Chapter : 1355

"I am working," Mina corrected. "Unlike some people, I take my research seriously. I am not running away from my problems."

"I am not running away!" Lloyd protested. "I am running toward a solution. A very scientific solution."

Mina raised an eyebrow. "Does this solution involve a museum?"

Lloyd blinked. "How did you know?"

"Because Ramos is boring," Mina said. "Unless you like mining or history. You don't look like a miner. So you are there for history. Just like me."

"We have shared interests," Lloyd said weakly. "That's nice."

"It is inconvenient," Mina said. "I wanted a quiet trip. Now I have... noise."

"I can be quiet," Lloyd promised. "I am the Silent Lion. Silence is my middle name."

Mina sighed. She put her book down. She looked at him, and her expression softened just a tiny bit.

"You look tired, Lloyd," she said. "More tired than usual."

"It's been a long week," Lloyd admitted. "Weddings. Assassins. Demon lords. It takes a toll."

"And three wives," Mina added helpfully.

"Don't remind me," Lloyd groaned. "Please. I am here to forget about that. I am here to look at a rock."

"The Golem Heart?" Mina guessed.

Lloyd stared at her. "Are you a psychic? How do you know everything?"

"I am a historian," Mina said. "I know what is in Ramos. The Heart is the only thing there that would interest an inventor like you. You want to research your new invention."

Lloyd slumped in his seat. She was too smart. "Yes. I need to see it. It's the key."

"Well," Mina said. "It seems we are going to the same place. To see the same thing. For different reasons."

"It seems so," Lloyd said.

"Fine," Mina decided. "We can travel together. But we maintain professional distance. No drama. No proposals. No emotional speeches on balconies."

"Deal," Lloyd said instantly. "Professional distance. I love distance. Distance is my favorite thing."

The train ride continued, but the atmosphere had changed. It was no longer a solitary escape. It was now a shared confinement.

Lloyd and Mina sat opposite each other. Mina read her book. Lloyd pretended to read his notes, but mostly he just looked out the window and tried not to breathe too loudly.

It was awkward. Incredibly, painfully awkward. Every time the train went over a bump, their knees would almost touch, and they would both jerk back like they had been electrocuted.

"So," Lloyd said after an hour of silence. "What book is that?"

Mina didn't look up. "The Fall of the Stone Kings. It is about the collapse of the golem armies."

"Cheerful," Lloyd commented. "Light reading."

"It is informative," Mina said. "Did you know Anubis died alone? He was paranoid. He thought everyone wanted to steal his secrets."

"He sounds like a smart guy," Lloyd said. "People did want to steal his secrets. I want to steal his secrets right now."

"He destroyed them," Mina said. "Burned his lab. Smashed his prototypes. The Heart is the only thing left because he couldn't destroy it. It was too strong."

"Stubborn rock," Lloyd mused. "I respect that."

They fell silent again. A waiter came by with a cart.

"Coffee?" the waiter asked.

"Yes, please," Lloyd said. "Black. Like my soul."

Mina rolled her eyes. "Tea for me. Green."

The waiter served them and left. Lloyd sipped his coffee. It was still terrible.

"You know," Lloyd said carefully. "I didn't mean to... upset things. At the ball. With the dance."

Mina stiffened. She put her cup down slowly. "We agreed. Professional distance. That topic is not professional."

"Right," Lloyd said. "Sorry. Strike that from the record."

He looked at her. The curve of her jaw. The way she held her cup. It was haunting. But he forced himself to see Mina. The scholar. The sister-in-law. The woman who was currently annoyed with him.

"Why are you studying the Heart?" Lloyd asked, changing the subject. "Is it just academic interest?"

"Partly," Mina said. "But there are rumors. Old texts in the Siddik library mention a connection between the Heart and the sealing arts. My mother's curse... it was spiritual. I want to understand how souls can be bound to objects. Just in case."

"In case the curse comes back?" Lloyd asked gently.

"In case we need to protect ourselves," Mina said. "Knowledge is a shield, Lloyd. You build suits of armor. I build libraries. It is the same thing."

Lloyd nodded. He respected that. "You're right. We're both builders."

The train began to slow again. The conductor announced, "Approaching Ramos! City of Stone! End of the line!"

Chapter : 1356

Lloyd looked out the window. It was dark now, but he could see the lights of the city. Ramos was built into the side of a massive cliff. It looked like a fortress. Layers of stone buildings climbed up the mountain, connected by bridges and stairs.

"We're here," Lloyd said.

"Finally," Mina said. She closed her book and put it in her bag. She stood up and smoothed her dress.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Lloyd asked.

"I booked a room at The Scholar's Rest," Mina said.

Lloyd choked on his coffee. "What? No. That's where I booked a room."

Mina stared at him. "You are joking."

"I wish I was," Lloyd wheezed. "It had good reviews! 'Quiet and clean'!"

"It is the only reputable inn for academics," Mina sighed. "Of course we booked the same place. Fate is laughing at us."

"Fate is a comedian," Lloyd agreed. "A bad one."

They gathered their luggage. The train pulled into the station with a screech of brakes. Steam hissed.

"Okay," Lloyd said. "Here is the plan. We get off. We go to the inn. We pretend we don't know each other. I am Professor Ferrum. You are... Lady Mina. We are strangers."

"Agreed," Mina said. "I do not want to explain to the innkeeper why I am traveling with my sister's husband."

They stepped off the train onto the platform. The air in Ramos was cold and crisp. It smelled of coal and mountain pine.

"The museum opens at nine tomorrow," Lloyd said. "I'll be there first thing."

"I will be there at ten," Mina said. "To avoid you."

"Perfect," Lloyd said. "I love this plan."

They walked towards the exit, maintaining a careful distance of five feet. They looked like two people who had just had a fight, or two spies trying not to look like spies.

As they walked out into the city streets, Lloyd felt a strange sense of camaraderie. Yes, it was awkward. Yes, it was complicated. But he wasn't alone. He had an ally. Sort of. An ally who thought he was an idiot, but an ally nonetheless.

"To the museum," Lloyd whispered to himself. "To the Heart."

"Did you say something?" Mina asked.

"Nothing," Lloyd said quickly. "Just talking to my luggage. It's a habit."

Mina shook her head and kept walking. They headed into the stone city, two scholars on a mission, unaware that their separate paths were about to collide with a very big, very empty glass case.

The next morning, Lloyd woke up early. He felt energized. The bed at The Scholar's Rest was hard, the pillow was lumpy, and the room smelled like old socks, but he didn't care. Today was the day. Today he would meet the Golem Heart.

He dressed in his best "humble professor" outfit: a tweed jacket with patches on the elbows, round glasses (which were fake, but looked smart), and a scarf. He looked harmless. He looked like a man who got excited about Dewey Decimal Systems.

He left the inn before Mina was awake. He wanted a head start. He walked briskly through the streets of Ramos. The city was impressive. Everything was made of grey stone. The buildings were blocky and solid. Statues of old generals glared down from every corner. It was a city that took itself very seriously.

He reached the Ramos Old Military Museum. It was a massive building with tall columns and a heavy iron gate.

But something was wrong.

There were guards everywhere. Not the usual sleepy museum guards. These were City Watch soldiers. They were wearing armor and holding spears. And there was a bright yellow tape stretched across the entrance that said: CRIME SCENE - DO NOT CROSS.

Lloyd stopped. His stomach dropped. "No," he whispered. "Please, no."

He walked up to a guard. "Excuse me, officer. I am here to visit the museum. I have a ticket. I am very excited about the antique spoon collection."

The guard frowned. "Closed. Museum is closed."

"Closed?" Lloyd asked, feigning shock. "But it's Tuesday. Museums are open on Tuesdays. It is the law of the universe."

"Crime scene," the guard grunted. "Robbery. Last night."

Lloyd felt like someone had punched him in the gut. "Robbery? What was stolen? The spoons?"

"Big rock," the guard said. "The Golem Heart. Gone."

Lloyd stood there, frozen. Gone. The Heart was gone. He had traveled across the country, escaped three wives, and slept on a lumpy mattress, all for a rock that wasn't there anymore.

"Are you sure?" Lloyd asked desperately. "Maybe they just moved it to clean it? Maybe it rolled under a table?"