Chapter 138: Map?

Amon reached the edge of the hole and looked down.

The worker was still crouched inside, carefully removing the soil surrounding whatever they had discovered.

After a few more seconds, he finally pulled out a long, cylindrical object that looked almost like a thick metal pipe.

Amon stared at it curiously. ’What the hell is this?’

Without wasting any time, he activated his Truthseeker’s Eye and looked at the strange object.

A faint green light appeared around it.

Amon’s eyes narrowed. ’So it isn’t dangerous.’

The worker held it in both hands and stared at the strange object. "What is this thing?"

Felicia and the supervisor quickly arrived beside them.

Amon didn’t wait for anyone to answer.

He reached down and pulled the cylinder from the worker’s hands before using his palms to brush away the dirt covering its surface.

"Hmm..." He turned it around several times. "It seems like some kind of cylindrical box?"

The worker looked at him strangely. "A box?"

Amon ignored him and shook the object.

Something moved inside, and a faint clunk echoed from within the cylinder.

Amon immediately stopped shaking it, and he looked toward Felicia.

Felicia looked back at him as neither of them said anything.

After a few seconds, Felicia calmly turned toward the workers. "Continue the inspection."

The supervisor hesitated. "But Madam--."

"Continue."

Her tone left no room for argument. The supervisor nodded and quickly returned to the other workers.

Amon carried the strange cylinder away from the hole and walked toward a nearby tree.

He sat beneath its shade and placed the object across his legs.

Now that most of the dirt had been removed, he could see its strange appearance more clearly.

The cylinder was long and surprisingly heavy, with intricate carvings covering almost every inch of its surface.

Amon slowly turned it around in his hands.

There were countless markings carved into the material, along with strange patterns that seemed to form some kind of story.

Most of the carvings depicted a woman.

She stood with both arms spread wide, her long clothing flowing around her body as strange symbols surrounded her.

Amon brushed some remaining dirt away from the woman’s face. "Who are you?"

He stared at the carving for several seconds.

Something about her appearance seemed familiar, although he couldn’t figure out why.

His eyes moved across her face before stopping near the sides of her head.

Amon leaned closer. "...Her ears."

He brushed the dirt away with his fingers, and he noticed the ears were long and pointed.

Amon’s eyes widened slightly. ’Elf?’

He slowly took a deep breath. The possibility immediately made the object far more interesting.

Amon examined both ends of the cylinder.

After turning it several times, he noticed that one side had a small seam running around its edge.

He placed his fingers against it and twisted.

Click.

The lid moved. Amon continued twisting until the entire end unscrewed from the cylinder.

The moment he opened it, a faint ancient smell escaped.

Amon paused and breathed in. "...That actually smells nice."

It wasn’t the smell of decay or something rotten.

Instead, it carried the faint scent of old paper, dry wood, and something he couldn’t identify.

Amon turned the cylinder upside down.

Something slid out. A long piece of tightly rolled paper landed softly against his palm.

Amon stared at it with a curious expression.

Felicia approached from behind a few seconds later. "What is it?"

Amon held it up. "Some kind of paper."

Felicia sat down beside him as Amon carefully unfolded it across the ground.

The paper was surprisingly well preserved despite having been buried for who knew how many years.

The surface was covered in writing.

Unfortunately, neither Amon nor Felicia could understand a single word.

Amon scratched his cheek. "Is this an Elven language?"

Felicia immediately looked at him. "How do you know?"

Amon handed her the cylinder. "Look at the woman."

Felicia took it from him and examined the carving while Amon continued staring at the paper.

The strange writing covered almost the entire surface, but there were also several drawings scattered between the lines.

Amon’s eyes narrowed. "Wait."

He leaned closer. There were markings that looked like geographical features.

Several large areas had been outlined by hand, with strange symbols placed beside them.

Amon carefully traced one of the drawings with his finger. "This isn’t just writing."

Felicia glanced toward him, and Amon pointed at the markings.

"Someone drew land on this." He stared at the map for several seconds. "It looks like someone hand-sketched these places."

Amon leaned back. "Could this be some kind of treasure map?"

Felicia didn’t answer as Amon looked toward her. "Do you know anyone who can understand this?"

Felicia remained silent before she softly spoke one name. "Marielle."

Amon raised an eyebrow. "Your sister?"

Felicia nodded. "She’s an expert in foreign languages."

Amon looked back at the strange paper.

"That works." He carefully folded the paper again and placed it back inside the cylinder. "I’ll ask her what this is."

Felicia’s eyes narrowed. "You aren’t planning to use this as an excuse to get close to her, are you?"

Amon looked at her with an innocent expression. "I’d meet her anyway. She’s going to be my teacher."

Felicia clearly didn’t believe him. "I can smell your intentions from here."

Amon chuckled. "You’re making it sound like I’m trying to collect your entire family."

Felicia continued staring at him. "That smile of yours is telling me that you really are going after both niece and Aunt."

Amon sighed. "Amen."

"Hm?"

"I mean..." Amon immediately corrected himself. "I would never do such a thing."

Felicia raised an eyebrow.

Before she could respond, the supervisor suddenly called out from across the field.

"Madam Felicia!"

Felicia turned around.

"The results are out!"

Her attention immediately shifted toward the supervisor. She stood and began walking toward him.

Amon quickly followed behind her, carrying the ancient cylinder under his arm.

They reached the supervisor, who immediately handed Felicia the report.

She opened it and scanned the results, a smile spreading across her face.

"Eighty-five percent."

The supervisor laughed. "At this rate, you’ll be rich in no time!"

Amon looked at the man.

Something about the supervisor’s expression caught his attention.

The man’s eyes kept moving toward him every few seconds, as if he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure whether he should.

Amon raised an eyebrow. ’Did he guess that I found these lands?’

Felicia noticed it as well. "You can go."

The supervisor immediately straightened. "Yes, Madam."

He turned around and returned to his team.

Once he was gone, Felicia looked toward Amon.

"The easy part is over," she said gently. "The difficult part starts now."

Amon’s expression became grim. "Legislation, huh?"