Under the cover of darkness, the others and I made our way towards the factory.

The closer we got, the more patrols we saw. Kaguya dispatched them skillfully and stealthily as we made our way closer to the factory.

The cold night air stuck to our bodies as we traversed through the winding alleyways.

It wasn't long before we finally arrived at the factory, and immediately I turned to Ivy.

She met my gaze and nodded, knowing exactly what I intended.

Her entire body was enveloped in a glossy silver-like sheen. Her appearance changed, and she took the form of a tall woman with blue hair wearing glasses

"Is this the woman you saw?" Ivy asked.

"Yes, but it's still easy to tell you're not her. People are more than just their appearance."

"My magic can help with that," Khalissi interjected. "I know a simple spell that can make you more like that witch you intend to mimic. But I'll need to be close to you at all times to cast it."

"That should be fine," Ivy agreed, and so Khalissi used her spell to enhance her appearance.

With everything set, we walked towards the entrance of the factory with Ivy taking the lead.

The massive gate was being guarded by witches, so I was fairly certain that they would recognize her.

I knew it would work the moment I saw the looks on their faces. They all bowed their heads.

"Madam Persephone, we didn't know you would be visiting us today."

Ivy raised her head high, not even bothering to look at them.

"I'm here to look at something."

"Yes, that should be fine, but these people you are with… Standard protocol says we can't allow civilians inside."

Ivy's sharp eyes landed on the guard that spoke. His entire body froze stiff under her powerful gaze.

"But since they're with you, it should be fine," he said, quickly correcting himself. "Right this way, we'll escort you inside."

"No need."

Ivy said, pushing past the guard, beckoning us to follow behind her.

"Oh, uh… okay."

The guards could say nothing as they watched us enter the premises. While we walked, I saw a small smile on her face; I could tell she was enjoying herself.

Her hips swayed vibrantly as she walked through the factory, drawing everyone's attention.

The workers seemed to be packaging the mana crystals. Surprisingly, that seemed to be their only job. I honestly expected more.

I knew they couldn't have been manufacturing it, but here seemed to give no clues as to where they actually got the mana crystals.

"This is disappointing," Khalissi whispered beside me. "I don't see any way where they could've gotten the mana crystals. But that laboratory next door, I feel something strange coming from it."

"So you feel it too," I whispered.

Khalissi only smiled, and that smile caused me to stop in my tracks. It was the same smile she gave whenever she knew something I didn't.

"You know something, don't you?"

She winked at me and placed her index finger on her lips.

"My lips are sealed. If you want to know what's going on next door, then you'll just have to go there yourself."

"Madam Persephone!"

Suddenly a voice called out to Ivy. It was a tall man with crooked legs. He held a cane in his right hand, which he used to walk.

"I wasn't informed that you would be coming here," he chuckled awkwardly, clearly nervous. "But then again, you did say you would be making some unexpected visits to check up on us."

For a moment, Ivy looked momentarily startled but quickly regained her composure.

"I assume you're here to see our stock," the crooked man said as he stopped in front of us.

Being this close to him, I realized his right eye was much larger than his left.

"Yes, that's exactly why I'm here," Ivy said. "I want to see the progress you've made so far."

He chuckled and stomped his cane on the ground twice.

"Hehehe… No problem at all. Let me accompany you. I would also like to discuss a few things with you since you're here; don't worry, it won't take long."

Ivy looked a bit annoyed, but she was being careful not to let her true emotions show too much.

"This way, I will show you to our storage room. It's under maximum security, and only my key card can open up the lower levels."

I assumed this man must've been the manager or the one in charge of overseeing the factory.

He led us over to an elevator, which required a key card to operate. He took out his key card, ready to slide it, but just then he stopped.

His eyes turned back to us as if he was just remembering something. He chuckled awkwardly.

"I assume these people are friends of yours, Madam Persephone. Just to clarify, I can't just let anyone down to the lower floors."

Kaguya's weight shifted slightly as if preparing to act if anything happened.

"Yes, they are with me. Don't worry, they are trustworthy," Ivy assured him.

He sighed in relief.

"Well, if you vouch for them, Madam Persephone, then I can't possibly object."

With that, he happily swiped the key card. The floor of the elevator vibrated for a few seconds before it began moving.

As we stood in the cramped space, Ivy's eyes drifted over to me, and so did Kaguya's. They wanted to know whether they should act now or not.

I signaled for them to wait. We didn't know what awaited us down below, so it wasn't wise to act now.

Soon, we heard a soft click, and the elevator came to a stop. The door hissed open to reveal a vast room below.

It was a room filled with large white boxes. I could immediately tell what these boxes contained.

The room spanned as far as the eyes could see, and the boxes lined up, creating a winding path.

"This is it," the man said proudly. "We've done the calculations, and this much mana crystals is enough to last us for at least another 50 years."

Seeing the treasures that lay before me, I couldn't help but smile.

'This is it!'

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