Steampunk: Sixth Era Chapter 352 Major Event - Shadow of Coldwater Port

The servants had finished serving the al and gradually left, leaving only the middle-aged head maid and two older maids standing by. Princess Lecia signaled to Shard that it was safe to talk here, and as they ate, they began discussing the events of the morning.

"It seems the Crimson Cult has long infiltrated Coldwater Port, even the city's establishnt is related to them. Those rman and cultists have always existed in the shadows of Coldwater Port, but no one had noticed it before. I suspect the earliest rmaid statues were probably spread by them."

This was the conclusion Shard had deduced based on the clues he found that morning.

"But what exactly do they want to do?"

Princess Lecia asked, puzzled, having taken only a small amount of food, seemingly unaccustod to eating much at noon:

"The Sea Return ritual, we can almost confirm the steps. But the ritual itself, what is it really for? The last line of the nursery rhy involves a sacrifice, which is very unsettling."

She did not ntion "Evil God" in front of the servants, but Shard understood her aning, and while clumsily handling his knife and fork, he said:

"This ti is different from Tobesk, the Church had a mishap in Tobesk half a month ago, and this ti they can't afford another incident. All we can do now is wait for news, and then there's the issue with you."

Shard spoke very cautiously:

"The captain I played cards with said that as long as you stay out of the crimson sea when it appears, and wait until the ritual is over, the curse should naturally disappear. That ans, when the crimson sea appears, you are likely to be ntally influenced, unconsciously walking into the sea."

The so-called "sacrifice" should not be the selection of individuals, but rather all those afflicted by the curse, who will eventually appear staggering on the beach, and then step into the sea together. Just imagining the scene is hair-raising.

Leaving Coldwater Port was the first option ruled out, as this type of curse could imdiately erupt once one leaves the ritual site. And to suppress the curse, Lecia already possessed sage-level ruby earrings, as well as a Saint Roland ring purchased from the coastal lighthouse.

After seeking help from Zaras Literary Academy, the academy could also lend so relics against curses. However, Shard thought the safest plan was for him to stay by Lecia's side when the crimson sea appeared.

Although he was just a Second Ring Magician who was powerless in many respects, if the curse indeed related to the power of a deity, Shard's presence could easily solve many issues that ordinary people could not.

"So the difficulty we're facing now is that after you drove away the pirate ship, we don't know how the ritual is progressing or when the crimson sea will appear."

Lecia summarized briefly while Shard slightly furrowed his brows:

"It will definitely be resolved within a week. I have a very talented diviner friend who prophesied that one of the male magicians who encountered the pirates with us will set out for Tobesk in a week. By then, the issue with the curse must have already been resolved."

The rain in Coldwater Port had lasted all day. Because of the events in the morning, and with the idea of keeping a low profile, Shard spent the afternoon at Sophia's Mansion waiting for news.

Shard's Moonlight gift had attracted the attention of the Church of War and Peace. Although the latter was known as the "Peace Church," its full na was the "Church of War and Peace," theoretically the strongest in combat among the Church of the Five Gods. The rman base on that old street was likely to beco history.

Princess Lecia entertained Shard well in the mansion. After they had dined, she took him to spend the afternoon in the study.

She had many docunts to handle, as adult princes and princesses of the Cavendish Family were often assigned governnt duties by the King. This was also why it was commonly believed that when the King aged decades later, there would surely be substantial disputes over the succession.

The study in Sophia's Mansion was about the sa size as the one Shard had seen in Yordle Palace with Larus III. The spacious room's walls were filled with bookshelves, and a desk was placed in the center of the room, near the entrance sat a set of sofas for visitors.

This reflected the current King's preferences, as he liked spacious rooms.

Lecia handled her matters while Shard was allowed to freely pick any books from the shelves. The wide variety of books was mostly related to politics, economy, and history. Eventually, Shard selected "Cavendish Secret History," a semi-official publication.

It was a descriptive literature docunting the origins and history of the Cavendish Family, offering effective insights into the developnt and prosperity of Draleon.

Of course, Shard had many other matters to attend to this week. Spending the afternoon "wasting" ti beside Lecia in the study was primarily to listen for any follow-up news related to the Crimson Cult.

Their morning activities were not tracked by the Church, but the cultists who used the ancient streets of the South District as their base were in great trouble. Mr. Jude, the Circle Sorcerer, was killed by Shard, and only one of the remaining four Circle Sorcerers managed to escape.

As for the fish-headed humanoid creatures that fled in all directions from the old street, most of them were captured by the Church. Based on the intelligence obtained by the Princess, there were at least three hundred transford beings on that street. It was conceivable that there were even more in Coldwater Port.

These creatures, which had strong self-healing abilities in the water, could switch between human and fish-like appearances; however, their human forms were mostly hideously ugly. After the morning's activities, the Church of the Five Gods directly collaborated with the official authorities of Coldwater Port to launch a city-wide search.

However, without the massive numbers of military and police control like in Tobesk, conducting a search in this free port was indeed useful but how effective it could be was questionable.

The Church linked those rman creatures, the Crimson Cult, the Sea Return Ritual, and the rmaid's Curse together, officially naming this incident as "The Shadow Over Coldwater Harbor in 1853." This na represented the cult's infiltration into the shadows of the city, hidden since the establishnt of the port.

The Peace Church had a gunfire battle with the rn in the rain and successfully seized Kazem Lane and Jude Mansion.

Through the captives they caught, and the docunts left in Mr. Jude's safe, the Church learned more about the "Sea Return" ritual. With a robust intelligence network and exceptional information-gathering abilities, they fully understood what the hidden cultists in the city were up to.

Thus, by dinner ti that evening, through intelligence conveyed by "well-inford individuals" planted in the Church by the Royal Family, Shard and Princess Lecia had received three crucial pieces of information.

First, the exact number of Circle Sorcerers who encountered the "Fishbone Pirate Ship" with them on Monday night had been determined—thirteen in total. Apart from "John Watson" and "Miss Princess