Valerian Cross 17    

The moment Valerian returned to HQ, he went straight to the vaults. As much as he despised the thought, he couldn't entirely dismiss Evelyn's suggestion—because she had a point.

It took days to go through the inventories. The vaults held countless tomes, ancient relics, and alchemical supplies, and each item had to be checked one by one.

A tedious process, but a necessary one.

In an era without computers and with technology still in its infancy, everything had to be done manually—a painstaking and nightmarish task for the inventory team.

Meanwhile, Evelyn busied herself in her newly granted laboratory, brewing potions with an ease that put CROSS's own alchemists to shame.

Though they had their own doctors and potion makers, nothing they crafted could compare to the work of a centuries-old witch. That was precisely why Valerian had reluctantly agreed to her presence—though he still didn't trust her.