Chapter 2066: Chapter 2066: Sole Existence
Shard remained cautious; tonight’s unexpected encounter wasn’t in the plan, and he really didn’t want to interact with a strange witch like this. He had lots of things to handle in the Moon Bay Region, and dealing with a witch would delay many of them. Plus, he couldn’t be sure how the other party viewed an existence like him.
"Intuition?"
The voice from inside the carriage window seemed very interested in Shard’s response:
"The intuition or inspiration of a Circle Sorcerer is the most important trait that sets us apart from ordinary people. But except for Diviners, ordinary Circle Sorcerers usually treat their inspiration as a tool that occasionally helps them, while some even fear their own inspiration too much."
The sound of a witch’s laughter seemed to come through the night fog:
"Lady, why are you hiding in the alley? Just a moment ago, weren’t you on the roof discussing with others about wanting to find me?"
"Just now... you are from the Belindel Family, the Circe Sorcerer who took the relic?"
Shard was startled, but when he asked the question, his tone remained calm:
"Lady, so you just heard us talking."
"You simply chose the wrong person to converse with. The gentleman from the Hawthorn Family, a Five Rings Sorcerer, has a spell I cast. If he talks to others about me, I can hear some of their conversations."
The woman’s voice from the carriage window teased:
"Since you’re so interested in me, I came to see you personally. The opera just now was boring, so hopefully, the story you tell will be more interesting. Introduce yourself, lady in the alley, who are you and what are you looking for?"
Although the tone remained gentle, it was as if a bored noble maiden was leisurely discussing the weather with her servant, but Shard heard the threatening undertone in her words.
After frowning slightly, he already had an idea. The advantage now was that he knew the other party’s identity, but the witch Belindel absolutely couldn’t guess who he was:
"I wasn’t looking for you. I was entrusted to find a high-level relic in this area. I discovered that a gang controlled by the Hawthorn Family had been searching for a relic a few months ago, so I suspected that they had found it first. If you heard our conversation just now, you should know my purpose."
"Oh? Is that really so?"
Shard heard a strange sound and then realized it was the sound of drawing tarot cards:
"But, what you’re truly looking for shouldn’t be the relic that ended up in my hands."
Knowing that the witch was a member of the Belindel Family, Shard also realized he had headed in the wrong direction. Because if the Hope Diamond had fallen into the hands of this Great Witch of Destiny two or three months ago, the clue Miss Benanis gave Shard wouldn’t have led him to the Lower District, but straight to this witch instead.
"What are you looking for?"
She asked Shard again, and according to plan, Shard answered truthfully:
"I hope you won’t be too surprised—an Unclassified Level Relic, the Hope Diamond."
"Oh?"
Since the conversation began, Shard finally heard a voice of surprise from the other party, and he could even guess the expression on the beautiful face he couldn’t see through the carriage window—how she frowned and then smiled.
"A noble lady has sent me to Moon Bay to find that treasure. If I went in the wrong direction, please allow me to express my apologies. I’ll forget about our meeting tonight. As for the relic I’m searching for, it’s unrelated to you, so please don’t interfere; that noble lady doesn’t wish for complications."
Saying that, he made a sound as if he intended to leave, but then, of course, he was stopped.
"Please wait a moment, the Hope Diamond... so that’s how it is."
The voice from inside the carriage window carried even more amusement:
"Perhaps I know who you are, but first, I want to verify your identity. Listen, lady in the alley, answer the following question seriously, or I guarantee tonight you won’t be able to leave here standing—what is behind the seat of that noble lady you follow?"
Shard remained silent for a few seconds as planned before he said,
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"I am Fate."
The voice from the window came, and Shard deliberately sounded surprised before he said,
"The Earth."
"Is the business of the lady you follow going well?"
"She intended to lead the Opera Troupe to the Tobesk Region in mid-month. But because an epidemic broke out in Velindale City, the trip had to be delayed."
So the sound of drawing cards came again, followed by the final question:
"Lady, do you know who I am now? Since she sent you here, she wouldn’t fail to mention my identity."
"You are the Tenth Seat of Destiny. I am not that honored lady’s apprentice, so Miss Benanis wouldn’t disclose your true identity to me. Goodnight, Miss Belindel, may the witch’s radiance last forever."
Taking Shard as a follower of Miss Benanis, the Great Witch of Destiny, she finally spoke with a smile:
"That’s better, if you just admitted it earlier, we wouldn’t have to waste time here. I told Benanis about the relic, I didn’t expect her to send someone to find it herself, why not let me help?"
The witch who fell into Shard’s "trap" successfully mistook Shard’s identity, and Shard continued to explain:
"Miss Benanis and Miss Lathis thought it better not to trouble you. Besides, the relic holds significant uses for them, so the group leader and deputy group leader decided to be more cautious."
"I see, they trust you more than me."
This was not a reproach, more like a tease:
"Why are you still standing in the shadows? Come out and let me see your appearance. Since you’re from the opera troupe, you must look quite nice, right? I remember Vanessa had a few pretty girls under her."
"I’m sorry, Miss Belindel, the lady asked me to keep my identity hidden."
Shard didn’t move, so the Grand Witch of Fate didn’t make things difficult for him;
"Look at you, so very loyal... I wasn’t lying, you really investigated in the wrong direction. The Circle Sorcerer the Hawthorn Family contacted was looking for the Angel-Level Relic [Sole Existence], not the [Hope Diamond] you’re after."
She probably thought Shard would be interested, so she explained a bit more:
"The Angel-Level Relic [Sole Existence], outwardly a hexagonal stone mirror. Its use is simple: engrave a name on the stone mirror, and from then on, apart from the person chosen by the engraved, no one else will ever use that name. When engraving, those who already have the same name will for various reasons be renamed or simply disappear."
Shard took a slight breath; although its trait was simple, what she described certainly lived up to the "Angel-Level" classification:
"So, if I were to engrave..."
He randomly thought of a name:
"Engrave ’Jenkins Willamette,’ then apart from the Jenkins Willamette I know, no one else would ever have this name?"
"Yes, easy to understand relic properties, involving fate and even more elusive things."
"But what if the name is not just a biological name? For example..."
Shard randomly gave another example:
"Chocolate. If a black and white kitten is named Chocolate, after engraving the cat’s name, no other cats or creatures would be called Chocolate. But since ’Chocolate’ itself refers to a class of items, what would happen then?"
The witch in the carriage was very satisfied with the question Shard posed, resting her chin as she looked at the edge of the alley in her view:
"The girls under Vanessa’s command, it seems, do have some wisdom. This is the most terrifying part of this relic. Since it is sole existence, it is naturally sole. Either some world-changing event occurs, requiring the food named Chocolate to be renamed or the existence of Chocolate itself is wholly erased. Either way, it would involve thousands of people. Fortunately, engraving text on the stone mirror requires a price, or else this relic would be more than just an Angel-Level Relic."
She did not give Shard a chance to speak further after saying this:
"Alright, alright, the night is deep, and wasn’t that red-haired duke fond of saying that lack of sleep is a woman’s greatest enemy?"
"Even if you do not want me to see you, don’t think you can avoid me now that you have come to Moon Bay City, to my territory. The day after tomorrow, which is Sunday, at 1:30 in the afternoon, come to the Senator’s Club in the city, yes, it’s next to the center city council, under the Belindel Big Bell, I have some matters to discuss with you, maybe you can even help me with a few things."
She chuckled lightly:
"Helping me is also helping yourself. Acting in Moon Bay City with the Belindel Family as a background can provide a lot of conveniences."
Shard squinted slightly:
"Alright."
It seemed he was caught up in trouble, but it might just be a good thing. As for what to do on Sunday afternoon, he also had a plan:
"Your card."
He wanted to return the metallic card, but the lady in the carriage declined:
"Keep it, and may you always have the qualification to keep this card at hand. Besides, how should I address you?"
A name quickly popped into Shard’s mind after a brief moment of thought:
"Sherlock."
The carriage had started moving, Shard said it in Delarion, with stress on the first syllable. But if the name is pronounced in Casenric, the stress should be on the second syllable. Thus, the witch mistakenly heard it as another word:
"Miss Charlotte? A nice-sounding name. See you on Sunday, don’t skip it."
The carriage sounds faded into the distance, and Shard waited a moment before stepping out of the alley, by which time the back of the carriage had disappeared around the next corner:
"Belindel."
He once again stated the surname capable of affecting many destinies in this city, yet had no idea what new story tonight’s encounter would bring him.
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