Soon, the staff inside came out with Old Xavier.
The staff member walked up to Leo, removed her hat and mask, revealing a cascade of long black hair.
She had a beautiful face, eyes like autumn water, and small red lips with a captivating curve.
“Why use mercury immersion?” the female staff member asked.
Leo was staring at her, momentarily lost in thought, until Arlene nudged him.
“And why bury it in wood ash for seven days? Why not six or eight days?”
“Won’t the wood ash’s slight corrosiveness damage the wooden box?”
Her voice was pleasant, and her unique temperament made her an exceptional beauty.
“Mercury solidifies and seals tightly. Wood ash has a consolidating effect. Adding a bit of lead would enhance the effect,” Leo explained.
“Using mercury to seal and wood ash to consolidate will open it?” The female staff member looked skeptical. “Your method sounds too mystical and unscientific. If it damages the box, it would be a loss. Old Xavier, who is he?”
“This is…”
Before Old Xavier could finish, Arlene interjected, “We’re just here to offer a suggestion. If you think it’s unscientific, then continue with your scientific methods. Hopefully, you’ll open it in two or three years.”
Since Leo was brought by Arlene, the woman’s disdain for Leo was also a slight against Arlene.
Moreover, as both were beauties, they were natural rivals, and Arlene couldn’t let it go without a retort.
Chloe glanced at Arlene and said, “Amateur.”
Then she turned and left the lab.
The atmosphere became awkward. The original intention was to bring this young man named Leo to give Chloe some new ideas, but it ended in discord after just a few exchanges.
“I’m really sorry. Miss Chloe has this temper; I’ve told her many times, but she just can’t change,” Old Xavier said helplessly.
Arlene’s mood was ruined. She tugged at Leo, “Since they won’t listen to us, we should leave. Leo, let’s go.”
Arlene instinctively grabbed Leo’s hand.
Leo’s hand tightened involuntarily. Arlene realized her overly intimate gesture and blushed, quietly withdrawing her hand.
Seeing the blush on Arlene’s cheeks, Leo wanted to laugh. They walked to the elevator one after the other.
As fate would have it, they ran into Chloe in the elevator.
Seeing Leo and Arlene, Chloe’s face darkened. She ignored them completely.
Leo noticed her badge: Senior Cultural Relics Restoration Engineer, Chloe.
He didn’t expect this woman to be a senior engineer with such an aloof temperament that made her unforgettable.
Although she ignored them, Chloe noticed Leo’s gaze and snorted coldly, crossing her arms.
Someone had mischievously pressed every floor button in the elevator, causing it to descend slowly.
The atmosphere in the elevator was tense until Chloe broke the silence: “Hey, explain why it needs to be buried in wood ash for seven days.”
Opening the box had become an obsession for Chloe. She had tried various methods without success.
Although she didn’t fully trust Leo’s method, she couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.
Leo was daydreaming and didn’t respond immediately to Chloe’s question.
“Someone said they didn’t believe it earlier, and now they’re asking. How shameless,” Arlene mocked.
Chloe ignored Arlene’s remark and repeated her question to Leo.
“Mercury immersion expels the air inside the box. Burying it in wood ash for seven days creates a chemical reaction that forms a vacuum inside. When immersed in mercury again, the vacuum generates an internal force that can trigger the mechanism inside the box,” Leo explained.
“The box’s mechanism is unique; it must be opened from the inside.”
Hearing Leo answer Chloe’s question made Arlene pout unhappily. She silently scorned Leo: Men are all the same when they see a beautiful woman!
Leo had no idea Arlene was cursing him internally. He thought it unnecessary to argue with a woman; perhaps they would never meet again after today, so why make himself unhappy?
Leo’s explanation made Chloe’s eyes light up as if a veil had been lifted from her mind. She muttered to herself, “Vacuum unlocking… good idea…”
Chloe originally intended to go to the first floor but decided to return upstairs after hearing Leo’s idea. She seemed eager to try his method.
After leaving the museum, Leo asked Arlene to take him back to the clinic.
As soon as they arrived at the clinic, his phone rang. It was Jennifer Maud calling.
Leo quickly answered the call.
After speaking with Jennifer Maud, Leo hurriedly drove his car from the clinic to Seven Stars Sword Sect.
In the suburbs of Langstel, there was a small villa in an elegant setting with an Orientia style.
The villa courtyard was planted with many cherry blossom trees.
Although it wasn’t cherry blossom season, the trees were already blooming with pink flowers.
Under the cherry blossom trees, ten people knelt on grass mats.
Opposite them sat a thin old man with a small wooden table beside him holding a cup of fragrant tea with steam rising from it.
Maniwa Koken knelt in the center of the ten people.
Apart from Maniwa Koken, the other nine wore black ninja uniforms.
The left chest of their uniforms bore an emblem-the Koken family crest.
The presence of so many ninjas indicated that the Koken family was planning something significant.
All nine ninjas were at the Earth Ninja level.
At this moment, all ten pairs of eyes were focused on the thin old man with utmost respect.
The thin old man wore a loose white kimono. His eyes seemed half-closed, his breathing weak as if he were on the verge of death but exuded a powerful oppressive aura.
This thin old man was Yota Koken, the only Heaven Ninja of the Koken family and its most powerful member.
Yota Koken was the son of Ino Koken, the previous Heaven Ninja of the Koken family.
Ino Koken coveted Atraria’s Yin-Yang Spellcraft and was gravely injured by a Taoist Practitioner while attempting to capture one in Atraria. He died shortly after returning home.