The first things that came into view were large quantities of gold products, from sculptures to various weapons and armor, all piled up here. If this manor wasn't threatened by war, then the armor and equipment stored here would likely never be used.
Besides these, there were also some decorative items in the old classical Roman style. With differing faiths, each generation's head of the family, upon becoming the leader, would likely make changes to the decorations. Evidently, these decorative items were stored here to accommodate changes in interior design.
In addition to these ordinary daily items, there were naturally some miscellaneous construction materials. The metal fragments that encased the gem should be in here as well, but it was unknown which box they were in.
Aslan hung the lantern he was holding on a rack specifically designed for lamps. He then channeled magic into the Ring of Contract on his hand. The prototype of the ring was a fragment of a Machine God's core; it should be able to have some effect on or reaction to other Machine Gods.
Carefully sensing the flow of magical energy in the storeroom, Aslan's perception swept over row after row of boxes, Browse through everything on the shelves. He finally locked onto a corner of the storeroom. Quickly walking over to the location he had sensed, he fixed his gaze on a box. Aslan directly used a burst of magical energy to shatter the lock on the box and then opened it.
Resting on a red satin lining, the metal fragments lay quietly. There were obvious signs of damage on the wreckage, as well as traces of being melted at high temperatures and reconnected, like fragments hit by some kind of cannonball in battle. However, there were no burn marks from fire on the fragments.
Gently placing his hand on the wreckage, the Ring of Contract on his finger emitted a faint glow. It was confirmed—this was indeed a part of a Machine God!
Excellent! With this, I might be able to develop a tool to search for other Machine God fragments!
He infused a stream of magical energy into the fragment. A voice that seemed to be able to charm people's hearts whispered something in his mind. However, this ability wasn't strong; any magus should be able to break through this suggestion-like ability in their mind. Clearing his thoughts, Aslan began to feel the magical fluctuations fed back by the fragment after the infusion of magic. He simultaneously compared these fluctuations with those of his Ring of Contract, trying to find ranges with the same or similar patterns. If you were to compare the Machine Gods to a large family, then these similar fluctuation ranges were like the genetic sequences that proved their kinship.
As long as he could grasp the method, he could try to create an instrument to find other Machine God fragments. Right now, he only had two fragments to determine the fluctuation range, so it was highly likely he would find other things. But as he found more fragments and narrowed the range, he would eventually be able to find his target with 100% accuracy.
It was all thanks to his perspective from a future era. Otherwise, Aslan would have to be like the old magi of this time, constantly sending out familiars or buying scraps of information to pursue what they were looking for. That method was too inefficient; one could potentially spend a lifetime without finding any useful clues or traces. A very clear example was the old magus in the Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files anime, who was trying to achieve his research on electricity-based magecraft in the sewers. He wanted to use the so-called "Zeus" to realize his control over power, yet his downfall was caused simply by an electric meter and a newspaper...
Although it was only loosely related to the current matter, the development of science truly had a massive impact on mystery. Thinking about and exploring mystery using scientific knowledge and methods was like having a cheat code.
Holding the piece of the Machine God fragment in his hand, Aslan's smile had yet to fully form when his intuition made him look towards the door.
"I see. So, miss, your target was this metal? But it's a pity; being a thief is against the law in Rome. It seems I'll have to ask you to come with me, miss."
Lucius leaned against the door, his chin slightly raised, like a noble scion playing policeman out of sheer interest. But Aslan immediately recognized the emperor before him from the fleeting images he had seen in his previous life.
Lucius wasn't in a hurry to act. Instead, he looked Aslan up and down. Seeing the vigilance and coldness in Aslan's large blue eyes, he shrugged his shoulders lightly, then took two steps forward, stopping not far from Aslan. "So, Miss 'Estée Lauder,' how about I give you a very good proposal?"
Extending his hand, Lucius's expression was serious yet arrogant, with a touch of willfulness. "Become my Empress!"
Huh?!
What?!
Aslan, who had been preparing to draw the Sword of Glorious Victory and fight, froze his actions. Melusine, who had quietly followed the Roman Emperor to the corridor and heard the voice from the storeroom, was also stunned. They couldn't have misheard, right? An Emperor of Rome was confessing to an ordinary noble girl he had caught red-handed stealing something?
What kind of ridiculously over-the-top soap opera plot was this? It was even more absurd than the dramas they made on those reality TV shows!
"What did you say?!"
Lucius ignored the slight lack of ladylike grace in the words that came out of Aslan's mouth in his haste. He repeated himself seriously, "Become my Empress, Estée Lauder. My Empress has the same right to be willful as I do. It doesn't matter if you take something from this noble's storeroom. It wouldn't matter even if you emptied the whole place!"
Lucius's gaze didn't waver in the slightest. "Become my Empress, and you'll have a legitimate reason to take things from here, and you naturally won't be breaking the laws of Rome."
Aslan's mouth twitched. He really wanted to shout, What does you looking for Estée Lauder have to do with me, Aslan? Also, with the sharp eyes of a powerful warrior, could he not see the slight sense of incongruity about him? If his cross-dressing was really that successful, he was going to cry!
"My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty, but please allow me to refuse!"
Aslan took out the Sword of Glorious Victory from his ring. Taking a deep breath, he was already prepared to break through and then immediately flee. Rome was so big; if he hid in some corner of the countryside to secretly search for Machine God fragments and this emperor still managed to find him, then the world must be haunted!