Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"I've seen too many paintings filled with deep emotions, and this one would definitely rank in the top three among all the famous paintings I've encountered,"
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Mr. Event continued to marvel.

"So, do you plan to buy this painting?"

Shard asked.

"Man" shook his head:

"I don't have that kind of money."

"Then, which lot are you here for this time? I'm here to buy the #5 fountain pen on behalf of a noblewoman whose identity must remain confidential. I hope our targets won't clash; she has given me a very high bidding limit,"

Shard continued to probe.

"Oh, no need to worry then. I'm here for #10."

Steve Event said, but Shard knew he wasn't going to buy anything—once the auction started, he was just going to make a pretense of bidding. Standing here, he was merely keeping watch, gauging if anyone in the crowd might disrupt tonight's affairs.

The cultists probably hadn't realized the members of the True God Church were already outnumbering them in this mansion.

"#10?"

Shard nodded, naturally glancing towards where the #10 lot was displayed; it was a gold ring. There was no historical value or story to it, just a plain and simple gold ring appearing here as jewelry.

Of course, Shard wasn't actually looking at the ring, but at the person standing to his right. One man took off his deerstalker hat and waved it twice; Shard immediately understood that their personnel had arrived:

"By the way, forgot to introduce myself, I'm Rejed's Hamilton, you might have heard of me."

He extended his hand to Mr. Steve Event, who hesitated for a moment, but then also extended his hand and shook it. On his finger was the Transmutation Ring, and up close, Shard confirmed it was authentic.

"Good afternoon, Lord Hamilton, I am Steve Event."

The middle-aged man, engaged in undercover work, introduced himself:

"I serve essentially as a broker and collector, facilitating antique transactions for nobles and businessmen."

His tone was normal, expression natural. "He" was very skilled at role-playing as a man, just as Lady Lassoya was skilled at playing a woman. Perhaps this was also one of the traits of the Transmutation Ring.

"That certainly sounds like a profitable business,"

Shard enthusiastically said, checking the time and proceeding to chat with Mr. Event about the other lots mentioned on the invitation. With less than three minutes until the next auction, he cautiously looked around, carefully took out an item from his pocket, and lowered his voice:

"Mr. Event, since we've met today by chance, would you mind taking a look at this item, see how much it could be worth?"

Shard took out a small jewelry box from his pocket, opened it, and Mr. Event, who was initially just squinting, immediately widened his eyes in surprise when he saw the contents of the box:

"This is..."

Inside the jewelry box was a massive ruby ring, the gem on it terrifyingly large. Even without looking at the gem, just the ring itself indicated it wasn't an ordinary item.

"Keep your voice down, I rescued the queen, and this was my private reward from her. I've always wanted to have someone... look at it closely, find out how many gold pieces it's really worth,"

Shard said with an embarrassed laugh;

"But as you know, the moment I take it to a local jewelry or antique store, the next day the tabloids will proclaim that Rejed's Hamilton is trying to sell the queen's gift. But you're different, you're not a national here, so I thought I'd have you take a look."

The cultists were currently on a mission, technically they shouldn't be complicating things. But when Shard enthusiastically handed over the box with the ring, "he" hesitated only for a moment before accepting it.

Refusing directly at that moment would have seemed odd, so the middle-aged man blocked the view of others behind him with his body, and took the ring box, while saying:

"I'm actually not adept at valuing jewelry-type antiques. I primarily deal with collections and transactions of artwork in paintings and calligraphy… Oh, this ring is really nice."

Of course, the ring was very nice, Queen Diana didn't know even if Shard weren't there, Miss Galina, who was sitting beside her at the time, wouldn't let anything happen to her, so she genuinely believed Shard had saved her life. According to Miss Galina's account, the ring had a long history, having been passed down through Queen Diana's maternal family line for at least 300 years.

If it hadn't been given to Shard, the ring would have been passed down as a dowry when a princess was about to marry.

"It's really quite exquisite."

Mr. Steve Event couldn't help but remark again, and Shard teamed up with a smile:

"Could you give me an estimate?"

"It's hard to give a precise valuation as I rarely deal with antiques of this nature. However, if you wish, I can introduce you to some friends who might be able to help you with that,"

Reluctantly looking at the ring inside the box he held but still handing it back to Shard, he wouldn't let anything distract him on such an important occasion, not when he had paid the price to change from a woman to a man.

"Very well."

Shard stuffed the ring box into his coat pocket and began to count down in his mind. As he extended his hand for a handshake, he politely added,

"Thank you for the trouble, I..."

The woman holding a wine glass behind Shard looked at Shard, then at the man on Shard's right wearing a deerstalker hat. The latter blinked and lifted his leg as if he wanted to move aside but seemed to trip suddenly, toppling toward the woman.

The woman couldn't dodge in time and bumped into the man with the deerstalker hat. Although she managed to hold onto her wine glass steadily, the wine still splashed onto Shard's back.

"Oh, for the sake of Mr. Dawn, what happened now?"

Shard, who was about to shake hands, let out a cry of "surprise" then turned around discontentedly, while the people around curiously turned their attention to this scene.

"Oh, sir, I am truly sorry, truly sorry."

The man first apologized to the noblewoman, then hurried to apologize to Shard. He also signaled a servant, wanting to take Shard to another room to clean up, but Shard waved his hand, visibly displeased, and said:

"The auction is about to start and I do not want to miss it."

He took off his coat and held it in his hand while asking someone nearby to confirm that the white shirt inside was not wet.

Steve Event silently observed Shard holding his coat and then looked at Shard's young face.

Just as Shard said, he didn't really have time to change because the auction was about to begin immediately.

The long table inside the dining room had already been removed, replaced with rows of neatly arranged single chairs. The people participating in the auction each took their seats while Steve Event sat next to the newly acquainted Shard, listening to the elderly auctioneer hosting the auction.

The auction progressed very swiftly. Being a fundraising event, there wasn't much fierce competition, so most auction items were sold after only three or four bids.

Shard successfully bid for lot number two and five, which were the Draleon Ancient Fairy Tales Collection and a gold fountain pen. Buying the storybook was not because he cherished it, but after winning the bid, he boasted to his newly made friend:

"The fountain pen was for that lady; as for this book... I don't have that much money myself. I've recently got to know... rather, befriended a very wealthy noblewoman, she's truly very..."

Shard raised his eyebrows, revealing a suggestive smile:

"Very rich."

Event nodded, expressionless, but his eyes glanced again at Shard's wet coat.

The wet coat lay casually in Shard's hand. And after the auction ended, Shard invited Mr. Event to come see the auction items he had bought, but he was declined.

Steve Event's task was to stay and watch the crowd, ensuring there were no suspicious persons, making sure that the God Summoning Ritual went off without a hitch, and therefore could not stray far.

"That's truly a pity; I'll bring the items here for you to see later. Joy should be shared. I really can't wait to see that book; I just love such old books."

Shard said enthusiastically and stood up ready to leave. However, at that moment, the man in the deerstalker hat who had bumped into the middle-aged woman walked over, leading a maid. He called out to Shard in a local accent, waving his hand, his brown hair peeking from the edge of the hat:

"Sir, my apologies for the incident earlier. I have learned that there is a laundry room in the mansion's courtyard. It is empty now, but this Miss Maid here can help clean the clothes. I'm genuinely sorry; once the wine stains dry, they become tough to wash."

Of course, whether it was the woman holding the wine glass, the man in the deerstalker hat standing before him, or the maid about to wash the clothes, they were all part of Miss Galina's arrangements.

"Laundry?"

Shard looked skeptically at the maid, thought for a while, handed over his coat, and said to the maid:

"I don't have time to follow you there, take it and wash it, I'll pick it up later and wait for you on the first floor. Make sure it dries quickly; this suit is not cheap."

Saying this, he apologized to Mr. Event with a nod, then left excitedly toward the inner side of the dining room where the auction items were kept.

Steve Event stood expressionlessly, first watched Shard's departing figure, then observed the man in the deerstalker hat continuing to watch the next round of auction items with his friends, and finally saw the maid carrying Shard's coat leaving the dining room, disappearing out the door.

He lowered his head thoughtfully, glanced around, and then stealthily hurried after the maid.

Shard didn't turn to watch Event's departure, but someone by his side gave him a signal; he knew their plan had worked.

Perhaps a person can restrain their greed because of a sense of duty, but that's only because the temptation wasn't timed right. In the play arranged by Miss Galina that night, the foolish, slightly reckless Shard, the coincidental coat departure, and the somewhat tranquil auction... At this moment, the temptation was just right.