Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Dr. Schneider, in the midst of speaking, lifted his teacup and took a sip, then looked somewhat surprised into the cup:

"This black tea is quite nice."

"The Church and the Academy?"

Shard paid no mind to the former detective's taste in tea or what kind of person he really was, as he was processing this information.

"Yes, the Church can also train Circle Sorcerers. In fact, the official channels for training Circle Sorcerers, at least in my view, are the Church of the Five Great Deities and the Three Great Magics Academies. Other organizations like the Church of the Evil God, secret societies, ancient organizations, and various messy groups, either have irregular methods or are fraught with hidden dangers.

So, it was fortunate for both of us that you happened to meet me during your Talent Awakening period."

"Then, the Church..."

Compared to the origin-unknown Academy, Shard was actually more interested in a church that could cooperate officially with the kingdom. The doctor noticed this thought and nodded his head with a smile, understanding, then explained:

"The Academies and the True God Church are not adversaries; they even collaborate occasionally. However, the Church dislikes students from the Academy, whether they are correspondence students or regular students, considering us... attractors of trouble and makers of danger."

The doctor slightly raised his eyebrows, and seeing that Shard had no questions, continued:

"Thus, we Circle Sorcerers from the correspondence Academy exist legally, but we usually do not let the Church know about our status and presence. I know you might be interested in the Church, so please answer my question—"

The doctor's smile curved at the corners of his mouth:

"Getting a job at the Church requires a completely clean background, even if it's not clean and there are criminal records, a complete life track is necessary to confirm that you're not a dangerous person, can you provide that?"

Bill Schneider himself was a psychiatrist, and at this moment, it somewhat seemed like he was consulting a patient.

"You've investigated me?"

Shard blurted out, but immediately regretted saying it:

"Not investigating would be abnormal."

He thought to himself.

"I only investigated some basic information. After all, the Academy's enrollment also requires confirmation of the other party's identity. I could not recommend a dangerous person to the Academy. But since we're only correspondence, do you understand what correspondence means? Hence, the demands on identity are not as strict as the Church's."

Dr. Schneider smiled, looking across at the young detective sitting opposite:

"The awakening of a Circle Sorcerer influences a person's mind, which is why you've changed from the original Shard to the Shard you are now. Investigating your identity made me understand the fear and bewilderment in your eyes when I met you yesterday—it was really about 'waking up', wasn't it?"

He probably misunderstood the reason behind Shard's change from supposedly low intelligence to his current self, but Shard was happy to let him think so, thus he nodded as if his thoughts had been seen through:

"If I take this explanation to the Church..."

"That's also possible, but I would prefer you to first understand the Academy, to understand what a 'Circle Sorcerer' really is. Wouldn't making decisions be better after that? I believe you can understand, at least that I'm not a bad person," Dr. Schneider said. Shard nodded again, seeing the sense in the doctor's words. He replied seriously:

"That's very good, thank you, Dr. Schneider, I would like to understand these matters first."

The doctor took out a pocket watch from his pocket and glanced at it:

"We don't have much time, the duration of Talent Awakening is typically around 72 hours, but it fluctuates with individual differences. To prevent missing the timing..."

"What happens if one does not receive guidance during the awakening period and becomes a Circle Sorcerer?"

Shard interrupted the doctor, feeling somewhat embarrassed:

"I'm quite curious about this."

The doctor shrugged indifferently:

"Curiosity is good; it shows that you're not averse to Circle Sorcerers and Mysticism.

You almost know nothing, which actually makes you more suitable for guidance. People fear transcendence and are frightened by mysteries, but you show no rejection, only curiosity, which pleases me. As for your question...

I don't have concrete data to hand, but I can tell you, most likely during the Talent Awakening of a Circle Sorcerer without guidance, they go mad, less likely their heads might explode. Yes, have you seen a scene of a hammer smashing a watermelon? Pink and white flying all over."

The doctor politely inquired.

"No need to describe further, that metaphor is quite vivid; I can almost see the scene now,"

Shard said immediately, feeling somewhat nauseous as he had skipped breakfast.

"Alright, of course, there's a small chance that something unusual might have happened, but we can talk about that later. First, let me introduce you to the Circle Sorcerer. Mere explanation isn't very illustrative, so please follow me."

Dr. Schneider stood up.

"Where are we going? To Saint Byrons Integrated Academy?"

Shard raised the Academy's enrollment documents in his hand.

"Certainly not, we correspondence students can only qualify to go to the Academy hidden beneath the Far North Ice Cap on the Old Continent after the fifth year. The address of the Academy is secret and related to some subspace entrances and alien species attached to the physical world. Until then, we must continue with our lives and study within our own living sphere. Remember, Mr.

Hamilton, we are receiving adult education, and we are correspondence students of the Academy."

In other words, even if Shard joined the Academy, he would not need to study at a secret location like "Hogwarts." This had its pros and cons, but at least it allowed him some freedom while acquiring power.

"Now, I am going to take you to find the person who killed Sparrow Hamilton."

Dr. Schneider made a gesture of invitation.

"What?"

Shard stood up abruptly, stunned by the unexpected development.

"Yes, this came to light while investigating your identity. Since there have been supernatural and mysterious entities around you, why not take this opportunity to help you resolve this issue? You might also be worried that the person who killed the original Hamilton Detective could involve you."

It must be admitted that even though the original detective had promised not to involve Shard, Shard was still worried.

"It's not a very troublesome matter, and it seems the perpetrator didn't make much effort to hide their traces because Sparrow Hamilton was just an ordinary person. Come with me now, I think we can resolve this before lunch. By the way, do you have a pistol?"

Dr. Schneider asked again.

"No."

Shard shook his head.

"Then please don't stand in front of me, I assure you that as long as you stay behind me, there will be no danger today. After all, the person we are up against is not a Circle Sorcerer."

Sparrow Hamilton had said as much before his death.

"Ordinary people cannot distinguish, and tend to see anyone who can use supernatural powers as a Circle Sorcerer. But for officially appointed Circle Sorcerers, it's easy to tell. After all, that person has no 'Fate's Ring', no accumulated Spirit, and cannot feel the four elements of 'Miracle', 'Enlightenment', 'Desecration', and 'Whisper'; he is just someone who got lucky with a 'Relic'..."

Dr. Schneider paused, then corrected himself:

"No, an unlucky fellow."

"You seem to have mentioned quite a few terms just now."

Shard said, though he had already heard about the four elements and the 'Relic', there was no need to show that at the moment.

"No worries, we can talk as we walk."

The detective profession was highly dangerous, and in his investigation, Dr. Schneider found that the former Detective Sparrow Hamilton had encountered an accident during a detective activity.

Perhaps to prevent Shard's investigation, Sparrow Hamilton had deleted all records of that commission before his death, but Dr. Schneider's information network had completely reconstructed the event.

"Come to think of it, you figured out the whole thing in one night?"

Shard did not forget to inquire, but Dr. Schneider evaded the question, saying he would tell him after this matter was over.

"This is the place."

The two left the square in a carriage (Dr. Schneider paid) and after nearly a two-hour journey crossing the city, they got off the carriage beside the Osel River.

As the water systems in Tobesk City, the Northern Royal Capital, are well-developed, inland water transport supports the thriving steam industry and commercial trade here.

Several rivers flow through Tobesk Urban Area, among them, Osel River is the river that flows through the north side of the city. Now, in the wet season of summer, the river's current was torrential.

This area was close to the edge of the city. Dr. Schneider mentioned that the City Hall planned to establish a new industrial zone nearby, leveraging the river traffic of Osel River to seek new development opportunities for Tobesk City, and to connect the industrial areas of the Northern Kingdom as well as complement the Kingdom's steam locomotive railway network.

But at least for now, there were still large swaths of wasteland nearby. After getting out of the carriage and looking around, only the buildings of Tobesk City were faintly visible in the misty distance.

"To avoid startling him, we'll start walking from here. I noticed your boots are well-suited for long walks. Mr. Hamilton, you probably haven't had breakfast yet, so after we deal with this, I'll take you for a meal,"

Dr. Schneider said, carrying his briefcase alongside Shard, who clutched his notebook, as they stepped into the grass next to the main road. Soon, they spotted a narrow path.

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