Chapter 3958

"Checking the relics, right?"

Xia De naturally did not refuse Vigor:

"No problem. Are there many items to check?"

"Many. My mother was an extremely skilled alchemist; I spent years just reading through all her alchemical manuscripts. Now, to re-examine every single item, if I take it seriously, I'll spend the entire spring on this."

"So I'll pick out only the suspicious items to inspect—I hope Mother really left other clues... I hope I don't find any more sides of her that contradict what I imagined."

Vigor's mother died shortly after giving birth to her, and there were no Ring Magicians in the Astley family, so her knowledge of her mother came almost entirely from those notebooks and other relics.

The woman left no letters to her daughter, nor a dedicated diary chronicling her life, so Vigor's understanding of her was fragmented. In contrast, her memories of her father were vivid—even though he also died young, at least he lived until Vigor was three and made countless preparations for her growth and life.

Even before she turned eighteen, Vigor opened one of her father's letters each year.

In short, based on Vigor's own deductions and partial information from the Jade Alchemy Association, her mother was an 11th-Ring Magician when she died—a rank already extremely high. She was among the true elite of the Jade Alchemy Association; had events not unfolded as they did, she might even have become its president.

Vigor had read many times in her father's diary how her parents met. Her mother was not originally from Arcadia City; she arrived there five years before meeting her father.

From this, Vigor deduced that her mother was not trained as a Ring Magician by the Jade Alchemy Association, but had already been one before joining—though her rank at that time was likely not particularly high.

As for what stories her mother had before coming to Arcadia City, she had no way to investigate.

"My mother was incredibly powerful. Although she destroyed most traces of her Ring Magician activities before her death, I could still discern her genius from those alchemical notebooks. 'Red Stone'—that's the name still circulating in the Jade Alchemy Association. Oh, sometimes for convenience, my mother would appear as a man, using her middle name: Nicolas LeMé."

"Among the Ring Magicians in this city who knew my mother, more knew her by this alias than by her real name."

As Vigor spoke, she held the notebook bearing her mother's name, coughed twice, and handed it to the maid beside her, instructing her to pack it into the box too.

"Such a capable woman ultimately chose to marry your father—your father must have been very charming."

Xia De said this, and Vigor smiled faintly:

"There's a portrait oil painting of my father at home. I'll take you to see it."

In fact, when Xia De had followed the maids into the mansion earlier, he had already seen her father's portrait in the foyer—but he still agreed to go with Vigor to see other paintings.

Yet as the current head of the Astley family, there was no portrait of Vigor herself in this old mansion. Or rather, Xia De did not recall seeing any portrait of Vigor in the Fragrant Manor.

He asked Vigor about this, and the witch explained:

"I occasionally take photographs, but I've never had an oil portrait painted of myself. Photographs, if taken from the right angle and with proper lighting, can capture my beauty; but whether a portrait truly reflects my beauty depends entirely on the painter's skill—and that's an unstable factor."

She paused, thinking of Flora in Vellendale:

"But I've already chosen a 'Death Painter' for myself. When I'm nearing the end, I'll invite them here to record the beauty of my final moments."

Though Xia De didn't know the details, he immediately thought of the Artist Miss. Before he could comfort Vigor and assure her he would find a cure, she hesitantly asked:

"If that day ever comes... would you... would you let the painter include us both in one painting?"

She truly seemed to have mustered all her courage for this question; after coughing twice, she tilted her head, gazing at Xia De with hopeful expectation. He even felt that if he refused, he would have committed some terrible wrong.

"Of course."

He nodded gently, and Vigor broke into a wide smile, then immediately took Xia De's hand:

"I knew you'd say yes. Come on—while the girls are loading the cargo, let me show you more of the place."

The relatives of Vigor who lived in the Astley ancestral home were encountered by Xia De as she showed him around. Vigor introduced Xia De to them, and seeing her hold his hand, the elders who had raised her all wore satisfied smiles.

Yet not everyone living there was elderly. Although only one child was born in each generation of her father's line and her own, her grandfather had three brothers. So descendants of her grandfather's younger brothers also lived in the estate—three young people, all younger than Vigor.

Vigor quietly told Xia De:

"I've assigned them all to help at Greyrock Pass and in family business. I plan to choose one of them as the future heir. When I moved out to the Fragrant Manor, part of my reason was to sever the part of me that is a witch from the family."

But Xia De had just sensed their life sparks:

"All three of them seem to have inherited the hereditary blood disease."

Vigor bit her lip:

"This is the Astley family's fate. I, however, because of what happened during my mother's pregnancy, never contracted the blood disease... but my condition is even more deadly."

Though Vigor had no hereditary disease, no one doubted her Astley bloodline—her appearance clearly bore her father's likeness.

The late Mr. Astley had been a strikingly handsome gentleman; because he had long suffered from the family's hereditary illness, his portrait depicted him with an almost delicate femininity.

"Did your mother leave any photographs or portraits? She must have been very beautiful too?"

Xia De asked curiously. Vigor nodded with a smile:

"My mother left no records of her appearance, but among my father's belongings, his pocket watch contained a photo of her—she was incredibly, incredibly beautiful! I didn't bring it with me, but when we return home... I'll show you."

They stayed in the Astley ancestral home until eleven a. m., then returned together to the Fragrant Manor.

The auction qualification had been obtained—a simple invitation letter. But the invitation was not for the auction itself, but for a literary salon.

As for Vigor's mother, if Vigor's appearance reflected much of her father's charm, she and her mother were nearly like cousins in resemblance.

The old black-and-white photograph was well preserved; in it, the young woman tilted her head slightly, gazing outward from the frame. Like Vigor, she wore glasses—looking somewhat haughty, yet with a faint smile on her face.

"But my mother didn't have black hair—black hair is the Astley family's symbol, and also the symbol of the former Drel-Ohr royal family. My mother had beautiful golden hair, it's a pity the black-and-white photo can't show it."

Vigor sighed.

After lunch, with time remaining before the auction, Xia De and Vigor examined the relics of Madame LeMé together in the study.

As they sifted through and touched the relics, chatting, Xia De learned that Madame LeMé's achievements in alchemy far surpassed her accomplishments as a Ring Magician:

"From my mother's alchemical notebooks and my few exchanges with the Jade Alchemy Association, I know her initial research focus wasn't the Jade Codex, but the Philosopher's Stone. That's why she earned the title 'Red Stone.'"

Xia De, kneeling on the carpet while examining the box's contents, was not surprised—the Philosopher's Stone was known as the brightest jewel atop the crown of alchemy. Though the Philosopher's Stone was said to be an alchemical product tied to the ancient Moon Deity, even the followers of the ancient Creator God relentlessly pursued this rare material:

"All Philosopher's Stones found in modern times are ancient relics. The last alchemist rumored to have known how to craft the Philosopher's Stone was a witch from the very early Fifth Era—since then, no one has ever achieved this feat."

On the sofa, flipping through the notebook, Vigor nodded. She spread the notebook open on the armrest and leaned sideways against it, so she could look up at Xia De:

"Yes. From my mother's research notes, she had advanced very far along the path to crafting the Philosopher's Stone. In the peak years of her life, she devoted herself entirely to this—but then she abandoned the research and turned toward the Unknowable-Class relic, the Jade Codex."

Xia De asked curiously:

"Why?"

Vigor coughed as she shook her head:

"Partly due to influence from others in the Jade Alchemy Association, and partly because it was said the Jade Codex contained powers useful for crafting the Philosopher's Stone."

"The specific situation is actually not entirely clear to me either; the notebook's content regarding the 'Philosopher's Stone' abruptly cuts off, and the subsequent research records are about the 【Emerald Tablet】. Although Mother mentioned the 'Philosopher's Stone' a few times while researching that Unknown-grade Relic, it is evident that she quickly shifted her research direction entirely."