After waiting for a moment, Adam Bennett didn’t notice any flying daggers or hidden arrows shooting out from the bronze box, nor did any magical smoke spray out. Only then did he cautiously approach. He peeked inside the bronze box and saw only a rather strange piece of leather armor, lying there all alone. Who knew how long it had been since anyone had worn it?

“Oh, it looks pretty warm. Even if it’s a bit dirty, it’s not worth fussing over! When I leave later, having something extra for warmth will be nice.”

Adam Bennett reached out and grabbed the leather armor, which turned out to be unexpectedly light. But when he shook it open, he was a bit stunned. This short piece of armor, which should be called a sleeveless cuirass, actually had a palm-sized card stuffed into the pocket of its lining.

This reminded him of something he’d read in the history books about the Great Stone Dynasty. Although the account could no longer be verified, many people believed it. The commanders of the magical mechanical units of the Great Stone Dynasty used a tool called a magic contract card to control and command these mechanical warrior units.

Those commanders all wore short, but very stylish, sleeveless leather armor. During battles, they stayed at the rear of the main force, protected by countless subordinates, and used all sorts of wondrous magical technologies to easily control their magical mechanical troops from outside the battlefield.

“It really is a magic contract card!”

Among the current students at the Imperial Capital Military Academy, Adam Bennett’s rankings in swordsmanship, strategy, and military subjects were only average, but in history and ancient linguistics, he was among the top, with many unique insights and deep expertise. His mentor had even said several times, Adam Bennett, if you weren’t born into the Lundak family, and weren’t bound by the family rule to join the military, you would have a much broader life as a historian.

At the time, Adam Bennett had replied honestly, “But my father believes that being a general is more likely to leave a name in history than being a historian.”

That continental history mentor had only smiled and accepted Adam Bennett’s answer.

His solid foundation in ancient linguistics allowed Adam Bennett to easily identify the function of the card tucked in the lining pocket of this sleeveless leather armor.

A magic contract card is a convenient summoning tool that can seal any contracted magical beast, spirit, golem, even fairies, monsters, staffs, magical weapons, magitech devices, and can even serve as a private storage space. Fortunately, the technique for making these magic contract cards hasn’t been lost to history; it’s still passed down in a few secret magical schools.

However, only a handful of the top grand magicians on the Ice Continent can make magic contract cards. The total number of cards these masters produce each year doesn’t exceed ten, and most end up in the hands of their disciples or people with extremely close relationships—outsiders rarely get to see one.

The magic contract card in the lining pocket of this sleeveless leather armor was clearly a special card custom-made for commanding mechanical warriors. It gleamed with a metallic silver light, with a serial number on the front and sixteen contract commands on the back, all related to controlling mechanical warriors.

This was truly an extraordinary surprise. Even with Adam Bennett’s usual composure, his hands couldn’t help but tremble slightly. When he first got this labyrinth map, he’d imagined countless treasures that might be hidden here, but he’d never thought there would be a squad of mechanical warriors waiting for him to claim.

After taking six deep breaths, Adam Bennett finally calmed himself. He pulled out the card numbered KB001 and carefully searched one of the mechanical warriors, finding a narrow slot at the waist for inserting the card. Summoning his courage, he pushed the magic contract card all the way in, and heard a faint clicking vibration from inside the mechanical warrior’s body. After about ten seconds, there was a snap, and the mechanical warrior spat the card back out.

In the upper right corner of the returned magic contract card, a miniature image of a steel warrior had appeared. When he pressed his finger on it, all sorts of data about the mechanical warrior appeared in the blank space on the card: strength, agility, energy, combat skills, intelligence, and wear level—six indicators in total.

Adam Bennett flipped the card over and casually pressed the first command. Instantly, the mechanical warrior drew its magical lightsaber with a swish and assumed a guard stance.

“What a useful thing!”

Adam Bennett slid his finger down and pressed the last command. The mechanical warrior immediately became translucent, shuddered a few times, and then vanished without a trace. When Adam Bennett moved his finger up slightly and pressed the second-to-last command, the same scene played out in reverse—the mechanical warrior reappeared.

“As expected, the last two are very handy recall and release commands! This magic contract card also functions as a storage space.”

Chapter Seven: Magic Notes

After putting the magic contract card back into the lining pocket of the leather armor, Adam Bennett beamed as he put on this precious piece of ancient Great Stone Dynasty commander’s armor, which only someone of that rank was qualified to wear.