"Teacher."
Miss MacDonald spoke worriedly, but Shade shook his head:
"No one will know until we open it. This box has gone twenty-odd years without incident, which means your mother's containment method was quite good. I'll open it. You all be careful. Thaumaturgy: Door Key."
As Shade twisted his wrist, a continuous series of clicks came from inside the safe. Soon, Shade opened the heavy safe door. The interior was not very large and was divided into upper and lower compartments.
The upper compartment held a great number of gold bars and currencies from various countries. This wealth was enough for anyone in this era to live out their life in comfort. The lower compartment contained an insulated case commonly used by Alchemists. Shade carefully took it out and opened it, revealing a square block of solid ice.
At the very center of that solid ice was embedded a silver-gray metal cube.
"Is this a Fire Seed Source?"
Wei Ge asked expectantly, but Shade shook his head:
"No. But the Whisper Element comes from this thing. It's an Relic."
The solid ice that had not melted for over twenty years was the Relic's containment measure. Before shattering the ice, Shade examined it carefully and had Miss MacDonald record the runes on its surface.
Once the Ice Block was smashed, the silver-gray metal cube appeared.
"It's [Active Metal]."
Shade said with complete certainty. Wei Ge nodded:
"You said that [Active Metal] is an important material for making Fire Seed Sources because it is part of the 'firstborn son.' So Mother had already discovered this Relic's special nature years ago?
But this [Active Metal] seemed rather unusual. What did Mother mix it with?"
This was indeed not a simple Relic. The Relic had been fused into some kind of machine, which was