Although the "Sun-Fusang Trait Essence" condensed from the Erdtree had enhanced Arthur's aptitude in spatial arts…
His attainment in that field still couldn't compare to Ranni—who was already gifted beyond measure, and had immersed herself in the Path of Space for years.
So Arthur decided to have Ranni open the spatial gate into Kunlun's Treasure Pavilion.
Naturally, Ranni didn't refuse.
She took out the Carian Regal Scepter and tapped lightly before the pavilion doors.
A vortex-shaped spatial gate—woven from mist and starlight—appeared before the three of them.
Arthur urged the two women in a whisper, "Move. Quickly. Before anyone notices."
Once inside the Treasure Pavilion, Arthur summoned Hermione out as well.
The young witch emerged from the Zen Garden looking half-asleep.
She'd been mentally exhausted during the day and had decided to take a nap—
Only to sleep all the way until now, leaving her dazed and sluggish.
Arthur smiled, reached out, and pinched her cheek gently. "Wake up, sleepyhead. Dawn's almost here."
They'd begun their operation at midnight. Just sweeping up the Recording Stones had taken four full hours.
Outside, the sky was already faintly bright.
Hermione blinked awake and looked around in confusion.
"Where are we?"
"This is Kunlun's Treasure Pavilion," Arthur replied.
Hermione stared blankly. "Weren't we here to help Sister Huoxuan destroy the Recording Stones? How did we end up in the treasure pavilion?"
Arthur explained, "Sister Huoxuan wanted compensation. So we came in."
Hermione's expression turned complicated.
This was the first time she'd ever heard of "compensation" being taken instead of given.
Arthur added, "Want to take a look? See if anything catches your interest?"
At that moment, Ranni was walking through the pavilion, observing its layout and the treasures on the shelves.
Huoxuan had already begun looting without the slightest shame.
Hermione took a quick lap around the place—
Then returned to Arthur.
There was nothing here that particularly attracted her.
Mostly, it was a cultural difference.
Hermione had studied quite a bit of eastern culture, but what she learned was cultivation theory—not the catalog of heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
Unlike Huoxuan, who could name most of what she saw here on sight.
Hermione came back and asked if she could go explore outside.
Arthur could have asked Ranni to open another spatial gate…
But that would be an unnecessary hassle.
So he chose a more convenient method.
He pressed his forehead to Hermione's—just like he'd done with Huoxuan earlier.
Then he carried Hermione's consciousness with his spiritual power and guided her through Kunlun's pocket realm, drifting from corner to corner.
Since Huoxuan had enjoyed that "play" so much, Arthur figured Hermione would too.
And sure enough, Hermione had a blast.
She could project her own mind outward, but her range was limited—not like Arthur, whose perception could cover the entire pocket realm with ease.
Huoxuan's looting continued for almost an hour.
She didn't take much, but every single item was a treasure.
Once Kunlun realized what they'd lost, they would be heartbroken.
By then, the sun was already rising.
Arthur and Huoxuan pulled the Invisibility Cloak over themselves and slipped out of the Treasure Pavilion.
Hermione and Ranni returned to the Zen Garden first.
Once in the air, Arthur and Huoxuan condensed a patch of rainclouds in the sky and mixed in Winged Demon venom.
Then they left Kunlun's pocket realm in a hurry.
Even after exiting, Arthur didn't forget to take the Recording Stones Kunlun had placed outside.
Now Kunlun had not a single Recording Stone left.
After Arthur and the others departed, a heavy rain fell within Kunlun's pocket realm.
To be honest, sudden rain at the peak of a snow mountain was abnormal.
But these Kunlun cultivators—who spent their days shut inside the sect, chasing immortality—had long forgotten that kind of common sense.
Of course, not everyone failed to notice.
Some of the newly accepted disciples did feel something was off.
But they simply assumed it was unique weather within a pocket realm.
After the storm, everyone in Kunlun forgot Huoxuan's existence entirely.
They continued cultivating as they always had.
Until a few days later, when a disciple discovered the theft from the Treasure Pavilion.
Kunlun erupted.
Elders emerged from seclusion one after another, swearing they would catch the thief.
In the end, even Kunlun's sect master was alarmed.
Unfortunately, Arthur had erased every possible trace.
Kunlun found nothing.
The incident became the greatest unsolved mystery Kunlun had faced in centuries.
(Minister Fudge would've said he was familiar with that—after all, the thefts from the Ministry and Gringotts had ended the same way.)
But that was later.
…
Time flew to the end of term—more precisely, after Hogwarts released its final exam results.
Normally, Hogwarts held exams in the first week of June, released grades in the second, and began summer break in the third.
This year was different.
The third task of the Triwizard Tournament was scheduled for June 24th—the fourth week of June.
So Hogwarts hadn't begun summer break yet.
Even the students from the other two visiting schools remained at Hogwarts.
None of the students complained.
After all, what could be better than staying at school while not having to attend classes?
If there was something better…
It was probably the day the final Triwizard task began.
Under Fudge's insistence, the Triwizard Tournament continued as scheduled.
Even Barty Crouch Sr.'s death had been quietly downplayed.
The arena for the third task overflowed with a festive atmosphere.
No one seemed to care that the host had changed from Crouch to Dumbledore.
If anything, Hogwarts students preferred it.
Compared to the unfamiliar Head of International Magical Cooperation, they liked their kind, approachable headmaster far more.
The stands formed a semicircular amphitheater.
The other half was the entrance to a hedge maze.
And that hedge maze was where the four champions from the three schools would compete.
To the sound of lively music and roaring cheers, the four champions entered the amphitheater from beneath the stands.
As Hermione stepped in, she looked up and immediately spotted Arthur sitting in the front rows.
She smiled and waved.
Arthur waved back, then linked his spiritual power to Hermione and asked quietly, "Everything ready?"
"Of course," Hermione replied. "I put everything into my spatial ring."
As she spoke, she lifted her hand to show him the ring on her finger.
Ever since the last time Hermione had run her magic dry—and hadn't even carried a restoration potion—Arthur had refined that ring for her.
It contained a large storage space, enough to hold all the potions, alchemical tools Arthur had given her, as well as Hermione's own commonly used items.
Arthur had given her an Undetectable Extension Charm handbag before.
But it still wasn't as convenient as a spatial ring.
The last time, Hermione hadn't had that bag on her—so she'd needed Huoxuan to carry her back.
Seeing that Hermione was fully prepared, Arthur left her with a single message—"Good luck."—and cut the mental link.
The Weasley twins, seated beside Arthur, had seen Hermione show the spatial ring.
They grinned wickedly and said, "Boss, didn't think you'd propose to Hermione so quickly. What about Ranni?"
They knew Ranni was Arthur's fiancée.
And with Ranni sitting on Arthur's other side, the twins were clearly trying to stir up a scene right in front of her.
They weren't malicious.
They just loved mischief.
Unfortunately for them…
Arthur was better at this.
He took Ranni's hand and showed the twins the spatial ring on her finger.
"Ranni has one too," Arthur said calmly. "And I've got extras. Want one?"
As he spoke, he flipped his hand and produced another ring.
It wasn't the same style as Hermione's or Ranni's, but it was still a spatial ring.
In truth, Arthur had refined more than a dozen storage items in different styles for emergencies.
Among them, rings were the most convenient—so he'd made the most of those.
The twins saw their bait get casually dissolved and immediately tried again.
"No thanks," they said. "We can't handle that kind of generosity, Boss. You should save it for other girls."
"Oh?" Arthur drawled. "Even if it's a ring made with eastern alchemy, with the same function as an Undetectable Extension bag, you still don't want it?"
To make it easier for them to understand, Arthur used "Undetectable Extension bag" as a comparison rather than talking about artifact refinement.
And unlike their dense little brother, the twins understood instantly.
They knew exactly what an Undetectable Extension bag could do.
For the sake of carrying pranks, they'd even made one themselves in the past—
Though back then, their magic wasn't strong enough, and the storage space they created hadn't been very large.
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