[Vol. 8] Chapter 192: The Truth About Magic Crystals
“Then let me ask you, when you crossed the border back then, did you apply for permission in a proper way, or did you sneak in with the help of some shady people?”
“…It was definitely sneaking in.”
Rowan scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed as he nodded and admitted it. Then, as if trying to justify it, he quickly added, “The professor originally seemed like he planned to apply to enter the Holy Empire properly, but then, for some reason, he suddenly changed his mind and said the border situation wasn’t stable. He mentioned he had some connections, so to avoid trouble, he just decided we’d sneak in.”
“I have to say, those connections of his were really impressive. The person who helped us seemed mysterious, but they were actually very reliable. They got us across the border smoothly.”
“…What a load of crap. That ‘connection’ was someone from the Austre Empire’s Intelligence Bureau, you idiot.”
Ashnard rolled his eyes. Seeing Rowan still looking completely clueless, he didn’t even bother explaining further. He just stood up and started packing his damaged gear.
Except for his broken sword and kettle, everything else, like the torn cloak and clothes, he suddenly tossed into the campfire. As Rowan cried out in surprise, Ashnard solemnly bowed three times toward a certain spot. When he raised his head again, the tired look in his eyes had completely vanished, replaced with a firm and determined gaze.
The swordsman gripped the massive, intimidating sword stuck in the ground with one hand and pulled it out. He silently watched as the torn clothes turned into ashes in the fire, then grabbed a torch from the wall and started walking.
“Come with me.”
Seeing Ashnard turn and leave, Rowan didn’t dare fall behind. In this dark and damp underground place, combined with the hidden threat that Ashnard’s behavior clearly hinted at, Rowan knew better than to let go of his only protection. He quickly grabbed a burning stick and followed closely.
They left the cave and walked one behind the other through a dim tunnel.
As a student of geology, Rowan had done plenty of fieldwork before. His rich experience made it easy for him to see that this place was likely a naturally formed underground river. Looking up, he saw the stone walls were full of cracks that looked like they’d been chopped or carved, clearly the result of long-term erosion by underground water. This place must have been around for a very long time.
Drip, drip…
Hearing that familiar sound, he instinctively raised the torch to shine on the stalactites above. Water droplets were falling, creating ripples in the uneven underground river below.
Then, to his shock, countless magic crystals of various colors were growing like mushrooms after the rain. Above his head, under his feet, all across the underground river passage. The torchlight made them shine with a mesmerizing glow that took Rowan’s breath away.
“What’s wrong, tempted?”
Ashnard’s calm, emotionless voice came from ahead. Rowan kept walking, trying to steady his shocked mind and replied as calmly as he could.
“Are all of these really...?”
“Yeah, all of them are magic crystals. If we go by the standards used aboveground, each one is probably at least level four or higher. Want to take a few back as souvenirs?”
Gulp~
Rowan couldn’t help but swallow hard at that casually spoken yet terrifying statement. After hesitating for a long time, he didn’t actually reach out to grab any of the valuable crystals within arm’s reach. He just gave a helpless, bitter smile.
“…Better not. Easy money usually comes with danger. These might be worth a fortune, but they’re not something I can take for myself.”
“Oh~?”
The young swordsman walking in front seemed a little surprised by those words. He turned his head halfway and gave the young scholar a curious glance.
“Why not? These are naturally formed and don’t belong to anyone. Since we happened to come across them, isn’t it fine to take some?”
Rowan lowered his torch, turning the light away and trying his best not to look at the sea of high-grade magic crystals. He spoke seriously.
“Professor Malcolm has reminded us many times, during fieldwork, the worst mistake is to let greed take over before research is fully done. Every area has its own ecosystem and balance. If outsiders like us disturb that balance, we’ll only cause harm to others and ourselves.”
“We are scholars, not looters or thieves. Our real goal is to search for truth and knowledge. A while ago, a student forgot this rule, gave in to greed, and tried to take some natural magic crystals. That led to a disaster... I still remember it clearly. How could I make the same mistake?”
“…Hmph, no wonder it’s you. That old scholar may not be much himself, but he sure raised a good student.”
Ashnard’s expression changed slightly. But instead of saying more, he let out a short grunt, mumbled something unclear, and turned back around to keep walking.
Rowan had no idea what this strange man was really thinking. He didn’t know how to respond, so he simply stayed quiet and followed.
After a while, the swordsman carrying the massive sword suddenly spoke.
“All of these magic crystals are actually poisonous. Even the one you saw on the surface. While they contain a lot of magical power, they can’t be absorbed or used by living creatures. Even if you try to use them as pure energy sources in equipment or magic circles, they’ll act like poison, causing everything to break down quickly.”
“So yeah, they’re high-grade magic crystals, but in reality, they aren’t even worth half a coin. If you sell one and someone gets hurt using it, you’ll probably be held responsible. They’re real troublemakers.”
“What?! There’s actually magic crystals like that? Then if I had just now…”
Just thinking about it made cold sweat run down Rowan’s back in an instant.
This sneaky Ashnard… he almost tricked him!
If Rowan had actually been greedy and taken a few crystals with him, and someone rich or powerful had used them and something went wrong, with Rowan’s background…
He’d probably be dead before he had the chance to explain anything.
Ashnard, as if unaware of the shocked and angry look behind him, just kept walking without turning his head. He continued speaking as he walked.
“It’s not just the magic crystals. Everything you see here, including those ordinary-looking water droplets on the stone walls, has been polluted by that thing’s power. For any creature with magic, it’s highly toxic. That’s why I brought a special water flask that can purify things, just in case.”
“Even the water is poisonous?!”
Rowan was shocked. He quickly stepped to the side, trying to avoid the uneven underground streams at his feet. But Ashnard lazily explained:
“No need to panic. Since you’re one of the rare people with zero magical affinity, this stuff won’t affect you at all. The way the poison spreads isn’t through bodily fluids, it spreads through magic. Just like how even the strongest poison can’t hurt something like [Graeme].”
“What the—?! You scared me to death… Wait, why are you suddenly saying nice things? Are you secretly mocking me again?!”