Months later.

  ?Documents confirming ownership for Kadan, Eren, and Ari were sent up to the capital. Public notices about the ruins and artifacts were posted nationwide. The excavation was officially recognized.

  ?Eren could finally breathe easy and organize a proper excavation team. Simultaneously, Ari’s theory about the ruins was published. Her fame spread across the kingdom in an instant.

  ?Ari’s claim of discovering Electricity, which had only existed in texts, was a hot topic in archaeology. However, without proof of the 'light', official recognition was difficult. Many scholars understood her logic, but since she hadn't extracted the light yet, they withheld full acceptance.

  ?Ari wanted to see the realization of the ancient ruins applying Electricity. The most necessary thing was the light. Extracting it would be the decisive factor. She wanted to realize the ancient records of lights so bright they outshone the stars, lights visible from the highest skies.

  ?To do that, a simple heat-emitting jar wasn't enough. She had to liberate the light from the vessel. Ari spent another few months researching this. Just realizing that would be a massive military and social advancement.

  ?During those months, Eren ran around moving the excavated artifacts. He was experienced in fieldwork but clumsy in administration, bothering Ari frequently. Then, leaving a message that site preparations were complete, he went silent for a while.

  ?Just as Ari was feeling resentful about the lack of letters, Eren appeared before her, covered in dirt.

  ?"Ari, how about we just break it to check the internal structure?"

  ?At Eren's suggestion, Ari shook her head. When she confided in him about her research problems, he gave a very straightforward answer typical of him.

  ?"It's meaningless unless we do it one by one, in order. Disassembly is the reverse of assembly. You know better than anyone that smashing it won't reveal the internal structure, Eren."

  ?"True, but we can't figure it out just by looking at the outside when it's not even in the texts."

  ?"No text mentions breaking the container to extract light. That means they used it as is."

  ?Ari spoke firmly and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

  ?"How are the ruins?"

  ?Ari changed the subject.

  ?Eren unraveled his story as if waiting for that question.

  ?"Do you know who our sponsor is? I thought he was just a rich old man. When he demanded proof, witnesses, and a notary, I thought I picked the wrong guy. But... turns out he's the Margrave of the Frozen Land's half-brother. I'd only heard rumors of him. Thanks to his good relationship with the Margrave, reports went straight to the King, and everything became easy. People and supplies flooded in. In three months, a village sprang up at the site."

  ?Hearing progress compared to her own research, Ari felt revitalized.

  ?"The site has to be big... And while we were at it, we found another artifact we missed. A huge rock."

  ?Ari looked at him skeptically. "A rock is an artifact?"

  ?"A rock that emits massive heat. That's why the cave was warm."

  ?"Not an Electricity Port?"

  ?"You named it already?"

  ?"Can't keep calling it a jar."

  ?Eren nodded. "True... Anyway, I thought it was a jar too, but the area near the jar is warm. But investigating deeper, there was a room where the temperature changed. That room was as hot as the equator."

  ?"You've never been to the equator."

  ?"I read about weather that makes you sweat buckets..."

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  ?Eren grinned. Ari enjoyed talking to him after so long. It felt like being a child again, listening to adventure stories before bed.

  ?"So what did you find?"

  ?"A cubic rock emitting intense heat."

  ?"A rock emits heat?"

  ?"Yeah... shaped exactly like a cube. Too big for humans to make... So we brought in an expert. Oh, don't misunderstand. Our sponsor brought him. I wouldn't betray a partner."

  ?Eren winked. Ari coughed, sensing something. She frowned slightly.

  ?"He looked around and suggested we break it. Said we'd know better..."

  ?Ari swallowed hard. She clenched her fist nervously.

  ?"So? Did you break it?"

  ?Eren paused for effect.

  ?"Here's the greatness of ancient ruins."

  ?Ari tensed up as Eren acted like a storyteller.

  ?"We couldn't break it. Chisels, hammers—nothing worked. Just scratches."

  ?Ari relaxed and nodded. The greatness of the ancients again.

  ?"Then why did he leave the Electricity Port alone? That expert must have wanted to break that too."

  ?"That's our property. We're selling it to the King. The King wants to own them all. Heavy, but no smoke, no fuel needed. Good for rooms... good for soldiers."

  ?Eren held Ari’s hand.

  ?"I want to break it and see the contents too, but this is our achievement. Plus, you're the brain, Ari. I wanted to discuss this seriously."

  ?Ari was confused. "Do we have to go that far?"

  ?"Honestly, there was a royal order. I told you, our discovery reached the King's ears. He was greatly impressed by your Electricity theory. This is a secret... but the King wants to use this for war. He thinks transferring the light to smaller jars would be advantageous for night attacks. Blinding enemies with powerful light. Like magic."

  ?Ari gritted her teeth.

  ?"And officially, he will establish a research institute to study the jars we found. That's one of the reasons I came to you."

  ?Eren pulled a luxurious leather paper from his coat. An irrevocable Royal Decree.

  ?"It's a lifetime appointment as the Director of the Royal Research Institute."

  ?Ari’s eyes wavered.

  ?Eren said this wasn't something to worry about. Accepting meant access to the Royal Archives and endless funding.

  ?For Ari the researcher, this was a perfect opportunity. But looking at how the appointment was delivered—secretly, through Eren—it felt like a trap.

  ?Ari tapped the desk with her index finger. Tap... tap... tap.

  ?Eren watched quietly.

  ?Tap......... tap......... tap.........

  ?The tempo slowed. Time seemed to slow with it.

  ?Tok. One last tap. She opened her eyes.

  ?"Who did you come with?"

  ?Ari asked Eren.

  ?"Should I handle it?"

  ?Eren asked instead of answering.

  ?"No, let's not shed blood."

  ?Ari quietly got up and started packing as if preparing for an outing. Eren saw her hands trembling.

  ?"There's no one at the front door."

  ?Eren answered. Ari nodded.

  ?"I cook sometimes. So I have flour. And I do experiments on ancient artifacts, so I have Yellow Lead."

  ?Ari walked to the shelf and took out a bottle from an oil container.

  ?"This is Yellow Lead. Used for glass transparency or metal refining..."

  ?"Ari, I didn't know you were good at fighting..."

  ?"I'm a country girl. I have three older brothers."

  Ari carefully lit an oil lamp and hung it from the ceiling. Then she mixed flour and Yellow Lead powder in a bowl.

  ?"Can you help me? I'm not that reckless..."

  ?Ari handed the bowl to Eren. He took it.

  ?"I'm sorry."

  ?Eren said.

  ?"Talk later. Let's survive first. Is the King really that shady?"

  ?"I'm... fine... You know... I'm good at running away. It's not our first time running from debt."

  ?"I know... Thanks to me, you got famous too. Heard there are plenty of debt collectors in the capital looking for you, Eren."

  ?Ari joked. Though what was in his hand was no laughing matter.

  ?Eren weighed the bowl in his hand. He looked at Ari. She nodded.

  ?"Dodge as soon as you throw. It's a very fast reaction."

  ?"I thought you only studied books..."

  ?"This is in the books."

  ?Ari spoke and hid under the desk.

  ?"Then... One... Two... Three."

  ?On three, Eren threw the powder at the lamp on the ceiling. The dust, a mix of powerful oxidizers and combustibles, hit the flame.

  ?BOOM!

  ?A massive fireball and a roar.

  The roof was blown off instantly.

  ?Ari counted to three again. Thump, thump, thump. Sounds of footsteps rushing up the stairs. The guards at the front door.

  ?Ari looked back at Eren. With his good reflexes, he had dodged the blast and was dusting himself off. He winked and waved at her.

  ?Checking the window to ensure it was clear, Ari jumped down to the first floor.

  ?With a crash, four or five lightly armed Royal Guards kicked the door open. They saw the blown-open ceiling and glared at Eren.

  ?But Eren collapsed as if his leg was broken.

  ?"She was strong... Must be a country girl... Said she has three brothers..."

  ?He coughed a few times. The soldiers were ready to draw swords.

  ?"She jumped that way."

  ?Eren pointed in the opposite direction of where Ari had gone. Then he tossed a heavy pouch feebly to the group.

  ?"Failed, so returning the money."

  ?Eren grimaced in pain, spitting blood from his mouth. Two guards went where Eren pointed; one went the other way. The remaining soldier supported him.

  ?Unsure of the situation, the soldiers refrained from unnecessary hostility. Eren was still trusted by the King. Eren prayed inwardly that the guards would get lost at the next crossroads.

  ?Fortunately, the explosion caused chaos outside, mixing onlookers and startled people, making it hard to spot the fugitive.

  ?Ari hid in a corner of the kingdom. It was unofficial, but she had defied a Royal Order. Moreover, she was the one researching the usage of a critical strategic resource. Becoming a wanted person was inevitable.

  ?Though not publicly declared, wanted posters with her description were distributed to local government offices.