Steampunk: Sixth Era Chapter 1221: 1221: Song of the Woodland

Chapter 1221: Chapter 1221: Song of the Woodland

“I heard from Miss Galina that there are no Chocobos in the entire Council now. Don’t you have other mounts? I saw the Undead Skeletal Horse summoned by Miss Aphrola.”

Shard curiously asked, walking alongside the witch who exuded the familiar scent of “Witch’s Scent” perfu he knew well. Miss Benanis’s perfu slled more “cold,” and Shard couldn’t discern which flower it was from.

“I would love a Unicorn.”

The tone of the Blonde Witch was sowhat pitiable, but this couldn’t bring them a Unicorn:

“Mr. Hamilton, you probably laugh at this idea of mine in your heart. But just like boys often dream of having a sharp sword and a tall white horse when they’re young, the illusion of Unicorns is the wish of pretty girls when they’re young.”

But the Outlander did not dream of having a sword when he was young; Shard’s fantasy back then was cannons and rockets.

“Unicorns, huh…”

The two continued walking along the river, with snow-covered land and forests on both banks. Occasionally, they encountered animals running on the snow, but they all naturally avoided the two. Shard sowhat regretted leaving the lazy cat back in Tobesk; such a scene should be shown to the cat, as it would probably be very interested in the rabbits.

“In the danger classification of Saint Byrons, Unicorns are in the sa category as Dragons.”

Shard recalled the knowledge he had learned and then discovered that the knowledge of Unicorns given in [Witch Echo: Oranode] was more extensive. Miss Orland’s one-eighth Elf Lineage was that of the Longleaf Elven Royalty, so her mount was a Unicorn. Although [Witch Echo] provided part of the witch’s knowledge, associating it with “Unicorn,” the image of a gallant, sharp-eared witch riding a snow-white beast across the vast snowfield imdiately erged.

This was not Shard’s imagination but a scene the witch intentionally left for Shard.

“Yes, Unicorns in fairy tales often suffer from evil persecution, but in reality, this Holy Exotic Creature possesses extrely powerful strength… yet they are very beautiful.”

Miss Benanis, of course, did not know what Shard was thinking:

“Although the Unicorn population has not disappeared, like most Exotic Creatures, they have also moved far from areas where human civilization is concentrated. If possible, I really want to touch a Unicorn; I wonder if they are cuter than your cat.”

Unicorns only approach pure maidens, and though the single-minded Miss Benanis was a bit older, she still t the requirent. Shard probably did not et the requirent; although his gender was often mistaken by others, having experienced several “Days of the Red Butterfly,” he likely couldn’t be considered “pure.”

The two continued to chat while walking, arriving at the frozen surface of Eldron Lake around 10:20 in the morning. In such cold weather, no one would walk on the ice, with only boats docked for winter and people in the small villages near the lakeside. There was a small town further away, but most of the ice fishern gathered on the other side of the lake, so they wouldn’t be disturbed.

Miss Benanis opted to board from the east, and the two crossed the lake together to enter Creekland Forest. There were hunters and loggers’ paths trampled out in the forest. Shard wanted to first check out those rumored locations related to “Saint Perry Cetery,” maybe his heightened perception could discover sothing.

If you don’t pay attention to ti, it always slips away quickly. By 12:30 noon, they were preparing to stop for lunch. Although they hadn’t found anything all morning, they hadn’t expected to find anything easily either.

Miss Benanis released three small paper figures, having them transform into servants to look after the horses, set up camp, and gather firewood. Shard was responsible for Igniting the firewood and setting up the campfire.

At this point, they were positioned at the forest edge near the upper reaches of the Iff River, where lumberjacks temporarily stored wood. Winter was cold in the forest, but the sunlight filtering through the treetops was exceptionally warm. After summoning three small paper servants, the Blonde Witch sat on a stone by the campfire, watching Shard busy himself cooking.

Although he had no particular culinary skill, simple food heating wasn’t a problem, and Shard had plenty of food on him.

Shard never minded the witch not helping out here either, as witches, in his view, weren’t the type to do their own cooking. Watching Shard busily at work, Miss Benanis inadvertently smiled. Realizing that the smile was sowhat inappropriate, she turned away, pretending not to watch him, while recalling the praises of Miss Galina about Shard:

“He’s really quite useful.”

“The Primal Fire?”

The flas were lit, and the heat almost imdiately enveloped them. Sister Delphine had turned the Evil Creatures of Pantanal, defeated by the combined forces of the Demigod Witches, into firewood. Shard could also wield more of the Primal Fire’s power, one characteristic of which was that the fire he ignited could better restore stamina and provide warmth.

The Witch of the Earth keenly sensed the fla’s unusual nature, and Shard, who was rummaging in his pocket for toys, nodded:

“Yes, I also know Sister Delphine, introduced by Granny Cassandra. The nun said I am the Hero of the Fla and shared so power with .”

He spoke lightly, but Miss Benanis understood the unusual aspects within, like how Shard might have t Sister Delphine. She wanted to ask, but then rembered losing the horse race earlier, feeling a bit embarrassed to speak up. She then saw Shard selecting lightweight wooden toys to transform them into a cold al, planning to heat them by the bonfire.

“Speaking of which, last week the puppet called you a follower of the Toy God.”

She rested her face on her hands while speaking to Shard, who was contemplating what to eat for lunch, a task that was the hardest part of the day for him:

“Indeed, Miss Galina probably ntioned that I am a student at the Saint Byrons History Academy, a Ti Investigator. I once had the honor of encountering that Deity during past eras… yes, yes, using the Ti Key to travel through Space-Ti, typically unable to interact with those from the past, but gods are unique, aren’t they?”

Shard asked with a smile, and Miss Benanis nodded slightly:

“I heard from Galina that you’ve ascended through Five Rings in just half a year, quite unusual. Even a Witch doesn’t progress at such a speed.”

The Witch’s level advances rapidly for about three to five years, and if unable to continue progressing, that’s pretty much the end point for their Talent. Miss Galina’s end point was originally at Eleven Rings, but due to cooperating with Luviya in opening the Gate of Death to rescue Shard’s group and contacting The Chosen One’s Light of Enlightennt, these unique experiences broke through the limits of her Talent.

And in front of him was Vanessa Benanis, who also seed stuck at Eleven Rings as a Witch.

“The experiences of ti adventures helped

a lot.”

He said half-truthfully, then recalled another matter:

“Speaking of which, Miss Benanis, do you understand poetry? I’d like a poem praising butterflies, the earth, and springti. If you’re willing to help, could you select one from the existing poems?”

This was the task for the Ti Key this ti, and he also intended to commission Dorothy and Lecia, and then choose the best one from their responses. After all, in Shard’s view, both the writer and the actress should have a great level of artistic appreciation.

“Last ti it was a ballad, this ti poetry… no problem.”

The cloaked Witch nodded slightly, her palms facing the bonfire, drawing warmth. Snowflakes were falling when they departed that morning, and now the snow had almost stopped:

“So, how will you thank ?”

She asked teasingly.

Shard didn’t realize it was a joke and thought for a mont, extending his hand into the air, drawing forth a semi-transparent book with strange starry patterns, handing it to Miss Benanis:

“Last week I used a Ti Key and heard three quite good ballads. They were sung by an ordinary man, a Twelfth Rank Witch, and a nun from the Sun Church.”

Miss Benanis raised an eyebrow with so surprise, then opened that peculiar book, seeing the lyrics inside. This was the language of the Fifth Era, but luckily she could understand it.

Shard’s [Moon Library] ability could only reveal text; it couldn’t exhibit various demonstration thods like the true “Silvermoon Library.” So to present those three songs, he needed to hum the tunes himself. As a Circle Sorcerer, his mory was quite good, and the Arcane Technique of [Voice of Music] seed to have enhanced his originally scant musical Talent.

Having the lodies in one’s head doesn’t an they can be reproduced. Fortunately, there was “her” help; at Shard’s request, “she” softly humd near his ear, nearly srizing him with the sound.

Yet, following the hum note by note, Shard managed to produce the tune.

The man’s voice echoed through the woodland, making the slightly quiet snow-filled forest seem to have a gentle breeze blowing. A big-tailed squirrel holding pine cones it found from sowhere, curiously watched Shard hum from the treetop, the sun shining on its brown fur until the sound ceased, then quickly leaping across the treetops.

Miss Benanis, holding the book, also looked at Shard until he humd through all three tunes, then the Witch, with so reflection, softly said:

“Could you tell

more about the circumstances under which these songs were created? I felt many complex emotions from them, quite surprising that three people with completely different identities could create such varied, yet equally enchanting ballads on the sa the.”

The Witch Margaret and others would not dare use others’ songs to offer to the Deity; aside from Miss Perry’s lyrics derived from the “Song of the Earth,” the other lodies and lyrics were original.