[WP] Chapter 18: Fake Philosopher's Stone

[WP] Chapter 18: Fake Philosopher's Stone

The piece of paper that attracted Shade's attention seemed to be made of parchment, and one corner was pressed down by the book "Psychology and Abnormal Psychology,"  but it only blocked the signature and did not affect the main content:

[College Bounty Order

The illegal organization [Mercury Blood] appeared in Tobesk City and surrounding areas with the keeper-level relic [Fake Philosopher's Stone]. A bounty is offered to all the correspondence ring wizards in the colleges in the area, and they should pay close attention to the movements of [Mercury Blood]. If you submit [Fake Philosopher's Stone] to the college, you can deduct 5 practical credits for this academic year, and the academic assessment rating for this semester will be automatically upgraded to "excellent.". The rest of the rewards will be discussed with Professor Rogers of the College of Mechanical Engineering.

Note 1: This mission is extremely dangerous. It is not recommended that students below the 3rd ring (inclusive) directly contact the [Mercury Blood] organization in any form.

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

Note 3: The Orthodox Church has obtained this information. If you are interested in completing the mission, please be careful not to reveal your identity to the church.]

Below is the obscured signature, which seems to be a joint announcement issued by the Public Affairs Management Office of St. Byron's Comprehensive College and the College of Mechanics.

"What if it is exposed to the Orthodox Church? I forgot to ask the doctor just now."

Shade thought, then put the file bag on the table and sat back on the sofa.

So far, no one knows the secret that he can understand various strange languages, so it is unlikely that this thing is also forged by the doctor. On the contrary, the appearance of this college bounty order proves that what the doctor said is likely to be true.

"However, credits and academic assessments are really scary words. I didn't expect that I would encounter such things in the era of steam civilization."

Shade thought silently, recalling his life in his hometown. This made him more determined to contact the mystery and find a way to go back.

But he didn't expect that he would have to study and take exams in a different world. What's more, he might have to write a paper.

"There are always more solutions than problems."

He thought in his heart and waited patiently for the doctor to come back.

Although the doctor had just treated him to lunch at the Goose restaurant not long ago. But because the horrible scene he saw in the morning was really impressive, Shade didn't eat much.

At this time, he had plans for the future, and his mood was better, and he felt hungry. So he took advantage of the doctor's absence and asked Mrs. Kara for some snacks, saying that he wanted to have afternoon tea.

The doctor probably told the maid that Shade was a distinguished guest, so when the maid wearing a floral apron knocked on the door and entered, Shade saw that she was holding a porcelain plate.

"This is Mr. Schneider's collection."

The middle-aged maid smiled. She looked to be in her forties, a little older than the blue-eyed doctor. She was plump, which was in line with Shade's imagination of middle-aged women in ordinary families in this era.

Although there is no oriental power in this world, there are still porcelains, and porcelains are still precious. Only the special soil and technology in special regions can burn such fine products.

Shade thanked Mrs. Kara and didn't care much about the porcelain plate. He looked at the delicate yellow fluffy cake on the plate and the red cherry on the top of the cake that seemed to reflect light and swallowed his saliva subconsciously.

"Shade, don't embarrass the time travelers!"

The stranger who had just arrived here said to himself in his heart, and then, as expected, he heard the woman's beautiful laughter in his mind again.

They agreed to meet at two o'clock, but the doctor didn't show up. If Shade hadn't found that no one stopped him from walking around when he went to the bathroom, he might have suspected that he had fallen into a trap.

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

After nearly 40 hours in this world, he had a higher understanding of the level of development power of the country he was in. The characteristics of the steam age are reflected in all aspects of life, not only gas lamps and steam pipes but also the exquisite mechanical structure buckles on various furniture and the lifting platform controlled by large gears, pulleys, and ropes on the side of the bookshelf. These are all things Shade has never seen in his world.

He never thought that he could come to this kind of world. While hesitating, he also tried to exchange his knowledge for money. But he didn't know much, and he didn't have an extremely good memory. He was still full of anxiety about the next life.

Dr. Schneider showed up at half past two. He changed into a black coat.

He started to apologize when he pushed the door open.

"I'm sorry. Something unexpected happened. I ordered a batch of sensitive drugs on the black market. No, don't show that expression. They are not for the patients in the clinic. I don't do that kind of thing. They are for my research on magic. Something went wrong when I received the goods. It was really bad luck."

He sat down again while talking. The maid followed him in and served the two men a new pot of black tea.

"So, have you decided?"

The doctor asked solemnly, his blue eyes looking into Shade's eyes. Shade observed the color of his eyes in the mirror. It was still a dark brown color that looked like black, which was the same as before.

"It's decided."

Shade sat up straight nodded, and answered in the same solemn manner:

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

The doctor smiled widely.

"Although my luck today is not very good, I find that Detective Hamilton, as long as it is related to you, will always go smoothly."

As one of the three major thaumaturgy academies, St. Byron's Comprehensive College can remotely deliver [relics]. But Shade is not a formal ring wizard yet, so Dr. Schneider naturally won't let him know what this method is.

After waiting alone in the room for more than ten minutes, the doctor pushed the door and walked in holding a black paper box.

It was a black paper box, with nothing but black. Shade didn't even find the seam of the paper box the first time.

"The Dream of Saint Byron's Comprehensive College is a product of the last era, that is, the product of the fifth era. At that time, the college had just been established, and the legendary founder, Miss Mana Felena, a thirteen-ring sorcerer, got this relic after a summer nap. This relic must be contained in a black space, and it is considered a relatively simple relic to contain."

"Was the college only established in the last era?"

Shade was a little puzzled. He thought it was an ancient organization that had been passed down for several eras.

"The five major churches of the orthodox gods and the three major schools of magic all appeared in the last era. Remember this common sense. The fourth era is an era of darkness and chaos, and evil and distortion are rampant in the world. The fifth era is the era of witches. Only women can cast spells. Powerful witch emperors divide the world, and city-states fight each other. Civilization has made no progress in the fifth era. It is a wild and primitive era, but it is equally terrible. In the sixth era, the extraordinary is not obvious, and human civilization has been able to progress to the present era in the hands of ordinary people."

The doctor did not introduce the older era, and Shade did not ask, because the two were sitting on the sofa and Dr. Schneider had already opened the box.

Looking over, the paper box was filled with straw, and on the straw lay an exquisite enamel filigree snuff bottle, the size of a palm. The body of the pot is generally blue, with bright yellow sunflowers painted on it, connected by golden lines, which makes people think of the happy time in summer.

(End of this chapter)