I became a god through archaeology in the Wizarding World.

The corridor of the history building seemed particularly long and dark in the dead of night, and the portraits on the walls on both sides seemed to be watching Rhodes hurrying by in the shadows.

As he reached the corner where the professor's office was located, Rod paused almost imperceptibly.

Deep within his mind, the danger perception radar granted by the [Iron-Beaked Raven] was frantically sounding alarms.

It wasn't the kind of killing intent that was directly aimed at him, but rather a feeling of oppression, like having an invisible blade pressed against his throat.

"There's one in the shadow behind the third pillar on the left, one clinging to the ceiling beam, and another... hovering outside the window?"

Rhodes' pupils contracted slightly.

Such a method of concealing one's presence is definitely not that of an ordinary thug, but rather a highly trained rogue, or even a formal wizard proficient in assassination.

If these people were to make a move, he probably wouldn't even have the chance to activate [Stone Skin] now.

He straightened his collar, put on a slightly nervous yet forcedly calm expression, and knocked on the door.

"Come in." The professor's voice was a little dry, revealing a suppressed tension.

Rod pushed open the door and entered.

The office was still cluttered, but the atmosphere was so heavy it was suffocating.

Professor Isaac did not sit behind his large desk piled with books, but stood awkwardly to the side, clutching a handkerchief tightly in his hand to wipe his sweat.

The seat that originally belonged to the professor was now occupied by a middle-aged man completely shrouded in an ordinary gray cloak.

The person heard the door open and slowly raised their head.

The hood slipped down, revealing a slightly tired face with a sharp, chiseled profile.

He had deep crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, and his temples were slightly gray.

Rhodes' heart skipped a beat.

He had seen this face countless times on gold coins.

Edward VII, the ruler of the Plantagenet dynasty.

Although his heart was already in turmoil, Rhodes feigned surprise, then displayed just the right amount of panic, kneeling on one knee: "Your...Your Majesty?"

No need for formalities.

King Edward's voice was deep and magnetic. He waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over Rhodes like a hawk's: "You're Rhodes? Isaac said you discovered the underground light source ore and deduced there's a massive underground structure beneath?"

Rhodes stood up, his eyes lowered, behaving like a submissive subject: "Yes, Your Majesty. It was merely a trivial speculation based on geology."

"negligible?"

The king let out a soft, enigmatic laugh.

He pulled a gold pocket watch from his pocket, his fingers unconsciously stroking the intricate patterns on the watch face.

Rhodes keenly noticed that what was engraved on the watch cover was not a decorative pattern, but a circle of precise [anti-magic runes].

This is a monarch who is extremely insecure and deeply wary of magic.

"Young man, I don't like being modest, especially at times like this."

King Edward snapped his pocket watch shut, leaned forward, and his aura of authority instantly enveloped the entire room: "Isaac told me that what you discovered was not just minerals, but also mechanical artifacts left behind by an ancient mortal civilization. He claims that these things can be operated without magic and even possess the power to fight wizards."

The king's gaze sharpened like a knife: "Tell me, is this true? Or is it a lie fabricated to swindle funding?"

Professor Isaac was frantically trying to signal to Rhodes, beads of sweat practically dripping from his forehead.

He did indeed boast to the king, exaggerating the still-unknown granite golem into the ultimate weapon for mortals.

Rhodes took a deep breath.

This is a trap, but also an opportunity.

If he denies it, the king will leave in disappointment, the professor will lose trust, and both of them will be silenced by the bodyguards outside the door for deceiving the king or knowing his whereabouts.

If he admits it, he must provide evidence.

"Your Majesty, the professor is not lying."

Rhodes raised his head, looked directly into the king's eyes, and said calmly, "But there's a slight discrepancy. That's not an ordinary machine; it's the prototype of the Godslayer."

"Godslayer?"

This word clearly aggravated the king's nerves, and his breathing quickened.

Rod pulled a cloth bag from his pocket.

This wasn't the Shadow Cat material he had prepared beforehand, but rather a fragment of a huge gear that he had salvaged from the rusted mechanism at the entrance to the underground ruins.

This gear, cast from some unknown black metal, is broken, but its intricate meshing structure is still visible.

More importantly, on his way here, Rhodes used a bit of petrified powder from the Stone-Skinned Groundwalker to give the metal a microscopic aging treatment, making it look more weathered and ancient, with a rock-like texture.

Rhodes presented the gear fragments with both hands and placed them on the table.

"Your Majesty, please take a look."

Rhodes pointed to the intricate patterns on the gear's cross-section: "This is a fragment of a power transmission device we found deep within the Dead End Corridor. Note that there are no traces of magical circuits etched here."

The king picked up the heavy metal and examined it carefully.

Indeed, as Rhodes said, there were no glowing runes on it, unlike those that wizards usually use.

"If it has no magic... then what powers it?" the king pressed.

"Pure physical kinetic energy, and... the pulse of the earth itself."

Rhodes began spouting nonsense with a straight face, mixing his physics concepts from his previous life with the mysticism of this world: "Ancient mortal engineers discovered a special lever structure that could amplify minute vibrations infinitely. Given enough of these devices, even a mortal could unleash the power to destroy a city wall."

He paused, lowering his voice with a hint of seduction: "Like... I heard a few days ago, an ordinary history teaching assistant was assassinated on Blackwood Path, but managed to kill the assassin using some kind of hardening technique. That might be some residual application of this ancient technology."

The king suddenly raised his head and stared intently at Rhodes.

The assassination attempt was orchestrated by the Iron Duke, and the King was naturally aware of it.

So the teaching assistant who killed the assassin was this person in front of me? And he used this kind of technique?

Rhodes's words were half true and half false, perfectly closing the logical chain.

"What do you need?" The king put down the gear and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

At this moment, he was no longer the scholar seeking the truth, but a businessman making a huge investment.

Rod knew the fish had taken the bait.

"We need two things, Your Majesty."

Rhodes held up two fingers: "First, funding and rare materials. Underground excavation requires special tools; ordinary pickaxes can't break through those rock layers. We need adamantite, alchemical explosives, and a large amount of magic stones to... uh, power the lighting equipment."

"Granted." The king replied without hesitation.

"Secondly, and most importantly."

Rhodes's eyes darkened: "We need cover. The Iron Duke has recently become very interested in the history department, and the Wizarding Council is also keeping an eye on this place. If they find out what we're digging for, all of this will be for naught."

"Therefore, I propose a two-pronged approach."

Rhodes walked to the map on the wall and pointed to the underground pipe network of the capital: "On the surface, you, in the name of the royal family, reprimanded Professor Isaac for neglecting his duties and even cut funding for the history department, in order to lull the Iron Duke and the council into a false sense of security. Secretly, you completely handed over the maintenance of the royal sewers to us and sent your confidants... preferably the kind of undead warriors who don't know magic, to assist with the transport."

"We will dig out the sword buried underground for you, and you will be responsible for shielding us from the wind and rain on the ground."

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Professor Isaac held his breath. He hadn't expected Rhodes to dare make such a demand of the king; it was as if he were using the king as a pawn.

King Edward remained silent for a long time, his gaze lingering on Rhodes's young yet overly calm face.

He is evaluating.

Assess this young man's courage, intelligence, and... loyalty.

Finally, the king smiled.

It was a smile that carried a hint of appreciation, yet also a touch of coldness.

"very good."

The king stood up and pulled his hood back up: "Rod Griffin, you are smarter and more greedy than I thought. But I like greedy people, because greedy people are often capable."

He took a black iron token from his waist and threw it on the table.

"This is the Royal Engineers' mobilization order. Starting tomorrow, a cleaning team will be stationed in the History Department's underground area. As for the funding, it will come in through the black market."

The king walked to the door, stopped, and said with his back to the two men, "But I only look at the results. If I don't see that sword drawn before the annual assessment... then the history department has no reason to exist."

After saying this, the king pushed open the door and went out.

The terrifying auras outside the door quickly disappeared, as if they had never existed.

Only after confirming that everyone had left did Professor Isaac slump into a chair, panting heavily as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

"By the gods... Rhodes, you were playing with fire! That's the king! What if he discovers that the gear was just a..."

"That gear is real, Professor."

Rhodes picked up the black metal, a strange glint in his eyes: "And the sword is real too. However, it might be sharper than the king imagines, so sharp... that it might cut the hand holding it."

What he was trying to excavate was not some ordinary weapon, but the remains of a mythical creature that could allow him to advance to a formal wizard and even gain greater power.

"With the king's funds and the royal protection..."

Rhodes gripped the gear tightly, feeling the lingering coldness on it.

"Now, we can legitimately turn the entire underground of the capital city upside down."