Steam Age: I Fight Against Divine Authority with Otherworldly Tales

Chapter 41 Viscount Howard's Secret

Suren didn't linger. Following the dimly lit corridor, she quickly arrived at the exit by the dock.

He walked slowly along the coast, pondering his next move: Lady Howard and the Knights of the Eternal Oath were engaged in a secret deal, and based on the information provided by Viscount Howard, this deal should have been going on for some time.

Suren stood behind an old house, from which she could clearly see the exit of the "Mist Exchange".

"Viscount Howard must have tried to track Mrs. Howard himself, at least he tried to send ordinary people to track her, but the tracking failed because of the illusion. That's when he remembered to issue the mission on the Deathbird." Suren roughly figured out the sequence of events.

Suren leaned against the cold wall, a question lingering in her mind: Should she report the truth to Viscount Howard?

The only benefit of reporting is the meager reward, but the disadvantages are obvious: firstly, one cannot explain how one obtained the clues, and secondly, one will offend the ancient organization, the "Eternal Oath Knights."

Suren will definitely leave the "Deathbird Monks" in the future, and may even need to join a civilian organization to obtain resources. Offending an organization with a powerful background is definitely not a good decision.

With that thought in mind, Suren made his decision. All he had to do next was wait for the two of them to come out so he could have a private talk with Mrs. Howard.

The sea breeze caressed Suren's face, and time passed amidst the sound of the surrounding tides. After an unknown amount of time, Mrs. Howard and the black-haired lady finally emerged.

The two talked for a while at the door. Just then, the space behind the black-haired woman suddenly distorted, and a huge phantom appeared abruptly.

It was an ancient contract, its entire surface ablaze with crimson flames.

When the phantom of this enormous contract appeared, Suren felt a slight unease.

The woman paused, then said something to Mrs. Howard, and the next moment, she turned and walked towards the phantom.

She stretched out her right hand, her palm glowing orange. The instant her palm touched the phantom, flames engulfed her completely. A moment later, the phantom disappeared into the void, as if nothing had happened.

Mrs. Howard simply watched the scene quietly, without showing any extra emotion.

Suren frowned; this was the first time he had ever seen someone emitting an orange-yellow light. Moreover, even from this distance, Suren could still feel the chilling aura emanating from that phantom, and its abilities were strikingly similar to spatial teleportation.

"It's an ability that can only be used by someone at the 'Agent' level," Suren concluded.

Suren shook his head, unsure whether he was too lucky or too unlucky. The people and things he had encountered during this period were completely beyond what someone of his level should be involved in.

Mrs. Howard was slowly leaving, no longer thinking about it. Suren emerged from behind the wall and followed behind Mrs. Howard. He stayed close to the wall, always keeping a distance of about twenty paces from Mrs. Howard.

Mrs. Howard was extremely cautious, glancing back every now and then. Unfortunately, thanks to Suren's tracking skills and the [Secret Protection] buff, Mrs. Howard was completely unaware that she was being followed.

"Mrs. Howard." In a relatively quiet alley with few people, a voice reached Mrs. Howard's ears. She turned around abruptly and saw a young man in simple work clothes standing in front of her. He was wearing a flat-topped hat with the brim pulled low, obscuring his face.

Mrs. Howard looked around; there was no one else in the alley except herself and the man.

In that instant, Mrs. Howard realized a despairing truth: the illusion she had cast on herself had no effect on men.

Thinking of this, her chest heaved violently, her breathing became rapid, and fine beads of sweat slid down her face. She subconsciously wanted to run away.

Suren's lips twitched. He raised his left hand, palm down, and slowly pressed it down to indicate that he meant no harm. "I'm very sorry, Mrs. Howard. I was just doing my duty. It was your husband who arranged for me to follow you."

Mrs. Howard's heart skipped a beat. She gripped her handbag tightly, and before she could respond, Suren continued, "However, I don't have much affection for Viscount Howard. So I've decided to help you conceal some things."

He paused, his gaze falling on Mrs. Howard's face: "Of course, that's on the condition that you cooperate."

Mrs. Howard looked at the man in front of her, took a deep breath to calm herself, and said, "Let's talk somewhere else."

Mrs. Howard chose a relatively quiet café, not far from the "Star Club".

The café was small, and since it was morning, there was only one customer—an elderly man with gray hair, who was sitting by the window reading a newspaper.

The two chose a seat at the very back, and after the waiter brought them two cups of coffee, Mrs. Howard asked somewhat nervously, "What do you want me to do?"

"I need the details of your deal with those people," Suren said, tapping the table. "The entire deal."

Hearing Suren's words, Mrs. Howard sighed, "I'm so sorry, sir, I've already signed a contract with them. If I were to reveal this, I might die right in front of you."

Suren rubbed his temples. This result was not unexpected for him. After all, the "Eternal Oath Knights" was a well-established organization. Without pausing, he directly raised his second request: "Then I need to know what Viscount Howard, your husband, is doing that is so costly that he even has to sell his property."

How did he know? Mrs. Howard instinctively covered her mouth, a hint of surprise still lingering in her eyes. After a moment's thought, she finally spoke:

"My husband recently received some news that some books were unearthed in the 'Land of Lamentation' in 'Libraton,' and the books describe an ancient ruin. I heard that inside..."

She paused, as if making a decision, and squeezed out the second half of the sentence with difficulty: "I heard that it contains... the secret to becoming a god."

"Become a god?" Suren was stunned. He had imagined many possibilities—secrets left behind in history, some ancient book, some powerful object, but he never thought it would be something so ethereal.

"Yes, it is said that the ruins come from the 'Cataclysmic Era,' which predates the 'Mythological Era.'" Mrs. Howard picked up her cup and took a small sip of coffee. "You should have heard that there is a folk tale that during the 'Cataclysmic Era,' there were many more gods who perished while sealing the demons of hell."

Suren had indeed read this claim in some books, but because there was no evidence, it was simply considered a rumor.

Suren pressed on, "Then do you know where this site is located?"

Mrs. Howard gently shook her head.

"It was because my husband was desperately searching for the location of that ruin that we ended up in this situation. Perhaps in a while we'll have to return to the 'Libraton' family." She lowered her head, her voice tinged with bitterness. "As far as I know, his investigation hasn't made much progress yet, but... I have learned of some clues."

Mrs. Howard raised her head, met Suren's gaze, and uttered the name, word by word:

"The God of Life - Elwin the Dawn".