"Nathan, the key?"

"Here it is."

Nathan Zuckerman easily took the key from his pocket and opened the door. It wasn't a difficult task for him, as Graham Willhem, who was originally in charge of this place, was now in disarray, and securing the key had been no trouble at all.

The sight inside the opened door was markedly different from before. The once dark but clean corridor was now filled with debris and filth, shattered and soiled all around.

‘From the looks of the debris still remaining, it seems that maintaining secrecy was prioritized over cleaning.’

There was also another difference. Despite being the same structure, everywhere they looked felt much larger and more expansive than before. Yuder guessed that this was probably due to the protective magic on this basement having been broken.

‘According to the information Nathan Zuckerman obtained when he infiltrated here alone before, the Star of Nagran had reached halfway before escaping, so the magic that had been in place must have shattered a lot at that time.’

It was fortunate, then, that this made entering all the more comfortable for them.

"The protective magic near the entrance has been mostly shattered. There are no signs of reinforcement, so we'll proceed as is."

Kishiar, who had been looking around, also agreed with Yuder's assessment. They began to move forward cautiously and silently. Although there were many rooms in the basement, Kishiar said there was no need to examine all of them.

"The secret passage is connected to only one room here."

"How do we find that room?"

"We don't have to do anything."

Why else would he have sent the First Prince Pruelle to Graham Willhem, if not to eliminate such a waste of time? Kishiar answered confidently and continued to lead the way until he stopped at a certain spot.

"You see that door inside, with the deer’s antler decoration?"

"Yes."

Next to the door Kishiar pointed to, there was a candle holder decorated with a deer's antler. All the doors had similar decorations, but only that one was in the shape of a deer's antler.

"That's the place, he said."

However, Kishiar did not head there right away. He busily moved his gaze around, reading something unseen.

"But... it seems like the flow of magic energy around here is twisted. If part of the spatial protective magic is destroyed, it affects the rest, making it a headache. ...Nathan."

"Yes."

"The core of the protective magic formation is in that room over there. Take this and handle it."

"Understood."

Kishiar took out a magic tool inlaid with a magic stone and tossed it to Nathan. Without hesitation, Nathan Zuckerman drew his sword and headed toward the place Kishiar had pointed out. The protective magic, which had lost some of its original power, revealed itself to warn the unauthorized intruder but was woefully insufficient to stop Nathan. With light footwork, he dodged the magic formation rising from the floor and, at times, swung his sword to easily destroy it, successfully opening the door and entering.

Soon, the flow of air surrounding them changed sharply. The flow of magic energy had altered.

"It's done now."

Without even looking to see if Nathan Zuckerman had returned, Kishiar who had discerned the result raised his hand and began to mutter something under his breath. Golden magic energy arose around him, and an untimely wind began to swirl.

At that moment, Yuder felt a tingling sensation in his left eye, which had turned black, and stiffened his shoulder.

‘...What is this?’

Without a moment to ponder the sensation, the magic that flowed from Kishiar's hand filled the surrounding space, casting a bright light. Yuder blinked his tingling left eye and turned his head. When the light disappeared, his left eye was as tranquil as if nothing had ever happened. Even if he casually touched his eye, only the unchanging, pitch-black darkness would spread out; he couldn't see anything different.

"Why is that?" Kishiar, having finished the magic, turned and asked.

"It's nothing." Yuder shook his head in reassurance.

"Speak up if something feels strange."

Only after shaking his head repeatedly did Kishiar fully conclude the magic and move on.

"I've temporarily halted the protection and alert spells, so now let's open the secret door."

Heading toward the stag-horn ornament, Kishiar nonchalantly raised his hand to it. After grabbing and turning the decoration one full circle, then two in the opposite direction and letting go, a moment later, a heavy, rumbling sound from within the wall was heard.

After the sound echoed for a while, Kishiar opened the previously sealed door. Surprisingly, it was not an ordinary room but the entrance to a staircase leading downward.

'Quite a contraption they've made.'

At first glance, these were devices that had been carefully crafted a very long time ago. They began to descend the stairs. What they subsequently came upon was a long, dark corridor. It was clear from its cleanliness that the Star of Nagran hadn't reached this far.

'The secret trade goods that Duke Tain wanted so desperately to hide must be here.'

The underground passage was longer than they thought. As if judging that there was no need to be on guard this far in, there were no notable dangers in the passage. As they walked, Yuder roughly gauged the direction and distance. It was hard to pinpoint the direction in an unlit basement, but it seemed certain that they were heading in the direction of the adjacent street they had previously noted.

"The way up is in sight."

Nathan Zuckerman muttered in a low voice. Just as he said, a stairway leading up was visible not far off. It was the end of the passage.

They descended the stairs and opened the door at the end. Beyond the silently opened gap, it was pitch dark, and no signs of life were felt. Yuder raised his hand, smelling the unique scent of a basement, and conjured a very small flame so as not to feel suffocated. Soon, part of the interior was revealed under the light.

'This is...'

They had entered a massive underground warehouse. Numerous items, similar to the magic tools they had seen earlier in the Red Deer Consortium, were neatly organized.

Yuder noticed that the items here were classified into sections according to some criteria. In some places, only shimmering magic stones were laid, and in others, only magic tools likely made from such stones were stacked.

However, the first place Kishiar headed was not toward such eye-catching items but an area where shabby bags filled with something were stacked. Drawing his sword, he slightly pierced a bag, and white powder streamed out. Seeing him rub the powder between his fingers and taste it with his tongue, Yuder unintentionally raised his voice.

"It's dangerous."

"It's fine at this level. Hmm... just as I thought, this is Calanesa."

Wiping his hand, Kishiar looked down at the bag, his eyes devoid of warmth.

"Do you know what Calanesa is, assistant?"

"...I do not."

In truth, he knew, but that was the correct answer to give here. Calming his heavy heart, he responded, and Kishiar casually turned his body and answered.

"It's a drug with quite an effective painkilling component, but no one uses it for analgesics. Its hallucinogenic and addictive qualities are excessively strong, making it hard to handle, and overuse can even lead to death by shock."

"..."

"When it began to sneak in from other countries a few years ago, it was imported in the form of a leaf. This powdered form, however, is something I'm seeing for the first time."

It was a dangerous drug, boldly named after Ponesa, as it reminded one of Ponesa's excellent analgesic component.

However, unlike Ponesa, which was strictly managed by the imperial family, Calanesa was smuggled in from other countries and indiscriminately spread in various forms. Yuder had first seen this drug in a case of illegal fighting in the South in his previous life, but since then, the drug had secretly spread among the nobles, treated as a mysterious and fun plaything.

Attending parties, one often saw people languidly stretched out, smoking cigarettes laced with Calanesa or drinking alcohol. Their unique bitter smell and nauseating appearance were common, but those who criticized such behavior were strangely regarded as ignorant.

'Looking back now, the odds are high that this was where it all began.'

At a glance, there were countless bags. With that amount, it could have supplied the entire empire for several years at least.

His teeth ground together at the memory of Graham Willhem's nonsense, saying that despite hiding these things, most of the basement was empty.

"We probably don't need to look at the other items. This is indeed the mid-point of the secret trade of the Tain Duke."

"What do you think we should do now?"

The Tain Duke was likely planning to move or sell the items here through secret auctions and parties. Since the existence of the sought-after items was confirmed, waiting until the planned moment to strike would be the best course of action. However, even knowing that, the sight of the bags of Calanesa in front of him brought feelings of discomfort and unease to the forefront.

"Let's go up and check our position first."

Kishiar said, looking around leisurely as he spoke.

Select your tier Qi Cultivating Stage $5.00 USD - month(s) Foundation Establishment $10.00 USD - month(s) Xudan $20.00 USD - month(s) Jindan $50.00 USD - month(s) Yuanying $100.00 USD - month(s)