If that was the case, it would be completely different from the map mechanism Chloe had sent him before. In other words, if Chloe followed his advice, it would be impossible for her to pass safely. What exactly happened inside that inner chamber? What was Chloe hiding beneath her seemingly calm face?
Having missed the live broadcast, Leo turned on his computer to watch the recording. “Miss Chloe, with so many precious artifacts in the Western Xia Treasury, which one do you think is the most valuable?” Domingo asked, pointing to the array of artifacts on the ground.
Chloe replied, “As a researcher, the most valuable one would be this Rainbowstone.” She pointed to a stone on the far left that emitted a seven-colored rainbow light.
“Rainbowstone?” Domingo’s eyes were drawn to the dazzling colors of the Rainbowstone, wondering why she hadn’t noticed such a beautiful stone earlier.
“This was used by ancient people to fumigate their bedding. In summer, there were many mosquitoes and dampness, and mosquito eggs were rampant. The Rainbowstone contains volcanic ash, which is excellent for repelling mosquitoes.”
“If this Rainbowstone were put on the market, how much would it be worth?” Domingo’s eyes sparkled.
“That’s impossible. These items will all be nationalized; they are priceless and won’t circulate in the market,” Chloe shook her head.
Domingo pressed on, “Just hypothetically! If this Rainbowstone were auctioned, how much would it fetch?”
As a professional host and journalist, Domingo knew what the audience liked to see. Most viewers of this program were interested in antiques but didn’t understand much about them. The simplest and most effective way to convey the value of an artifact was to tell them its monetary worth.
“About five or six million dollars,” Chloe estimated.
“Oh?” Domingo was somewhat disappointed; she had expected a price in the tens of millions.
“The current antique auction market is influenced by various factors, leading to frequent overpricing. This is an abnormal phenomenon. If possible, these antiques should return to their normal price range…”
Chloe was about to continue when Domingo quickly changed the subject, “Miss Chloe mentioned ‘as a researcher.’ What about from your own perspective?”
Chloe thought for a moment and answered, “If it were up to me, I like this one the most.” She picked up a dark stone from the middle.
Domingo was secretly glad he had changed the topic in time; otherwise, letting this beautiful expert continue lecturing might have caused a drop in viewership.
“This is a magnetite, a natural magnet,” Chloe explained. This time, she didn’t wait for Domingo to ask and provided an estimate herself: “This is worth about 100 dollars in the market.”
“A hundred?” Domingo’s eyes widened.
“Yes, this kind of thing is very common. It’s not only found in the Western Xia Treasury but also in other ancient sites and even in the mountains today. When something is abundant, it naturally isn’t worth much.”
“Can I ask why you find this one the most precious?”
“A certain annoying person told me about directions but forgot that I couldn’t tell directions underground. Luckily, I had this magnetite…” Chloe smiled at the camera, a smile so enchanting that it left Leo staring at his computer screen in a daze.
Domingo sensed there was more to Chloe’s words but didn’t press further since Chloe wasn’t the main focus of the program. He moved on to the next segment.
Leo finally understood how Chloe had navigated those mechanisms. It turned out she had used that magnetite. The magnetite naturally pointed north and south, allowing Chloe to determine her direction in the tunnel. Coupled with that long passageway, Chloe managed to exit from the inner chamber.
Chloe probably knew he would watch this program, meaning she intentionally said those words for him to hear. Leo felt a headache coming on. A woman he had only met a few times smiled at the camera and called him an “annoying person.” What did that mean?
Leo couldn’t imagine what it would be like when Chloe returned to Langstel and they met again. He shut down his computer, rubbed his temples, and left his room for the medical clinic. Seeing that the number of people in the clinic had not decreased but increased, Leo’s head started to ache again.
“Leo!” Brennen walked in from outside.
Brennen’s arrival made Leo wonder if there had been any changes in Goryeo Kingdom’s challenge. After sitting down in the reception room, Leo asked directly, “Mr. Holland, has there been any change?”
Brennen handed a document to Leo: “Seung Kim’s challenge to Atrarian traditional medicine has attracted international attention. Take a look at this.”
Curious, Leo took the document and began reading. It was more of a letter than a document, written in English with a Mheffada translation attached.
The first thing that caught Leo’s attention was the paper used for the letter and its signature. The paper was exclusive to the House of Albion, and so was the signature. This letter was from the House of Albion.
Everyone knew that Albion was a constitutional monarchy with a royal family that had been passed down through generations. Leo was slightly surprised and continued reading.
The letter stated that Princess Isabelle had contracted a strange illness that modern doctors had been unable to diagnose or treat effectively for two years. Monica, vice president of the United States Medical Research Society, had personally visited Albion to examine the princess but also failed to find the cause.
Before leaving, Monica recommended a doctor named Leo to the queen. Upon learning about Princess Isabelle’s illness, the Goryeo Medical Research Association contacted the House of Albion, offering to treat her with Seung Kim, known as the “Sage of Korean Medicine.”
The House of Albion had little confidence in either Atrarian or Korean medicine. Upon learning about Seung Kim’s challenge to Atrarian traditional medicine, they decided to adopt a wait-and-see approach. Representatives from Albion would observe the competition between both sides.
At the end of the letter, Albion’s queen expressed her blessings for Leo and Atrarian traditional medicine and hoped they would win this challenge.
After reading the letter, Leo’s lips curved into a slight smile. He understood the letter’s intent: The House of Albion would choose only the victor to treat their princess. Leo also knew that there must be two copies of this letter-one for him and one for Seung Kim. The blessings in Seung Kim’s letter were likely identical to his own but with names swapped.
Leo closed the document and handed it back to Brennen.