Treasures of the Lost World: A Men’s Adventure LitRPG, page 36
“I'm worried,” Vanessa said as we climbed a set of stone stairs that creaked under our weight despite being transformed by the curse. “What if this manor and Naomi's village are the only places? What if we found everyone there is to find?”
I stopped walking and turned to face her fully. “Vanessa, we landed at a completely random spot on this world. The chances that we found the only two groups of frozen people in existence are basically zero.”
“But what if-”
“No,” I said firmly, taking both her hands in mine. “Think about it logically. This world is huge. We've only explored a tiny fraction of it. If there were people frozen here and in Naomi's village, then there are almost certainly others scattered across the continents we haven't even seen yet.”
Her ears drooped slightly. “I know you're right. It's just... what if we're the only ones who can unfreeze them? What if we never find the others?”
“Then we'll keep looking,” I said. “We'll explore every continent, every island, every hidden valley until we find them all. I'm not giving up on your people, and I won't let you give up either.”
The smile that spread across her face was like sunrise after a long night. “Thank you,” she said softly. “For believing in this. For believing in them.”
“I believe in you,” I said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “And I believe we're going to find a way to bring them all back.”
We made our way through the rest of the manor's upper levels, past bedrooms where stone figures lay in eternal sleep and parlors where guests had been caught mid-conversation. The silence was heavy, but it no longer felt oppressive. Instead, it felt like potential, all these people waiting for their second chance at life.
Finally, we reached the throne room at the back of the manor. This was where Vanessa had been frozen, where we'd first found her months ago. The massive chamber was filled with the largest concentration of petrified people. These weren’t here originally - Selene had moved them here, so they could gaze at her on the throne.
Vanessa spoke up. “I hated being in here. Always felt like a fraud.”
I looked around at the frozen figures, seeing the care with which each person had been positioned. Some stood at attention, others knelt in petition, a few seemed to be in the middle of animated discussions. “You were a good ruler,” I said.
“How could you possibly know?” she asked.
“Naomi lived after you were frozen, yet she still was ready to follow you. Rulers don’t get remembered that fondly if they were terrible. You did the best you could.”
“I tried,” she said. “I wanted to be worthy of their trust.”
“You were. And you will be again, when we bring them back.”
We walked through the throne room and out the back entrance, emerging into the wider Deepwoods. The change from the manor's stone interior to the living forest was jarring, bioluminescent plants pulsed with soft light, the air carried the scent of growing things, and distant sounds echoed through the cavern.
“Alright,” I said, pulling a mana condenser from my inventory. “Time to get to work.”
The process was almost meditative. Every twenty meters, I'd stop and place another condenser, letting the magic handle the precise positioning and calibration. The condensers drew ambient mana from the surrounding environment and compressed it into crystalline form, which would then be transported back to the surface through pneumatic tubes that connected to our existing network.
Vanessa walked beside me, occasionally helping to clear debris or suggesting better placement spots. The work was simple enough that we could talk while we moved.
“Are you sure about abdicating?” I asked as I placed the fifteenth condenser and watched magical energy begin to flow through the pneumatic connection I'd just established.
She was quiet for a long moment, her tail swishing thoughtfully as she considered the question. “Mostly,” she said finally. “I mean, I'm not interested in being queen the way I would have been before. The whole thing feels... obsolete. As irrelevant as horse drawn carriages in the face of trains.”
“But?”
“But what you told me about democracy, about rule by election rather than birthright, that's interesting.” She stepped over a fallen log, her movement graceful even in the dim forest light. “I might want to run for colony governor someday. Earn the position through merit instead of inheritance.”
I placed another condenser, this one near a cluster of glowing mushrooms that pulsed in rhythm with its energy absorption. “That makes sense. You've got the experience and the knowledge to be an effective leader.”
“It partially depends on how many people we can unfreeze,” she said, her voice growing thoughtful. “I don't want to rule over the dying remnants of my people - not while humanity is ascendant. But if we find enough frozen communities, if we can actually restore our civilization...”
“Then you want to be part of rebuilding it,” I finished.
“Exactly. Not as their queen by divine right, but as someone they chose to lead them.” She paused, watching me connect another pneumatic tube to the growing network. “Does that make sense?”
“Perfect sense,” I said, standing up and brushing stone dust off my hands. “And for what it's worth, I think you'd make an excellent elected leader. You care about people, you think strategically, and you're not afraid to make hard decisions.”
The blush that spread across her cheeks was visible even in the forest's blue-green glow. “You might be a little biased.”
“Maybe,” I said with a grin. “But I'm also right.”
We continued working, falling into a comfortable rhythm. Place condenser, connect tubes, move twenty meters, repeat. The forest around us was alive with sound, distant roars from creatures we couldn't see, the whisper of wind through stone trees, the gentle hum of magical energy flowing through our growing network.
After about an hour, a train rumbled past on the Deep Rail line, its lights cutting through the forest gloom as it carried refined oil back to the surface. The pneumatic tube system was working perfectly, already transporting the first mana crystals our condensers had produced.
“Sixty-nine,” I said, placing another condenser near what looked like a crystallized waterfall.
“Nice,” Vanessa said.
I snorted. She was picking up on Earth humor well. Ava must have taught her that one, I hadn’t. “How many more do you think we need down here?”
“Ava said twenty is the minimum for what we need, and a lot more for the turrets. Lets aim for a hundred?,” Vanessa said. “We're making good progress.”
The work was peaceful. There was something satisfying about the steady progress, about building infrastructure that would support our growing operation. Each condenser we placed brought us one step closer to having the power we'd need for the major magical projects ahead.
“Michael?” Vanessa's voice was soft, almost hesitant.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For all of this. For believing we can save my people, for helping me figure out what kind of leader I want to be, for...” She gestured around us. “For making me feel like I have a future instead of just a past.”
I stopped walking and turned to face her. In the blue-green light of the forest, she looked etherea.
“You've always had a future,” I said. “I just helped you see it.”
“We helped each other see it,” she corrected, stepping closer. “I was lost when you found me. Frozen in more ways than one. You gave me something to hope for again.”
The kiss we shared was soft and sweet, full of promise and possibility. Around us, the Deepwoods pulsed with magical energy, but all I could focus on was the woman in my arms and the life we were building together.
When we broke apart, Vanessa's eyes were bright with unshed tears, but her smile was radiant. “Come on,” she said, taking my hand. “We have more work to do.”
The next twenty condensers went by in comfortable quiet, our conversation light and friendly. Vanessa teased me about my placement technique (“You're slightly favoring the left side, have you noticed?”), while I pointed out interesting magical phenomena in the surrounding forest.
A second train passed by, this one heading toward the surface loaded with raw materials from the deeper mining operations.
“Contact from base,” came Ava's voice through the drone in my inventory. “Surface work is complete, and I've got some preliminary buildings running.”
I pulled out the communication drone and activated its projection system. Ava's holographic form appeared beside us, looking pleased with herself.
“How did the research go?” Vanessa asked.
“Excellently. I… am sorry, I overheard the conversation earlier before I turned off the listening device, so I…took a bit of liberty on doing independent research. Vanessa, I've confirmed that devour magic should work on petrification curses,” Ava said. “The magical signature of the curse is consistent with other transformation effects we've encountered, and devour magic is a dispel based effect which have worked.”
Vanessa's ears perked up with excitement. “So unfreezing them should work?”
“I believe so, yes. We'll want to start with small test batches, people we can’t save otherwise - but the theoretical foundation is sound.”
“That's incredible news,” I said. “What about the surface infrastructure?”
“All mana condenser connections are tested and functioning,” Ava reported. “We're already seeing increased crystal production. The pneumatic network is handling the additional load without problems.”
I checked my inventory count. “We've got eighty placed down here, think that will be enough?”
“That’ll work,” Ava said. “You’re good to head back up.”
I pulled a Crawler from my inventory, its familiar sleek form materializing in the forest clearing. The machine hummed quietly as its systems activated, ready for the journey back to the manor.
“Perfect,” I said, examining the fuel gauge. “This one's got plenty of range for the trip back.”
I fueled the Crawler from my inventory and turned to Vanessa with a grin. “You're driving.”
“What?” Vanessa's ears flattened against her head. “But I'm terrible at driving!”
“Exactly,” I said, suddenly understanding Ava's plan. “Which is why you need practice. And I'm going to teach you properly this time, so Siobhan stops teasing you about it.”
“She only mentioned it three times yesterday,” Vanessa protested.
“Three times in one conversation,” I corrected. “Come on, it'll be fun.”
I fueled the Crawler from my inventory and climbed into the passenger seat, gesturing for Vanessa to take the driver's position. She approached the vehicle like it might bite her, but eventually settled behind the controls.
“Remember,” I said as she gripped the joystick with both hands, “gentle movements. The Crawler responds to subtle pressure, not brute force.”
“I know that,” she said, though her knuckles were white from how tightly she was holding the controls.
“And you can relax your shoulders. Tension makes everything harder.”
She took a deep breath and tried to loosen up, though I could still see the concentration etched on her face. “Okay. Here we go.”
The Crawler lurched forward like a drunk spider, weaving between trees in a pattern that suggested Vanessa was fighting the controls rather than working with them.
“Easy,” I said, trying not to laugh as we narrowly missed a cluster of glowing mushrooms. “Think of it like dancing, not wrestling.”
“Dancing doesn't have this many trees to crash into,” she muttered, over-correcting and sending us veering toward a stone outcropping.
“Gentle pressure left,” I said calmly. “Just a little... there you go.”
The Crawler straightened out, though our progress was still far from smooth. Vanessa's tail was fluffed with stress, and her ears kept twitching every time we hit a bump or root.
“This is harder than it looks,” she said through gritted teeth as we bounced over a fallen log.
“Everything is harder than it looks until you get the hang of it,” I said. “Remember when you first started sword fighting? You probably weren't graceful then either.”
“I was seven,” she said, jerking the joystick to avoid a low-hanging branch. “And I had a proper instructor, not someone who keeps laughing at me.”
“I'm not laughing at you,” I said, though I was definitely smiling. “I'm enjoying watching you learn something new. There's a difference.”
She shot me a sideways look that was part glare, part amusement. “You're enjoying my suffering.”
“I'm enjoying your determination,” I corrected. “And the fact that you're already getting better. That last turn was much smoother.”
It was true, her movements were becoming more fluid, less jerky. The Crawler was still weaving more than it should, but she was starting to work with the vehicle instead of against it.
“The key is to trust the machine,” I said as we navigated around a cluster of crystallized trees. “The Crawler wants to go straight and level. Your job is just to guide it, not force it.”
“Like guiding a conversation instead of controlling it,” she said thoughtfully.
“Exactly. You're getting it.”
The next few minutes were marked by steady improvement. Vanessa's death grip on the controls relaxed into something more like proper technique, and our path became less erratic. By the time we reached the halfway point back to the manor, she was actually driving reasonably well.
“See?” I said as we smoothly navigated a turn around a massive stone pillar. “You're a natural.”
“I'm adequate,” she corrected, but there was pride in her voice. “Maybe approaching competent on a good day.”
“Competent enough that Siobhan won't have material for her next teasing session.”
“Ha! Now you're just being optimistic.”
We hit a particularly large root and bounced hard enough that I had to grab the safety rail. Vanessa winced apologetically.
“Okay, maybe she'll still have some material,” I admitted. “But much less than before.”
The manor came into view ahead of us, its stone walls rising from the forest floor like a monument to frozen time. Vanessa's driving had improved enough that we approached it in something resembling a straight line, though she still jerked the joystick more than necessary when making turns.
“Not bad for a practice session,” I said as she brought us to a stop near the manor's entrance. “How do you feel about it?”
“Like I might actually be able to do this without embarrassing myself,” she said, letting go of the controls and flexing her fingers. “Though my hands are going to be sore tomorrow.”
“That's just muscle memory developing,” I said, climbing out of the Crawler. “Give it a few more practice sessions and you'll be handling these things like a professional.”
“A few more sessions with you as instructor,” she said, joining me outside the vehicle. “I… actually do want to get good at this so Siobhan can stop making fun of me.”
“Her opinion means that much to you?”
“She's terrifyingly competent at everything she touches,” Vanessa corrected. “Which makes the rest of us feel inadequate by comparison.”
“I haven’t heard anyone else say that,” I said gently.
“Fine. It makes me feel inadequate somegtimes. It’s nothing she does wrong I just… would like to impress her.”
“You're not inadequate,” I said seriously, taking her hand as we walked toward the manor entrance. “You're learning new skills in a world that's completely different from the one you grew up in. The fact that you're adapting as well as you are is impressive.”
“I had good teachers,” she said, squeezing my hand. “And good motivation.”
The return trip to the surface was peaceful, our Crawler purring along the familiar route while the Deepwoods glowed softly around us. Vanessa's driving had improved enough that I could actually relax and enjoy the scenery instead of bracing for unexpected collisions.
By the time we reached the spiral ramp that led back to the surface, Vanessa was driving smoothly enough that I felt completely comfortable. The pneumatic tubes hummed with activity around us, carrying mana crystals and other resources between our various operations.
“Successful day,” I said as we began the long climb upward. “Seventy new condensers, improved infrastructure, and you learned to drive without crashing into anything important.”
“I call that a win,” she agreed. “Though I reserve the right to panic if Siobhan asks me to demonstrate my new skills.”
“Deal,” I said. “But I think you'll surprise yourself with how much you've improved.”
“As long as I can surprise someone, a win is a win,” she said, giving me a quick smile and taking my hand one more time as we disembarked.
Chapter 37
The morning had been productive. After placing the last of the mana condensers, Vanessa and I emerged from the underground tunnels to find Ava's construction drones putting the finishing touches on our new weapons production facility. The automated plant hummed with activity, its mechanical arms assembling Force Lance Rifles with the same precision Ava brought to everything she designed.
“Michael, Vanessa,” Ava's hologram appeared beside us as we watched a completed rifle emerge from the final assembly station. “Perfect timing. The first batch is ready.”
I approached the output conveyor and picked up one of the finished weapons. The Lunerium frame felt warm in my hands, its surface smooth as glass but somehow conveying an impression of incredible strength. The Mithril barrel caught the afternoon light and seemed to hold it, creating patterns that shifted as I moved the weapon.
“This is beautiful work,” I said, hefting the rifle to get a feel for its weight and balance. “How many did the plant produce?”
