Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 237 Funeral and Cat

"After so many years, all the resentment has ended, but in the end, it seems they still wanted to trouble me one last time, hence this request."

"Yes, as long as there's money involved, it's actually not difficult to find a fallen aristocrat to read an elegy. Therefore, this can only be considered a slight inconvenience. I suppose they also hope that Mr. Worsent can be buried as soon as possible."

Shard agreed, in a place like Tobesk, what's least scarce are aristocrats, and what Mrs. Worsent is not short of are Gold Pounds.

He picked up his teacup and pretended to drink, but in reality, he was pondering. After putting down the cup, he asked:

"So you want me to go?"

"Yes, you, Rejed's Hamilton."

Shard shook his head cautiously:

"I'm sorry, although knights are considered nobility, they do not have titles. Why not find those barons who are desperate for money? I think it wouldn't be difficult."

Mrs. Worsent gave the answer:

"Indeed, it wouldn't be difficult, and I am willing to pay, but since it's my husband's funeral, I still wish to find someone with enough integrity, kindness, and good conduct to read the eulogy, not those strangers who work for money. After Lavende introduced you to me, I thought no one could be more qualified than you. I've read about you in the newspaper; you're very decent."

Shard agreed with this as well, not because he was complimented, but because if he were to choose, he too would want a reputable good person to read the eulogy at his own funeral.

Especially since he had been making headlines in the newspapers lately, it made sense for Mrs. Worsent to seek him out through a friend's introduction.

"I originally intended to ask Lavende for help, but he's not available this afternoon; he has an important business negotiation."

"Is the funeral this afternoon?"

Shard asked with some difficulty. Before Thursday, he really didn't want to spend time on other matters.

"It won't take long, at most two hours. 20 pounds as a reward plus travel expenses. I've heard from Lavende that you like Roder Cards? Then I'll add a special rule Roder Card as well."

"Hmm... Did you mention the compensation to the baron?"

Shard inquired.

"I didn't at the time. Since he has business, I couldn't disturb him. Mr. Hamilton, if you disagree, I suppose I should start visiting others. There are some backup options, but none as suitable as you."

"Hmm..."

If Baron Lavende had known about the compensation beforehand, he would not have let the opportunity slip to Shard.

"What's the address of the cemetery where the funeral is being held?"

"Tobesk Public Cemetery, Eastern District, compartment number three. I've purchased a partition in the Underground Cemetery."

"Wait a moment."

He stood up and walked into the study, where he found the receipt from when he had handed over Detective Sparrow's body to the Tomb Guardian, which indicated that the burial site was in compartment number two of the Eastern District of Tobesk Public Cemetery.

The two locations were very close.

"Why not visit Detective Sparrow before embarking on a significant endeavor?"

With this thought in mind, he considered the commission and ultimately agreed to accept it.

After arranging to meet in the afternoon, he bid Mrs. Worsent farewell, and it was barely eight in the morning. The remaining time before noon, Shard spent practicing Arcane Techniques and getting accustomed to the Sage-Level Relic "Ancient Witch's Golden Necklace."

Though he couldn't use the power of Maze Lock with the necklace, at least the already powerful "Silvermoon Slash" became even stronger. Even without trying it out on someone, Shard fully believed that apart from the power of relics, a severely wounded Silver-Eyed One could definitely not withstand his attack.

When eating lunch, he repeatedly mulled over his plan of action for the following night. He didn't end up making the silly mistake of sticking a spoon into his nose due to being overly focused, but because he was distracted, he accidentally gave Mia a little less cat food than usual when preparing her lunch.

As Shard prepared the cat food, Mia would usually behave "modestly" by stepping aside, pretending to be indifferent, and when Shard finished pouring the cat food and called out, she would immediately rush over.

This time was the same, as Shard was pouring the expensive cat food at the dining table, the petite orange cat lay on the living room windowsill, seemingly taking a keen interest in the street view of Saint Delan Square.

"Mia~"

He called out, then sat down at the table, lost in thought as he dealt with his own lunch.

The orange cat trotted over happily, but upon looking down, it didn't start eating immediately as it usually would, instead, it just stopped there.

It looked up at Shard, its amber eyes reflecting the image of the young detective frowning and staring off into space.

"Meow~"

It trotted to the hem of Shard's trousers, stretched out a paw to scrape at it, and then meowed again.

Looking up expectantly, Shard was still holding a spoon and appearing deep in thought.

"Meow~"

After meowing again and seeing Shard still didn't react, the cat backed up a little and then made a vigorous leap forward, clinging directly to Shard's trousers all the way up to his knees.

"Oh, my trousers!"

Shard finally noticed the cat trying to draw his attention, held the cat to "pluck" it off his trousers and saw that the cat food was untouched:

"What's wrong? Don't you like this?"

"Meow~"

Shard wasn't actually attempting to converse with Mia, just making a teasing remark. Unexpectedly, the cat immediately stretched out a paw, pointing in the direction of the kitchen cupboard where a large stock of cat food was stored.

Its amber eyes looked at him, the orange pattern on its back shimmering in the sunlight streaming through the window.

"You mean there's not enough cat food?"

Shard cocked his head and glanced at the lunch prepared for the cat, and then asked with slight surprise. But this time, Mia didn't show that she understood his words and simply wriggled in Shard's hands, wanting to be let down:

"Can you actually understand human speech, or not?"

He bent down to put the cat down, and Mia immediately darted to her lunch:

"Didn't Miss Annette say that she's just a normal cat?"

Shard got up to grab the bag of cat food:

"Am I being overanxious? Or could cats really be this smart?"

Glancing sideways at Mia, she sat dutifully beside her cat food, looked up at him with her tail flicking, her expectant eyes on him:

"It seems... perhaps just a bit smarter."

About the cat staying temporarily at No. 6, Saint Delan Square being normal or not, Shard had consulted both the voice of the woman in his heart and Miss Annette, receiving answers that there was nothing abnormal.

Therefore, his suspicions seemed to be just his own paranoia. Considering that the cat wouldn't leave until at least the winter season, Shard thought, when he had time, he could take her to Miss Galina's for a check-up.

Of course, Mia Cat didn't know Shard's thoughts at the moment, and after having her lunch, the cat started to feel sleepy. Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire

As usual, she lay a little distance from the snow-covered basin, allowing the sunlight filtering through the mist to warm her back, enjoying the leisurely afternoon.

The life of a pet cat was truly relaxed.