Chapter 134: The Treasure Beneath the Earth

The cold wind of the first lunar month still circled above Leo City, making the icicles under the eaves clatter against each other.

Inside the study, the fireplace burned brightly, occasionally spitting out a spark or two.

Lia held a screwdriver, performing the final calibration on a brass instrument atop the desk.

The device was roughly the size of two palms; its base was carved with intricate mana circuits, topped with a smooth, polished obsidian plate, and a slot for magic stones on the side.

“John, place that list on it.”

Lia didn’t even look up, simply pointing at the obsidian plate.

John’s hands trembled slightly as he cautiously pinched a piece of parchment filled with writing and laid it gently over the stone.

Lia stuffed a thumbnail-sized wind-attribute magic stone into the slot.

Click.

The device emitted a light sound, and the runes on the base instantly lit up with a pale cyan glow.

The parchment vibrated slightly against the stone plate.

At the same time, an identical device placed on the other side of the study reacted.

A blank piece of parchment lay flat on its stone plate, and at that moment, ink actually began to emerge out of thin air.

A few seconds later, the light faded.

Lia walked over, picked up the paper from the second device, and compared the two.

The handwriting was clear; even the ink blot left by John’s trembling hand when he signed was exactly the same.

“Success.”

Lia set the paper down and patted the dust from her hands.

“This is a communication device; the principle utilizes spatial resonance and matter projection.”

She looked toward the stunned accountants and the butler standing to the side.

“From now on, transmit the monthly account reports and the mining progress of the district directly to me through this.”

“I’ve already calculated the consumption of magic stones; transmitting one page requires roughly one low-tier magic stone. The cost isn’t low, so don’t transmit nonsense.”

Old John swallowed hard, his gaze toward the device looking as if he were witnessing a miracle.

“Miss, this… how far can this thing transmit?”

“Theoretically, it can be received anywhere within this plane, as long as the receiver on the other end is turned on.”

Lia picked up a rag to wipe her hands.

“I will take the other one back to the Capital and keep it in my laboratory.”

“Remember, if there’s an emergency—like that Count trying to default on his debt or a cave-in at the mine—send a message immediately.”

The accountants nodded frantically, their grip on their pens so tight they nearly snapped.

Lia turned around, looking at Klein, who had been sitting by the window in silence.

“Want to inspect it?”

Klein closed the book in his hand, stood up, and walked to the table.

He extended a finger, tapping the core rune of the device.

Blue mana was injected.

The device emitted a hum, far more stable than when Lia had activated it just now.

“The structure is acceptable.”

Klein withdrew his hand.

“The mana conversion rate is sixty-five percent; there is still room for improvement.”

“That’s a topic for the next generation of the product.”

Lia tossed the screwdriver into the toolbox.

“The priority now is that matters at home are settled, so it’s time for us to leave.”

She glanced out the window.

The snow had stopped, and the accumulation on the road had been shoveled to the sides.

“I’ve packed my luggage; it’s in the hall downstairs.”

Lia untied her apron and draped it casually over the back of a chair.

“Let’s go; open a door.”

She pointed to the open space in the center of the study.

“Target it directly to your Mage Tower, or the teleportation plaza in the Capital is fine too.”

Klein did not move.

He stood where he was, his gaze falling on Lia’s face, which was a bit flushed from her busy work.

“I won’t.”

Lia froze for a moment, thinking she had misheard.

“What?”

“I’m not opening a portal.”

Klein repeated himself.

Lia furrowed her brows.

“Why? Are you out of mana? Or is the space here unstable?”

“Neither.”

Klein turned and walked toward the door.

“For safety.”

“Huh?”

Lia chased after him.

“Didn’t you open one quite smoothly when Horace came last time? Why is it unsafe to go back now?”

Klein stopped his pace and looked back at her.

“Horace is Ninth-Circle.”

“I’m human too; I can pass through.”

“You’re carrying too much stuff.”

Klein pointed downstairs.

“The Mana Spirit Crystal samples, the Secret Essence Iron ore, and those fragile experimental instruments.”

“The pressure of spatial teleportation will damage them.”

Lia opened her mouth.

The reason sounded somewhat logical, yet she felt something was off.

“They won’t fit.”

Klein interrupted her.

“Furthermore, the carriage has arrived.”

After saying that, he walked down the stairs without looking back.

Lia leaned over the banister to look down.

At the main gate of the Farrien estate, a carriage was indeed parked.

And it was no ordinary carriage.

It was a black, double-horsed cabin carriage; the body was wide, made of high-quality mahogany, and the wheels were engraved with shock-absorbing runes.

The two majestic wildebeests pulling the carriage puffed white steam from their nostrils, looking full of endurance.

This configuration would indeed be comfortable for a long-distance trip.

But the problem was, no matter how fast they went, it would still take ten days to half a month!

Lia ruffled her hair, feeling a bit frantic.

Something that could be solved in a second was being wasted on half a month of road travel.

But this carriage was clearly something Klein had arranged long ago.

The money had certainly been paid too.

Lia let out a sigh, resigning herself to her fate as she walked down the stairs.

Since she couldn’t resist, she might as well enjoy it.

At least the carriage looked quite luxurious.

Seven or eight crates were piled in the hall.

Those were the various materials and local specialties Lia had looted… no, collected over the past few days.

There were also several crates of “thank-you gifts” sent by Valerius.

Klein stood before the pile of crates.

He raised his hand, lightly hooking his index finger.

A blue halo enveloped the heavy crates.

All the crates floated steadily, drifting out the main gate in a line to be stacked neatly on the luggage rack at the rear of the carriage.

The final two crates were treated with a shrinking spell and stuffed into a hidden compartment at the bottom of the carriage.

The butler and servants stood at the gate to see them off.

Old John’s eyes were a bit red.

“Miss, Lord Klein, safe travels.”

“Take good care of the house.”

Lia waved her hand.

“Don’t make any mistakes in the ledgers.”

She walked to the carriage, stepped onto the footboard, and ducked into the cabin.

The interior of the carriage was even more spacious than it looked from the outside.

Two rows of seats faced each other, covered with thick wool blankets so soft one felt like sinking into them.

In the middle was a fixed small table, set with a tea set and snacks.

Constant-temperature runes were embedded in the carriage walls, isolating the cold from outside.

Lia unceremoniously occupied the seat directly facing the door.

This spot provided the best view and was the least likely to cause motion sickness.

She took off her heavy cloak, tossed it casually onto the opposite seat, then curled into the blankets, finding a comfortable position to lean back.

Klein boarded the carriage.

He looked at the “primary seat” Lia had usurped, then glanced at the messy cloak on the opposite seat.

He said nothing, reaching out to pick up the cloak, folding it neatly, and placing it on a nearby rack.

Then he sat down across from Lia.

“Depart.”

Klein tapped the wall of the carriage.

The driver cracked the whip.

Snap.

The carriage slowly started.

The wheels rolled over the snow on the ground, making a crunching sound.

The gates of the Farrien estate receded in her vision, followed by familiar streets, shops hung with lanterns, and the distant Great Bell tower that no longer held a cultist aura.

Lia leaned against the window, watching the city grow smaller bit by bit.

It wasn’t until the city gates were left behind and the surrounding scenery turned into withered forests and vast white snowfields that she withdrew her gaze and turned her head.

Klein was holding a book and reading.

The title was Paradoxes of High-Tier Mana Fluids and Spatial Architectures.

The carriage was very quiet, with only the sound of pages turning and the whistle of the wind through the treetops outside.

Lia reached out to take a snack from the table and popped it into her mouth.

It was an Osmanthus cake.

Sweet but not cloying, it melted in her mouth.

This taste… could only be found at that old-brand shop in the Capital.

A border place like Leo City couldn’t possibly sell this.

Lia chewed the snack, looking at Klein with suspicion.

“Where did this snack come from?”

Klein turned a page.

“Bought it.”

“They don’t sell this in Leo City.”

“Stored it previously.”

“The texture gets worse if kept in a spatial ring for too long; this is very fresh.”

Lia pointed at the pastry.

“And the wrapping paper here is a Capital newspaper dated yesterday.”

Klein’s fingers paused for a second.

He lifted his eyelids, glancing at the unwrapped paper.

“Teleported over.”

He spoke with an unchanging expression.

“Didn’t you just say spatial teleportation was unsafe?”

Lia caught the loophole.

“It easily damages fragile items.”

“And snacks aren’t fragile?”

Lia pinched a piece of Osmanthus cake; with a bit of force, it crumbled into bits.

“See? Very brittle.”

Klein closed the book.

He looked at Lia, his blue eyes devoid of any embarrassment from being exposed.

“Different objects have different masses; the stability required for teleportation varies.”

He began to spout serious-sounding nonsense.

“The molecular structure of snacks is loose, providing strong buffering against spatial pressure. Whereas Mana Spirit Crystals and experimental equipment have tight structures, making them prone to internal implosion.”

Lia stared at him for a few seconds.

“Fine.”

“You’re Eighth-Circle; whatever you say is right.”

As long as there was food, it was fine.

Lia took another piece, eating it with a clear conscience.

“How much longer until we reach the Capital?”

“Normal speed, twelve days.”

“That long?”

Lia frowned.

“Can’t you make these horses fly? Or add an acceleration spell to the wheels?”

“The wildebeests wouldn’t be able to withstand it.”

Klein reopened his book.

“Furthermore, the road conditions are poor.”

Lia glanced out the window.

Indeed, it had just snowed, and the road was wet, slippery, and full of potholes.

Although the carriage had shock absorbers, a slight jolting could still be felt.

This jolting wasn’t unpleasant; instead, it possessed a hypnotic rhythm.

After Lia finished the snacks and drank some hot tea, sleepiness began to set in.

She had barely slept well these past few days because of the mine and the accounts.

Now that she had finally relaxed, exhaustion surged up like a tide.

She let out a yawn and wrapped the blanket tighter around herself.

“I’m going to sleep for a bit.”

“Call me when we arrive… actually, call me when we get to a place to eat.”

After saying that, her head lolled to the side as she leaned against the carriage wall and closed her eyes.

Before long, the sound of steady breathing could be heard.

The book in Klein’s hand hadn’t had a page turned in ten minutes.

He looked up toward the opposite seat.

Lia was asleep.

Her head was nodding slightly with the movement of the carriage, looking quite uncomfortable.

And with that posture, her neck would definitely hurt when she woke up.

Klein set down his book.

He reached out his hand, wanting to help adjust her posture.

Halfway there, he stopped.

He looked at Lia’s sleeping face.

Her eyelashes were very long, casting a small shadow beneath her eyelids.

Her lips were slightly parted, completely defenseless.

Klein’s fingers paused in the air for two seconds before changing direction.

A faint blue light lit up.

[Mage Hand].

An invisible force gently supported Lia’s head, slowly laying her flat so she could rest on the cushion.

He then pulled up the slipping blanket, covering her to her chin.

Having finished this, Klein dispersed the magic.

He glanced out the window.

The snow on the wilderness hadn’t melted completely; occasionally, a few hares could be seen scurrying past.

The scenery was monotonous and dull.

But he didn’t feel bored.

He even felt that this twelve-day journey didn’t seem too long.

Klein picked up the Osmanthus cake wrapping paper again.

It indeed bore yesterday’s date.

It was what he had bought yesterday at midnight after opening a portal back to the Capital.

To buy this, he had stood in line for half an hour.

He had also stopped by a carriage shop to pick out this carriage with the best shock absorption.

As for why he didn’t just take her back via portal…

Klein glanced at the deeply sleeping Lia.

If they had gone back directly, she would have certainly dived headfirst into the lab or been busy registering patents with the Mages’ Association.

How could she have the time to stay quietly before him like this?

Klein crumpled the wrapping paper into a ball, a small flame emerging from his palm as he burned it to ash.

Destroying the evidence.

He picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea.

The tea was warm, carrying a faint scent of jasmine.

The carriage continued forward.

The wheels rolled on, leaving the wind and snow of Leo City far behind.

Heading toward the Capital, traveling at a leisurely pace.

Lia turned over in her sleep, muttering something under her breath.

Klein leaned in to listen.

“…Seventy percent profit… gonna be rich…”

The corner of Klein’s mouth gave a very quick twitch.

He raised his teacup, obscuring the lower half of his face.

“Money-grubber.”

He spoke softly.

The voice was very light, dissipating into the steam of the tea.

There was no hint of disdain.

Instead, it carried a sort of composure even he hadn’t noticed.

Sunlight spilled through the carriage window, falling onto the small table between them.

Specks of light danced in the air.

The road ahead was still very long.