Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 662 The Emperor's Treasury (6k views! Requesting monthly votes!)
Asleil's tone was harsh, but Luo Xiu didn't really take his words to heart.

A warning from Emperor Augustusville? Once they return to Maple City and the 2.0 version of "Crimson Tide" and the 3.0 version of "Abyss Hanging" are activated, the Supreme Being will probably be too busy begging for help...

Having united a significant portion of the "Descendants," he would become one of the most important figures the [Supreme] should court. All the current warnings and suppressions are child's play until the true terror arrives, so Luo Xiu let the [Supreme] continue its antics for a while longer.

After all, he had more important things to prepare and couldn't be bothered with this pressure and political infighting. But since his own people were still in the capital city of Augustus, he still had to say the proper things. So Luo Xiu smiled at Asleil and nodded, saying:
"I try my best."

Asleil: "..."

Asriel's warning to Luo Xiu clearly aimed for a definite answer, rather than an ambiguous response like "try your best"—but never mind. Now that the message had been delivered, Asriel believed Luo Xiu knew what to do.

“Then come with me now,” Asleil said. “Go to His Majesty the Emperor’s treasury and choose a treasure you desire.”

“…Okay.” Luo Xiu nodded.

However, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he turned around and looked at the "gift" that the Duke of Kentville had left here earlier—at the Confederate assassin "Killer" Caron.

The assassin was now delirious, his face deathly pale and stained with blood. His hands and feet were twisted beyond normal joint rotation, tightly bound by chains studded with steel spikes. His teeth had also been pulled out, rendering him incapable of committing suicide by biting poison or his tongue.

At this moment, the assassin was mumbling incoherently and repeatedly—

“Harkas…Harkasville…Duke…Eek!”

“It was all Hakkas… Hakkas… who ordered me to do it…”

"Harkas... Duke Hakas! Ha... Ha... Waaaaah..."

"..."

"The Slayer" Karon's consciousness was completely distorted. He was now vaguely reciting the name of the Duke of Harcasville, and even Luo Xiu couldn't be sure whether he was revealing the name of the person who had instigated it, or whether the Duke of Kentville had done something to make him only able to say "Harcasville."

But that's not important. The "Slayer" Karon lying here is now a completely mindless, even incapable of self-care, walking corpse. His greatest use now is to extort money from Asriel—

"Lord Asleil, before we go to His Majesty's treasury, could you please deal with this man for me? Duke Kentville has already investigated him; he is an assassin from the Mutual Aid Society, a 'Supervisor' who participated in planning and executing the assassination attempt on me outside the capital."

"..."

Previously, Luo Xiu had Huber draft a complaint letter, which was then sent directly to Asriel. Asriel did indeed attempt to investigate the mastermind behind the organization's assassination attempt on Luo Xiu, but encountered unimaginable obstacles.

Asleil is the Empire's "Celestial Knight," and in all the investigations he has handled, he has rarely encountered such a great obstacle—not because the enemy he is investigating is strong, or because they have many means to directly stop or hinder the [Supreme] investigation, but simply because someone is directly interfering with the investigation from its very source.

And the source of that was the [Supreme] – Asleil also vaguely guessed that the reason why the investigations into the "Mutual Aid Society" and the "Serpent Candle" were so difficult was that perhaps a "Red Crown Prince" was preventing him from getting close to the truth, and that duke was most likely Duke Harcas.

If it was an operation spontaneously carried out by the "Serpent's Candle" secret order and the "Mutual Aid Society" assassin organization, Asriel wouldn't care what the results of his investigation were. But if a "Red Crown Prince" duke was truly involved, things became quite complicated.

Seeing the mangled body of "Killer" Karon lying on the ground, his mouth opening and closing as he mumbled the name of Duke Harcasville, Asleil's expression immediately turned grim.

He glanced at Luo Xiu, then at the writhing assassin on the ground, and said in a low voice:
"Leave him to me."

“I will continue the investigation along his line. But if this matter is indeed related to a prince with a red crown, I may not tell you the results, but will only report to His Majesty the Emperor alone.”

"Then, this matter has nothing to do with you. This is an internal matter of the Supreme One. I will tell you about the process and the outcome after everything is resolved."

“Yes, I understand.” Luo Xiu smiled and nodded.

It would be much easier to hand over "Killer" Kalon, a prisoner who would always be a bit troublesome for me, to the Supreme Lord Asriel.

To be honest, there was nothing he wanted to know from the assassin, Caron. He wanted to know the whereabouts of the two "leaders" of the Mutual Aid Society, but Caron's rank was not high enough to know that.

He may not even know as much as he does.

Since that's the case, we might as well go with the flow. This way, Asriel's attitude towards me will soften, and the Dukes of Kentville and Harcas will be able to focus more of their attention on Asriel rather than on me.

"..."

Asleil said nothing more. He looked towards the door of the reception room, where two other knights were stationed. They had received orders from their knight commander and entered the reception room. One of the knights picked up the unconscious assassin, Caron, and carried him out of the reception room.

"Is everything alright now, Luo Xiu?"

Asleil looked at Luo Xiu and said:
"Can I come with you to the Imperial Treasury?"

“Of course.” Luo Xiu smiled and nodded, saying:

"Please lead the way, Your Excellency Asrell."

……

Imperial Treasury.

It was located in the palace of the imperial capital, Augustus, on one side of the imperial court hall, beneath a towering obelisk.

This treasure vault contains precious artifacts collected by Emperor Augustusville since his ascension to the throne—their categories cover almost all destinies except for the Abyss. Any Saint who enters the vault from any destiny can obtain a treasure that can greatly enhance their strength or power.

Luo Xiu had never been to this treasure vault in his previous life—or rather, by the time Luo Xiu finally reached the later stages of the game and had the strength and qualifications to visit this treasure vault, it had already become a collapsed ruin.

That happened during version 5.0, "The Descent of the Evil Gods"—when the pillar gods of each destiny were finally freed from their shackles, and the will of the Destroyer descended upon this land first—onto the imperial capital, Augustus. This once prosperous city would then be completely destroyed and reduced to ruins.

However, the version of "the descent of the evil god" is still quite far off. For now, Luo Xiu still has access to Emperor Augustusville's treasury, and he eagerly anticipates what he might gain from the emperor's collection.

As far as Luo Xiu knew, this treasure trove contained thousands of artifacts, all of which were at least "legendary" quality weapons or equipment.

Among them are about fifty "divinely forged" quality weapons or equipment from various destinies, as well as a considerable number of "divine objects" of different types and effects. These heirlooms, which are rarely seen in ordinary times, are more numerous than ordinary people can imagine in Emperor Augustusville's treasury.

"His Majesty the Emperor is fond of the craft of forging and often commissions the Empire's finest blacksmiths to forge divine weapons for him."

On the way to the Imperial Treasury, as he led Luo Xiu into the palace, Asleil told Luo Xiu these things:

"Besides the most skilled blacksmiths who poured their life's work into forging these treasures for His Majesty, there are many imperial treasures that came from the great enemies he defeated and who have long since disappeared into the dust of history."

"Luo Xiu, you can choose any of His Majesty's treasures. Of course, I recommend that you choose one from several treasures suitable for [Radiance]. I know you are still missing a 'Divine Forged' quality weapon, and the Emperor's blessing can fill that gap."

"..."

“I understand.” Luo Xiu nodded.

As Asriel told him all this, Luo Xiu's only thought was whether Emperor Augustusville had hidden some good things away, deliberately preventing him from obtaining them.

For example, secretly hiding all the "Divine Forged" quality treasures so that you can only choose one "Legendary" quality weapon or equipment to take with you—

However, Emperor Augustusville seemed to be a rather arrogant person. By showcasing the quality and value of the treasures in his treasury, he could also demonstrate his "supreme" status. Luo Xiu thought that Emperor Augustusville probably wouldn't let go of such an opportunity to completely amaze and impress him with his collection.

Luo Xiu was thinking about all this.

At a certain moment, Asriel, the "Knight of the Sky Pillar" who was leading the way for him, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

They had arrived before a magnificent, towering obelisk. A crimson light emanated from the rough patterns on the obelisk, imbued with a supreme, dominating spirituality—the symbol of the Imperial Treasury, and its entrance!
Before the obelisk stood a magnificent and imposing statue of Emperor Augustus the Great—a statue over twenty meters tall, holding aloft the supreme sword, standing majestically before the entrance to the Imperial Treasury, like an embodiment of the emperor guarding this place.

"We've arrived, Luo Xiu."

Asleil stood there, gazing at the enormous red obelisk before him, at the solemn and magnificent imperial statue. His face was solemn and dignified as he respectfully offered the highest salute to the imperial statue.

This is the highest form of etiquette—every High Knight, upon seeing the statue of their Emperor, must immediately stop what they are doing or where they are going and bow to the statue of the Emperor.

Luo Xiu waited nearby. After Asriel finished bowing, he walked with Asriel toward the obelisk that was flowing with deep red light, and saw the "Heavenly Knights" stationed there.

Those were sixteen Sky Knights, stationed at the four directions of the ground entrance to the Imperial Treasury, each led by a Sky Pillar Knight.

After handing over the responsibilities to them, Asriel, together with the captain of the guard, inserted two crimson gold keys bestowed by the emperor into the circular slots on the giant monument.

Boom! ! !
A rumbling sound came from beneath the earth. Luo Xiu felt an earthquake beneath his feet and sensed a huge door slowly opening deep underground.

Before them, the red obelisk shimmered with a deep crimson light, and a narrow door, just wide enough for three people to pass through, opened, revealing a long, narrow corridor leading into the depths.

“I’ll go in with you, Luo Xiu.”

After opening the treasury, Asriel put away the key to the treasury bestowed by the Emperor, and then said to Luo Xiu:

"After that, you may go to any of the treasure rooms at will. But you may not touch His Majesty's treasures at will; you may only take one treasure that you have chosen."

“I understand.” Luo Xiu nodded solemnly.

There was nothing more to say. Asriel nodded to the knights guarding the treasure vault gate, and the knights stationed there, wielding their giant axes, drew back their axes to make way for Luo Xiu and Asriel.

……

Luo Xiu and Asleil entered the treasury of Emperor Augustusville together.

After passing through a narrow passageway, Luo Xiu could only see the dim light emitted by the lamps on both sides, and could only hear the sound of his and Asriel's footsteps on the hard stone slabs, which seemed somewhat empty and eerie.

But Asleil didn't react. After entering the Imperial Treasury, he stopped talking to Luo Xiu and simply led him deeper into the treasury.

Luo Xiu counted the steps and realized that he had descended nearly a thousand steps. He was now at least a hundred meters below the ground.

Along the way, Luo Xiu also saw at least forty knight-type golems on both sides—mass-produced knight golems created by the Sage's Tower based on all the Empire's "Heavenly Pillar Knights." Each one was of the "Cataclysm+" rank and possessed the strength of a "Heavenly Proclamation Knight," making them the most silent guardians of this treasure trove.

Finally, a point of light appeared before Luo Xiu, gradually growing larger until it became the outline of an arched doorway—

The massive bronze door slowly opened with a low groan from its hinges, revealing a solemn space constructed of stone and steel.

The main body of the Imperial Treasury was finally revealed to Luo Xiu.

The vault's vaulted ceiling was constructed of simple, greyish-white megaliths, the rough seams occasionally revealing the black marks of time. A dozen bronze oil lamps, never extinguished, hung from iron chains, bathing the entire space in a steady amber glow. The floor was paved with thick black stone slabs, upon which stood enormous display stands.

When Luo Xiu entered, his pupils suddenly trembled for a moment.

He was astonished to see that the display stands were filled with all sorts of rare and precious treasures—

The Dragonbane Greatsword inlaid with the heart of an ancient dragon; the Obsidian Hammer excavated from the giants' kingdom of "Storm Continent"; the Crystal-plated Gloves that contain at least ten "Obliteration" tier golems; and the Holy Scepter, which has undergone a rather intricate and complex Sunforging engraving and is now shimmering with dazzling golden light...

If one had to describe the treasury of Emperor Augustus the Great in one word, it would be "abundant".

Moreover, all the weapons and equipment that Luo Xiu could see were of "legendary" quality. Looking at the entire treasure vault, the number of "legendary" quality artifacts stored there was not just the few hundred he had inquired about before, but several thousand!
Some of the "legendary" treasures were even carelessly tossed on the ground, piling up in heaps. In Emperor Augustusville's eyes, these things were probably useless, serving no purpose other than to be given as rewards.

Even artifacts of "divine craftsmanship" quality were readily available—the previous claim that the vault contained fifty such artifacts was far too conservative. There were at least one hundred such treasures here…and basically, every single one on display was a "divine craftsmanship" quality artifact!
—While he himself didn’t have a single “divinely crafted” item, Emperor Augustusville had at least a hundred!

Luo Xiu had never seen such a terrifying storage.

This storage is far superior to his own private treasury—far more impressive than anything he's kept in the Tower of the Sacred Abyss! He had never actually thought that Emperor Augustusville would deliberately hide all his "Divine Forged" quality treasures… If he had that many "Divine Forged" items, he'd probably scatter them like rice!

The Empire's Rich Heritage.jpg
Now, Luo Xiu finally has a completely new understanding of Emperor Augustusville's treasures.

He and Asleil continued to venture deeper into the Imperial Treasury, and as Luo Xiu's gaze shone brighter and brighter as he looked through the Emperor's treasures.

He had already seen at least two treasures that could greatly enhance his abilities.

One of them is the [Saint Leron's Ancient Robe] –

It was a relic, derived from the robe once worn by Saint Leron, the first apostle of the Great Sun Moment. It possessed the ability to isolate all external spirituality, protect the inner [Radiance] spirituality from any distortion or contamination, and provide a considerable amount of attribute bonuses. It was a very powerful "divinely crafted" quality equipment.

Franya possessed a similar piece of equipment—it's unclear how Emperor Augustusville obtained this relic robe, but the Holy Court may have given a similar relic as a gift to Emperor Augustusville in the early days as a witnessing ceremony for the alliance, so Luo Xiu wasn't surprised.

There is another item, not a [Radiant] divine-forged weapon or equipment, but a "divine-forged" quality weapon obtained from an ancient seal—

【Sky Nail】is a bracelet that exudes a chilling aura. It has only one unique skill, "Sky Nail", which tears open a circular gate in the sky from a great height and condenses a crystal nail from it, which then falls downwards.

That was a "divinely forged" weapon of city-destroying quality—and the reason Luo Xiu valued it was that it could store the damage of skills in advance and concentrate all these damage values ​​into that nail—when it was thrown down to the target location, it would fully release the stored destructive spirituality, which could unleash devastating power.

To draw an analogy, it's equivalent to dealing the damage of five fully charged "Destructive Surge" attacks in an instant, and it can even be used again after a half-hour cooldown—this is an incredibly overpowered weapon. As long as it's fully charged in advance, virtually no one can withstand the terrifying damage in the first round.

Its drawback is that to achieve the maximum damage, the amount of spiritual energy required is extremely large—so large that it would take ten times of draining Luo Xiu's mana bar to almost fill it up.

The spiritual energy infused within will also dissipate over time; the more energy infused, the faster it dissipates. Normally, Luo Xiu can only maintain half of his stored energy.

If you don't infuse damage beforehand, the damage from simply summoning a "Sky Spike" is about the same as Quesanx's "Surge of Destruction," making it a rather weak "Godforged" weapon.

However, this wasn't a significant drawback—at least not for Luo Xiu. He knew his strength still had considerable room for improvement, and his mana bar would become increasingly thick, making it only a matter of time before he could consistently maintain a fully charged [Sky Nail].

In an instant, Luo Xiu had his eye on two "divinely crafted" treasures: the [Saint Lelangen Ancient Saint Robe] and the [Sky Nail].

And this is only about a third of the way through the treasure vault.

Emperor Augustus... the old man really didn't hide anything! .jpg
Luo Xiu first added two "divinely forged" treasures to his shortlist, and then he and Asriel continued to explore the depths of the treasure vault.

Luo Xiu discovered more and more exquisite, magnificent, and powerful "divinely crafted" quality treasures, and his shortlist gradually increased from two to seven items. If prioritized, Luo Xiu now most wanted the [Sky Nail], followed by a complete divine heart of the "Star Spirit" rank.

Until Luo Xiu suddenly stopped in front of a long, narrow display stand in the deeper part of the treasure vault.

His pupils contracted slightly as he looked at what lay before him—a jet-black spine sword, broken in half, was presented to him.

The sword's hilt and guard are otherwise intact, except for some damage. However, the blade is broken in the middle, and the other part, up to the tip, has disappeared and cannot be found.

The remaining half of the Black Ridge Sword was covered in cracks, as if it would shatter at the slightest touch. A dark light flowed through the blade, emanating a chilling and terrifying aura, as if silently eroding and destroying something.

It didn't look fancy or powerful—but Luo Xiu recognized exactly what it was.

That was the fallen demigod of the [Supreme], the "Black Grand Duke".
—It was the sword he left behind, half of the [Divine Spine Black Sword - Void Rift]!
……

(End of this chapter)