The bunny girl maid returned with another glass of water. "Here you go," She presented the clear container with her hands instead of on a tray like with the tea.
"Thank you," Valessandria looked to the maid and then to Yi, her face still red.
This time, Valessandria took her time to drink the water. No longer feeling as though she were choking on the food and desperately drinking the water to clear the blockage, she noticed how there wasn't as strong of a taste -- compared to what she'd consumed in the past. Holding the glass in front of her, Valessandria raised the cup so she could get a better view of the liquid.
The first thing she noticed about the water was how clear it was. Looking through the water, though it was slightly distorted due to the liquid, she could see Helania on the other side.
Turning her, Valessandria frowned while furrowing her brow at Yi, "How did you get such clean water? It must have cost a fortune to have such water readily available."
Valessandria understood that the inn was set up to welcome nobles and other wealthy clients to stay overnight, but even for such a business in a somewhat remote village made, getting such high-quality water was virtually impossible. They'd need to invest in expensive filtration systems rivaling what's available in the capital, making her suspect that Yi had obtained the water through different channels.
Helania raised a hand.
The two maids on either side of the large chest raised the lid.
Noticing the movement, Valessandria turned her head to look at the chest and nearly dropped the glass in her hands. The drink was shakily placed on the table next to the teacup to be safe.
Inside the chest was wealth beyond anything seen before in one place; an unimaginable number of platinum bars shone from the room's light. The room faded into the background of her mind, staring at the wealth of precious metal that even Kings would struggle to quickly amass in a single place without great difficulty. She licked her lips as sweat slowly flowed down her cheek. Staring at the stacks upon stacks of platinum, she unconsciously raised her hand before realizing what she was doing and pulled it back. The amount of platinum was enough to tempt and enchant anyone who had faced difficulties in the past.
Valessandria shakily turned her head towards Helania and then to Yi. Her mouth gaped open like a fish out of water. In her mind, she barely remembered how many IACs an ounce of platinum was worth on the exchange markets. She vaguely guessed it was over 900 IACs per ounce of platinum -- but she suspected it was greater than that.
Yi had a slight grin as though expecting her to react in such a manner.
"Based on my projections using your estimates, I believe this is enough?"
A loud metal clank rang throughout the room as the maids closed the chest.
Valessandria jumped, her eyes flying toward the chest, which concealed enough platinum to make even the Empire waver. Slowly, she looked at Helania. Each of Valessandria's eyes was as large as the saucer beneath the teacup. Even after witnessing what she had seen inside the chest, it was a struggle to comprehend what had happened. No longer able to see the contents, she couldn't help but question if what was seen was real.
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To be close to the chest made her think of the ancient ruins of civilizations long ago forgotten close to Illumin, hiding mysteries incomprehensible to any in the modern era. Myths described a city filled with mystical knowledge and endless riches. Despite the dangers, adventurers would explore the area with the hopes of discovering wealth as significant as what she'd just been allowed to see.
Helania waited patiently.
"Yes. I struggle to imagine that such an amount would be insufficient." Valessandria felt the words clumsily tumble from her mouth, her mind struggling to process what was happening.
"As mentioned, my family is quite ancient. Instead of dealing with local currencies, we often trade with precious metals. But with how long we will be staying inside of the Academy, using the local currency may be easier. It also reassures me to know that the IAC is stable." Yi cradled a fresh cup of tea in his hands, the steam wafting towards his face.
"Of course! As a representative of the Academy, I can assure you that any amount remaining after deducting expenses will be converted into IACs for you to use during your stay." This time, Valessandria felt like the smile she wore was several times more painful due to the idea of needing to transport the ludicrous amount of wealth contained inside the chest, with only the trainees they brought.
Valessandria may have been willing to charge into danger, fighting the Empire, the idea of transporting wealth that could devastate nations to be nightmarish. She had no doubt that during the entire way back to the Academy, she'd be unable to peacefully rest, worried about being attacked by bandits or monsters.
Even the greedy treasurer would sweat buckets from having to be responsible for such an absurd amount of money. An amount so tremendous that revealing it would likely cause scum from black markets to be hired with the objective of stealing from the Academy.
The only relief was how not all the platinum would need to be held inside the Academy's vaults. After taking out the tuition and associated fees, everything else would be returned to the young noble.
Valessandria couldn't help but marvel at how the young Lord was unaffected by the wealth he carried with him.
A chill was felt from deep within her bones, remembering the viscous black tar of murderous intent which clung to her upon receiving the wrath of all of the young Lord's attendants. Not even an instant would be necessary for his people to eviscerate the audacious individual. There was a brief moment of pity for anyone foolish enough to bare their fangs at him.
Raising a hand to her neck, Valessandria remembered the hallucination she had experienced.
"I hope that all the immediate issues are handled?" Yi pulled Valessandria from her deep thoughts.
Jumping, Valessandria nervously laughed, "Yes, my Lord. You have my assurance that the chest will arrive safely and be handed to the department managing financial matters."
"Wonderful!" Yi passed the cup to the red-haired maid, who had remained silent during the entire discussion. "I look forward to attending the enrollment process. The Academy truly sounds like a citadel of knowledge in this dark world."
Sensing that she was being dismissed, Valessandria stood up.
"Please, make sure to take samples of the different teas we often carry while we travel," Yi snapped his fingers.
The bunny girl maid emerged from the preparation room holding a large box, nearly half the size of the chest, filled to the brim with platinum bars. Reaching Valessandria, she presented the gift.
Even with a casual glance, Valessandria recognized the expert craftmanship necessary to decorate such a box. On top of the wooden box was a tall eldritch tower with what appeared to be clouds on the bottom. The clouds had enough details to make her feel as if they were gently passing by the peculiar and indescribable structure, which hinted to have existed far before human memories. Floating next to the tower were intricately carved symbols of a star and moon.
Valessandria couldn't help but feel she'd seen the symbols from somewhere. Still, she couldn't pinpoint where the memory originated from.