Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic
Chapter 947 - 947: Blessing of the Sage

The invisible staircase is not a straight path, but twists unpredictably as it ascends. Although each segment connects, the degree of twisting far exceeds Shard's imagination. They move quite slowly, with the witch behind them tugging at the hem of Shard's shirt, watching closely where his feet tread.

When Shard tried to recreate in his mind the exterior appearance of the entire twisted staircase, the spirals and turns that defy normal human logic made him grunt and nearly stumble. The construction of this staircase employed terrifying knowledge, and its design is itself part of the knowledge.

The height of the tower's first floor is much taller than it appears from the outside. The three of them climbed at least twice the height visible from outside, yet still did not see the second floor.

And as they climbed higher, the presence of the Deity began to weigh on Miss Teresa, making it difficult for her to continue. The young witch was unwilling to become a burden to her companions, but eventually had to be supported by Miss Violet.

Continuously ascending like this, in the 14th minute of Shard's venture into this lost time of adventure, they finally saw a floating bronze door appear above.

Carefully moving upwards on the invisible staircase, when they finally arrived at the door, both Shard and Miss Violet breathed a sigh of relief:

"The Deity is on the second floor behind the door, I'm going to open it now."

Shard gave a quick warning to those behind him, and with a gentle push, the door opened—there was no test from the Deity concerning the door. Without hesitation, Shard stepped through the door, discovering himself standing on solid ground, which greatly improved his mood. The thought of having to navigate the staircase again on the way out, however, slightly troubled him.

[I've remembered the position of all the stairs.]

Shard's spirits lifted considerably.

The environment on the second floor of the tower is very interesting. The scenery of the first floor is a mist-covered lake, while the second floor resembles a streamside.

The mist is still prevalent here, with one side being the bank and the other the stream. The shore is a pebbly beach, and the water flows from one direction to another, but upon closer inspection, the source of the flow is indiscernible.

However, neither on the pebbly beach nor on the water's surface could the traces of the Lake Goddess, [The Undefined Sage], be seen.

Miss Violet supported Miss Teresa at Shard's back, the Grand Witch glanced at the golden mark on Shard's body, resisting the urge to touch it:

"Could the Deity be on the third floor?"

"No, right here."

Shard replied, then extended his hand:

"I think I know what's going on; the ancient wisdom deity that departed is related to water, so... give me all your essays."

The witches handed their two essays to Shard, who then took out his own essay, approaching the stream under their watchful eyes.

Bending over, he tossed Miss Violet's essay on modifying the Fire Resistance Potion into the water, and it drifted away from the shore, gradually sinking.

"Congratulations, Miss Violet."

Shard said softly, the Witch Empress behind him barely managed a smile.

He bent over and tossed the third chapter of Miss Teresa's graduation thesis into the water. It drifted away from the shore but then drifted back.

"Hmm... Miss Teresa, I'm afraid your graduation thesis isn't qualified."

The witch from the Xerxes Higher Medical Academy was held up by her grandaunt, feeling extremely unlucky at the moment.

Bending over, he threw his own mathematics essay into the water, and it spun and submerged, drifting away from the shore.

"Thank you, Miss Sylvia!"

Shard softly praised in his heart, picking up Miss Teresa's essay and returning it to the witches, handing the paper back to her. The Ten Rings young witch took the slightly wet pages with furrowed brows, and Shard seemed to see Miss Violet's smile.

The originally gentle flowing stream began to ripple after Shard backed away. Waiting a moment, a vortex appeared on the surface of the stream, and the Deity slowly rose from it.

She stood barefoot in the vortex, wearing a long purple robe. The saint appeared as a lady with golden hair and black eyes, wearing a pointed hat. The left lens of her glasses was star-shaped, and the right lens was an equilateral triangle.

Her hands held two essays each, the wisdom crystals of Shard and Miss Violet.

"Oh, Deity~"

The three of them each greeted the Deity, who smiled down at them from above the stream:

"You have brought your crystals of wisdom, completing the first trial."

As the light of the essays faded away, Shard and Miss Violet also sighed with some relief.

"Great One, may I ask what our second trial is?"

Shard asked softly, but the saint slightly shook her head:

"My trial only required one crystal of wisdom, yet you have brought two. Before I give you the second trial, you deserve an additional reward."

Shard blinked, understanding this as an extra reward for exceeding the trial's requirements:

"May I ask, what do you wish to give us?"

The witches anticipated what the Deity would announce as their reward, surprised at Shard's boldness in directly asking.

The Deity radiated a faint glow and asked him from the stream, her soft voice brimming with sanctity:

"Before I give you the additional gift, please answer me: to what is wisdom comparable?"

This question was no challenge for Shard:

"Water. Wisdom is as formless as flowing water, yet just like water, it can shape all things."

Whether it was the Deity before him or the "Lake Goddess" of the Sixth Era, or the trial of The Chosen One, they all appeared with flowing water. Though Shard hadn't explored the mystery deeply, the answer came to him the moment the Deity asked.

"Yes, wisdom is like a flowing stream, living eternally."

With a long sigh from the Deity, three transparent droplets of water flew towards the foreheads of the three. None of them blocked the droplets, and as they touched their brows, a refreshing sensation left the trio feeling as if they awakened from a deep dream. A massive influx of spirit and miraculous elements entered their bodies and souls, not granting Shard a new Spirit Rune or Sorcery, but a blessing.

This wasn't a temporary blessing like the "Verdant Blessing" given by the "Father of the Infinite Tree," but a permanent blessing akin to the "God of Gambling's Blessing."

"Blessing of the Sage. It does not elevate your wisdom, nor does it grant you extraordinary talents beyond the common man. But when you are lost in uncertainty or faced with temptation, you can find clarity more swiftly. The Sage never directly grants power; the Sage only offers guidance."

This equates to resisting multiple negative mental states such as "Enchantment," "Bewilderment," "Confusion," etc., not a complete resistance, but it can unconditionally increase resistance, which is always delightful.

"Thank you for your generosity, Deity."

The three expressed their gratitude together, Miss Violet was pleased to have received the god's blessing for doing almost nothing; Miss Teresa felt a bit troubled as she hadn't contributed anything; Shard realized that although the god set specific trials, exceeding the trial is rewarded.

This made him even more enthusiastic about the key from Year 5177 of the Fifth Era.

The voice of the deity continued:

"Your second trial, offer a sacrifice sufficient to satisfy me."

Shard respectfully inquired:

"What kind of sacrifice?"

"Water."

"Any requirements?"

"Consider it yourself."

"How to satisfy you?"

"It requires your wisdom."

Shard took a deep breath, knowing that once again he needed to seek out in the space-time of the Sixth Era:

"God, give us some time. Also, could you tell us the third trial together?"

Next time would be his third usage of this time key, and if he learned that the third trial could not be completed immediately next time, then he would be in trouble.

"Complete the second trial to learn the third."

The god spoke, and seeing Shard did not continue asking, disappeared into the mist over the stream with the vortex. The stream returned to tranquility, leaving the three standing by the creek.

Inside the tower is not a good place for discussion, so the three left the tower first and only started discussing after reaching outside. It was already the 26th minute since Shard arrived here; it seemed he still could not return to the camp with the witches this time.

"Does the book record what kind of sacrifices followers of this Great One usually offer?"

Miss Teresa was still recovering, and when Shard saw Miss Violet had regained herself, he immediately asked. Her Majesty the Witch Emperor came prepared to the Lost Lake of the Shattered Isles; she must have investigated this deity in advance.

"Clear lake water, morning dew, the tears of a baby's first cry."

Miss Violet said, the benevolent gods of the Fifth Era, like the five true gods of the Sixth Era, never demanded sacrifices from mortals. And if mortals did wish to offer sacrifices, they would use ordinary items that were not hard to get.

For instance, the sacrifices under the holy emblem of the Father of Peace were often veterans' weapons or feathers fallen from white doves; the texts hand-copied at dawn were offered to Mr. Dawn, whom Shard and Priest Augustus believed in.

Only evil gods, including but not limited to the Lord of the Blood Feast and the indiscreet Vampire Duke, would demand living sacrifices.

Shard and Miss Violet were talking, when they heard Miss Teresa retching again, and the Witch Emperor frowned, checking on her condition:

"The higher you ascend in the tower, the greater the Great One's influence on mortals. Teresa stayed too long on the second floor; next time, she cannot come with us."

"No, Aunt, since I've already come here, how can I give up..."

Miss Teresa said painfully, though her body was unharmed, her spirit was the main concern.

"Your graduation thesis will always have a solution."

Shard advised, then placed his hand on Miss Teresa's forehead:

"Cyndia's Silvermoon Blessing."

This healing ability specializes in spiritual healing; although it can only be used at night, it is very effective for spiritual wounds. Miss Violet should also have similar power, but she needs to preserve her spirit to prevent the next attack. Moreover, to the Grand Witch of the Thirteen Rings, such injuries could be healed over time and didn't need treatment.

"It's not the graduation thesis issue, nor is it for obtaining the deity's blessings like this time. Her Majesty Violet, how many such opportunities does a mortal have?"

Miss Teresa raised her head with difficulty, standing straight before Shard with his hand gripping hers, feeling the power of Shard's silvery glow in his right hand:

"Sir, I am not like you. I am just an ordinary witch."

Although her spirit remained weak, her gaze was still so powerful.

"Alright then."

Shard nodded.

"You're not going to persuade her more?"

Miss Violet asked with a smile, looking Shard up and down:

"I thought you would say life is more important."

"Life is indeed important, but for some people, the pursuit of knowledge and exploration is more important. To witness the view from a higher place, sometimes a cost must be paid, and so I admire those courageous and rational climbers. Though Miss Teresa has not yet graduated, she is also an adult, and for the choice she made for herself, why should I refute it?"

Shard asked rhetorically, as the bespectacled witch receiving Shard's treatment showed a slight smile, and Miss Violet nodded somewhat surprisedly, raising her eyebrows:

"To hear such words from a man's mouth, it is indeed surprising. Oh, this is not gender discrimination, just a summary of life experience. Yes, the brave and rational climbers."

She touched her cheek:

"Like her, without my kind of beauty, one indeed can only pursue truth and wisdom to climb higher. Yes, Schultz, I will still bring you next time, but be prepared for the possibility of not returning."

Shard looked at Miss Teresa's expression again... she had no expression. The Witch Emperor of the Fifth Era, though differed slightly from what Shard imagined, overall, indeed conformed to his imagination.