"Is it... really sealed?"
Ophelia's voice came from beside him, carrying a trace of fatigue that had yet to fully fade.
She walked slightly slower, as if still processing everything that had just happened.
Klein turned his head.
Ophelia's face appeared somewhat pale in the night, her golden pupils reflecting the distant lights of the harbor—there was no fear in them, only pure confusion.
"For now,"
Klein replied, his fingers tightening. The bone-chilling cold of the cube seemed to seep into his very marrow.
"The sage said... it needs to be absorbed by the world," Ophelia repeated, her tone filled with uncertainty.
She looked toward Klein, seemingly wanting to find a more definitive answer from him.
Klein fell silent.
The sage's words, "You are already researching it," had been like a bolt of lightning, cleaving through the fog in his mind.
Every step of refining Karen's blood, those alchemical reagents targeting sea monster pollution, the principle of purification—was that the prototype of what the sage called "absorption"?
He had originally thought it was simple antagonism.
Now it seemed that what was hidden behind it was perhaps a more profound transformation of matter.
If so, his alchemy was unintentionally touching upon the core laws of this sea.
A thrill of excitement rose from his spine.
It was the pleasure of having the boundaries of knowledge forcibly expanded, the immense sense of achievement when personal research unexpectedly coincided with the truth of the world.
But following closely behind was a mountain of pressure.
The sage had handed this burden to him.
This meant he had to continue exploring this path, one that no one had ever walked before, all on his own.
With great power comes great responsibility.
For the first time, Klein felt clearly that he might have been born with some kind of mission.
Otherwise, why would the world give him alchemical talent far exceeding ordinary people, as well as the opportunity to see through the mysteries of his origin?
"Yeah."
Klein eventually gave a simple response.
He needed time; he needed verification.
Ophelia did not ask further.
She simply followed quietly behind Klein, her golden high ponytail swaying gently with her steps.
Her trust was silent and invisible, yet it weighed a thousand pounds.
...
The lights of Silver Scale Harbor drew closer.
At the top of a giant merchant ship's mast, a lighthouse beam cut through the night like a sharp sword.
The sea breeze carried the salty scent of water and the damp smell of wood.
At the entrance of the harbor, a figure stood still under a flickering kerosene lamp.
Nelisa.
She wore a black long dress, her hair bun was meticulous, and the anchor pendant on her silver necklace reflected the faint lamplight.
She stood there, neither welcoming nor retreating.
Where she stood felt as if it were the very center of the entire harbor.
Her gaze pierced through the darkness, landing precisely on the two returning figures, silently calculating the success or failure of this trip.
Klein and Ophelia did not stop, walking straight toward her.
"Mr. Klein, Miss Ophelia."
Nelisa spoke, her voice as steady as a frozen sea.
"Chairman Nelisa," Klein's response was equally direct.
"The source of the calamity has been sealed."
He held up the miniature cube.
The faint light it emitted appeared exceptionally eerie in the night.
The monster inside the cube seemed to sense a new gaze, and the frequency of its struggling suddenly increased.
Nelisa's gaze lingered on the cube for a full three seconds, a trace of hard-to-capture astonishment flashing deep in her pupils.
"I expected nothing less from your strength," she said, withdrawing her gaze as her tone returned to normal.
"To completely resolve it, I will need the help of the Silver Scale Chamber of Commerce," Klein said, cutting straight to the point.
He knew very well that when talking to someone like Nelisa, any preamble was a waste of time.
Nelisa looked up, her gaze passing through the flickering lamplight to pin directly onto Klein's pupils.
"What kind of help?"
She asked slowly, each word carrying a metallic texture that struck the nerves in the damp sea breeze.
Klein did not beat around the bush.
He laid out his requirements clearly before this ruler of Silver Scale Harbor.
"First, I need you to settle two people, Lyra and Karen. They are my assistants, and I cannot do the upcoming experiments without them."
Nelisa's gaze did not waver in the slightest; she simply gave a slight nod.
This was a reasonable request, one could even say it was insignificant.
Klein continued.
"Second."
He paused, adding weight to his tone.
"Every alchemical material needed for the experiment, as well as a highest-grade alchemical laboratory, will be the responsibility of the Silver Scale Chamber of Commerce."
The flow of air seemed to stagnate.
The swaying of ships in the distance and the dull thud of waves hitting the pier's pilings all seemed to grow distant in that moment.
Nelisa's gaze was no longer just sharp. Deep in her eyes, a profound light flickered, the collision of high-speed thoughts. She did not respond immediately, simply standing there like a statue. The sea breeze stirred her long black hair, yet her hair bun remained unmoved.
Klein held the cube, feeling its coldness. The monster's struggle was transmitted to his fingertips through the transparent crystal walls. He did not rush her, simply looking at Nelisa calmly. He knew that the weight of this second request far exceeded the first.
This was not merely a matter of money or resources.
This touched the very foundation of the Silver Scale Chamber of Commerce, and Nelisa's power and influence as its chairman within the harbor and even broader regions.
It was a test, and a showdown.
Nelisa's lips pursed imperceptibly.
The corner of her eye twitched ever so slightly.
After a long while.
She slowly exhaled a breath.
That sigh was very light, yet it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, rippling through the night.
"Mr. Klein."
Her voice regained its stability, but her pace was slower, each word carefully considered. "You certainly... have quite an appetite."
A curve formed at the corner of Klein's mouth.
He gave a light chuckle.
The sound was exceptionally clear in the sea breeze, carrying a trace of faint mockery.
"The chairman should know why I came here, shouldn't she?" he asked back.
Nelisa's gaze met his once again.
This time, Klein did not back down.
He looked directly into those eyes that were as deep as the sea.
"Eric."
He softly uttered the name.
In the air, it felt as if an invisible string had been plucked.
Nelisa's body stiffened for a moment, invisible to the naked eye.
"Bernhaveis."
Klein continued, each syllable striking with force.
"I am certain you must know these two people, Madam Chairman."
There was no anger or accusation in his tone, only a calm, clinical statement.
Nelisa's pupils suddenly contracted.
A sense of guilt that was hard to hide spread across her fair face like a blot of ink.
Her gaze moved away from Klein, landing on the struggling cube in his hand.
Or perhaps, it landed on the distant sea and the deeper night.
Her fingertips curled inward unconsciously.
"Yes,"
She spoke, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible hoarseness.
"It is only right that I compensate you."
As she spoke, she took a step forward.
Her intention was clear; she seemed to want to step closer to Klein and close the distance between them.
However.
Ophelia's movement was faster than her intent.
Almost instinctively.
Ophelia's left hand moved with a sharp sound of rushing wind, blocking the space in front of Klein.
That hand, which had once been eroded by the sea monster's pollution, now carried the characteristic determination and strength of a knight.
Her body turned slightly, her golden high ponytail swinging with the movement like an invisible shield, firmly protecting Klein behind her.
Rate on N.U.
