Chapter 1283: Chapter 1283: Ripening Fruit
"I didn’t mean to interrupt your ’rendezvous’, there was just something I forgot to tell you earlier."
Miss Galina said, casually glancing around the room, and then noticed the cat on the bed watching her:
"Sylvia asked me to inform you that your investment was successful. Her experiment has made significant progress, and the product yield through the steam factory’s trial production is also very high. You should be able to receive your first dividend by this autumn or winter."
"Investment?"
Shard thought for a moment and recalled what Miss Sylvia mentioned before leaving. He even gave the young Grand Witch 5000 pounds:
"It succeeded? Does that mean artificial synthetic fiber..."
Shard raised his eyebrows immediately, realizing this was quite an extraordinary achievement. Miss Sylvia thus became the first person in this world to synthesize artificial fiber, an achievement worthy of historical record.
"What artificial synthetic fiber? Weren’t you investing together in women’s clothing textiles?"
Galina Cavendish said, stepping back two steps, lifting her skirt and twirling on the spot:
"I specifically changed into a nightgown with a higher hemline, and yet you didn’t even notice anything different about me from before?"
Tifa quietly reached out and pointed, and Shard followed her direction, lowering his gaze to see the black fitted fabric covering the feet and calves. This type of fabric was quite rare in this world; he had only seen it on the Grand Witch of the Fifth Era. The petite foot was wrapped, with the fabric clinging closely to outline the perfect curvature of the leg. The semi-transparent black fabric extending upwards into the skirt added just the right touch of allure.
He blinked, feeling quite pleased, and said:
"It’s truly remarkable, Miss Sylvia managed to succeed so quickly! I dare say, this is definitely one of the most important inventions in human society in this century! The success of artificial synthetic fiber means not only a new path for the textile industry but also advancements in chemistry and..."
"Now I understand why Sylvia has an interest in you, Shard, is this all you wanted to say?"
Miss Galina stared at him, and this time without Tifa’s reminder, Shard understood:
"These fabrics suit you well, very beautiful, extremely beautiful. However, I think that without these fabrics, allowing me to directly see your... would be even more beautiful."
His eyes focused on those black shoes, looking from bottom to top:
"So perfect, like a work of art. The clothes serve as decoration, but they prevent me from seeing the fair color and perfect lines..."
Curious about what kind of nylon Miss Sylvia could produce, Shard suggested:
"May I touch it?"
"Oh, Knight, what kind of request is that? Truly unbecoming!"
The Witch’s face turned a rare shade of red; in this era, young women couldn’t easily expose their legs, let alone be evaluated like this by someone like Shard:
"Really shameless... really..."
She turned to leave but appeared not genuinely angry with Shard, just truly embarrassed. Shard wanted to say more, but Tifa suddenly kissed him on the side of the face:
"Sweet dreams, Knight."
She said softly, pressing the index finger of her right hand to her lips, then placing it on Shard’s mouth, before quickly catching up with Miss Galina.
Shard followed into the corridor, standing at the doorway watching them enter the adjacent third-floor master bedroom. Before entering, Miss Galina glanced at Shard, blushing and turned her head not speaking to him.
When the maids urged Shard to return to his bedroom to rest, stating that Miss Galina would not come to see him tonight, he went back to his room.
The cat was still on the bed watching him, having assumed earlier that it would have to sleep in the wardrobe tonight.
[Well, don’t you regret rejecting the Witch at the table?]
Soon, he heard ’her’ voice in his ear. Shard thought for a moment, picked up the cat, and climbed onto the bed. Indeed, it was time to sleep:
"Now that I think about it, there’s a bit of regret. But I did say earlier that Miss Galina should think carefully, and besides, that’s indeed part of the agreement Lecia and I had. I am quite an honest person... yes, very honest. I promised Luviya to see things through to the end, promised Dorothy to always give her stories, promised Lecia concerning matters about Miss Galina..."
Instead of immediately turning off the lights, he lay on the opulent, exaggerated four-poster bed, leaning on his side against the headboard, feeling the smoothness of the quilt and the softness of the mattress, gazing out at the starry sky through the window.
’She’ chuckled softly in his ear:
[Sixth Era, 1854, late winter, the month of Sparse Star. Lying in bed gazing at the sky, the stars wink at you. You, troubled Outlander, do you know how many cannot sleep tonight because of you? When you take a heart, you’re destined to encompass that heart. And this tenderness, enough to fill the chest, will accompany you for many long nights. The threads of bonds link you and her, this is your anchor in this world. A new star has appeared in the sky; it’s a night worth remembering. May you find a small harbor in this world, never to be lonely again.]
"This doesn’t sound like your usual tone... Why say this?"
Shard blinked as he gazed at the starry sky outside the window. The air in the countryside was refreshing; even during the Sparse Star Month, one could still see the twinkling stars. Mia, standing on the side-lying Shard, also glanced outside.
[After a long separation, your reunion, along with the respect and understanding you’ve shown her, and that perfectly timed subtlety. The fruit of the bond is ripe. A current Grand Witch offers you her heart.]
Shard understood this as "affection level maxed out."
"With Lecia, Luviya, and Dorothy, you didn’t say... well, you did say."
The phrases "purity of blood" and "the red butterfly flies with you" were still fresh in his memory.
"She" laughed gently, and Shard also revealed a smile.
A moment later—
[Outlander.]
"I’m here."
[The night is deep, time to sleep.]
"Well then, good night."
He closed his eyes, gradually drifting into slumber. Noticing Shard’s breathing become regular, Mia also jumped off him, lying down in front of Shard’s window-facing face, letting out a soft "meow~" before curling into a ball, her amber eyes closing as well.
Both man and cat fell into dreamland. The room’s gas lamp switched off automatically, and the starlight from the window shone upon Shard’s face and the back of the orange cat. Everything was serene. Shortly, the blanket automatically pulled up a bit, covering Shard’s exposed shoulder.
(Mia running...)
After a Saturday breakfast at the manor, Shard accompanied Miss Galina into the city as she headed for Yordle Palace, and then proceeded to follow his plan to Randall Valley City.
Margaret’s schedule had been packed lately, and that morning Shard didn’t find her; instead, he handed all the Stonemason Guild documents over to Miss Benanis at the Wilder Opera House, entrusting her to deliver them to Margaret.
"And this, Power of the Earth: Summon Statue."
He didn’t forget to take out the small statue. Although the Witch had already heard about his Thursday experiences, she was still amazed: "This could even be called ’Summon Golem’, yes, it’s quite suitable for me. The rumors of moving stone statues within the Stonemason Guild have existed for centuries, yet you solved it in just one night. This is definitely not a coincidence—do you have some special investigative technique?"
Shard merely had the company of the special Diviner Luviya.
"In any case, this Power of the Earth: Summon Statue is for you. With this, we now have three Circle Sorcerers here who possess the Power of the Earth. How’s your and Miss Lathis’s investigation going?"
He inquired.
"Still retracing his father’s old paths, but without much discovery yet. However, the three auction items suspected to be linked with the Heart of the Earth have basically been located. Come to me next Monday to get the documents, and then we can start a new round of investigation."
The girls of the Golden Dawn have been progressing faster than Shard expected.
"Additionally, regarding the local emergence of the Followers of the Evil God, our district’s Church of the Five Gods, to avoid an incident like last summer in Tobesk, has decided to immediately take action against them. I heard through the grapevine that the Church of the Five Gods has already made plans; a major operation will likely take place this weekend."
The Witch spoke of it like any other event, as neither she nor Shard were involved:
"The cultist who controls [Power of the Earth: Stone Avatar] will likely be the key target in this operation. I’ll be there, trying to apprehend him. Now, the news of the upcoming fifth The Chosen in Randall Valley has been confirmed by the Three Major Academies and the Church of the Five Gods. The church wants to use this operation to deter the Circle Sorcerers who are drawn here by the news of The Chosen, hoping they’ll succeed."
She looked at Shard while saying:
"So, this weekend, I hope you’ll refrain from any actions in Randall Valley. Wait until the Church’s major operation is over."
This was also for Shard’s safety, and he knew she cared deeply about him:
"No problem, I wasn’t planning to do anything locally this weekend anyway. I’ll be heading home shortly; I’ve got an important meeting in Tobesk this afternoon. Tomorrow, I’m attending Princess Angelina Cavendish’s seventeenth birthday party, which should be lively."
Miss Benanis, holding the golden rune-encrusted statue, furrowed her brows slightly:
"Angelina Cavendish? I’ve only heard Galina and Sylvia mention Lecia Cavendish and your matters."
Angelina was a non-political princess who rarely appeared in the Southern Nation’s newspapers, so Miss Benanis wasn’t even sure if she’d heard her name. After all, there were just so many princesses in the Cavendish Royalty.
"She’s Lecia’s younger sister, though just an ordinary person, her inspiration is very high. I even believe she has the talent of a Prophet. Lecia plans to help her gain freedom, and Angelina also longs for her sister’s recognition and support."
Shard explained the situation simply, and the corners of Miss Benanis’s lipstick-painted mouth curved slightly:
"So, a young Royal Princess yearning for freedom seeks the help of a righteous, kind-hearted, empathetic young, handsome, strong Knight? So you and her have quite a nice relationship too? Oh, judging by your expression, I can already guess. So, could you satisfy this ’old woman’s’ curiosity? What exactly does the statue you’re gifting the Little Princess look like?"