Despite being lost in the woods during their earlier escapade, it didn't prove as much of a problem to Leonardo. Spreading his senses, he quickly found his bearing and lead Fino east to the coast.
Along the way, his senses caught an interesting cove he decided to explore. It was so well hidden that if it weren't for his Spatium senses, it'd be impossible to detect. A thin crevice was hidden behind a large growth of Barbed Wire Cereus.
The plants formed a thicket 4 meters in height, completely covering the narrow entrance. The cereus, although not poisonous, formed a fairly discouraging wall of defense. Given it was a cacti, the spikes served as excellent deterrence, and no one would bother to check behind it for no reason.
In any event, what posed difficulty for normal animals meant nothing to Leonardo. With a single touch, he evoked his control over the flora with his Vita mastery. The underbrush split to the side as he pushed it, forming a corridor leading all the way to the crevice.
Fino balked from the side and tried to push the plants too, yet they seemed as rigid as rock in his hands. He could only sulk on the side and follow Leo with amazement.
"Whoa!" they exclaimed in unison as they crossed the entrance.
The cove was a massive enclosure. Around 50 meters wide and a good 20 in height, the quartz inside sparkled softly as a tunnel of light permeated through the now unsealed entry.
Their rear entrance didn't seem to be the only way in, judging based on the quality of the air. Soon, he found out why he didn't spot the other exit despite perking his eyes for a source of light. As he explored the depths of the cave, he heard muffled waves lapping against the shore softly.
Burrowed under the rock wall over centuries, a small tunnel had formed. The eroded front entry was much wider, though it was currently blocked by water. Perhaps the levels might decline and make it accessible during the low tide, but Leo was too impatient to wait for hours…
"I'll go take a look, wait here."
Despite being able to roughly perceive everything through his senses, his adventurous spirit still prompted Leo to abandon his clothes and dive right in. Sensing the rough shape of walls like a sonar, and actually experiencing it for himself were two different things entirely.
The cove wasn't too deep inland, and after merely 2 meters he saw the rock straighten and lead right out to the sea. The waves were dampened by the reef, and water only made it into the cove during the major flux. It had likely been centuries since it overflowed and flooded the cove entirely, hence the erosion wasn't too bad.
Returning to Fino, he wandered around and told him all about it with excitement. The boy seemed to share his explorer's spirit for once, and he seemed to take interest in the discovery too.
"See these?" picking up a chunk of clear rock and holding it up to the sun, he explained proudly. "This is a mineral called quartz. The violet one's called an amethyst. This is good stuff."
"The walls over there are good quality limestone too... oh, and this! Hmm, lodestones?"
As he rambled on, Leonardo kept pointing at random minerals accumulated here throughout the centuries. As time went on, Fino could only remain rooted in place and watch the ramblings with an odd look.
"Say, Leonardo… what good are these rocks?"
"They're worth money. Lots and lots of money! Not yet, though, of course…" sizing up his new wealth, Leonardo beamed happily, "Take those amethysts, for example. If polished properly, they could be made into jewelry. The limestone is good for construction and a bunch of other stuff. As for lodestone, it's a natural magnet. There's something I could fashion out of it that will greatly help your father with navigation."
"The best part, little thief, is that everything is free!"
Greedily devouring everything with his gaze, he was this close from laughing like a hoarding maniac.
"At any rate… This will benefit your father a little too, so not a word to this to anyone. As soon as word of this gets out, this stuff belongs to the baron. No one must know. Not even your beloved aunt. Understand?"
Staring down at the boy, he didn't relent until Fino gulped and solemnly pleaded to keep silent.
"Good. Come, let's get out. I'll need to mine this carefully over time."
As he sized up the sediments carefully, he inwardly planned to use magic to extract them properly when no one was around. That way, he could maintain the natural formations and prevent damage to the structure of the gemstones.
While the cove didn't contain gold or something of immediate value, it saved a lot of money and could give Leonardo the kickstart he needed most. With the quartz, he could create some intricate sculptures, or shape high-end jewelry from the amethysts. The lodestone could be turned into compasses, or into magnetized tools for his workshop. While the limestone was relatively more common, it still cost good money as the quarries were usually monopolized.
Upon leaving the cave, Leonardo re-arranged the plants so as to form a 1,2m high tunnel through the thicket. A child could safely meander through the barricade of thorns, but it would be a high ask for an adult. Even if they made it to the crevice, it would take a good amount of time to widen it.
All in all, even if his secret was discovered, it would take at least a day or two for them to break in. By then, he would have retrieved the valuable rock formations anyway.
Setting his worries aside, he took Fino to the beach for an intense swimming exercise.
This practice was not an essential part of his Mortal Transcendence manuals, as most training was usually tailored for the mountains rather than at sea. However, Leonardo took swimming very seriously and enjoyed diving regularly. Compared to the crude methods used by your average sailor, his inherited technique was perfected after decades of modern competition and global assessment.
As if witnessing true magic, Fino constantly overpraised it and acted as if he discovered a new continent. Despite having misshapen hands, Fino struggled in his own way and tried assiduously to copy it as well. Leonardo wasn't adverse to it, and seriously explained the essentials. They then competed a little, thoroughly enjoying themselves all the way dusk.
It was only when the sun was about to set that they got out of the water to dry and return to Valetta. Despite his exhaustion, for the first time in a very long time, Fino was happy. This small episode set the foundation for a friendship that few things could crack.