Arthur immediately recognized the fiery figure in the distance.
It was Huoxuan.
Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since he'd last seen her.
Some time ago, Huoxuan had told Arthur that she was going to look for a disciple to pass on her legacy, so she could finally free herself from her positions as both the Refining Elder and the Alchemy Elder.
He had no idea whether she'd found one yet.
When the figure drew closer, Arthur realized that Huoxuan wasn't alone.
Standing behind her on the flying sword was Hermione.
And neither of them looked to be in good shape.
Hermione, looking utterly exhausted, was clutching the three staves Arthur had given her, while Huoxuan was covered in dust and grime, looking downright miserable.
Huoxuan brought the flying sword down in front of Arthur.
He asked curiously, "What happened to you two? Why do you look so wrecked?"
Huoxuan rolled her eyes irritably. "Ask your dear cousin. See what kind of mess she caused."
Arthur turned to Hermione with a questioning look.
Hermione stuck out her tongue awkwardly. "Well… I went to test the three staves, right? And after I'd gotten a feel for them, I suddenly wondered what would happen if I used all three at once."
"So I tried it. I didn't expect Sister Huoxuan to walk in at that exact moment—and right into the line of fire. Thankfully, she's strong enough that she wasn't hurt."
As she spoke, Hermione gave Huoxuan an ingratiating smile.
Huoxuan snorted and turned her head away, clearly still annoyed.
Anyone who walked through a door only to get blasted in the face would be furious, intentional or not.
Arthur asked in confusion, "If you were the one who got attacked, why were you the one giving her a ride back?"
Hermione sighed. "I accidentally used up all my magic, and I didn't bring any restoration potions with me, so I had to ask Sister Huoxuan to bring me back."
Arthur chuckled and shook his head.
Good thing he hadn't given her the Staff of Death. Otherwise, she might be buried under a mountain of skeletons by now.
He reached out and tapped Hermione on the forehead, smiling. "You're already an adult, you know. How did you end up getting even more reckless?"
He remembered Hermione being clever and careful as a child—always thinking things through before acting.
Now she seemed to do whatever popped into her head.
Was it because she'd spent too long in Gryffindor and picked up some of that house's impulsiveness?
Hermione laughed sheepishly. "I just got too excited."
Normally she wasn't like this.
But getting her hands on three powerful staves had put her in an unusually good mood.
Arthur could hardly blame her.
His little witch deserved to be spoiled.
He turned to Huoxuan and cast a Cleaning Charm, tidying her up before saying, "Sorry. She caused you trouble."
Huoxuan sighed and waved a hand. "Forget it. I can't blame her entirely. Oh, by the way—those three in her hands, are they new artifacts you made? They're pretty strong."
Strong was putting it lightly. If she hadn't been wearing several defensive artifacts, she might have been seriously injured.
"They're not something I made," Arthur replied. "I just got them recently through a bit of good fortune."
Seeing the look in her eyes, he asked, "Interested?"
Huoxuan nodded. "Let me study one for a while? Just one."
Arthur took the Meteor Staff from Hermione and tossed it to Huoxuan. "Keep it. Consider it her apology."
Huoxuan shook her head. "No need. I'm just curious about your western-style artifacts. It wouldn't be much use to me anyway."
"Just take it," Arthur said. "Call it a collectible if nothing else. Otherwise, she'll feel guilty."
Hermione nodded vigorously beside him.
Using Arthur's things to make amends made her feel a bit bad—but she could always make it up to him later.
Seeing that, Huoxuan finally accepted the Meteor Staff.
At that moment, Hermione noticed the necklace in Arthur's hand.
"Cousin, where did that come from? It's so pretty!"
Arthur lifted it and dangled it in front of her. "Do you like it?"
"Yes!" Hermione nodded enthusiastically.
"I was debating whether to give it to you or to Ranni," Arthur said. "But after what just happened, I think I'll give it to Ranni instead."
Hermione looked a little disappointed, but she didn't sulk.
After all, she'd just caused trouble—she wasn't about to start making demands.
"It's fine," she said with a smile. "You've already given me lots of necklaces."
She meant all the alchemical accessories Arthur had made for her over the years.
Support items, defensive charms, even offensive pieces—Arthur made all kinds of alchemical gear, and every time he did, Hermione and Ranni both got a share.
Necklaces, bracelets, earrings—he'd given her all of it.
So this one necklace wasn't a big deal.
Seeing her indifferent expression, Arthur suddenly felt mischievous.
"Oh?" he said. "Even if I told you this necklace was made from a Magic Scepter?"
Hermione frowned. "Magic Scepter? That sounds familiar."
Arthur grinned. "Here's a hint—unlimited energy."
Hermione froze. "You mean… this necklace is made from that Magic Scepter?"
Since Huoxuan didn't know about Arthur's ability to obtain items from other worlds, Hermione kept her words vague.
Arthur nodded.
Hermione's expression changed instantly.
She put on a pitiful look and pleaded, "Cousin… are you sure you don't want to rethink that?"
An item that provided infinite magic was far too tempting.
She had just run out of magic and needed Huoxuan to bring her back, after all.
If she had that necklace, she'd never have to worry about that again.
At that moment, Ranni stepped out of her room, having heard the commotion.
Arthur handed the necklace to her. "I've already made up my mind. This necklace is yours now. If Hermione really wants it, she can borrow it from you."
Ranni didn't take it immediately. "King, don't you need this as well? It would be useful to you."
Arthur waved his hand. "It's fine. Look at this."
He flipped his palm over and produced a second Magic Scepter.
It was identical to the first, except for the gemstone.
The first had been pink.
This one was blue.
When Arthur had been agonizing over whether to wear the rather feminine necklace himself or give it away, a thought had suddenly struck him.
The Magic Scepter he'd obtained earlier had been a system reward—not something he had personally materialized.
That meant he should still be able to materialize one from the game.
So he asked the system.
The answer was yes.
And just like that, he'd obtained a second Magic Scepter.
The system had even thoughtfully changed the gemstone color.
Ranni stared at the second scepter in silence.
Two artifacts of that level…
She never would have imagined something so absurd.
Arthur, of course, would have told her that this was nothing—some universes started with six.
With Arthur having a second Magic Scepter, Ranni calmly accepted the necklace.
"Does it have a name?" she asked curiously.
Arthur thought for a moment. "How about 'Infinite Source 4.5 Gem Necklace'? It means a gemstone necklace with infinite energy."
Ranni nodded in satisfaction. She liked the name.
Coming from the Lands Between, her naming sense was just as practical—names were meant to describe function and origin.
Hermione, standing nearby, rolled her eyes.
Such a beautiful necklace, and her cousin had given it such a ridiculous name.
But since it wasn't hers, she kept quiet.
Still, she couldn't help lamenting—if only that necklace had been given to her instead…
Just then, Huoxuan spoke up, "Wait a second. You're saying that both this necklace and that gem-studded little stick have infinite energy? Somehow, I find that hard to believe."
She'd been listening to their conversation.
One such artifact might be believable.
Two?
That was a bit much.
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