Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic
Chapter 942 - 942: "Hide and Seek

Strictly speaking, the "Guiding Light Hermitage" and the "Apna Library" are both neutral Circle Sorcerer organizations. However, the doomsday theory propagated by the former is indeed considered 'heresy' in this idealistic world, and the latter has been strictly scrutinized by the Church due to their recent collaboration with the Truth Society. Coupled with the fact that the data in the briefcase relates to The Chosen One, this transaction indeed counts as an illegal underground trade.

"I've become an antagonist too."

Because the action went so smoothly, Shard joked in his mind. "Her" laughter was still so pleasant and gentle, which made Shard feel even better.

[What kind of unexpected events did you think you'd encounter?]

"She" whispered in Shard's ear, and Shard, while watching his step, answered. Walking in the foggy cemetery, the most dangerous thing wasn't the ghosts, but the inconspicuous stones:

"Like running into a double-cross. Since the transaction content is related to The Chosen One, perhaps someone else has their eye on this data too. Even if the Truth Society is working with the Apna Library, I still believe other organizations might be interested in these materials."

Thinking of this, Shard paused and looked around vigilantly:

"Oh, I must have lost my mind. Since I haven't completed the task, how can I think of such things?"

[Is this that ridiculous 'superstition' of yours again?]

"She" whispered in Shard's ear again, and Shard raised his hand to touch his ear, actually checking to see if anyone was behind him:

"No, no, this is not superstition, balancing luck is superstition."

Shard answered rather stubbornly:

"Before completing the task, you absolutely can't think of such things. But it seems like I'm having decent luck tonight. Look, I didn't run into a double-cross... If I really did, I could have Old John pay more."

Thinking of this, he laughed. Ahead in the mist, he could already see the fence of the graveyard. He spoke to himself inwardly while slipping the briefcase, now turned into a toy, into his pocket with his robe.

Once he crossed the fence in a bit, all he needed was a place to change clothes before safely entering the city.

[Isn't it possible, aside from your so-called double-cross, that something else unexpected might happen tonight?]

"She" laughed and asked Shard in his ear again.

"Like what?"

He dripped the Wind Vane Bluegrass Extract on his tongue, preparing to climb over the fence and leave the cemetery. But after taking a couple of steps forward, he suddenly furrowed his brows and halted, looking at the fence in front of him.

The golden threads, which ordinary eyes couldn't see, were wrapped around the fence. Looking across the entire graveyard, every fence was covered with gold-colored threads. Those slightly glowing things were intangible entities composed of Spirit and Element, fluttering in the wind and clinging to the fences.

"Is this... Miracle Element? This feature, is it the Divine Arts of the Peace Church?"

Shard was a bit shocked, and "She" expressed Shard's current thought:

[For instance, the risk tonight is that the Church uncovered your illegal trade.]

Subconsciously stepping back, Shard then realized that the Church squad must be nearby, and it would be best for him to leave quickly. The threads attached to the fence ahead were clearly a warning Arcane Technique, and upon his investigation to the left and right, the continuous threads left no gaps:

"What kind of divine arts is this?"

He couldn't discern whether the golden threads before him were capable of detecting spatial changes, but waiting for a change while staying in the cemetery was definitely the worst choice. While considering whether to take the risk and use "Red Butterfly Incarnation" to turn into a butterfly and fly over from the high altitude, he suddenly heard a dull noise from afar.

The sound was quite distinct in the silent night, although the night fog made it impossible for Shard to discern what had happened on the opposite side of the cemetery. Judging by the direction, it was highly probable that the Circle Sorcerer Shard had just traded with had already engaged with the Church:

"Indeed, the people from Apna Library should be more afraid of the Church than I am. I was merely acting as a 'postman' for illegal trade. They were just warned by the Church for colluding with the Truth Society recently. If they are caught trading the Fragment of Poem Chapter again, they would face serious trouble!"

Understanding this, Shard became even more suspicious that the Church being able to ambush here tonight was most likely due to a leak from the Apna Library.

After all, although Old John appeared to have no power and was just an ordinary shop owner, Shard knew that such old gentlemen were more terrifying. The Guiding Light Hermitage was quite an ancient and secretive organization. Even Miss Feliana from the Forest of Thousand Trees era was convinced they could pass down from the Fifth Era to Shard's time. Therefore, compared to Old John, Shard was more inclined to believe that the information leaked from the Apna Library.

"How interesting, but when I see Old Man John later, I'll have a reason to ask for a price increase."

Thinking this, Shard frowned at the golden threads on the fence before him:

"What the hell is this divine arts?"

Thinking a bit about it, he considered that it would be better to take a risk and try rather than just standing still:

"Lagre's Leap!"

Stepping forward, as his boot touched the ground, he had already leaped out of the cemetery into the woodland. This time, the spatial leap felt somewhat different than usual; typically, performing such an Arcane Technique felt like walking, but this time it felt like he was touching a layer of water membrane.

Once he steadied himself, his ears immediately caught a low chirping of night-flying birds in the night sky. Looking back at the golden threads on the fence, at the spot where Shard had leaped out, the broken threads turned into specks of dust and disappeared:

"The True God Church is indeed professional."

With this in mind, Shard dissipated into a swarm of butterflies, flying not in the direction away from the cemetery but rather back into it.

Casting a glance at the vaguely visible figures running from afar, Shard activated the Silence Charm and then casually picked a direction to walk in quickly through the thick fog. Before long, he saw the lights of the small chapel in the graveyard from a distance.

Shard wasn't certain how many people the Church had arranged to capture the "illegal trade" tonight, but for now, it seemed like there were probably no more than a fully equipped Circle Sorcerer squad. Instead of hiding in the church, he glanced around in the fog and treaded the muddy ground to the side of the small chapel. Due to its age, the area was densely packed with tombstones:

"Red Butterfly Illusion."

A few fluttering red butterflies flew from Shard's chest, scattering bits of crimson light in the mist. Shard stood still, allowing these red butterflies to perch on his shoulders. He could still see himself, but if anyone else were to scan this area now, they would only see a set of unremarkable tombstones.

The spell "Red Butterfly Illusion" differed from the temporarily sealed Arcane Technique "Illusion of the Moon Shadow" in that the former was more inclined to create illusions rather than conceal. Therefore, Shard utilized the power of this illusion to make his appearance blend perfectly with the stone cross old tombstones standing here.

Although the Circle Sorcerer squad of the Church must include a sorcerer with the power to dispel illusions, combined with the darkness, the fog, and considering the foundational power of the Angel-Level Relic from which the "Red Butterfly Illusion" derives, Shard believed he would not be easily discovered... especially since the Circle Sorcerers of the Peace Church were still dealing with another exposed person.

Just as Shard had predicted, he stood in the thick fog, and indeed, no one came over. From afar, a few dark shapes ran through the mist, and their walking manner seemed less like living people and more like undead similar to "living corpses."

This led Shard to speculate further that perhaps the cemetery wasn't solely for the two people attending the trade tonight.

Standing in the darkness and feeling the wind blow for over twenty minutes, Shard began to move only when he was certain he would not be discovered. An old tombstone moving through the mist was, of course, very odd, so Shard could only walk and stop along paths where tombstones might appear. Whenever he reached a place unsuitable for a tombstone to appear, he adjusted the illusion to disguise himself either as a dead tree or a broken wooden box.

This method was quite effective. Until Shard reached the cemetery's main gate, crossing over the distorted gate damaged by some unknown force, no one came to trouble him.

Even after leaving the cemetery, Shard remained vigilant. He glanced back at the foggy cemetery, and surely there was a figure of a man quickly approaching.

He didn't discover Shard hidden in the fog and stumbled to the cemetery gate until he could no longer support himself and collapsed there. Struggling to prop himself up, he found a hand appeared before him:

"Need some help?"

Shard, revealing himself voluntarily, asked. Quite coincidentally, perhaps both of them were lucky, this person who also escaped the cemetery was indeed a member of the "Apna Library" with whom he had just traded.

He was emitting darkness and remained motionless on the ground, but Shard knew he was still conscious.

Revealing himself was not simply for kindness. Shard also remembered that a third of the Time Slate was most likely in the hands of the Apna Library. This was an opportunity to establish a connection and perhaps make a trade soon.

"Yes, you definitely need help."

Thinking of this, Shard pulled the man up without much ado.

"Come with me, or wait to be caught by the Church?"

He tapped his mask, indicating his identity to the other person. His tone carried a hint of lightheartedness, as if they weren't illegal traders being hunted by the Church.