Shane walked at the very front. The passage was so narrow that it could only accommodate one person at a time. The walls on both sides felt rough and uneven to the touch, and the air was thick with the scent of dust.
Elon followed closely behind, a sphere of emerald-green light swirling in his palm. Though the light source was weak, it was more than enough for their night vision.
From behind came intermittent thudding sounds. It was Sern, hopping along to keep up with them.
“Mmph...”
She let out a muffled groan. Her mouth was sealed by the restraint, rendering her unable to speak, so she could only use this method to express her protest.
But neither Shane nor Elon spared her a backward glance.
The passage was only about ten paces long, and the end quickly came into view.
A crude wooden door blocked their path. The door panels were rough, but the lock looked decent enough, with several simple geometric patterns engraved on its iron surface.
Elon stepped forward and raised his hand. A trace of emerald-green light seeped from his fingertips, deftly sliding into the keyhole. With a soft click, the latch retracted.
Shane glanced sideways at him. “A druid who knows how to pick locks?”
Elon shook his head slightly and smiled. “Learned it while traveling in the past. It's just a skill, after all, and doesn't belong to any specific profession.”
Shane raised an eyebrow but didn't press further, reaching out to push the door open.
A somewhat spacious room appeared before them, about seven paces square. The walls were made of stacked stones, and several worn-out blankets were spread across the floor. In the corners, several oil lamps lit up simultaneously the moment the door opened.
“An automatically triggered mechanism.”
Elon swept his gaze across the room, finally letting it rest on a corner. “Crude but practical.”
Shane didn't care about that. The moment he entered, he quickly scanned everything, his attention ultimately drawn to the piles of packages in the room.
Stacked against the far wall were about a dozen cargo bundles of varying sizes. Wrapped in brownish hemp cloth, their surfaces still bore traces of sand accumulated during transit, looking identical to the cargo bundles Isha usually carried.
Shane walked straight over and squatted down. He peeled open one of the cargo bundles, found the opening, and peered inside. Bundles of Red Willow branches were neatly stacked. He reached in to feel the material wrapped around their roots; it was still damp. He pulled one out to inspect it, noting that they were overall in good condition.
He then opened the other packages. The wheat straw and the components of the drip irrigation tools were all intact, and several sealed bags of seeds were fully accounted for.
“Fortunately, they're all fine.”
A clear sense of relief and ease filled Shane's voice. He stood up, looking at the cargo, his shoulders relaxing slightly.
Sern had hopped to the doorway by now. Tilting her head, she scanned the room, her gaze landing on Shane's back. Watching him search through the packages and then relax as if a heavy weight had been lifted, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.
To her, this necromancer's obsession with plants was likely eighty percent an act put on for the princess—both ridiculous and suspicious.
She had seen too many of these tricks from necromancers. Changing their approach on the surface did nothing to lower her guard. The only reason she kept following him was as a compromise because she couldn't fully break free from the restriction order yet. Once she adapted...
Oblivious to Sern's thoughts, Shane turned to the other side of the room and began inspecting the rest of the supplies.
There were several half-open wooden crates containing fruit wine. Stacked around the crates were bags of rations, sausages, and dried meat. In a corner, a pouch made of high-quality fabric held a handful of silver coins and a few gold coins.
“This fellow has quite a rich stash.”
Shane weighed the coin pouch in his hand, nodded slightly, and then very naturally slipped it into his own pocket.
“You certainly aren't holding back.”
Elon glanced at him and shook his head, but his gaze soon bypassed Shane, landing on a low table in the room. An object on it caught his attention.
He walked over and picked up the object, letting out a soft exclamation.
This naturally drew the attention of Shane and Sern. The two of them approached Elon, looking at the object in his hand.
It was an inconspicuous ring with a silver band. The face of the ring was set with a flat, oval crest depicting a two-headed snake, its head and tail connected, with its heads facing outward.
“A family crest?”
Shane leaned in closer, searching his memory for any matching details, but came up empty. “Whose crest is a two-headed snake?”
“The Weber family of the southern Empire.”
Elon flipped the ring over, revealing a line of small characters engraved on the inner band: “Two Heads, One Mind; Immune to All Poisons.”
“The Weber family.”
Elon exhaled, a subtle expression appearing on his face. “A major noble family of the south, renowned for their alchemy and pharmacology. They aren't particularly high-profile, but their influence is substantial.”
“Many of the southern nobility's enterprises intersect with theirs. They are the primary suppliers of most magic potions, and their relationship with the Magical Council has always been rather ambiguous.”
“Is there a problem? Don't tell me Rhine is...”
To be honest, Shane didn't understand the intricacies of these matters. He had assumed that Rhine's stripped noble surname was Weber, but Elon refuted this before he could even finish speaking. “Rhine Steiger. That was his original name. His family crest is a white stag.”
Shane raised an eyebrow. Since this was not Rhine's original family, the presence of this ring here became highly unusual.
Elon seemed to share this thought. “For this ring to appear in Rhine's secret room suggests there's some connection between him and the Weber family. A transaction, allegiance... or perhaps a grudge.”
“Mmph, mmph...”
While the two of them were lost in thought, Sern whimpered from the side, wriggling her body as she hopped forward a couple of steps, seemingly trying to squeeze between them.
She seemed to have something to say about the ring, but neither of them paid her any attention.
Creeeak.
The wooden door of the room was pushed open once more, and Alicia's figure appeared at the entrance. She stepped inside, her eyes quickly sweeping over the entire secret room. She gave a slight nod upon seeing the cargo bundles and supplies, but her footsteps came to a halt when she saw the ring in Elon's hand.
“What is this?”
Elon handed the ring over. “Your Highness, a crest ring of the Weber family.”
Alicia held the ring in her hand, turning it over to inspect it. Under the glow of the firelight, her expression remained unreadable. Then, she looked away from the ring and turned her gaze to the two of them. “Isha has been settled. Lena took her to rest.”
“Rhine has also woken up and is just outside. Since we have this ring, let's ask him directly. I hope he will give us an honest answer.”
The princess walked toward the door, her fiery-red hair tips appearing somewhat dim under the firelight, but her voice remained steady. “Let's go.”
...
Under the night sky, in the small courtyard illuminated by the firelight, Rhine was kneeling, his back straight, with a few strands of his ash-gray hair sticking up untamed.
The princess walked up to him, looking down from above. Her violet eyes appeared somewhat eerie in the firelight. “You wanted me to come, so I came. Now, I am standing right before you.”
“Is there anything you wish to say?”
Rhine looked up at the princess, his Adam's apple bobbing as he slightly parted his lips.
Rate on N.U.
