Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"The script did not have coercive power; it couldn't make Shard commit actions uncontrollably. But whatever was written on it was destined to happen, unchangeable, as if an invisible hand was manipulating fate, leading Shard to appear under the grape arbor once more, just like it was meant to be."

"Outmatched in power, Shard had no other option. He had never felt such a longing for strength before. It wasn't that he hadn't tried to become stronger in the past, but as an Outlander, he was still new to this world."

"In this world, indeed, strength is required."

After taking a deep breath to calm his spirit and suppress the unease in his heart, Shard stared at his opponent and slowly took out the pendant holding the Vampire Ring, to which the other party smiled and commented,n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"So this was also stolen by you."

But it wasn't.

Shard brought out the box containing The Twenty-Sided Die of Destiny. The man opened it and looked surprised,

"Is this that Keeper of Secrets Level Relic? The rare item that can interfere with fate? I see, so you used this to fight against the Puppeteer's Script. How interesting, you're a Correspondence Circle Mage from Saint Lawrence Integrated Academy?"

He was obviously very familiar with these relics.

Shard pulled out the Silvermoon Orb pendant from his chest, and the man glanced at it and shook his head,

"What is this mess? Quite peculiar."

Shard made no further move; the man looked at him, eyes flashing menacingly, and tapped his right hand on the stone table,

"Moreover, you have something else quite extraordinary on you. Another told me about it; he wouldn't lie to me."

So Shard took out a bag of Dried Frog Legs, the Spellcasting Materials for Sorcery called Frog's Leap.

"Not this, what is this? What else is there! Are you mocking me?"

The man momentarily showed shock, tapping his finger on the table, urging impatiently.

Shard took out a diary and displayed two Roder Cards, but the man didn't even glance,

"So you're a gambler too? No, Roder Cards are common items, don't you even know this much? Come on, take out what you've hidden. I know you must be counting on that item to turn the tables."

Shard thought for a moment, then with a strange look in his eyes that made the man in the burgundy suit feel somewhat uncomfortable, pulled out the frosty antique revolver from within his sleeveless rolled-up jacket.

At this moment, caressing the engravings on the gun, the Outlander felt as though he could really see fate. With a curious premonition in his heart, he knew that under the peculiar turn of luck, his plan to feign death using the Sorcery called False Immortality was no longer necessary.

"Oh? What's this?"

The man in the burgundy suit did not recognize what it was either but after touching it and inspecting it over, he realized it was indeed a Relic. He held it up for a closer look, opened the revolver's cylinder, and found no bullets in the six chambers. But with a slight shake, bullets magically appeared in the cylinder.

A smile curled on the man's lips:

"This is good, using Spirit to automatically replenish bullets. I've always wanted an offensive Relic; this is perfect. It seems my luck tonight isn't so bad, what you owe me will eventually be paid back to me. Ha, fate is indeed fair to everyone! The law of conservation of luck is definitely not superstition.

I suppose, you know what this Relic does, don't you? It's not just about replenishing bullets, that's why you wanted to hide it until the end, hoping that I wouldn't notice and give you the chance to pull the trigger."

Shard pursed his lips, unsure if he should compliment the man's wild imagination. Perhaps the man sitting across from him should become a writer like Miss Luisa:

"Sorry, I don't know what use this revolver has either."

Shard replied honestly. The man chuckled once, held the gun in his right hand, and with a click of metallic sound, his stout fingers pressed down the hammer, then he slowly raised his hand, aiming the dark muzzle of the gun at Shard's forehead:

"I used sorcery to prevent the gunshot from being heard outside, since you're not willing to talk, let's try and see what this gun can actually do. Do you want to die? Or tell me the answer,"

The round stone table was quite large, the handgun was raised above the table, and it did not cross the midpoint of the round table.

Grapes hung from a trellis with gas lamps overhead, and candles brought by the man provided light on the round table. The dim yellow light shone on the faces of the two people by the table, during that silent moment, not even the slightest breeze blew.

Shard looked at the barrel of the gun, his lips trembling momentarily, even with his own plan, his heart felt as if it was about to jump out of his throat, and he could feel the sweat streaming down his face.

At this moment of life or death, it seemed he was only a step away from dying. Since coming to this world, this was the most perilous situation he had faced. But out of millions of thoughts, he considered the possibility that he might survive.

"My thoughts must be correct, my thoughts must be correct! The good luck I've had tonight can't have run out yet!"

Continue your adventure with empire

He kept repeating to himself.

"What exactly does this handgun [Relic] do?"

The man asked again, Shard shook his head, unexpectedly reaching out in front of the man to pick up [The Twenty-Sided Die of Destiny] from the opened box.

"The good luck generated by [Puppeteer's Script] can't affect [The Twenty-Sided Die of Destiny]. If you're relying on your current good fortune to roll a 20 again, then don't bother, you won't roll a 20. Luck cannot overcome power. Using the script might indeed lead you to be misled by the traps of fate, but what can you do this time?"

The man said in surprise but saw Shard proceed with the motion of throwing the dice, Shard's back soaked through his shirt.

[Are you ready?]

The whisper came unexpectedly, she really understood Shard.

"I'm ready."

The middle-aged man in maroon suit laughed at his action,

"Since you're not giving up, young Circle Sorcerer, goodbye."

He pulled the trigger, and before The Twenty-Sided Die of Destiny was thrown, the antique revolver was fired normally.

In the gunshot muted by arcane technique, which failed to cut through the night, a brass bullet spun out of the barrel, crossing the dim light of the gas lamp and the evening breeze of a summer garden, leaving a trail of air vortex over the midline of the round table, flying towards Shard's forehead.

This was the real moment before death, Shard didn't think of the people he knew in this world, instead, he clenched the dice that he hadn't thrown and closed his eyes:

"This has to be..."

The bullet, covered in an odd black iron spiritual light, didn't continue forward but traced a perfect arc in the air and flew back.

"What?"

Bang~

The bullet penetrated the brains of the gunman, his head exploding like a watermelon hit with a heavy blow.

Red and white matter sprayed in all directions, the man's body sat stiff, collapsing amidst the echo of the gunshot and the white smoke from the barrel.

Shard, covered in brain matter and blood, didn't move, the candles were knocked over by the splattering blood, and the glass of the gas lamps on the trellises were also covered in blood. The light suddenly dimmed, Shard opened his eyes, watching the gunsmoke drift into the night sky, then dissipating under the evening breeze beneath the trellis.

The night wind blew, and he trembled as he let out a breath:

"... the Spear of Kindness."