Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

According to the Arcane Technique "Satiety Food," Shard had to choose a consumable substance to start eating that night, and he needed to complete four meals before midnight.

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The range of food options was wide, but it had to meet the basic condition of being able to satiate hunger with normal consumption. That meant things like the northwest wind wouldn't work since one couldn't possibly eat enough air to feel full. However, theoretically, if it were a handful of dust, as long as Shard dared to eat it, it would meet the goal of the arcane technique.

But Shard wanted to choose something "user-friendly" and readily available, so he eventually chose water. Among the three simple spells he mastered, there was one to conjure water directly.

"I hope I don't die of stomach distension," he said.

So, he began boiling water over and over in the kettle, frequently shooing away a cat squatting by the sink that wanted to drink from the faucet, worried about his bodily issues.

He placed study materials including fetal animals' stomachs, fetal hair, and bezoar into the kettle, soaked them thoroughly, and then, while stirring, recited the spell words and started drinking the water repeatedly.

When the amount of water surpassed a certain limit, drinking itself became a very painful process. Shard was not clear what the so-called "state of satiety" actually was, so he could only drink as much as possible.

Eventually, even the confused cat thought that Shard might encounter trouble if he continued drinking, so it stood on the dining table, using its tiny paws to stop him from touching the water glass. When Shard tried to push the cat away, Mia slapped his chest with her paw.

The small orange cat's strength wasn't great, but it still caused Shard to almost spit out a mouthful of water, so he thought he must be in a state of satiety by then.

"Oh, I'm even at risk of water intoxication," he thought.

When he finally finished the fourth drink, it was already eleven o'clock at night. Shard, leaning on the dining table, had never felt such aversion to water, but he still mustered his spirits for the last step.

He took a clean, tall glass from the cabinet, carefully poured a little clear water into the bottom of it, then cut his finger with a fruit knife and let the blood drip into the water.

After letting it sit for a moment, he called out the Ring of Fate from the steam mist, letting the gloss of the "Gluttony" rune align with the water glass. The blood diffused in the water immediately radiated a strange glow, and Shard promptly lifted the glass and downed it in one gulp.

Then, with a great sense of nausea, he rushed into the washroom, taking a good while before coming out wiping his mouth with a towel.

"Meow~"

Mia sat on the dining table, looking at him worriedly. Shard managed a weak smile at the cat, then sat down again. He poured a small amount of clear water into the glass again, pointed at the glass, and as a silver gleam flickered, the water surface also showed the gleam that represented the power of the Spirit Rune.

Although he had vomited quite a bit just now, Shard wasn't in the mood to drink water at the moment. So, he poured this silver-glowing water over the cut on his finger, and immediately, the wound on his finger visibly healed at a visible rate, with an effect much better than "Cyndia's Silvermoon Blessing," completely acting as a decent healing ability.

What she said was indeed right, the Spirit Rune acquired by devouring the Divinity of an Evil God truly had an extraordinary power.

She laughed softly in his ear.

"It's a pity 'Satiety Food' can only heal physical injuries. With two types of healing abilities, the only thing I worry about now is suffering mental damage during the day," he thought.

Shard pondered this, then saw Mia lowering her head and licking the silver-glowing water that had dripped onto the dining table.

The orange cat suddenly raised its head to look at Shard, its fluffy cheeks lifting upward, its amber eyes meeting the detective's gaze at the same time, its whiskers trembling from the movement. Its big eyes were extremely beautiful.

Suddenly—

Belch~

Mia Cat suddenly burped, attempting to cover her mouth with her right front paw, but still couldn't suppress the burps. Mia then fell into a state of being angry with herself, sprawled over the dining table and rolling about, exposing her soft white belly.

"It really is a case where just eating a bit reaches the state of 'Satiety'... Isn't it supposed to be useful only for oneself?"

Shard suddenly realized this and then understood that his special Desecration, "Gluttony", not only enhanced his power but even made the food created by Arcane Technique useful to other creatures.

It's just that the remaining liquid in the glass had a silver glow that has almost faded, indicating that the special Desecration Spirit Rune enhanced the Arcane Technique's effect and increased its applicable range, but still could not create a potion that could maintain its effect for a long period, similar to a magic potion.

This meant that Shard couldn't profit from this.

"[The effect of the Arcane Technique allows a cat to feel full with just a lick, and it's also related to your Divine Afterglow State.]"

The woman inside his head murmured this into his ear, and Shard nodded:

"That's also pretty good. Although it's not an offensive ability, my survival ability has greatly increased. For offensive abilities, that Moonlight is sufficient for now."

With a smile, he happily picked up his still burping cat. The bad-tempered cat immediately swiped at Shard but also knew to control the force, so it didn't even leave a mark on his hand.

On Wednesday morning, because he had drunk too much water the night before, both Shard and Mia had little appetite for breakfast. Even when faced with their favorite sheep's milk, the orange cat just licked it a few times and then left the dining table.

Shard hadn't received the usual two bottles of milk this morning, as the milk ordered from Silver Parrot Milk Delivery Company through Detective Sparrow had expired. If he wanted more, he would have to order himself from the milk company.

The news in the newspaper still wasn't interesting.

The earthquake that occurred in the southern part of the city over the weekend was no longer reported, and now the front page of the newspaper was reporting that Queen Diana would be attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Tobesk Station's east hall next week.

The advertisement section in the "Tobesk Daily Newspaper" had several more wanted notices from Riddlevitch Field. This also reminded Shard of his agency's advertisement, and he planned to ask Miss Luisa for some advice the next time he saw her.

"If it's a newspaper Miss Luisa is familiar with, maybe the advertising fee could even be discounted," he thought.

After the major event at Lakeside Manor ended, life suddenly returned to a peaceful routine. Illegal organizations lay in wait, and the focus of the True God Church was no longer on "Masked Person under Silvermoon". Perhaps Tobesk could finally enjoy some peace for the coming weeks.

This also allowed Shard to relax, as tense days were uncomfortable. Having arrived in this Steam Age, he actually preferred to explore more, rather than always dealing with life or death situations.

Not long after breakfast, a visitor arrived.

The first to visit the Detective Agency was Baron Lavende, an enthusiast of the Roder Card, and his purpose, of course, was for the "Ancient Fairy Tale: Matchstick Girl".