The beginning of the week passed uneventfully. Wearing a sleeveless, floor-length, bright red mage's robe, Arminio travelled through the state of Minas Gerais every day, using countless portals to move through it.
The following morning: he moved on to the surrounding area, expanding his search in ever-widening circles. Stepping out of the blue-violet glow, he shifted as little as possible to avoid vibrations. Before opening the way to the next location, he magically scanned the surrounding kilometres for signs of life. Hours passed and he grew increasingly bored.
On Tuesday, he stepped out of the portal near an emerald mine. The mindless work tired him, and he needed a moment to focus before switching to his magical vision. Moments later: he heard a rustling behind him and saw the blue-violet glow filling the square. Arminio whirled around, but caught only a bare foot vanishing into the portal. "Merda," he cursed. He had no choice but to analyse the footprints. The footprints showed individual toes, and he estimated the narrow foot to be twenty-four centimetres long — the same length as Lorelia's. The residual heat enabled him to clearly see where the mage had been crouching. Dark bedrock fragments were interspersed with green stones, and the way they had been arranged showed that the individual who had been there knew a thing or two about emeralds. Arminio was certain: it was Lorelia who had entered the portal.
The Capitano decided to observe the area from a distance. Only when the sun had long since set and the increasingly heavy rain was bothering him did he give up.
