Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic
Chapter 958 - 958: The Demon's Coins

The time was getting late. After leaving the riverside, Shard didn't linger in Huntington City. He directly rode back to the White Valley Vineyard and then returned home.

Because he had wasted some time in the riverside cave, it was already somewhat late when he got home. The early evening lights of Saint Delan Square cast the warm yellow glow of gas lamps through the curtains on the first floor into the room.

At this time, Luviya, who had arranged to have dinner with Shard, had already finished work and was playing with the cat in the living room when Shard was going upstairs. Shard had mentioned to the maid at Galina Manor to send the cat to the Prophet's Society in the evening, so he didn't need to waste time going out of the city again.

Hearing Shard's footsteps on the stairs, one person and one cat went to the second-floor door to welcome him. Luviya immediately noticed the box Shard was holding as he appeared at the turn of the stairs:

"Shard, was everything smooth in Huntington today?"

"It went reasonably well. I found something, so it wasn't a waste of time."

He raised the box in his hand slightly:

"Luviya, wait a moment while I change clothes, and then we'll head out for dinner. Oh, it's so late already, sorry for making you wait so long."

He casually placed the box on the cabinet by the door and then went into the bedroom to pick out clothes to wear out.

"I'm not in a hurry, but your cat is probably about to lose patience. I fed it some cat food, but it only ate a few pieces."

Luviya said with a smile, and Mia wagged her tail as she followed Shard into the bedroom, happily jumping onto the bed to play with the "Fish Training Ring" that Shard had tossed over—Shard had washed the ring at the vineyard to ensure there was no smell of mice.

Luviya also wanted to follow into the bedroom, but realizing that the night was still long and there was no rush, she casually opened the wooden box Shard had placed on the cabinet.

"Mia knows I'm going out for dinner tonight, so it's waiting for a big meal..."

"Oh~"

Opening the wooden box, the purple-eyed girl felt as if her eyes were immediately lit up by the box of jewelry. She gasped softly and inserted her slender fingers among the jewels to examine them closely, confirming that the box was filled with jewelry and not just a shallow layer:

"Detective, did you rob an unfortunate jewelry store or ransack some cruel noble's manor when you went to Huntington City this afternoon?"

She eyed the carved wooden box:

"Or did you win this playing Roder Card?"

"Of course not, I found the hideout of a Circle Sorcerer who died a dozen years ago, this is his property."

Shard replied vaguely, and Luviya heard the sound of him throwing clothes onto the bed.

Thus, the purple-eyed girl held the wooden box and also walked into the bedroom. The main bedroom's gas lamp was very bright, the curtains tightly closed, Shard stood in front of the wardrobe by the desk, with the wardrobe's double doors open, he took out a white shirt held up by a hanger with his upper body bare, and Mia crouched on the bed. Or rather, the cat crouched on the clothes Shard had taken off, staring at him with bright eyes, looking very eager.

"Nice physique."

Luviya smiled, complimenting as she looked at Shard's profile, and placed the box on the desk in the bedroom.

"Before we go out, check the coins inside. One of them is a relic, but I can't identify it. It should just be a Poet-Level Relic, I think its original owner didn't even know what it was."

Shard said, turning his head as he pulled on the shirt, preparing to button the collar when Luviya approached him, taking his raised right hand with her left to stop him, placing her pale right hand on his chest.

"Shard, you really can never relax."

Luviya said, and Shard looked at her. The up-close purple-eyed girl gently pulled her right hand down, but her palm didn't touch Shard's skin, only tracing three or four centimeters with her fingertip, stopping at his stomach.

"Hmm..."

Shard attempted to speak but paused:

"Are we still going out for dinner tonight?"

"Of course, or else your cat will surely be angry with me."

"It's not that smart... okay, it is that smart."

The Mia crouching on the bed had a grumpy look on its face, appearing somewhat impatient.

"Let me help you button up."

Luviya said, her right hand leaving Shard's skin and helping him button up with both hands. Shard spread his arms to allow her to move:

"I went to quite a few places this afternoon and encountered a foul-mouthed mouse. Although I did find a clue, who knows if it will lead to the truth."

"Having a clue means it wasn't wasted time."

Luviya said, buttoning the lowest button and glancing at Shard's wardrobe:

"Have you already put away the summer clothes?"

"Yes, every Saturday Miss Galina sends maids to help me clean the house. They've placed my summer clothes in the walk-in closet of the master bedroom and left me a note indicating the location. I must admit, living in this bedroom is definitely more convenient than the previous one."

Luviya picked out a black warm vest and a thick coat from the wardrobe and helped Shard put them on:

"We can talk about your adventure this afternoon at dinner, or we can talk when we get back... Didn't you say you have something that glows to show me tonight?"

She asked with a smile, adjusting Shard's sleeve. Shard felt that Luviya still hadn't grasped his meaning, but explaining now was surely not the right move, so he responded with silence.

The girl with purple eyes gracefully asked:

"I mentioned in the morning that I bought new pajamas. Do you prefer purple or white?"

[Like them both.]

"She" was very aware of Shard's thoughts, but what Shard actually said was:

"Though this might be clichéd, I rather like you, and it has nothing to do with the pajamas."

Luviya playfully punched Shard:

"Get dressed quickly, honestly, Detective, these lines weren't taught to you by the Princess, were they?"

The smile at the corner of her mouth was definitely not feigned.

Once dressed, Shard held the cat that was starving, and went with Luviya to the restaurant with a reserved seat on Silver Cross Avenue. During dinner, while listening to Shard recount his afternoon adventure, Luviya fiddled with the coin he found.

For her "special divination," Luviya had specifically searched for and collected information on currency relics. Though Shard couldn't identify what it was, she effortlessly found out through comparison and confirmation:

"Poet-Level Relic [Cat and Dog Coin]."

She placed the gold coin upright on the table with one hand, gently twisted it with her fingers, and the coin started spinning. This coin was about the same size as a one-pound gold coin, the side Shard considered the front had the portrait of an unfamiliar woman, and the back displayed a simplified symbol of the number "one," a foundational contemporary mathematical symbol.

Engraved on the coin's edge was a circle of text:

"[Cat and Dog, You and Me.]"

"Giving this coin to any feline or canine, mixed breed included, but their cat or dog lineage must be more than fifty percent. If the creature willingly accepts the coin, then it's equivalent to making a contract. The creature that accepts the coin voluntarily becomes the pet of the creature offering the coin, absolutely loyal, absolutely reliable, daring to sacrifice, and will never betray. Before the 'owner' dies, this relationship cannot be dissolved by any means. It's like buying the life of cats and dogs, quite interesting, isn't it?"

Luviya pressed the coin that was about to topple over, while Shard, who was cutting the beef steak with red wine sauce using a knife and fork, glanced at the little Mia eating food nearby:

"Can this kind of coin be used to enslave another soul?"

"You can interpret it like that."

Luviya nodded, also glancing at Shard's cat.

"Was this coin forged by demons?"

"Yes, you guessed right."

Luviya held the coin lightly, raising it slightly. The light from the ceiling crystal lamp made it seem as though it was glowing too:

"Negative traits, once the coin is given out, after both parties die, a dreadful existence, likely referring to the demon that forged these coins, will appear and take one party's soul, allowing the other to continue on."

"Which party's soul does it take?"

Shard asked with interest, wondering whether Dr. Schneider would be interested in such a coin.

"It's decided by the pet. Yes, the pet decides whether to sacrifice itself to protect its beloved owner or let the damned owner be taken by the demon."

Luviya whispered, pushing the coin back to Shard. Shard thought of his friend, Mr. Sean Asmon, the Demonologist, and the stories he told of the Demons of the Third Era:

"They really are creatures filled with wicked humor."

After dinner, Shard didn't take Luviya home immediately. Instead, they went together to the Dawn Chapel and donated fifty percent of the banknotes and coins found in Huntington City this afternoon to the Church.

Winter had arrived, and the Church was customarily raising funds for the poor. This money would be used for buying relief food and post-snow relief supplies. Shard donated part of the cash because it wasn't truly his money, and since he decided to keep the beautiful box of jewelry, giving away this unexpected gain was a relief.

That night, Shard did find a chance to show Luviya the flying stone tablet he acquired, but Luviya seemed uninterested, vaguely suggesting it might be something like a key.

The stone tablet failed to interest the girl, but her new pajamas certainly intrigued Shard. Luviya was clearly prepared, preventing Shard, who initially intended to spend the night browsing books found in Huntington, from getting the chance to retrieve a book from the study until lights out at two in the morning.

"Oh, Shard! How could you fall into such decadence and sloth? Didn't you forget your end-of-year exam review plans you set earlier?"

So first thing upon waking Tuesday morning, Shard grumbled about himself.