Chapter 17

The sheet of paper that caught Shade's attention, with a texture like parchment, was partially covered by the book "Psychology and Abnormal Psychology," but only the signature was obscured, leaving the main content readable:

【College Bounty Notice

The illegal organization [Mercury's Blood] has been spotted in Tobask City and its surrounding areas, carrying the Secret-Keeper level relic [Counterfeit Philosopher's Stone]. A bounty is issued to all correspondence circle mages in the region to closely monitor the movements of [Mercury's Blood]. If the [Counterfeit Philosopher's Stone] is submitted to the college, 5 practical credits for this academic year will be waived, and the academic performance rating for the semester will automatically be upgraded to 'Excellent.' Additional rewards will be discussed with Professor Rogers of the Mechanical College.

Note 1: This task is extremely dangerous. Students below the 3rd circle (inclusive) are advised not to make any direct contact with the [Mercury's Blood] organization in any form.

Note 2: For specific information about the relic [Counterfeit Philosopher's Stone], please consult the college.

Note 3: The Orthodox Church has been informed of this matter. If you intend to complete the task, be cautious not to expose your identity to the Church.】

The signature at the bottom was obscured, seemingly issued jointly by the Public Affairs Management Office and the Mechanical College of Saint Byron's Comprehensive College.

"If I expose myself to the Orthodox Church, what would happen? I forgot to ask the doctor earlier."

Shade thought to himself, then placed the document folder on the table and sat back on the sofa.

So far, no one knew his secret of understanding various strange languages, so it was unlikely that the doctor had forged this. On the contrary, the appearance of this college bounty notice further confirmed that what the doctor said was likely true.

"However, credits and academic performance are truly daunting terms. I didn't expect to encounter such things in the age of steam civilization."

Shade thought silently, recalling his life back home. This made him more determined to delve into the mysteries and find a way back.

But he didn't expect that in this world, he would still have to study and take exams, and possibly even write papers.

"There are always more solutions than problems."

He thought to himself, patiently waiting for the doctor to return.

Although the doctor had treated him to lunch at the Goose Meat Inn not long ago, the terrifying scene he saw in the morning left a deep impression, so he didn't eat much.

Now that he had a plan for the future, his mood improved, and the feeling of hunger came over him. So, while the doctor was away, he asked Mrs. Cara for some snacks, saying he wanted to have afternoon tea.

The doctor had probably instructed that Shade was a distinguished guest, so when the maid in the floral apron knocked and entered, Shade saw that she was carrying a porcelain plate.

"This is Mr. Schneider's collection."

The middle-aged maid smiled. She looked to be in her forties, a bit older than the blue-eyed doctor. She was plump, fitting the image of a middle-aged woman in a typical household of this era.

Although this world did not have a great Eastern country, it still had porcelain, and porcelain was still precious. Only special soil and techniques from specific regions could produce such fine pieces.

Shade thanked Mrs. Cara but paid little attention to the porcelain plate. He looked at the delicate, fluffy yellow cake on the plate and the shiny red cherry on top, and swallowed involuntarily.

"Shade, don't disgrace the people of another world!"

The newcomer to this place said to himself, and as expected, he heard the pleasant laughter of the woman in his mind again.

They had agreed to meet at two, but the doctor was late. If it weren't for the fact that no one stopped him from wandering around when he went to the washroom, he might have suspected he was in some kind of trap.

Since this was someone else's place, Shade returned to the original room to wait after confirming he could leave at any time. He didn't have the bad habit of rummaging through other people's things and was also worried about seeing documents he shouldn't. So, he sat on the sofa, bored, and looked around the room's interior decoration.

Having been in this world for nearly 40 hours, he had a better understanding of the development level of the country he was in. The characteristics of the steam age were evident in every aspect of life, not just gas lamps and steam pipes, but also the intricate mechanical structures on various pieces of furniture, the pulleys and ropes controlling the bookshelf's lift, and other things he had never seen in his world.

He had never imagined he would come to such a world. While feeling lost, he also tried to use his knowledge to earn money. But he didn't know much and didn't have an exceptional memory. He was still filled with anxiety about his future life.

Doctor Schneider finally appeared at half past two, wearing a different coat, now black.

He began apologizing as he entered:

"I'm really sorry, something completely unexpected happened. I ordered a batch of sensitive drugs from the black market, no, don't give me that look, not for the clinic's patients, I don't do that. It's for my own research in magic, but there was a problem when I received the goods. Bad luck."

As he spoke, he sat down again, and the maid followed, bringing a new pot of red tea for the two men:

"So, have you made a decision?"

The doctor asked solemnly, his blue eyes looking into Shade's. Shade had observed the color of his eyes in the mirror; they were still a deep brown, almost black, just like before.

"I have made a decision."

Shade sat up straight and nodded, giving a serious answer:

"I want to try to touch the Poet-level relic [Dream of Saint Byron's Comprehensive College]."

The doctor's face broke into a big smile:

"Although my luck hasn't been great today, I've noticed that, Detective Hamilton, anything involving you always goes smoothly."

Saint Byron's Comprehensive College, as one of the three major magic colleges, had the ability to remotely deliver [relics]. But since Shade was not yet a formal circle mage, Doctor Schneider naturally wouldn't let him know the method.

After waiting alone in the room for another ten minutes, the doctor entered, carrying a black paper box.

It was truly a black paper box, with nothing but black. Shade didn't even notice the seams at first.

"The [Dream of Saint Byron's Comprehensive College] is a product of the previous era, the Fifth Epoch. The college was just established then, and the legendary founder, the 13th circle mage Miss Mana Ferriana, received this [relic] after a summer nap. This [relic] must be contained in a black space, which is a relatively simple containment method."

"The college was only established in the previous era?"

Shade was a bit puzzled, as he had thought it was an ancient organization that had existed for several epochs.

"Actually, the five major Orthodox Churches and the three major magic colleges all appeared in the previous era. Remember this: the Fourth Epoch was an era of darkness and chaos, with evil and distortion rampant. The Fifth Epoch was the era of the witches, where only women had the ability to cast spells. Powerful witch empresses ruled the world, and city-states fought each other, with no progress in civilization. It was a wild and primitive era, but also terrifying. In the Sixth Epoch, the extraordinary faded, and human civilization progressed to the current era under the hands of ordinary people."

The doctor did not introduce the more ancient epochs, and Shade did not ask, as the two were sitting on the sofa, and Doctor Schneider had already opened the box.

Leaning in, Shade saw that the paper box was filled with straw, and on the straw lay a delicate cloisonné snuff bottle, about the size of a palm. The bottle was overall a胎 blue color, with bright yellow sunflowers painted on it, connected by golden lines, evoking thoughts of pleasant summer days.