Chapter 77: The Grand Hunt of Elements

The magic-driven carriage glided smoothly along the road.

Lia leaned by the window, watching the fields rush by, but her thoughts drifted back to the charred ruins.

The lingering presence of two distinct magical energies confirmed that the centuries-old monster had indeed engaged in a deathmatch with another formidable power.

Who could it have been?

To dismantle an Eighth-Ring Archmage’s lair so completely and efficiently, the adversary’s strength must have surpassed anything she could possibly imagine.

Lia gently caressed the spatial ring on her finger.

This adventure, thrilling in its unfolding, had ended rather abruptly, leaving her with a peculiar sense of emptiness.

Still, the satisfaction of personally thwarting a madman’s scheme was not to be underestimated.

Only when the familiar silhouette of the Mage Tower reappeared on the horizon did the tension that had gripped Lia throughout her journey finally begin to ease.

She was home.

***

Inside the Tower’s ground-floor hall, warm lamplight dispelled the evening’s chill.

As Lia stepped through the main entrance, her gaze fell upon Klein and Adèle seated at the long dining table.

The air was thick with the inviting aroma of roasted meat, and the table was laden with exquisite dishes, even featuring a bottle of fruit wine shimmering with fine bubbles.

“Mentor, Senior Sister, I’ve returned.”

Adèle darted forward, seizing Lia’s hands and scrutinizing her from head to toe.

Only after confirming Lia was entirely unharmed did she release a long, relieved sigh.

“Welcome back.”

Klein merely nodded, his deep blue eyes resting on Lia for a brief moment before returning to the dinner table.

“Eat first.”

The welcome dinner was a quiet affair.

Lia recounted her journey’s experiences with vivid detail.

“…That place was like an ancient ruin. The moment I entered, I sensed something was wrong. Two terrifying auras suddenly clashed!

It was earth-shattering! I was so frightened I immediately hid, only daring to sneak out after they finished their fight.”

As she spoke, she observed their reactions.

Klein listened silently, using his dining knife to cut a tender piece of roast meat and then placing it onto her plate with a fork.

Just as Lia was in the midst of her animated tale, the Tower’s warning array at the top of the spire emitted a sudden, urgent hum, without any prior indication.

The very next moment, a teleportation gate materialized at the entrance to the dining hall!

A white-haired old man chuckled as he stepped through it, carrying a wooden box in his hand.

“Klein! I saw your little apprentice has returned. How could you not invite an old man like me to join in such a lively occasion?”

Lia nearly choked on her bread.

Klein’s brow instantly furrowed into a tight knot.

“Why have you come, sir?”

“I followed the scent!” Laplace, making himself right at home, pulled out a chair and sat down, dropping the wooden box onto the table with a clatter.

Like a child showing off a new toy, he triumphantly addressed Lia: “Little Lia, quick, come see what wonderful things I’ve brought you!”

He opened the box to reveal a collection of oddly shaped metal parts and several smoothly polished wooden planks.

“That equation of yours describing gravity, doesn’t it require measuring a constant? Horace, that old stubborn fool, is surely still trying to calculate it with his overly complex mathematical models. I’d wager he’ll get it wrong!”

Laplace, as if presenting a treasure, retrieved a slender metal wire and two lead spheres, one large and one small, from the box.

“Look! I’ve made this thing, based on your idea of a torsion balance!”

He swiftly assembled the parts, and soon, a rudimentary torsion balance device appeared on the table.

Demonstrating as he spoke, he rapidly explained:

“Using the torsional force of a metal wire to counteract and measure the faint gravitational force between two objects—this idea is simply a stroke of genius!

As long as the torsion angle is measured, the magnitude of the gravitational force can be deduced! Then, combined with mass and distance, won’t that constant simply be calculated?”

Lia gazed at the device, whose core principle was identical to the gravity measurement experiments she recalled from her own time.

“That old Horace always thinks mathematics can solve everything. I told him long ago, truth must be verified through hands-on experimentation!”

Laplace continued to bluster, boasting about his achievements and simultaneously disparaging his old rival.

Klein watched from the side, his expression growing increasingly grim.

***

After discussing a few details, Laplace departed with his treasures, taking half of the uneaten roast meat with him as he left.

The dining hall returned to its former quietude.

Lia looked at the messy table, then at Klein’s impassive face, and silently began clearing the dishes.

Adèle seemed to have had other matters to attend to and had already departed.

“Mentor, I only used a few scrolls on this trip.” Lia took out the stack of black scrolls from her spatial ring, preparing to return them.

Klein, however, did not take them.

From his own spatial ring, he produced an even thicker stack of scrolls and, without a word, pushed them into Lia’s hands.

The material of these scrolls was no different from the previous ones, and the magical fluctuations they emitted were equally unsettling.

“Don’t be stingy when you go out in the future,” Klein stated calmly. “If you encounter trouble you can’t solve, use these.”

Lia, holding the two stacks of scrolls that together were nearly as thick as her arm, was utterly stunned.

“And,” Klein paused, his deep blue eyes fixed on her, “if you have any new ideas… I mean, those new theories you’ve read about in ancient texts, show them to me before you publish them.”

Lia silently returned all the scrolls to her ring and nodded solemnly.

“Understood.”

***

Back in her room on the third floor, Lia’s mind remained restless.

Pushing open the door, she found Adèle sitting at her desk, staring blankly at a parchment filled with a grid.

“Senior Sister?”

Hearing the sound, Adèle turned, her face alight with surprise, though a deep sense of loss was hidden in her eyes.

“Lia, you’re here. Come quickly and help me take a look.”

“What’s wrong?” Lia walked over, seeing a dozen small, labeled vials on the table, each containing various newly discovered element samples.

“I’ve refined all the ores I could find and, following the theory’s predictions, discovered several new elements.” Adèle pointed to a few squares on the chart, which had already been filled with the names Lia had previously provided.

“But… there are still a few that I simply cannot find.”

Adèle’s finger traced over several still-blank squares, her voice tinged with profound weariness.

“For example, the element below neon and argon. By rights, it should be a noble gas, but despite trying every method, I can’t separate it from the air.”

“And here, ‘De’ and ‘Te’—their atomic weights aren’t even large, yet they seem to simply not exist in this world.”

Adèle felt as though she had reached a dead end. The treasure map lay before her, yet she couldn’t find the path to the treasure.

Lia looked at the chart, a culmination of their efforts, then at the dejected Adèle, and an idea began to take shape in her mind.

She suddenly spoke: “Senior Sister, have you ever considered that with just the two of us, we might never be able to fill this entire chart?”

Adèle froze, looking at her in confusion.

“The world is too vast, and mineral deposits are too scattered. Many elements might only exist in certain inaccessible, perilous lands, or in special, unknown mineral veins,” Lia explained.

“Since we can’t find them, why don’t we let the entire magical world help us search?”

Adèle’s breath hitched.

“You mean…”

“Publish it.”

Lia’s finger gently tapped the still-incomplete periodic table, her eyes gleaming with rational brilliance.

“We will make this chart, along with all its blank spaces, public knowledge!”

“We will tell all elemental mages, all alchemists, and everyone interested that there are still undiscovered treasures here! Let them follow the coordinates we provide, to seek, to discover!”

Her voice was soft, yet imbued with an exhilarating passion.

“We have discovered a table capable of containing all things in the world, and now, it is time to invite everyone to admire its grandeur and personally complete it.”

Lia looked up, meeting Adèle’s utterly stunned gaze, a faint smile curving her lips.

“A grand hunt, sweeping across the entire continent, begins with this small chart.”

“Go forth! I have placed the properties of all elements in this world within this small table. Go and seek, go and find everything you desire!”