The Holy See's Treasury

Hearing his uncle's words, a flash of inspiration struck Zhang Yuanqing. "Are you saying the Holy See's treasury is just like the Abyss inside the Secrets of the Five Elements dungeon?" The President smiled. "The situations in both dungeons are completely identical." Zhang Yuanqing smiled as well. "Exactly. Even if we empty the treasury completely, the Spirit Realm won't react at all." Secrets of the Five Elements had also been a Level 7 S-rank dungeon, and it had similarly harbored power at the demigod level. Yet when Zhang Yuanqing unsealed the entrance to the Abyss, met the Commander of the Buliang, and took the key fragment from Brother Bing's pocket, the Spirit Realm hadn't responded in the slightest. That was because the Secrets of the Five Elements dungeon had formed around the Commander of the Buliang inside the Abyss, but the Commander was not actually part of the dungeon itself—he was neither part of the main quest nor a hidden storyline. By the same token, the Twilight of the Knights dungeon had formed around the Holy See's treasury, but the treasury itself was not part of the dungeon. Whatever they did to it would not affect the dungeon's operation. Consequently, the Spirit Realm would not impose any penalties. Zhai Cai looked back and forth between Yuanshi Tianzun and the President, clapping his hands together. "Even though I didn't understand a single word of that, does that mean the problem is solved?" The President rested both hands on their shoulders, thought for a moment, withdrew one hand, and instructed, "You two hold hands." Zhai Cai and Zhang Yuanqing reluctantly took each other's hands. The President nodded with satisfaction, raised his free hand, and snapped his fingers with a sharp crack. "Banish!" Without a whisper of spiritual fluctuation or space ripple, the three vanished instantly. The surrounding pedestrians paid them no heed whatsoever, as if the trio had never stood there in the first place. *** When Zhang Yuanqing's vision cleared, he found himself amidst a sea of rubble—or more accurately, inside a ruined city. As an avid fan of Western television dramas, he recognized at a glance that this was a twentieth-century European city. Judging by the timeline of the Holy See's downfall, it was during the outbreak of the First World War. Seventy percent of the city's architecture lay in ruins, and the buildings still left standing bore unmistakable scorch marks. Everywhere he looked was utter desolation. It seemed as though not even a dog had survived. In the distance stood spired churches steeped in history, their towering belfries rising prominently above the rest. "The residents of this city have already fled, and due to special circumstances, the enemy chose to withdraw rather than occupy it," Zhai Cai explained. "Mortals dare not get caught in a war between Spirit Realm walkers." Zhang Yuanqing remained on high alert. "Could a demon seed show up here? Speaking of which, I share quite a history with that fellow." Zhai Cai shook his head. "The strongest combatant in this dungeon is Cardinal Gresava, a late-stage Level 8 Lightning Mage. The Pope, the other Cardinals, and the Paladins are merely background dressing. I've never seen the first two, and while I often see the Paladin, I've never seen him fight, so I'm not sure if he possesses demigod-level combat strength." In real history, demigods had fallen during the war that destroyed the Holy See—and more than one, at that. But this was ultimately a dungeon; once a Spirit Realm walker completed the main quest and cleared the instance, it came to an end. Zhai Cai had never experienced the demigod clash of true history, so he did not know whether the dungeon replicated that historical event. Theoretically speaking, it was quite unlikely. "Rest assured, there are no demigods in this dungeon." The President reached into the void and drew out a battered, wide-brimmed hat along with a cracked, peeling leather coat. He tossed both items to Zhai Cai and Zhang Yuanqing. "Put them on!" Zhang Yuanqing chose the wide-brimmed hat, cradling it in his arms. A few seconds later, the item information surfaced: [Name: Explorer's Hat] [Type: Hat] [Function: Concealment] [Description: The Explorer's Hat. When worn, living creatures nearby will unconsciously avert their gaze, ignoring the wearer's presence. As long as you do not take the initiative to attack a target, it will never see you.] [Remark 1: One part of the Explorer Set. The remaining two pieces are the coat and the boots. Gather the full Explorer Set, and the vast world will be yours to roam.] [Remark 2: For five hours after each use, you will be forgotten by those around you.] "This is a set I gathered when I was young," the President said. "I have no use for it now..." "So you're giving them to us?" Zhai Cai asked, his face alight with excitement. "No, I'm only lending them to you," the President snorted coldly. "I'm a sentimental person. Even if I don't need them anymore, I can keep them as souvenirs. Back then, to fight for the Compass of Light, I burned through my entire fortune, and it took me several years to recover them." *What a great item—it's not invisibility, but it's even better!* Zhang Yuanqing could not help recalling the Scavenger's Hat that Mr. Bill from the Merchant Guild had recommended to him. That piece had reduced the wearer's presence in much the same way as this hat from his uncle. "When it comes to escape and survival, the Void class is second to none in this era. I really ought to collect a high-grade Merchant item," Zhai Cai said expectantly. "President, once we open the treasure, I'd like to trade some of the loot for a teleportation or concealment tool." "Didn't you say a Knight's destiny is sacrifice?" Zhang Yuanqing seized the opportunity to jab at him. "Sacrifice and staying alive aren't mutually exclusive." Zhai Cai cut him a sidelong glance. "What items you choose to exchange for is your own business, but let me remind you: when we entered Pan's Labyrinth that day, you promised the Saints of Return of the Dead that once the Holy See's treasury was opened, they would have a share of the spoils," Zhang Yuanqing said. The corner of Zhai Cai's mouth curled into a chuckle. "I don't need you to remind me. A Knight's promise is harder than diamond." *Yet the hardest thing in the world is an eighteen-year-old high school boy! Well, those aren't my words—that was the Rogue Dial talking.* Zhang Yuanqing looked toward his uncle. "Let's move out." Once the two finished equipping their gear, his uncle gripped Zhang Yuanqing's shoulder. This time, Zhai Cai tactfully took Lord Tianzun's hand. The three vanished together. A moment later, they materialized outside a magnificent, ancient cathedral. Knights clad in silver armor stood guard at the cathedral doors, solemn-faced nuns bustled between the buildings, and inside the hall, a Cardinal led his priests in grave, dignified prayer. Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows, falling across a statue bound to a cross as it bowed its head slightly, gazing with mercy upon the faithful. The people went about their business with utter devotion, completely oblivious to the three uninvited guests who had slipped into their midst. The President led the two into a prayer chamber and said, "Take out the Holy Plate fragments." Zhang Yuanqing produced a fan-shaped bronze piece carved with exquisite relief patterns, while Zhai Cai produced three more, handing them over together. The President took all four pieces and joined them. The fragments snapped firmly together, forming a complete Holy Plate. As the carved lines aligned, they depicted a blooming lily. Cradling the plate, deep-blue symbols surfaced within the pupils behind the President's silver mask. His gaze seemed to pierce space itself, searching for something within the void. After a dozen seconds, he declared, "Found it!" As the words left his mouth, symbols representing the Void flowed from his hands into the Holy Plate. The plate activated at once, glowing with a brassy sheen as arcs of lightning danced across its surface. It floated into the air on its own, branding itself against empty space as it spun rapidly. As it whirled, an air vortex tore open in midair, its depths dark and cavernous, connected to an unknown space. The President let out a soft breath. "The door is open!" He plunged into the vortex first. Zhang Yuanqing and Zhai Cai scrambled to dive in right behind him. *** Passing through the vortex, the three emerged into a space of pitch-black darkness. With his night vision, Zhang Yuanqing did not require light, but the oxygen-deprived air made him feel uneasy. He immediately brought out his Gale Gloves and used the vortex connecting to the outside world to channel a blast of wild wind into the chamber. The air quickly grew fresh and breathable. The President reached into the void and drew out an antique gas lamp, its dim yellow glow illuminating the space. By the warm firelight, Zhai Cai looked around; the secret chamber spanned roughly a thousand square meters. Along the wall to their left hung row upon row of knightly broadswords, staves of wind and thunder, and an assortment of weapons belonging to the various classes of the First District. It was an entire wall of weaponry. These weapons were the Holy See's reserve stock, used to reward members, fund bounties, trade with other organizations, and so forth. Just as Zhai Cai stepped toward them, the President remarked, "They're all just Extraordinary-grade items." Zhai Cai lost interest and looked away. To him, Extraordinary items were mere chicken ribs—useless to keep, yet a pity to discard. For an unaffiliated solo walker like him, they were of no practical value. A large organization could at least distribute them to subordinate members. Zhang Yuanqing, meanwhile, pried open the brass chests stacked against the wall. Inside lay various pieces of defensive gear, crafting materials, and potions that had long lost their potency through the erosion of time. Among them, Zhang Yuanqing noticed silver nails, silver crucifixes, and vials of mercury. "Huh, why would the Holy See keep these things?" he asked in bewilderment. None of them possessed item attributes; they appeared to be ordinary mortal objects. Zhai Cai leaned over to take a look, his brow furrowing as well. "Those things are used to deal with vampires. But vampires originated in the Middle Ages. By the Holy See's era, ancient cultivators and monsters had already died out, and vampires had become mere legends. "Why would the Holy See prepare things like this?" Naturally, it was not worth dwelling on. The three continued along the wall and soon reached the end, where weapons hung as well, though their numbers had dwindled sharply to just over twenty. All of them were Saint-grade items. The armor and materials stored in the chests here were likewise Saint-grade. The quartermasters had separated the materials by rank, organizing them with meticulous precision. Going by this arrangement, the Dominator items—or the demigod artifacts they sought—should be along the opposite wall. The three were in no rush, however. Neither Zhang Yuanqing nor Zhai Cai collected any of the items or materials; they simply memorized the quantities and followed the President along the perimeter, touring the Holy See's treasury. They turned to follow the adjacent wall. After only a few paces, they spotted a coffin of pure silver resting by the side. Molten silver had been poured into the seams between the lid and the coffin, soldering it completely shut. Beneath it was a six-pointed hexagram array—a pattern Zhang Yuanqing had seen before in the Horror Cruise dungeon. It was an exorcism array of the Holy See. "That's an exorcism array of the Holy See." Zhai Cai clearly recognized it too, his brows knitting as he examined the coffin. "Something seems to be sealed inside." "The Holy See possessed demigods. What could be so formidable that a demigod couldn't kill it and had to seal it away instead?" Zhang Yuanqing's brow furrowed, his gaze turning wary. Zhai Cai shrugged. "I'd like to know too. How about we crack it open and see?" He glanced toward the Void demigod holding the gas lamp.