Looking down at the submissive animated armor, Charlotte felt a surge of mischievous amusement as he remembered how miserably they had just been chased.
With a smirk, he asked, "What's your name?"
"I have no name. My sole duty is to guard this vault and welcome your arrival."
"Regardless of what you were called before, from now on, your name is Iron Egg. Got it?"
"Yes, Master."
Even though the animated armor possessed no emotion and felt nothing about the moniker, Charlotte still savored a petty thrill of vengeance.
*You chased me down, so I'm giving you a name even a dog would turn its nose up at!*
Standing nearby with a dark expression, Mingyue reminded him coldly, "Guild Master, we don't have much time. Could you stop messing around?"
Only then did Charlotte remember their actual business. He quickly issued an order: "Iron Egg, take me in."
"Highest clearance identified. Count Donald, please enter..."
*Rumble—*
The animated armor pressed its handprint against the stone. Accompanied by magical ripples, the heavy stone gate slowly rose, revealing the entrance to the count's secret vault before them.
*Hiss—*
Disguised as the pot-bellied Count Donald, Charlotte sucked in a sharp breath, nearly slipping out of form.
"Damn, this guy really knows how to embezzle."
Charlotte couldn't help but marvel, his pupils reflecting pure golden light.
Inside the spacious vault, gold was piled high as mountains, while sparkling gems and pearls cascaded like rivers, dazzling the players' eyes.
In the crystal display cabinets lining the side, parchment scrolls packed with dense text sat arranged in neat rows.
Beside him, European Emperor gaped, his legs trembling. "Are all the counts in Thrace this rich? If we robbed every noble in the royal capital, wouldn't we make a total fortune?
"Think of how many loot boxes that could buy..."
European Emperor still couldn't let go of the tragedy when he had gambled everything away on loot boxes back in the day—if given another chance, he would definitely wash away his past disgrace and create a miracle.
Charlotte smacked European Emperor on the back of the head, snapping, "Forget your damn loot boxes! Finding intel is what matters most!"
Mingyue chimed in with a warning, "We really don't have much time. Thracians could arrive at any moment. Haul as much coin as you can carry, but locate the vital intel and quest items first."
Charlotte clapped European Emperor on the shoulder and grinned. "European Emperor, you're pretty efficient. You'll search for clues with me. As for the rest of you...
"Clean out this fat pig's vault! Don't leave a single scrap of treasure behind!"
"Hell yeah!"
Cheering with sheer delight, the players sprang into action. Weiai Faye even mimicked an anime scene, diving ecstatically into the mountain of gold coins.
"Ouch!"
With a pained cry, half of Weiai Faye's health bar vanished in an instant, and his bones felt nearly shattered.
Fortunately, most of the other players were more sensible. They produced their bags of holding and waved their staves, magically guiding streams of gold coins, pearls, and gems steadily inside.
Only European Emperor wore a dejected scowl, mumbling reluctantly, "Yes, Guild Master..."
Charlotte and European Emperor plunged into the stacks of parchment, inspecting them carefully. Most documented financial dealings between the royal family and various nobles, containing a wealth of incriminating information.
*"Count Elliott Morrison delivered three thousand gold coins to secure an imperial decree from His Majesty Wilhelm, obtaining the position of court minister for his son..."*
*"Viscount Louis Kaufmann purchased three twelve-year-old pages for one hundred gold coins, specifying handsome features..."*
*"Count Henry Harrison spent one thousand gold coins on a villa in the outer district to house his mistress..."*
"Forget sorting through them one by one. Let's just shove everything into the bags of holding. They might make great blackmail material against these Thracians later." With a sweeping wave of his hand, Charlotte stowed every parchment scroll away.
The clatter of colliding coins and the players' unabashed laughter echoed throughout the vault.
European Emperor sorted through the remaining scrolls, glancing at Charlotte with an earnest, pleading look. "Guild Master, seeing how hard they're working over there, why don't I go help them pick up gold!"
"In your dreams."
Charlotte shot him a glare and pointed toward a corner of the vault. "Keep looking for clues. There's no way Count Donald would hide critical intel somewhere so obvious.
"A huge chunk of these gold coins has to be handed over anyway. The higher-ups in the Empire are watching, and another portion goes into the guild's reserve fund.
"Though... if I let you blow it on loot boxes, it wouldn't be much different from confiscation. Either way, you're just handing your money to the Empire." Remembering how European Emperor had bankrupted himself on loot boxes and still hadn't paid off his debts, Charlotte felt a wave of satisfaction and chuckled aloud.
*Clink.*
The crisp ring of gold coins was like a succubus's whisper. Feeling the agonizing pain of a lover being right within reach yet untouchable, European Emperor took a deep breath, his clenched fists trembling slightly.
*Charlotte, you're pushing me too far!*
*I swear I'll post the video of you cross-dressing to seduce the count on the forums, making you the second king of public execution after Langlibaitiao!*
European Emperor roared inwardly.
Still fuming, he took advantage of a moment when Charlotte wasn't looking to vent his rage by punching the wall with all his might.
*Thud!*
"Wait, that sound... doesn't seem right?"
Curious, European Emperor pressed his ear against the wall and tapped it again. To his shock, the wall behind it was completely hollow!
"Everyone, come look! The wall here is hollow! There's something hidden inside!"
Charlotte, Feitian Nüwu, and the rest of the players hurried over. A remarkably intricate hexagram array gradually materialized across the surface of the wall.
Examining the array closely, Charlotte murmured, "This must be the quest item we're looking for."
He raised his staff, whispered an incantation, and a faint magical aura sparked.
*Dispel Magic.*
Yet against such a sophisticated array, this mere third-tier Dispel Magic was entirely useless, amounting to nothing more than a wasted spell slot.
*Beep-beep, beep-beep—*
Right then, a device the Magic Coin players had placed by the vault entrance began buzzing, flashing a frantic red light.
Stationed at the entrance, Mingyue alerted them, "Our divination triggered! It's an exceptionally intense spatial spell fluctuation! A Thracian Kingdom spellcaster is about to arrive!"
Charlotte asked urgently, "Didn't you cast a dimensional lock?"
Mingyue shook his head. "It won't hold long. The energy tier of their spatial magic is way too high—probably at the eighth tier.
"Even with the scroll Lord Trump personally crafted, it will only last about three minutes. Guild Master, we have to evacuate now!"
"Give me two more minutes. If we still can't open this compartment, we trigger the teleportation right away!"
"Understood, Guild Master."
Charlotte couldn't help cursing under his breath. *The Thracians arrived so damn fast. We wasted too much time earlier, and we just found the critical intel...*
Still, he had no time to complain. He could only stare intently at the array, hoping to deduce a countermeasure.
"Quick, we're almost out of time. Think of a way to bypass this array..."
*Boom!*
Under Charlotte's dumbfounded gaze, Feitian Nüwu treated her wand like a club, violently smashing it into the adjacent wall.
Stone fragments flew as a large breach opened up. Like a demolition worker, Feitian Nüwu forced her way in from the side and retrieved a pitch-black, warm metal lockbox from the cavity.
Holding the black box, her face covered in dust, Feitian Nüwu grumbled, "What is there to think about? Just bust straight through the wall."
"Uh... you certainly have a way with things."
His mouth twitching, Charlotte hastily took the lockbox and called out to Mingyue by the door, "Hurry, we got it! Prepare to activate Mass Teleportation!"
"Right!"
Mingyue crisply pulled out the pre-prepared scroll and activated it. Brilliant radiance flared from the parchment, enveloping everyone in its glow.
"Iron Egg, get over here," Charlotte commanded.
The animated armor stomped over to Charlotte with heavy strides. It was included in the teleportation radius as an "object"—free high-end combat power was free, after all.
Once they reached Anzeta, it would be entirely their home turf. Even if the animated armor went haywire, it wouldn't be able to stir up much trouble.
Charlotte surreptitiously cracked open the warm metal box. Inside lay a tattered piece of parchment. It appeared to be... a contract?
The writing upon it was inscribed in dark reddish blood, faintly exuding a sinister aura. Most of the contract's contents were blurred beyond recognition, leaving only a single signature visible at the bottom.
*Zariel?*
*Who is that? Feels like I've heard that name somewhere before.*
Charlotte rubbed his chin, muttering to himself, when the space before them suddenly surged violently, fracturing like a glass window into a web of cracks.
A flaming longsword abruptly thrust through the dimensional rift, followed by the beat of broad wings, drifting feathers, and a thunderous roar.
"Such insolence!"
"How dare you assassinate a Thracian noble! This is an insult to His Majesty Wilhelm!"
The players turned their eyes in unison to see a handsome man with silver armor and a pair of wings unfurling behind his back. Standing behind him was an elderly man clad in an opulent red robe, staff in hand, radiating an enigmatic aura.
"Kill them quickly! These intruders are trying to flee!"
The red-robed wizard raised his staff, unleashing a powerful wave of magical energy. Invisible chains manifested from the surroundings, threatening to bind the local space.
"Vile mortals, die!"
The winged man beat his wings with a violent gust, raising his flaming longsword as he prepared to strike.
A gale swept forward. The sheer aura radiating from the angelic godblood made the players shudder.
Seeing the two figures burst through, Charlotte's expression changed drastically. "Holy crap, an angelic godblood and an archmage... Mingyue, rip the scroll now!"
"On it!"
Gritting his teeth, Mingyue poured his entire focus into the Mass Teleportation scroll, finally completing its activation.
*Whoosh—*
Accompanied by a surge of arcane power, just as the spatial chains snapped shut, the players of Magic Coin—along with the animated armor—vanished into thin air.
Right before vanishing, Charlotte gave a cheeky grin and waved at the charging angelic godblood.
"So long, you foolish Thracian! This is my escape route!"
*Slash—*
The flaming longsword sliced through the empty air, carving a massive fissure into the stone wall behind them. The roaring blaze instantly melted the gold remaining in the vault.
"Those wretched mortals still got away!"
Folding his wings, the man dropped to one knee and drove his longsword savagely into the floor in frustration, spiderwebbing the stone.
His eyes bloodshot, he twisted his head and glared at the wizard behind him. "William, can you track their coordinates?"
The Red Wizard sighed and shook his head helplessly. "Lord Hans, those mages weren't particularly skilled, but the person who inscribed their scroll is far more formidable than I imagined.
"Their Mass Teleportation left no coordinate traces behind, and my scrying orb shows nothing but fog."
"Damn it!"
The angelic godblood known as Lord Hans slammed his fist into the ground again, sending tremors throughout the underground vault.
"And that Donald—what an absolute swine! To fall for such crude trickery, he's disgraced His Majesty Wilhelm!"
At the mention of His Majesty's name, Hans looked at the smashed wall and the empty hidden compartment, a trace of panic flitting across his usually arrogant face.
"Damn it, damn it! His Majesty emphasized how crucial that contract was. That bastard Donald didn't deserve any trust..."
***
The Great Anzetta Waste, outskirts of Isdalia, Magic Coin's dedicated testing grounds.
Amidst the twisting ripples of space, over a dozen blurry silhouettes faded into view, and Charlotte's group materialized in unison.
Still recovering from the fright, Charlotte patted his cheeks and exhaled a heartfelt sigh. "That was too close. That birdman's sword almost shaved my face. Good thing we teleported out at the final second."
Mingyue nodded in agreement. "We're finally back. It definitely feels safer in the Empire."
Paying it no further mind, Charlotte stripped off the Doppelganger Robe, wiped away his sweat, and let out a long breath.
"Phew, my own face is way more handsome after all. That fat pig couldn't hold a candle to me."
He glanced at the animated armor beside him and chuckled, "Don't you agree, Iron Egg?"
Yet the moment Charlotte changed his appearance, a red glare flared from the seams of the animated armor, and a cold, grating voice sounded from within the steel plates:
"Enemy detected! Eliminate intruder with maximum force!"
Dragging its heavy iron maul, the animated armor swung it straight toward Charlotte's head.
However, Charlotte merely pointed a finger. Instantly, an overwhelming force surged forward, locking the animated armor rigidly in place and causing its arms to drop limply.
This immense, unyielding dead magic zone severed the power from the animated armor's internal mana core in an instant, forcing it to submit obediently to Charlotte's control.
—Such was the authority of an Imperial Count!
Unafraid, Charlotte strutted up to the animated armor, putting on airs. "Did you think you were still in that vault, Iron Egg? You're on my home turf now!"
Having heard that the elite team had returned, other Magic Coin members hurried over to gather around.
"Guild Master, you're back!"
"Holy crap, you even brought back a level-twelve construct! That's awesome!"
Patting the back of the unresponsive animated armor, Charlotte declared proudly, "This is Iron Egg. From now on, it's Magic Coin's new test subject!"
Unbeknownst to him, European Emperor clutched a recording stone behind his back, a devious grin spreading across his face.
Chapter 589