Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic
Chapter 1054 - 1054: The Art-Pursuing Agent

Not long after Sir Plisha left, Miss Bella Brown, whom Shard had been waiting for, returned.

After eight years, her appearance had changed significantly, and as an ordinary citizen, her makeup was quite different from when she used to be a maid. Thus, Shard could only say that this lady indeed resembled Princess Margaret's former maid, but he couldn't confirm if she was truly that former MI6 agent.

After confirming that the bookstore owner, Old Mr. Brown, and Miss Bella Brown were just ordinary people, Shard, under the cover of an illusion technique, went to the second floor of the bookstore where Miss Brown lived. Using the Key of the Door, he opened her room and conducted a simple search.

The room was quite ordinary, with easels and a few artistic oil paintings in the corner. He didn't touch other people's personal belongings but did find a handgun in the desk. Apart from that gun, there were no other noteworthy items, and considering the bookstore itself illegally sold firearms, that gun might have been given by Old Mr. Brown for her protection.

[Create a scenario, and test her, perhaps?]

"She" asked softly.

Shard shook his head and looked at the rather small bedroom:

"Some habits, once formed, are hard to change even if you want to. I asked Princess Margaret, and her former maid received a full training of the royal maids. Sorry."

He spoke softly towards the wardrobe, then opened its door. Ignoring the clothes hanging on hangers, he checked the clothes folded at the bottom of the wardrobe:

"Even a diligent young lady wouldn't match the precision in clothing arrangement of a professionally trained maid."

He remarked as he observed the meticulously folded and arranged clothes, noting the significant difference compared to the wardrobes organized by Dorothy, Lecia, and Luviya, and the weekly arrangement by Miss Galina's maids for him. The Duchess's maids were very professional:

"Indeed, this kind of folding method... it may be a coincidence, but I should check other places."

Standing up, he closed the wardrobe and then looked towards the desk:

"Aside from being a maid, she might also have agent training. And as a cautious former agent..."

Shard took out the handgun again, checked it, and confirmed that a bullet was already loaded in the chamber:

"Pre-loading a bullet in the chamber not only allows for immediate firing but also provides an extra bullet. I think an ordinary young lady wouldn't know this."

He put the well-maintained handgun back in place:

"Of course, this still doesn't prove anything; maybe Miss Brown learned this from her uncle."

He then walked over to the oil paintings in the corner and sifted through the canvases a little:

"These are all ordinary landscape paintings, devoid of specific locations or character features... The white bell tower is fine, but the window style of the bell tower is a typical Casenric design, which I've seen in Miss Aphrola's Coldwater Port Manor."

"Truly interesting."

Shard thought silently and then used the Echo of the Past.

There were many sounds in the bedroom; he listened to three segments.

The first was a conversation between Miss Brown and her uncle, Old Mr. Brown, where the latter inquired about Miss Brown's wedding plans;

The second was a dialogue between Miss Brown and a stranger. Their tones were filled with joy, and the stranger told Miss Brown he had packed his luggage, ready to settle in the City of Art, Atak City, after the Year-End Festival, where they would marry.

They envisioned their married life, and Shard learned that the stranger was Miss Brown's fiancé, an orphan who is now a mechanic.

The last segment was Miss Brown's soliloquy, where the thirty-something woman seemed to be talking to herself in the mirror, expressing her joy, confusion, and a hint of apprehension about the marriage.

The key phrase was:

"Can those pasts truly disappear completely?"

"It must be her."

Shard didn't continue to pry into others' privacy, remaining curious about her presence in Tobesk. It appeared unrelated to MI6 and seemed that Miss Brown was merely in search of a new life.

[Continue the investigation? Or directly report to the princess?]

"She" continued to ask with a smile.

"Of course, continue the investigation; after all, this has nothing to do with the Transcendent, and I'm very curious about the real reason. If I can uncover all the details and then inform Princess Margaret, I might not need to go through Mr. Alan Madison but can instead entrust Sir to display the Spiritual Light through Princess Margaret."

He returned to the bookstore downstairs. By now, it was noon, and Miss Brown left the first floor for the second floor to prepare lunch for herself and her uncle.

Shard picked out two books and bought them. After leaving the bookstore, he circled around to the alley behind the bookstore and climbed over the wall to enter the small yard used as a warehouse behind the bookstore.

Ensuring no one was around, he transformed into the Scarlet Butterfly, flying up to the second floor. Once airborne, he shifted back to his human form and used Lagre's Leap to directly enter the room behind the glass.

The kitchen was also on the second floor of the bookstore. Shard changed his disguise, applied the witch's eyeshadow, and then headed towards the kitchen.

The kitchen was narrow and dim, with Miss Bella Brown expertly stirring the eggs. Hearing the cough from the doorway, her hand trembled instinctively, and she was surprised to see the stranger standing at the door:

"Who are you? Sir, there's nothing valuable here. Oh, leave here quickly!"

"How dare you return directly to Tobesk?"

Shard asked bluntly, while Miss Bella Brown showed a startled expression, and then extended a finger and asked:

"Guess who I am? Someone from the Grey Glove?"

This sentence was in Casenric, quite fluent Casenric. Although Shard followed the Princess to "learn foreign languages" as an excuse, it wasn't without any gain.

Then he extended a second finger:

"Or perhaps someone from MI6?"

This sentence was in Delarion, also quite fluent, with a distinct Tobesk Central Urban Area accent.

The lady in the kitchen instinctively took a step back, apologized softly, and turned off the gas under the heating pan. She put down the bowl and spoon containing eggs, gripped a towel nearby, and her face showed an almost despairing expression:

"I..."

"Don't show that look just yet. I'm not from either side."

Shard said, staring at her face as he added:

"I work for a beautiful lady. Before deciding how to treat you, I want to hear your story."

He walked into the kitchen, placing the "Spear of Kindness" on the small table with the egg bowl:

"MI6 should have placed you in the countryside or a small town, why did you return?"

"I..."

The lady gripping the towel pursed her lips, the despair in her eyes becoming more apparent as she stared at the gun, her tone turning from soft to resolute:

"Of course they wouldn't allow it, so I faked my death again, abandoned all my original identities, and returned here. It's not easy, making MI6 colleagues believe I was truly dead was even harder than leaving Velindale back then."

"Why return?"

"For school."

"Hmm?"

Shard couldn't understand, as Miss Brown shifted her gaze from the gun Shard placed on the table to him.

The narrow kitchen, the window still constricted. The light inside was extremely dim; the despairing woman explained her life almost hysterically:

"Sir, do you know my past? Before I was absorbed into MI6, I was just an ordinary girl, then something happened... my life changed completely. But from the time I was young, I loved art, loved painting. I thought, once I left MI6, I would pursue my dreams. But they deceived me, I couldn't appear publicly, nor was I allowed to enter any public Art Academy... I understood these were the rules of MI6, but I couldn't accept it, so I chose to pursue my own life."

She looked at Shard like that, her pale complexion more exaggerated than the Vampire Kind Mr. Benhart's skin:

"I know what I'm doing isn't wrong. I spent eight months getting a diploma from the Third Art Academy in Tobesk, and I met him. After the Year-End Festival, we will settle in Atak City, and I will continue my studies there. Chasing dreams, pursuing knowledge... for someone with my background, this sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?"

"Not ridiculous at all. I know an old professor who chased knowledge so much he even lost his legs."

Shard was referring to Professor Drake from Huntington City, calculating the time, the professor had probably already left Huntington and moved to Velindale.

"But are you that bold? It's not like Tobesk is the only place with an Art Academy."

"But it's the best here."

Miss Bella Brown said firmly, staring wide-eyed at Shard:

"You may not understand these things, but this is my pursuit, my desire, and I'm willing to take responsibility for it. Moreover, I've been retired for eight years, my appearance and physique have also changed from before, even if Director Anlos saw me, he wouldn't necessarily recognize me at a glance. So I came back, to pursue a new life, a new beginning..."

"But you truly were recognized at a glance; she has deep memories of you, she's remembered you all this time."

Shard said, and Miss Bella Brown closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if completely accepting her fate, ready to face her trial:

"Sir, who exactly sent you to find me?"

Shard glanced around the kitchen, left the gun on the table undisturbed, and then walked into the kitchen alone, tossing her a purple cabbage:

"Lunch being just scrambled eggs seems too simple. You could try scrambled eggs with purple cabbage."

Miss Bella Brown didn't look at the gun she could easily reach, but instead, hurriedly caught the purple cabbage, surprised that Shard would toss this to her.

And staring at the vegetable in her hand, she suddenly widened her eyes, becoming dazed:

"It was..."