Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Shard looked at the parchment roll listing elective courses, which resembled more of a price list.

Based on his actual situation (the city he lived in, his occupation, his age), the academy he joined, and his core Space-Time Spirit Rune, nearly two hundred elective courses were made available to him in his freshman year, including seemingly useful courses like "Inspiration Divination" and "Simple Acquisition of Spirit Rune of Four Elements".

Some courses required the completion of prerequisite courses or electives before they could be chosen, otherwise, even more options would have been available to Shard.

The fees for the cheaper courses exceeded 20 pounds, while the most expensive ones couldn't be paid for with money; instead, they required Relics or other requirements and tasks as payment.

Fortunately, elective courses could be chosen at any time, and he could directly contact the academy to register and pay for them during his weekly Saturday visits to Dr. Schneider.

Dr. Schneider suggested that Shard familiarize himself with the basic courses for a while before considering electives; the Old Cleric recommended some particularly useful courses; and Miss Luisa helped Shard eliminate some of them from the list. She had spent a lot on courses in her freshman year due to receiving a large royalty payment, so she knew which ones Shard wouldn't need for now:

"Failing electives is not a concern for the academy and the professors. But electives are a good opportunity for us Correspondence Circle Mages to make contact with and get familiar with the professors of the academy. It's important to know that whether certain valuable elective courses are offered can also depend on the professors' own willingness."

Having been introduced to the system, Shard was very familiar with it, and even though some aspects were slightly different from the past, he adapted well to these rules.

As he read through the list of elective courses, he subconsciously flipped over to the back of the parchment. He had thought there would be no writing on the back, but to his surprise, there was indeed something written:

[First Ring Sorcerer Shard Suren Hamilton:

Please prepare four chairs in a vacant, empty room at midnight today. The chairs must be made of wood and have no deity holy emblems on them. Position the chairs to face each other in the exact directions of east, west, south, and north, encircling a non-pure silver basin filled with clear water.

You need to sit on the chair facing due north before midnight, ignite the parchment roll, and drop it into the basin.

Please dress formally, you may light the gas lamp, close the curtains, and do not tell anyone about this, including your Circle Sorcerer teammates. Professor Hams Sanchez from the Academy of Library Management and Professor Hensinger Garcia from the History Academy request to meet with you.

Saint Byrons Integrated Academy: Student Management Department

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Professor James Hams Sanchez]

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Shard staring blankly at the back of the parchment, Miss Luisa also looked at the back:

"What's so interesting about a blank page? Oh, I see, you're probably not familiar with parchment. It's common knowledge that we don't usually use both sides of parchment, so there's usually nothing on the back."

Miss Luisa was in a position where she could have seen the text, but she acted as if she saw nothing.

"Only I can see these? What is the academy trying to say? Do they have a secret mission for me? Is it to speak with me alone, because my identity as an Outlander has been exposed?"

Shard thought to himself, memorized the message, and then rolled up the parchment and placed it on the sofa.

Because of Shard's Space-Time core Spirit Rune, the History Academy had promised to provide him with a Relic for protection at the Keeper of Secrets Level once he joined. This Relic only appeared after all the books and documents had been delivered and Shard confirmed receipt with a note.

The upper limit of what a Poet-Level Relic could transmit was restricted to Keeper of Secrets Level Relics, and only certain Keeper of Secrets Level Relics at that. Hence, it seemed that the History Academy had made quite an effort for Shard's sake.

The Relic was contained within a cubic rusted bronze box, no larger than the palm of a hand, its surface etched with undecipherable patterns that resembled vines.

Beneath the bronze box lay an explanation document, detailing the function of this "Relic".

The Relic was not a gift for Shard; should he leave the History Academy or part ways with Saint Byrons Integrated Academy, he would need to return the "Relic", but not if he graduated normally.

"You have touched the 'Whisper'."

Common sense would dictate that Shard shouldn't have immediately known it was a Relic, for he was unaware of its traits.

"The Twenty-Sided Die of Destiny?"

Without avoiding others, Shard directly opened the antique-like bronze box. Inside, the box was almost solid metal, with only a bronze-colored die embedded in the very center.

The surface was covered in rust, a twenty-sided die, its numbers recessed into the metal, all in gold -- some almost merged with the rust, a testament to the passage of time.

"I know this one!"

Miss Luisa said, somewhat surprised, raising her hand as if to touch her earlobe, then shaking her head:

"No, it should be 'another me' that knows this, I probably came across information about this die unintentionally in a book... But why would the Academy give you such a dangerous Relic?"

"All Relics are dangerous; they are the terrible remnants of echoes from times gone by."

Priest Augustus reminded, but Miss Writer shook her head, her blonde hair swaying slightly:

"This one is particularly dangerous. Its traits manifest in two aspects.

On one hand, while carrying the die, most divinations cannot affect the carrier, but only while it is being carried. Carrying the die for a long time can lead to a permanent decrease in one's own luck. I know luck is an immeasurable concept, but 'Whisper' elements really can interfere with luck.

On the other hand, actively rolling the die, only once per day is allowed. When the die is rolled, the good or bad fortune of one matter related to the roller will be determined by the size of the number the die lands on – the larger the number, the better the luck, and the result cannot be influenced by any skilled techniques."

"Any matter related to the user?"

Dr. Schneider caught on to the key point; he was often considered unlucky by the others in his group, so he took a special interest in such a Relic.

"Yes, usually after a roll, you won't immediately know which matter has been affected, but you'll inevitably find out later. That's one of the traits of The Twenty-Sided Die of Destiny."

The blonde lady drew back a bit from the bronze box in Shard's hand with a trace of fear:

"But in most cases, it can only roll numbers below ten, leaning towards bad luck – this has been statistically proven. And it's said that if you roll a one, something more terrifying than death will happen. Why would the History Academy hand such a terrifying thing over to a detective?"

The information provided by the Academy matched closely with what Miss Luisa had said. The die could only be contained in a bronze box made of a special material, and in its uncontained state, the die would always unintentionally tempt the holder to roll it.

Furthermore, the probability of rolling was not uniform for each number; the chances were highest for rolling numbers below ten, leading to dreadful outcomes.

Thus, Miss Luisa strongly advised that Shard not use the die's active effect and to merely treat it as a "Relic" that distorts divination.