Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

The summer without cooling tools was not a pleasant experience cooped up indoors.

Today was another beautiful day, and the early July known as Thunder Moon could already feel the swelter of midsummer. Although the area outside the house was open, not even opening the windows allowed for a breeze to circulate, and there was also the concern of the city's fog affecting one's health.

Outlanders were not accustomed to living like this, and their efficiency in reading plummeted amidst their restlessness.

Fortunately, having mastered a new Arcane Technique, Shard finally decided to actively cool the room as the temperature kept rising around noon.

Seeing Mia sprawled across the study desk refusing to move, he got up to fetch the household basin and bucket, placing newspapers beneath these containers. Then he closed the study door, shut the windows, and drew the curtains tight.

With the calling upon of Spirit, the element influenced reality, and snowflakes began to fall from the ceiling, landing in the basin and the bucket. Even the few flakes that slid off the edges did not leave any traces on the study's floor because of the newspapers.

Even though it had only just begun snowing indoors, the sight already made it feel much cooler.

"Meow~"

The cat squinted its eyes, watching the snow in the study. Seizing the moment Shard was distracted, it leapt from the desk and plunged into the bucket. It probably just wanted to play with the snow.

Mia let out a "scream" and thrashed about in the bucket. By the time Shard rescued the cat from the bucket, it had lost all interest in those white things—at least for the following few dozen minutes.

With his concentration compromised, he spent the day alternately glancing at books and reviewing the investigation reports left by Detective Sparrow. He treated the old investigation reports as if they were detective novels.

He went out for lunch at noon, and upon returning home, he took the rare indulgence of a nap. Waking up later, his mind felt much clearer, and the headache from that morning had all but disappeared.

Returning to the study, he prepared for the late July exams while snowflakes fell around him. By three in the afternoon, the ringing of a bell finally echoed from downstairs.

Shard looked out from the living room window and saw a carriage stopped in front of his home, and he knew it was the arrival of the maid instructed to tutor him by Miss Galina.

Duchess Galina's personal maid, Tifa Servet, of course would not come personally for this task, so those who arrived at No. 6, Saint Delan Square, were an old tailor and a female apprentice carrying a box of metal tools, along with an etiquette teacher in an old court dress with a white wig and his young attendant.

The old tailor and the apprentice were there to take Shard's measurements for clothes, then they made some simple alterations to a suit already in production. The etiquette teacher was there to teach him some conversational skills to prevent him from making faux pas.

The matter of clothing was manageable, but the conversation and rules amongst nobility were truly cumbersome. Back in his hometown, Shard was aware how complicated and mundane such etiquette could be, but that afternoon he realized he had greatly underestimated the annoyance of noble manners.

It was only when the sun set that Shard barely escaped the tedious lesson in etiquette and put on the black suit crafted by the tailor and the apprentice.

Another carriage stopped at the door of No. 6, Saint Delan Square; this time, it was Miss Tifa Servet, the personal maid of Miss Galina.

"Miss Servet."

Shard stepped out the door and greeted the maid from the stairs, adjusting the somewhat tight collar as he spoke. He rarely wore such restrictive clothing back in his hometown, and he had just voiced a minor complaint to the old tailor, who "threatened" that it was now fashionable for men to wear silk stockings. And so, he kept silent.

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The black-haired maid was somewhat surprised:

"You actually know my surname, it seems you do have some skill as a detective."

In fact, Shard had heard Miss Luisa mention it.

"The lady asked me to come get you, you'll ride in the carriage at the back."

As the personal maid of the unmarried Duchess, it's of course impossible to share a carriage with a strange man. Miss Tifa Servet pointed out the carriage to Shard, as she noticed an orange cat peeking around behind him.

Normally, Mia wouldn't take the initiative to leave the house, nor had it ever dashed out when Shard opened the door. The cat noticed the woman in the carriage was paying attention to it and let out a meow~ as a roar, then quickly hid behind Shard's legs.

This made the black-haired maid chuckle, after which she turned to the detective who was taking out his keys to lock the door:Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Just to confirm, did you bring the card?"

"Yes."

Shard patted his chest, waved goodbye to the cat inside the house, and then closed the front door.

"All right, let's set off now. After the Roder card game, there's a salon hosted by the Duke. You won't have to worry about going hungry, Detective Hamilton, get in the car. I hope you can help the lady win the gamble tonight."

This time, the location was not one of Tobesk's aristocratic clubs or Old Duke Lucas's estate outside the city; the game was arranged in Duke Lucas's mansion in the Tobesk Southern District.

The nobles and the wealthy of Tobesk generally live in the southern and eastern parts of the city, with the nobility favoring the south. Consequently, the southern and central city areas are usually considered the most prosperous in the Northern Pearl, with Tobesk University District lying in a curved band between the southern and central districts.

After ascending a hill, the carriage slowed down and eventually stopped at the entrance of Duke Lucas's townhouse. A middle-aged man dressed as a butler, along with the servants, had already been waiting in the dim night, surrounding the courtyard.

Miss Maid descended first, exchanging pleasantries with the butler. As Shard, wearing a black bowler hat, stepped down from the carriage, Miss Tifa Servet happened to be introducing the evening's main guest to the butler. The butler, who spoke with a thick Tobesk accent, offered his respects to Shard.

Followed by a line of servants, Shard proceeded behind the elderly butler and Miss Maid, crossing the modest courtyard towards the mansion. He had thought he would first meet Miss Galina, but to his surprise, they moved straight through the slightly deserted main hall of the mansion and headed directly to the second floor, where they met a group from the Prophet's Society.

"The guests have already arrived; they are now waiting in the banquet hall on the third floor. Oh, Mr. Dawn, it's been so long since it's been this lively here."

The old butler mused, opening the door for Shard. The people inside turned to look at the doorway. Shard had not met many from the group of the Prophet's Society, but he immediately recognized Vice President Cyndia Mark. Mr. Mark smiled as he shook hands with Shard and then took his deck of cards for verification, ensuring that all the cards used in tonight's game were authentic.

"Oh, 'Ancient Fairy Tale: Match Girl' and 'Northern City: Coldwater Port City'? In just a few days, Mr. Hamilton, you've actually acquired so many new cards?"

Mr. Mark said excitedly upon seeing some Roder cards he hadn't seen before; enthusiasts always get this excited.