“Are you saying there's a passage into the palace at this spot?”
Lan Qingyou looked doubtfully at Spoon, whose front paws were waving wildly in the air.
“Squeak squeak squeak—”
Like a child desperate to return to its mother's embrace, Spoon didn't pay her any mind and simply repeated the same movement over and over.
Lan Qingyou looked over and saw that the area was still nothing but a pile of ruins.
But since the Treasure-seeking Rat was this agitated, it meant there was definitely something there.
So, Lan Qingyou stepped forward and used her cards to absorb and then eject all the stones, wood, and other debris.
By simply shifting things from one hand to the other like this, Lan Qingyou quickly cleared the area.
To prevent anyone from seeing what she was doing, she arranged the cleared architectural waste in a circle around her.
This way, unless someone was flying in the sky, they wouldn't be able to see what was happening inside. It was a way to ensure her safety in advance.
After all, this was treasure hunting. Isn't that how it always goes in novels and TV shows?
No matter how well you plan, something unexpected is bound to happen eventually.
Given that, she had to be extra cautious.
After clearing the ruins and setting up her cover, Lan Qingyou began her search. Eventually, under Spoon's guidance, she found a downward-facing iron door that looked like a cellar entrance.
The iron door wasn't large.
It was about two meters by two meters, the double-door variety.
Judging by the rust on top, which was at least half a centimeter thick, this door had been here for a very long time.
It perfectly fit the concept of a 'treasure site.'
Lan Qingyou couldn't wait to put on her identification glasses to check things out. Once she saw there was no problem, she handed Spoon over to Steel Wool and reached out to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, a strong gust of air rushed inside.
Since it had been sealed for so long, it was normal for the air inside to be stale or depleted.
She poked her head in to look at the pitch-black basement entrance and decided it would be better to wait a bit.
After waiting outside for about ten minutes, Lan Qingyou finally pulled out her magic lantern and led Steel Wool and Spoon down into the depths.
Initially, Lan Qingyou thought this would be something like a cellar, similar to what she had seen at Albert's place.
But to her surprise, it was actually a passage.
From the moment she entered, Lan Qingyou had been flying forward.
Fortunately, the passage was quite large. The two-meter by two-meter space meant she didn't have to crawl along the walls like an astronaut.
One could tell at a glance that this place was man-made.
Both the walls and the floor were paved with bluestone slabs.
Of course, due to years of neglect, some of the bluestone slabs on the ceiling had long since fallen off, revealing the soil behind them.
However, it was very strange.
Normally, plants should grow in soil like this, but here, not even a single weed could be seen.
It was incredibly clean.
Aside from the musty smell of long-term lack of ventilation and the earthy scent of the soil, it was so clean it felt surreal to Lan Qingyou.
Yet, her identification glasses provided no special information; it was just ordinary soil with some mana in it.
The mana concentration wasn't even as high as that of a sludge monster.
Consequently, Lan Qingyou was exceptionally careful on the road ahead. To prevent any surprises, she even set up several Frost Potion traps along the way.
That way, whether there was danger ahead or an unexpected threat from behind, she could handle it calmly.
She still had great confidence in her own potions.
The passage was very long. Lan Qingyou couldn't even tell how long she had been inside; she only knew she had to keep going forward.
After an unknown amount of time, when even her sense of time seemed to blur, Lan Qingyou finally arrived at an open area.
Pfft!
As soon as she entered, the light from her magic lantern caught a glimpse of many good things.
Moreover, they were all things she could use.
She was so excited that a nosebleed erupted from her nose, startling Steel Wool and Spoon beside her.
“Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! What is that?! What am I looking at?!”
Unable to believe her eyes, Lan Qingyou took off her glasses, rubbed them, and realized she wasn't mistaken or hallucinating.
Normally, Lan Qingyou didn't use foul language unless she couldn't help herself.
And the current scene was exactly the kind that made her lose control.
What had always been the biggest bottleneck for Lan Qingyou's alchemy?
The answer was simple: tools.
Although Lan Qingyou had inherited some of the legacy left by Albert, it was only half a set, or perhaps not even that.
But here, in the area illuminated by the yellow light of the magic lantern, stood rows upon rows of alchemy tools.
From crucibles to alchemy pedestals, from stirring rods to mortars and pestles—everything she could possibly need was there.
Lan Qingyou even saw quite a few humanoid golems.
However, also due to the passage of time, these items were invariably covered in rust and broken into pieces.
But that didn't matter. At least Lan Qingyou wasn't picky.
“Is this some kind of wholesale warehouse for alchemist tools? Or maybe a storage site?”
Lan Qingyou spoke her doubts aloud, but her hands didn't slow down for a second.
Even if these things were decayed and broken, didn't she have her all-powerful group members?
Especially that guy Chariot. If he could patch these things up—even if he had to cannibalize parts and she only ended up with a third of them—it would still be a victory for her.
Especially those humanoid golems.
Even if she only got one working, she could study how people in the past constructed an entire golem.
That would definitely be a huge leap in growth for her.
Fortunately, she had her cards with her, which allowed her to stack similar items.
Otherwise, she really wouldn't have been able to take so many things at once. If that had happened, Lan Qingyou probably wouldn't have been able to sleep for days.
“Mine! Mine!”
“They're all mine!”
“Guh-hehe!”
Like a starving person who had suddenly come across a table full of delicacies, Lan Qingyou's eyes glowed with a crimson light. She muttered to herself as she swept everything into her possession, occasionally letting out a bizarre laugh.
It was a good thing there were no outsiders here, or her undignified behavior would have probably given some children lifelong trauma.
Hmm!?
Just as Lan Qingyou finished collecting everything in the hall, she discovered a strange symbol on the floor.
This symbol was very similar to the leaf-shaped shelter certification on her hand, yet different.
It was a simple symbol resembling a claw, formed by four leaf-like shapes arranged with three on top and one below.
According to the explanations in 《Semiotics》, a symbol like this clearly possessed some kind of significant meaning.
Unfortunately, Lan Qingyou didn't know how to decipher it.
Or rather, she didn't have the ability to decipher it yet.
When in doubt, just take a photo. Her all-powerful group members could always provide her with fresh perspectives.
Rate on N.U.
