Chapter 352: The Second Eternal Tablet

To be honest, if it weren’t for that rainbow-haired woman—Miss Melita—coming to him in person, High Lord Gawain might have almost forgotten about his deal with the Mithril Vault.

He had hoped the Vault could find him a second Eternal Tablet.

“Hope you haven’t been waiting too long,” Melita said, her thin veil always in place no matter the situation. Yet behind that faintly blurred veil, Gawain could see a composed smile—though oddly, whenever she glanced at Amber, that smile would briefly twist into something else. “We must follow protocol. The original owner of this tablet violated their agreement with the Mithril Vault, but we can only take possession of it after their repayment deadline has passed.”

As she spoke, the mysterious Vault agent casually raised her hand—and a metal plate, glowing faintly with a golden hue, appeared in her palm as if by magic. “Here is your ‘item.’ You may inspect it.”

She showed no concern that Gawain might snatch the tablet away or tear up the contract on the spot.

Of course, Gawain had no intention of breaking the agreement. He took the metal shard from Melita with solemn care, then couldn’t help but comment, “For something this important, you don’t even have a proper container? At least wrap it in some oiled paper or something.”

Melita smiled faintly. “A luxurious container without protective function is just an empty ornament. No one can snatch items from a senior agent of the Mithril Vault, so the tablet needs no extra packaging.”

Her reasoning made sense. Gawain’s lips twitched in amusement as he lowered his gaze to study the metal plate.

Like the first Eternal Tablet he’d obtained, this one was just a palm-sized fragment. But its edges were shaped differently, leading him to suspect that each shard was similar in size but unique in outline. The surface bore familiar straight grooves and intricate, indecipherable patterns. On the back was set a faintly glowing pale blue crystal of unknown material. Just a slight attunement to the crystal’s subtle pulse was enough for Gawain to confirm its authenticity.

No one in the world was better at identifying genuine Eternal Tablets than him—when he resonated with one, the ripples in his mental realm were the best proof.

The last time he attuned to a tablet, he’d heard a battle report of a celestial fleet toppling the gods. What revelation would this resonance bring?

He was nearly bursting with anticipation, but to avoid arousing Melita’s suspicion, he suppressed the urge to “travel beyond the heavens” right then and there. Instead, he calmly placed the tablet on the table. “I’ve checked it. It’s genuine.”

“Then, according to our agreement, you should pay the ‘price’ equivalent to an Eternal Tablet,” Melita said with a radiant smile that even the veil couldn’t hide. “It can be an extraordinary item of equal value, or a large amount of Gondorian knowledge and relics. But mundane gold, silver, or jewels won’t do—those meaningless things, no matter how much, can never compare to an Eternal Tablet.”

She kindly added, “I’m also responsible for assessing whether your offered ‘price’ meets the requirements. If it doesn’t, I’ll have to take the tablet back. But for ten years, we’ll hold it for you until you can afford the price. That’s the privilege of being a senior client.”

“No need to wait ten years—I’m ready now,” Gawain smiled slightly and beckoned Amber. “Go to the Vault’s ‘Deep Containment’ section and bring me some ‘Divine Metal.’”

Amber blinked, leaning close to whisper in his ear, “There’s a whole pile there. Which one should I pick?”

“Umm… the bigger one, I guess. Looks more valuable. Actually, just grab any piece—each one’s bigger than this Eternal Tablet.”

“Got it! I’m on it!”

With that, Amber vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye.

“Please wait a moment. My personal guard has gone to fetch the item,” Gawain nodded to Melita. “I promise you’ll be satisfied.”

Melita was clearly curious about what Gawain planned to offer in exchange, but as a senior agent of the Mithril Vault, she kept her emotions in check and simply nodded. “I look forward to it.”

Not long after, Amber returned to the study—probably because carrying heavy objects through a window was inconvenient, she came in through the door. As soon as she entered, she dropped the item with a loud thud in front of Melita, beaming with pride. “Take a look! See the quality? The size? If you smash this up, you could trade for a whole bunch of tablets…”

Melita was stunned at the sight of what Amber had brought in. When the heavy, twisted, clearly broken-off piece of some large device clattered onto the floor, the poised and elegant agent even jumped slightly. She stared wide-eyed at the massive, warped metal chunk and exclaimed, “What… what is this?! Where did you get it?!”

“We don’t know either,” Gawain said with a smile before Amber could blurt anything out. “We found it while blasting through the Dark Mountains for mining. It’s incredibly hard—impossible to smelt—and highly resistant to magic. I also noticed its material is somewhat similar to the Eternal Tablet, so I named it ‘Divine Metal.’ I believe it’s, like the tablets, some kind of extraordinary artifact beyond human understanding…”

Gawain spoke casually but with a hint of misplaced confidence. Melita looked at the huge twisted metal piece with suspicion, then finally bent down and lifted it.

She could tell at once—the material was close to that of the Eternal Tablet… almost identical!

But this massive chunk lacked the tablet’s intricate patterns and embedded crystal, so it definitely wasn’t an Eternal Tablet. Its value was probably somewhat lower than the patterned, crystal-inlaid tablets…

But it was huge!

And the power it contained—that kind of force beyond human perception—was undeniably real!

Melita fell into deep thought, holding the metal awkwardly and ungracefully as she stared blankly until Gawain’s voice snapped her back. “Miss Melita, I think it’s time for your assessment.”

The agent suddenly came to her senses. She suspected she’d been overwhelmed by the power radiating from the so-called “Divine Metal,” which explained her earlier lapse. She then began carefully evaluating the trade.

Gawain’s offered item exceeded her expectations, but the Mithril Vault had to abide by its own rules—order was their top priority.

She quickly finished her appraisal and announced, “Its value… meets the requirements, and even exceeds them slightly.”

“That’s good.” Gawain exhaled in relief. Though he’d acted confident, he still felt a bit like he was pulling a fast one by trading a huge chunk of scrap metal for a clearly high-tech Eternal Tablet. Even if the materials were similar, it was like exchanging a handful of sand for a single crystal silicon wafer—close in composition, but not equal in value!

Still, since the agent deemed the trade fair, Gawain said nothing more.

But he was curious—there was no way a senior agent of the Mithril Vault was clueless. Even if she didn’t know the secrets stored within the Eternal Tablets, she must have known they contained divine mysteries. How could she not sense the difference in potential value between the scrap metal and the tablet?

Or perhaps… she sensed something else in the metal? Like the “Divine Shield” technology Gondorian mages had once extracted from similar scrap?

A flood of guesses surged through Gawain’s mind, but he kept silent and changed the subject. “May I ask one more thing? I’m curious—who was the original owner of this Eternal Tablet you brought?”

He was genuinely interested. Anyone who possessed an Eternal Tablet wasn’t ordinary—no matter how small the fragment, it belonged to nobles, magnates, or royalty. So who was the unlucky collector who lost this treasure?

As expected, Melita shook her head gently. “Protecting client confidentiality is a basic rule of the Mithril Vault. Although the defaulting client lost the tablet, their breach was offset after surrendering it, so I cannot disclose any information about them.”

“Alright, you really do stick to your rules,” Gawain waved a hand. “Then let me ask something else—do you have more Eternal Tablets available? I mean, potentially in the future?”

Melita’s eyes widened in surprise. “You… want more?”

Eternal Tablets weren’t common like cabbages. Even kings and emperors would be satisfied with just one. Who else would dare to place a long-term order?

She clearly had no idea how much “Divine Metal” Gawain had on hand…

“I enjoy studying theology,” Gawain casually made up an excuse, “and I have a bit of a collecting habit.”

“We’ve seen many collectors at the Mithril Vault, but none at your level,” Melita said with a strange look. After a moment, she nodded slightly. “You’re a senior client, so the Vault will prioritize your needs. Although we currently have no more Eternal Tablets for sale, I will keep an eye out—and notify you immediately if any become available.”

Gawain smiled. “That would be perfect.”

Melita Pernia’s sole purpose in coming seemed to be to complete this transaction. She was clearly very concerned about the large chunk of “Divine Metal” she’d just acquired, so she didn’t linger at Gawain’s manor. After the deal was done, she left promptly.

Not long after, in the prosperous and wealthy Earl of Hosman’s domain, some distance from Cecil’s territory, Melita Pernia entered a jewelry shop.

She walked straight to the counter and asked the owner, “Do you buy jewelry?”

The shopkeeper didn’t even look up. “We do. We cut prices by thirty percent.”

Melita smiled faintly, flipped her hand, and placed a finely crafted metal box inlaid with crystals and magical threads on the counter. “Take a look at this, sir. A genuine mithril jewelry box, adorned with top-grade amethysts and rubies, plus these magic runes and exquisite gold leaf…”

The box wasn’t large. When opened, it seemed just the right size to hold a palm-sized object…

(End of chapter)