Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic
Chapter 880 - 880: The Crystal of Wisdom

"Sorry, may I ask, what is the crystallization of wisdom?"

Shard softly inquired, resisting the immense pressure, feeling his head becoming increasingly numb.

The deity of the lake spoke in a gentle tone:

"The fruits of your wisdom. It might be a sentence, an article, a book, or an invention. Bring forth your wisdom crystal to prove your intelligence."

"Does it have to be original?"

Shard asked again, the deity gently shook its head:

"In the Third Era, I once posed this trial to mortals, and an alchemist crafted a Philosopher's Stone on the spot. Yes, a Philosopher's Stone."

The deity gazed at Shard.

"Oh~"

Shard heard Miss Teresa sigh lightly.

"Miss Violet, can you create a Philosopher's Stone?"

Shard then asked the Grand Witch beside him, who shot him a glare and did not answer. So he turned to Miss Teresa, who responded with a tremble in her voice before he even asked:

"If I could create a Philosopher's Stone, would I still be worried about my thesis?"

What she said made a lot of sense, but it also meant that besides unique creativity, more challenging techniques could also count as a "crystallization of wisdom."

Since none of the three could craft a Philosopher's Stone by hand, they decided to end the visit temporarily, return to the camp, think of a solution, and then respond to the deity's trial.

Shard explained to the deity that they would return soon. The deity smiled, indicating they could leave.

Miss Teresa was still supported by Shard as she stood up, while Miss Violet, though pale, could still walk on her own. The nearly exhausted Grand Witch quickly led Shard out of the tower to the tranquil surface of the lake.

Once the door closed behind them, Miss Violet gasped for breath, grabbing Shard's other arm, and took a while to recover.

When she lifted her head again, she felt the strands of hair on her forehead sticking to her skin with sweat. She wanted to check on her companions, but found that except for unwiped blood on Shard's face, he seemed unfazed:

"Are you really human?"

The Witch Empress prided herself on being well-informed, but the past half-hour's experiences had greatly astonished her.

Shard calculated the time; he was about to leave:

"A moment ago, you were doubting my gender, and now you're questioning my race?"

"The Night Watchman at your feet can only confirm you're not an evil being, not presume your race."

The partially recovered witch said, Shard didn't want to linger on this topic; he truly had no time left:

"What should we do about the deity's trial?"

"Let's return to the camp first and check what we have. This is really troublesome; before coming to Lost Lake, I didn't anticipate such a situation. I thought the deity's trial would be something like solving riddles or dueling..."

Miss Violet said, to which Miss Teresa nodded and spoke to Shard:

"Sir, I won't say much in thanks. Your... performance just now was truly astonishing. Please share your thoughts."

"If we need to demonstrate personal wisdom, and it has to be the crystallization of wisdom, I think writing a thesis or creating an unprecedented invention is at least easier than crafting a Philosopher's Stone by hand."

Shard said, Miss Teresa agreed:

"I think so too, but such inventions must be innovative. Even if overlapping with previous work, they must have new points."

Miss Violet thought for a moment:

"Our belongings probably don't count as the crystallization of our wisdom, so let's each make some attempts. I plan to improve a magic potion. The basic Fire Resistance Potion has had at least seven revisions; I'll try to see if I can find the eighth improvement direction."

"I just need to write my thesis, so I'll finish the third chapter here first."

Miss Teresa said hesitantly.

"Why the third chapter?"

Shard curiously asked, Miss Teresa released his arm and explained somewhat frustratedly:

"The first chapter is the introduction, the second chapter is theoretical research findings, and the third chapter involves the valuable content."

After the preceding events, her attitude toward Shard had noticeably improved:

"I originally thought I could leave the academy and adventure outside, justifying delays in writing. Didn't expect to start my thesis in such an uncomfortable place without a desk. If I'd known this would happen, I would have stayed in the academy, writing my thesis in my single dorm with a sea view. My tutor will surely make fun of me when I return."

Miss Violet seemed amused; she turned to Shard:

"You seem to have your own ideas too?"

"Yes, I plan to write a thesis on advanced mathematics, but I need to consider the specific content."

"Advanced mathematics? Didn't expect you to be a scholar too."

The Grand Witch grew even more curious about Shard:

"But, I want to know more about your past. You mentioned earlier that you had visited deities multiple times; apparently, it wasn't an exaggeration. After leaving Lost Lake, would you be interested in visiting me? I guarantee a life of wealth and honor for you."

She had fully grown interested in Shard.

"This story is long, perhaps another time. Also, I wish to learn about the current material world's situation from you."

Shard said, looking at the dense fog outside the tower:

"Roughly... I don't know when I can return, but next time I will come with my thesis."

He waved his hand, Miss Teresa looked at him puzzled, and Miss Violet frowned and said:

"What are you going to do?"

"I think I must leave."

Shard turned to look at the tower:

"I can't stay here for too long. Now, I must return."

As he spoke, both ladies saw the surrounding white mist sweep toward the young handsome man, wrapping him like a giant cocoon.

"Leave?"

Miss Teresa was shocked and reached out to grab his arm, but her hand passed through his body, as if passing through a phantom.

"Indeed, you are different from us."

Miss Violet snorted. The Witch Empress didn't know what Shard truly was, but she understood his stance:

"Next time you come, remember to bring red wine; we've consumed too much of our beverages."

"No problem. I hope we can eventually complete the three trials of the Deity. By the way, Miss Violet, don't forget to pick up your hat."

He waved goodbye to the witches, and the white mist completely enveloped him, while an unknown wind caused the mist to swirl around Shard.

Miss Teresa wanted to say something else, but when the swirling mist settled and dispersed evenly, Shard, who had been standing in front of the tower, was already gone.

The young witch blinked:

"Your Majesty, was that not an illusion?"

Miss Violet hesitated for a moment before nodding:

"I believe it was not."

Speaking, she didn't first pick up her hat but instead pulled out the Night Watchman from the ground. Holding the sword hilt, she suddenly froze, taking a full three seconds to recover.

"What's wrong?"

Miss Teresa was shocked to see the Witch Empress hesitantly looking at the longsword in her hand:

"I once told you that this sword can inherit the combat memories of heroes of the past."

"Yes."

"I have used this sword many times, but just now, when I touched it, a memory of fighting against undead appeared. Yes, undead overwhelming from all directions. I saw someone use this Ritual Sword to cut across the undead army with Sunlight Ray. Although the power was not strong, the technique was commendable."

"The strange events today seem to be a bit too many, don't you think?"

Miss Teresa commented softly, and Miss Violet pondered for a moment before suddenly asking:

"Do you remember the stories passed down through generations among the students of the Three Great Magic Academies?"

"Are you referring to those ridiculous academy legends?"

Miss Teresa nodded, still not graduated, and quite familiar with those stories:

"There are many stories, such as some ancient witches not dying but sleeping somewhere."

"Pure lies; witches are mortals, and mortals eventually die."

"Violating the curfew at night will get you taken to the basement for punishment by the academy's disciplinary staff..."

"Young girls tend to have wild imaginations; in reality, they are just taken to the observatory to blow cold wind all night."

"Divine secrets are hidden in each of the Three Great Magic Academies."

"Partially true, but only some forbidden knowledge."

"Cheating in exams is always discovered, no one has ever escaped it."

"Of course, some have succeeded. I... let's move on."

The Witch Empress blushed and skipped this topic.

"When young witches encounter danger, the Deity will send a kind, brave, upright, beautiful, and very well-shaped lady to rescue those kind-hearted girls."

Miss Teresa said, and Miss Violet sighed:

"Yes, that's the one."

The former hesitated for a moment, her eyes puzzled:

"Isn't that just young girls' whimsical fantasies during puberty? I admit, when I first enrolled, I also thought about similar things."

"Of course, it's whimsical, akin to those dirty storybooks circulating in the academy. But there is some truth, though the initial rumors were quite horrifying. I only heard it while visiting Saint Byrons. The original version was not about a well-shaped lady but a strange man appearing from the mist to help when witches encounter the Deity and face difficulties."

Miss Violet paused, her eyes fixed on the longsword in her hand:

"Men are like excrement in our eyes, so the original legend quickly got twisted, and no one ever believed it was true..."

"Are we experiencing a true legend?"

The tenth-grade witch asked in disbelief:

"If I wrote this experience into a thesis, maybe..."

"After leaving Lost Lake, you won't retain much memory, and most of your records will disappear. Even if you still remember him, do not leave any records, yes, any records."

Miss Violet said seriously, and Miss Teresa froze, then reluctantly nodded:

"Yes, Aunt."

They were distant relatives.

"Let's go back. The road to return to camp is not easy. However, I'm genuinely curious about what surprises that gentleman will bring when he returns."

Saying this, she beckoned to the hat on the ground, which flew into her hand. Suddenly furrowing her brows, she asked Miss Teresa with curiosity:

"Now that I think about it, why didn't we ask for his name?"