Time Key from the sealing spot in Sicarl Mountain, due to touching the handprint on the crystal connected to death, Shard not only acquired the 『Witch Echo: Violetta』 but also saw the phantom of this lady.

Earlier, when Shard obtained the 『Night Watchman』 at the Flame Demon's sealing spot, he had also seen the combat memories left behind by this lady.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Shard greeted respectfully while observing the surrounding ladies.

Six genuine witches, though serving as maids, were clearly obeying this Witch Empress. Miss Schultz Teres, a Tenth Grade student of the Xerxes Higher Medical Academy, should unsurprisingly be a Tenth Rank Witch.

In fact, students from the Three Great Magics Academies are allowed to submit their graduation thesis for assessment and apply for graduation after entering the Ninth Grade, though they may continue their studies. Theoretically, one could advance to the Thirteenth Grade though no one does that.

"The traveler from the Outlander?"

The Witch Empress looked at him skeptically and then noticed Shard extending his hand to her.

Thus, this Thirteenth Rank Witch, like all the other witches Shard had met before, reached out and grasped his wrist. After a few seconds, she let go and glanced at her palm by the light of the bonfire:

"You are a man?"

The tone was somewhat plain, but the expression was far from calm.

"Of course, the deity has proven this before."

Shard no longer knew how many times he had said this.

"Relax a bit, I'll check."

Saying that, she waved her hand at Shard, and with the surge of an unfamiliar power, red light began to shimmer on Shard's body:

"He really is a man?"

Miss Violet said in amazement, and Shard realized this was a gender-verification power, but it should have been lost by the Sixth Era.

"Teresa, you see, using him as a research subject would definitely be enough for you to graduate three times from Xerxes. Why don't you take him away and give me this opportunity?"

She suddenly smiled and said to her companion, but the young Tenth Rank Witch shook her head, indicating rejection.

"Can I gain your trust?"

Shard asked. Since they hadn't immediately attacked him, it meant the initial contact had been successful.

"Wait a bit, we can only confirm you're a male, not whether you're human. This is the Lost Lake; no one can guarantee what's out there."

After saying that, she instructed her maid:

"Bring that sword over."

Soon, a tall red-haired young maid walked over, holding a pure silver sword scabbard encrusted with various gemstones and diamonds. To Shard's belief, they were purely decorative.

The silver sword was drawn from the scabbard, and the blade seemed to react to the fog enveloping the Lost Lake, emitting a sanctified glow. The rune 『My heart is pure, the sword slashes demons』 glowed with a saffron light.

This was the 『Night Watchman』, the 『Night Watchman』 of the Fifth Era.

As the owner of this longsword in the year 1853 of the Sixth Era, seeing it now across the expanse of time filled Shard with emotion. Miss Violet signaled for Shard to take the sword, and the maid handed it to him with both hands. Shard grasped the sword hilt, fondly flicked the blade, and then flourished it into a beautiful flower in the mist.

As a memento of encountering this sword again, he decided to polish his own sword upon returning home, even though it possessed the 『untainted by filth』 property.

"This sword is temporarily 'borrowed'; it cannot stray too far from that mountain for long. But from the looks of it, you indeed are not a strange creature."

The Witch Empress said with a light laugh, while Miss Teresa, wearing glasses, looked at the sword in Shard's hand:

"Sir, from an academic perspective, this sword seems more in tune with your power. When the Empress and I held it, there was no such reaction."

"Such a reaction" referred to the sword's light becoming purer, which indicated the 『Night Watchman』 was preparing for battle against evil, and there seemed to be 'evil' everywhere now.

"Perhaps it's because I'm inherently good."

Shard said offhandedly, and unsurprisingly heard 'her' light laughter.

"Since that's the case, this gentleman, you have gained my initial trust."

Shard handed the sword back to the Maid, and Miss Violet then spoke and signaled Shard to sit down and talk.

Although the witches of the Fifth Era were exceedingly extravagant, during adventures in such environments, they only had tents and campfires. The flames in front were so warm that once Shard, Miss Violet, and Miss Teresa sat down, the fire climbed even higher.

"Sir, why have you come here?"

Miss Teresa questioned Shard in a muffled voice. She was a witch who hadn't yet graduated from the Magic Academy.

Shard thought for a moment but didn't reveal that he was there to help them:

"I heard there is a Sage here who can answer any question, so I came to ask why, despite being a man, I am so unique."

This reason immediately made them believe his words because the witches were also very curious about this point.

"Ever since entering the Lost Lake area, we've encountered all sorts of strange things. First, we faced invisible attacks, then everyone began gradually losing their memories, and now there's a man who can approach witches. Sir, I don't know where you heard that there's a Sage here, but you've come to the wrong place. There's only a Deity here, a true Deity."

Even though she was of Thirteen Rings, Miss Violet was still extremely cautious and signaled Shard to pay attention to the Obsidian Spire in the center of Heart Lake Island. The campfire's light cast more definition on her face:

"The Great One, the God of the Lake [The Undefined Sage], enlightens mortals with wisdom through the shapeless water. According to legend, this Deity appears here every 500 years in the form of a Saint, using the power of Lost Lake to answer mortals' questions, but only one question at a time."

She pointed to the others around them, intending to introduce them further but suddenly closed her mouth. At that moment, the sword [Night Watchman] the Maid was holding started to vibrate violently:

"Not good! Move closer to the fire!"

Miss Violet, wearing a pointed hat, called out loudly. Six maids immediately dropped all their tasks and quickly gathered around the campfire. Clearly, they did not want to get too close to Shard, forcing Miss Violet and Miss Teresa to squeeze beside him.

Everyone kept their mouths shut; most maids even closed their eyes and covered their ears.

Shard knew it was best to do the same at this moment, but his curiosity over what was happening made him resist.

So, amidst the increasingly intense vibrations of [Night Watchman], a loud crash came. A massive black furry limb, resembling a spider's leg, descended from the sky and broke through the mist, landing on Heart Lake Island.

The chaotic Four Elements nearly disrupted Shard's exceptionally stable soul. The mist did not disperse, and the vaguely visible furry limb couldn't be clearly seen. But even so, witnessing this sight made Shard feel as if spiders were crawling all over him.

At that moment, he seemed to glimpse a corner of a gigantic spider-like Evil Object, taller than the Biscarr Mountains. Fortunately, the campfire's light maintained the sanity of those present, though two maids were trembling all over, consumed by fear.

The furry limb soon left, and the chaotic elements returned to normal. But no one dared to speak immediately. After a long wait, Miss Violet signaled her maids to resume their work. The maids still gripped by fear were given water by their companions and healed with Magic Potions.

"Did you see? This is Lost Lake. Who knows how many terrifying things still lurk here?"

The Witch Empress let out a sigh of relief and, noticing Shard's face was a bit pale but otherwise unaffected, praised him:

"You are the bravest man I have ever seen."

"But no other man would have the chance to witness this scene."

Miss Teresa reminded him, adjusting her glasses, and continued the previous conversation:

"I am preparing my graduation thesis, so I came to seek wisdom from the Deity. Miss Violet wants to uncover the secrets of Eternal Beauty, which is why she came here."

"Is it not for power?"

Shard hesitated:

"For someone like you, shouldn't pursuing power be a priority?"

"I do not have the talent to become a Demigod. Moreover, eternal beauty is far more important than power, isn't it?"

This witch empress of the late Fifth Era touched her pale face, reminding Shard that witches of the late Fifth Era are drastically different from those of the early and middle eras.

The witches he had encountered previously each had their inner pursuits, yearning for knowledge, power, or even divine mysteries. But witches of this era seemed generally... more realistic.

"I know what you are thinking, but sir, everyone has different pursuits."

Miss Violet scoffed:

"I now possess the wealth of an entire nation, the pinnacle of material world power, and the most beautiful girls. The only thing I lack is eternal beauty. As for higher power, what if I obtain it? Even Demigods are not truly The Great One; they will eventually age. I would rather trade gold for the Elixir of Immortality from the mermen or use wealth to create the best cosmetic Magic Potions than chase impractical power."

Shard silently looked towards Miss Teresa, who adjusted her glasses again, shook her head at Shard, and lowered her gaze. Clearly, this young lady didn't entirely agree with this viewpoint.