Chapter 119: Fortune of the Treasury

"Fine. I’ll provide you with all the resources you need. Don’t hold back on anything."

Lucian looked at him.

"Uncle?"

Our treasury has sufficient cultivation materials to support two cultivators all the way up to the Martial Emperor level. Those resources have been amassed over the years and have been set aside precisely for a scenario such as this.

Magnus turned to him, teeth gritted.

"And I think we’ve got there."

Lucian hadn’t quite expected such a straightforward answer.

Magnus went on, in a tone which left no room for argument.

You can use whatever you need. Don’t waste time calculating the value of the individual materials or how much you’re going to use.If it’s going to help you move forward then take it.

"Are you certain? With my requirements I could well be gobbling up a large proportion of the Treasury before I got anywhere near my target."

"I understand that."

Magnus stepped closer.

"Lucian, what’s the point of all that if Silverwood City is wiped out? We’ve spent decades building this city, building up its population, building up its wealth. It all goes to nothing if we lose it all tomorrow."

His expression grew firm.

"The Treasury is there to serve Silverwood City, not the other way around. If we can use the entire stockpile and that gives us a chance of survival in this crisis, then that’s what we’ll do."

Lucian looked at him.

He didn’t expect Magnus to be quite so ready to commit such a large slice of the city’s reserves.

"There’s one other thing," Magnus added. "If our treasury proves insufficient, I’ll contact the Martial Arts Guild and the Mercenary Guild. Both organizations maintain considerable resources, and Silverwood City has maintained good relations with them for years."

He paused.

"I’ll ask them to arrange additional supplies. If necessary, I’ll offer future rewards or some other form of compensation. Whatever it takes to get the materials you need.

"Uncle, that could put a real strain on the city’s finances."

Magnus gave him a rather firm look.

"And what’s the point of protecting our finances if we can’t protect the people who rely on us?"

Lucian fell silent.

Magnus put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don’t worry about the cost at all. Your job is to make the most of what we give you. No matter whether you end up at Martial Dominator or Martial King Realm, you have to give it your all."

Lucian nodded firmly.

"I will."

He knew what Magnus was giving him. It was decades of accumulation in the form of resources, and the City Lord was quite ready to hand all of it over to him.

Lucian had absolutely no intention of taking that trust lightly.

"Right then, let’s go," Magnus said. "There’s no point in any more delay."

---

The two of them left the office and walked towards Treasury Hall.

As they were making their way through the City Lord’s Mansion the air had changed completely. Guards were moving from one area to another and the servants were all going about their business in the corridors.

Orders had already started to go out to the senior people.

Magnus had obviously started to get his preparations underway.

However no-one seemed to have any idea what the full extent of the danger was that was heading towards Silverwood City.

Lucian didn’t ask. Magnus was in charge of the city’s defence and there was no point in both of them being concerned about the same thing.

For now, his attention was elsewhere.

Having passed through a number of secured corridors they came to a heavily secured building which was physically separate from the main residential part of the mansion.

The Treasury Hall.

It had thick stone walls and a reinforced entrance which gave it the look of a small fortress. There were a number of guards outside, all armed and in full protective gear.

The moment they saw Magnus they went absolutely straight.

"City Lord!"

Magnus nodded.

"Open the treasury."

"Understood!"

One of the guards came forward and armoured the security.

A series of mechanical clicks from within the heavy doors. One lock after another disengaged and the entrance slowly opened.

Magnus went in first, then Lucian.

The moment Lucian walked in his eye was immediately drawn to the massive collection of cultivation materials.

Rows of storage shelving ran the length of the large hall. Almost every available inch was taken up by wooden cases, jade boxes, sealed containers and reinforced chests.

Some of the materials were kept in transparent crystal cells and others in specially prepared containers which were designed to prevent their energy from leaking.

The whole of the treasury was just tinged with the faintest tremor of cultivation energy.

Lucian slowly looked around.

There were medicinal herbs, monster cores, rare minerals and all sorts of other materials that cultivators used to strengthen their bodies and advance their cultivation.

Some had relatively little energy in them, others were so intense you could see they were clearly intended for the cultivation of powerful cultivators.

The collection was a hell of a lot bigger than he’d anticipated.

Magnus noticed his reaction.

"Most of these materials were gathered over a number of decades. They’ve been sorted into groups according to their quality and the cultivation levels they’re appropriate for. The higher value materials are stored further in."

He pointed towards the deeper sections.

"You can use whatever you need. I’ve already told the guards not to interfere with you."

Lucian nodded.

"Thank you, Uncle."

Magnus looked round the hall before looking back at him.

’How long do you think the process will take?’

I’m not sure. It all depends on how quickly I can suck up the energy and how much energy each resource actually contains. It could easily be several hours, possibly longer.

"Then take however long you need. I’ll deal with the arrangements on the outside."

Magnus went towards the entrance but stopped after a few paces.

One more thing. Don’t push yourself to the limit just because we’re running out of time. You need to be in a strong position to fight that thing, not worn out before the battle even starts.

Lucian gave him a reassuring nod.

"I understand."

"Right. When you’re finished, send someone round to let me know. No one will bother you until then."

With that Magnus was out of the Treasury Hall.

The heavy doors closed behind him with a loud clunk and the sound of the lock engaging was very much heard in the chamber.

Lucian was finally alone.

-–

He just stood in the middle of the treasury, all around him were cultivation materials in such quantities that even a powerful family would be envious.

For a moment he just looked at the collection.

’Martial Dominator... or Martial King.’

The two realms occupied his thoughts.

He’d made the proposal with confidence, but by no means thought that getting into either realm would be easy. Even with his skill the amount of energy required would be massive.

And he had very little time.

If the Tiger Monster had attacked before he’d got his breakthrough then Magnus and the city’s defences would have been up against it without the strength that Lucian had promised to give them.

He clenched his hand.

’I’ve already made the promise. I now have to keep it.’

His gaze shifted toward the nearest storage section.

The resources before him represented Silverwood City’s accumulated wealth. Magnus had placed all of it in his hands without demanding any guarantee of success.

Lucian wasn’t going to waste that opportunity.

He stepped toward the materials and prepared to activate his talent.

There was no room for hesitation now.

The Tiger Monster was gathering its forces, and the clock was already ticking.

If Lucian failed to become strong enough, Silverwood City might not get another chance.

---------------------------Chapter END------------------------------