Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic
Chapter 961 - 961: Knowledge Pursues Each Individual

The years have left deep marks on this arrow, whose appearance is the most perfect work of art and an ancient relic. Shard gazed at the arrow in the redwood box, with whispers echoing in his ears. As the image of the arrowhead seemed to imprint itself into his mind, strange whispers and inexplicable thoughts urged him to immediately pierce the arrow into his own heart.

Shard craved the power of knowledge, and this arrow seemed to be yearning for the gaze of the Outlander.

He took a deep breath, focusing his mind to resist the influence of the relic. Extending his finger, he touched the cold and piercing golden arrowhead, and "her" voice echoed in his ears:

[Arcane Technique - Ancient Sound triggered, you have learned a tale from the First Era.]

[The ancient God of Wisdom once crafted myths of mortals with the Sage of Silvermoon on the earth of the First Era. The Recorder silently wrote everything, while the Secret-Keeping Mentor polished the Arrow of Knowledge and Power, protecting mortals seeking brightness in the unlit darkness. The Ancient God once said: "Knowledge hides in the world, wisdom conceals within the soul. The Sage is like water, destined to depart; the Fool is like fire, burning everything."]

Directly touching this Sage-Level Relic, even though Shard possessed exceedingly strong spiritual power and considered himself resolute, he still had to muster great determination to once again cover the box after hearing "her" tale.

"This item contains the power of the Ancient God [Secret-Keeping Mentor], one of the three conditions for the Chosen One Ceremony has been met."

He closed his eyes, trying his best to forget the whispers he just heard, and expelled the image of the arrow from his mind. When he reopened his eyes, he saw Professor Drake, who had recovered, looking at him with some concern.

The professor and Shard both saw the [Aikenora-Arrow of Knowledge] in the wooden box, but the professor didn't show any strange expression, as if he only saw an antique.

"Professor, did you feel anything special?"

"What special feeling?"

Professor Drake asked curiously:

"Do you mean, did something come to my mind? Sorry, I merely feel that this arrow is very familiar, but I still don't know how it came into my possession."

Shard frowned slightly, realizing that the whisper element would not directly affect them because the arrow had not been removed from its containment box. However, the mental influence brought by directly looking at the relic and the impulse to use the arrow arising from the depths of his heart would appear as long as one gazed upon the relic.

"Look again."

He said, opening the box again, and Shard immediately sensed the relic's influence once more. Yet, Professor Drake still showed no reaction, as if the box merely contained an ordinary antique.

"This is definitely not my problem, so it must be the professor's."

Shard continued to observe Professor Drake, who grew even more perplexed:

"Is something wrong with me?"

"I contacted Professor Tiris Manning of Tobesk, and he praised you as an extremely inspired person. Facing anomalies, you are always able to be the first to notice something's off, and you consistently find the most suitable research direction."

Shard pursed his lips:

"After your adventure with the 'Lake Goddess,' does this unique talent still exist?"

The professor reflected for a moment, then shook his head slightly:

"That adventure and the fact of the broken leg had a significant impact on me. Yes, ever since that adventure, I have indeed become much duller."

Shard thought back to the time he first came to Professor Drake and got the photograph with the "Swamp Witch's Curse." That time, he was immediately affected by the curse, yet Professor Drake felt absolutely nothing.

"It seems your wish also included erasing some unique talents."

Shard spoke cautiously, and the professor's expression grew more forlorn:

"Oh God, what kind of wish did I make back then?"

He looked down at the teacup in his hands, the swirling steam blurring his glasses.

Shard had some new ideas and opened the box once again, this time directly extracting the arrow:

"Professor, I'd like to cut your finger with this arrow."

Although Professor Drake didn't know what Shard intended to do, he didn't object. So Shard, very carefully, used the sharp arrowhead to make a small cut on Professor Drake's finger. The cut was so shallow that it barely pierced the skin, requiring effort before any blood oozed out.

The old professor frowned slightly, lifting his gaze from his finger to look at Shard holding the arrow:

"It's quite interesting, my mind seems to have acquired some knowledge."

He patted his head:

"Fragments of knowledge, it seems to be about ancient insect-eaters, oh, what is all this?"

Shard asked inwardly:

"If I recall correctly, an ordinary person scratched by it either becomes a Gifted One or dies a slow death. Whereas if a Circle Sorcerer is scratched, it results in..."

[A strange addition of knowledge in their mind.]

Shard pursed his lips, extended his hand, and gestured for the professor to shake hands with him. After shaking hands, Shard once again confirmed that Professor Drake was an ordinary person.

"In the letters organized by Dorothy from Professor Manning, it was stated that Professor Drake is extremely ambitious, pursuing knowledge and wisdom throughout his life. The special physical conditions described in the two missing letters, the hallucinations, and enhanced physical functions, are very consistent with the awakening state of a Circle Sorcerer... I think I understand."

To prevent Father Nobel from having an incorrect description of this relic, Shard used the arrowhead to scratch his own finger. As he experienced the peculiar sensation of pain, he detected some bizarre knowledge flowing into his mind.

Suddenly, he furrowed his brow; the knowledge related to sins and living sacrifices contained an ancient script that he had seen once before.

"Professor, do you remember the book we found last time while searching through the letters? The one with strange writing that said [Knowledge is Power]."

"Yes, you even translated the text for me."

The professor, still pondering the bizarre phenomena, nodded.

"I have some speculations regarding this. Could it be possible that the text was written by you?"

"But I don't recognize that script."

"Not recognizing it now doesn't mean you didn't recognize it before."

Speaking, Shard took the book out, then had the professor compare the line of letters, and rewrite the letters. The letters of the Ancient Script looked like complex spirals, and even copying them by sight resulted in a significant difference. But after the professor wrote it with a fountain pen, although there were some differences, they could basically determine that the writing in the book was indeed the professor's handwriting.

"But what can this represent?"

Professor Drake still didn't understand.

"This arrow..."

Shard considered for a moment and decided to reveal part of the truth:

"A certain type of special person can obtain knowledge by touching this arrow. But the problem is, professor, you are not one of those special people."

"Special people?"

The professor hesitantly looked at Shard. Shard reached out and touched the teacup on the table, and in the old professor's surprised eyes, the tea water shimmered with a silver glow.

He dripped the tea water onto his own injured finger, then onto the professor's finger. After a few seconds, the cuts on both of their fingers completely disappeared.

Professor Kansas Drake gaped:

"The rumors are true; mysticism and supernatural powers really exist?"

"You shouldn't be so surprised. Professors of your and Professor Manning's standing in history and folklore should know this. It seems you have truly forgotten. More accurately, maybe you no longer belong to a special group, but various signs indicate you once did."

The old man was utterly confused, while Shard squinted his eyes:

"The interesting thing is, I investigated your background, and much evidence suggests you're just an ordinary person. This is not a cover by the Lake Goddess, whose concealments intentionally leave gaps, but your ordinary background is very normal. In other words, you became one of the special people I mentioned for a very short time. Combined with the other effects of the arrow, an ordinary person scratched by it may become a Gifted One..."

Even though the professor couldn't fully comprehend Shard's words and became even more bewildered, he was deeply shocked:

"Did you find the truth?"

"Professor Manning praised you for your astonishing inspiration, which in itself is very useful information."

Lecia believed her sister, Little Princess Angelina, also had the talent of a Circle Sorcerer, even though she hadn't yet reached the age of awakening, because the Little Princess also had astonishing inspiration.

"In your letter to Professor Manning, you mentioned that you suddenly became very healthy; your diary also noted that you saw some illusions. This, in itself, indicates that some change occurred in you."

Shard looked at the photo of Halder Undiba and the professor on the table:

"You had a good relationship with him, and he was the holder of the arrow; when he was unexpectedly captured, the arrow ended up in your hands, which shows your changes are related to him. A priest I know once said that Mr. Undiba might have unknown followers in Huntington City. Your reputation is very good, so I don't think you are a bad person, thus, the wish isn't... Professor, please answer me a question!"

Professor Drake was startled by Shard's serious expression:

"Young man, I can handle it, go ahead and ask."

"Assuming a possibility, you have pursued a goal all your life, but when you really achieve it, you become frightened by the goal itself. Then, is there a possibility that you would give up your life's pursuit, even at the cost of forgetting it?"

The professor slightly opened his mouth:

"I... don't know. But if I truly gave up, then my life would be so pitiful. Are you saying..."

Despite his age and the erasure of some of his talents, the years granted humans more wisdom, and he had guessed some things.

Shard nodded slightly, then saw Professor Drake reveal an expression as if struck by thunder. The old professor took a deep breath, hunching over in his wheelchair, looking older than ever.

"Although I can't prove my guess, I think I've reached a conclusion. The Lake Goddess fulfilled your wish. I supplemented the reasoning process with speculation, which is, of course, not rigorous. Fortunately, I'm also a very inspired person. This, roughly, is the truth."

"Mr. Watson, you said, exploring what happened to me was the Lake Goddess's trial for you?"

"Yes."

Shard nodded.

"You plan to use your current speculation to inform her that you completed the trial?"

"Yes."

The professor raised his head, pleadingly looking at him:

"Take me with you, Mr. Watson, please take me with you. I don't want to say I'm too old to have many years left alive, but please, Mr. Watson, take me to visit the Lake Goddess. Let me know the story of the past, even if it might be my last journey in life."

This meant Professor Drake occupied one of Shard's precious wishing slots. Shard looked at him and patted the redwood box:

"This arrow is mine now."

"Alright, young man."

The professor, struggling to open his eyes wide to look at Shard, the light in his eyes seemingly a brief resurgence:

"When shall we set off?"

Shard glanced at the noonday sunlight outside:

"Let's set off after lunch and rent a carriage."

He hesitated and then said:

"Professor, since you've already made a choice in the past, why do you need to know the truth? It might only lead to more pain. I have a letter for you from Professor Manning, encouraging you to live positively, and perhaps raising a cat would be quite nice."

He placed the letter on the desk, but Professor Drake just leaned back in the wheelchair, looking up at the ceiling:

"I am just unwilling to enter the grave with questions."

They sat in the study, without speaking again for a long time.