Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 832: Chapter 832: Water of Wisdom

“Fairy tale?”

“Yes, the ancient fairy tale ‘Water of Wisdom’, my writer friend mentioned it to me.”

Shard nodded, turned, raised the portable kerosene lamp in his hand to illuminate the stele, and coughed before translating:

“The King, the Hero, and the Scholar sought out the Sage in the lake, seeking a way to solve their problems. The reclusive Sage used a water bottle to draw water from the lake, claiming that this water would bring them answers. However, each person had to ask their own question, and only the most difficult problem warranted the use of this treasure.”

Shard paused for a moment, the kerosene lamp in his hand slowly moving downward:

“The King raised the issue of governing the Kingdom, the Hero posed the challenge of defeating the Evil Dragon, and the Scholar presented the problem of unlocking an ancient Mechanism Box. To obtain the Water of Wisdom, the King sent an army to subdue the Evil Dragon, the Hero swung his longsword to shatter the Mechanism Box, and the Scholar provided a method to govern the Kingdom. Each person received wisdom, and so the Sage poured the water back into the lake.”

He reached forward to touch the stele, confirming that it was not a Relic, and recited the final sentence:

“Knowledge is power, and extraordinary wisdom is the most precious wealth.”

The last line was written in floral ancient script. The ending of fairy tales usually summarized the idea expressed in the story or elevated its theme—Dorothy believed that this made the story appear more profound than the writers intended.

“Sister, that is all that is written. Of course, some letters are really blurry, so I had to guess the meaning, and there may be issues with the details, but this is the gist of the story.”

Stepping back and standing with Sister Delphine, they looked at the stele: