To Unlock the Seal

"So a key is required to break the seal?" Kalman asked as he was debriefing Theodore for his findings down in the massive cavern. "Can we not brute force it?"

"I wouldn't advise it," said Theodore, his brows furrowing. "If properly done, such a seal should not only hold the Corrupted Domain back but also maintain its stability. With the key, the seal ought to be only unlocked partially, allowing access to the Domain while keeping it stable. If we brute force it and damage the seal somehow, we might just plunge the entire city into the Domain."

"So we'll have to find the key then? But how? Do we even know where it is?"

"I saw the staff as a part of the statue in the central plaza. However, if that staff is indeed special somehow, someone would have long taken it and replaced it with a worthless replica. I'll investigate the statue just in case, but I don't think there will be any point to it."

"So we've hit upon a dead end, then?"

"Not quite. Remember what I just said, about how someone might have taken the original staff already? If that is the case, then it must be one of the mage clans, in that case, there's a chance that someone in the city knows where it is."

"But how will we find this person? If your presumption is true, I mean. And when we do find them, will it be another heist?"

"I rather not. I have had my fill of robberies thank you very much. Besides, I never said that *we* needed to be the ones with the key, just that the seal needed the key to open. So long as the seal is opened, I don't particularly care who unlocks it."

As he spoke, Theodore began emptying out his satchel, placing the jars, vials, and brick onto the table before turning the whole bag upside down and pouring out a large number of spherical crystals, the same ones found within the slimes.

"I plucked these from the slimes we passed by on the way back. I'll be using these to make copies of the maps and distribute them to the mages affiliated with the major clans throughout the city. Luckily, those with the most influence own property within the city rather than lodge in the tower, making this much easier than it would have been."

"You're distributing the maps!? After all the trouble you went to get it?" Kalman nearly fell off the old couch as he reacted to the outrageous statement from Theodore.

"Don't be so surprised, Kalman. This was one of my plans from the start. The more mages that join in on this treasure hunt, the more chaotic it will be and the better the chances that I'll be able to reach the treasure that lies beneath the tower. Yes... I think I'll include my memories of the cavern and the mural as well in the copies, that will ensure that everyone interested will be looking for the 'key', the six-eyed staff."

"Why do it yourself when you can get someone else to do it, right?" said Kalman.

"Precisely."

"And how will we know the timing of the unsealing?"

"We're going to have to rely on Albatross for that. There's bound to be a noticeable lack of mages in the city once everyone starts racing for the bottom. We're talking about something that the witches went through the trouble of locking away and a Corrupted Domain that's threatening to devour the city, after all. No one is going to turn a blind eye to this. Once Albatross reports on the absence of mages, I'll set off as well, arriving hopefully just after everyone else. The busier it gets, the easier it is to hide, after all."

"No one will turn a blind eye to this, you say?" All of the sudden, Kalman's gaze became razor-sharp. "Not even you?"

"What do you mean?" said Theodore, feigning ignorance despite having an ill premonition about where this is going.

"You said that your goal was to escape this city, right?"

"My goals haven't changed one bit."

"Yes... But which goals do you mean? The one you claimed to have or the one that you're actually aiming for?" With unwavering eyes, Kalman stared straight into Theodore's, trying to ascertain the truth, to find even the slightest opening.

"If it is as you have said," Kalman continued, "that no one will be able to ignore what is beneath the city, wouldn't the moment they're drawn to the underground be the best moment for your escape? Even if, say, the elders stayed behind and allowed those under them to take care of this business, they'll be too busy waiting for the tower to reactivate to notice your escape. Additionally, I could always apply for permission to leave the city. If I give a convincing excuse, such as sending Fiana out to gather some rare materials not found within the city, the permits should come easily. Alchemist I may be, I am still an elder, after all. With that, you can sneak out with Fiana by hiding underneath a carriage or something, avoiding detection with that nifty little behavioral matrix of yours, the one that made use of the diffusive type Aether-form to hide you from Aether-senses."

Theodore's eyes widened at the mention of his 'Stealth' behavioral matrix, the one that he tried to hide from Kalman to have a trick up his sleeve just in case. He was quite sure that he had been careful, but it appeared that Kalman was not an elder for nothing.

"Yet," Kalman kept on pressing, "even with such a golden opportunity presented before you, your plan is to follow the rest into the Corrupted Domain? Remember, our deal was for you to find a way to reactivate the tower. By dragging as many mages into it as possible, surely there will be those who prioritize the closing of the Abyssal Rift that's blocking the flow of Aether towards the tower. With the Rift closed, the tower will awake and our deal completed. With your part of the deal fulfilled, there's no reason for me to not help you escape. I'll just tell the others that you went missing afterward, something not uncommon for this city."

"There's always the chance that you'll go back on your word, no?" Theodore retorted. "I might need an additional barganing chip."

"And you'd rather take your chances against a multitude of apprentices and masters? Take the risk that you could be blindsided and overwhelmed at any moment? You would rather deal with the uncountable possibilities and risks just for an inssurance? Perhaps its just me, but that seemed rather counterintuitive in my eyes. Even if you have a brilliant plan, I doubt that it would be any less risky, especially given the resources you have on hand."

"........." Theodore had gone silent, unable to find the words he could use to deflect the accusation.

When he calmed down and thought about it for a moment, he realized that the trap was already set when Kalman asked him about how they'll know the timing of the unsealing.

The timing of the unsealing should have been irrelevant. The most important thing should have been that a large number of mages would be absent, all journeying to the underground. Theodore should have been more concerned about setting up his escape and negotiating with Kalman for aid in his escape attempt.

Theodore could only sigh. He would rather have his intentions hidden from Kalman, but in the end, he slipped up.

"Well, looks like you caught me," said Theodore, defeated.

***

End of Chapter 120

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