Chapter 28 — A New Visitor

But this was also because Gao Yang had "revived" not too late—for the old secret edict and the awe inspired by the former sovereign both lose their force with the passage of time, especially now that the Second Dynasty had come and the First Dynasty's influence was sinking to its nadir. Had he arrived any later, had this residence undergone another full renovation, then no one could guarantee where this little box might have ended up.

Gao Yang solemnly placed the little box on the desk. If the most important purpose of this journey to the royal capital was that "perpetual pioneering right," then the mithril safe before him was the second most important objective.

He had not brought Rebecca to look for this box—not because he distrusted that theoretical descendant of his, but because he himself could not be certain the box was still here. What if he had mysteriously led the girl along with an air of "the Xuanmai Sect has something good to show you," and then crouched on the floor to find nothing at all? How mortifying that would have been.

Gao Yang infused magic into the box's surface patterns in the manner he remembered, then smeared a drop of his blood onto the crest at the center of the lid. At once a crisp sound of mechanical workings issued from within the small magical device, and its lid clicked slightly open.

There was very little inside: apart from a few crystals that had lost their magic and now served only as ornaments, there was merely a palm-sized platinum disc. Gao Yang set the crystals aside for the moment and picked up the disc to examine it.

Its surface was likewise engraved with intricate magical patterns, but beyond the patterns there were also characters that seemed to float upon the disc's face, trembling faintly—the sigils used to commune with the elements.

"Good. Now the key is in hand..."

Gao Yang muttered something under his breath and stuffed both the crystal and the disc into his coat, but just as he got to his feet, a faint breeze suddenly brushed past his ear.

In an instant he snatched up a short sword kept at the side of the desk, every muscle in his body drawn taut, ready for a fight.

"That keenness and those reflexes—it really must be you in person," came a young woman's voice from beyond the window, and only then did Gao Yang notice that the study window had opened at some point, and that a woman in a violet gown, her face veiled, was hovering in midair and walking toward the window across empty space. "Please, relax a little. If people like you and me were to come to blows, I fear half the city would be..."

Before the woman could finish, a swift black shape suddenly came hurtling down from the rooftop, accompanied by Amber's shouting: "Thief! I've finally caught you—ah, ow!"

Amber, a master-class Shadow Affinity, a freak of nature with Stealth and Shadowstep maxed out—but since her head-on combat power amounted to only one and a half geese, the mysterious woman casually swatted her away.

The mysterious woman, however, seemed to have been startled as well; even after knocking Amber flying she had yet to recover. "What... what was that just now?"

Short sword in hand, Gao Yang did not relax. "If I'm not mistaken, that was my bodyguard."

"Ah, my apologies," the mysterious woman hurried to say, and her manner was rather unexpected. She glanced in the direction Amber had fallen, then turned back to explain, "She came rushing out so suddenly that I struck on reflex. But don't worry, she's fine—at most a little dizzy for a short while."

Gao Yang relaxed slightly, but his manner did not loosen in the least. "Who exactly are you?"

"Sorry—it seems my entrance was somewhat ill-considered," said the mysterious woman, standing on the windowsill, and she bowed politely. "The Mithril Vault greets you. Allow me to introduce myself: I am your guest specialist, Metzen Ponia. All your deposits in the Sacred Silver Vault are in my care."

Gao Yang furrowed his brow: "?"