Chapter 67: Prince’s Broadcast ! hidden treasures?

The cleanup of the gateway was almost finished. The shards of the dismantled constructs were stacked neatly against the rocky walls of the pass, and the five-hundred-man squad had already set up the initial boundary spikes across the track.

Victor was supervising the rear guard near the old defense tower frame, Suddenly, one of the scouts digging a trench near the main gate post struck something hard in the soil. A ring vibrated through the air, followed by a sudden spike of old, chaotic magic energy.

"Sir! We found a hidden compartment under the main foundation brick!" the scout called out, stepping back quickly.

I walked over to the trench, as I looked down into the hole. Suzy followed right next to my shoulder, her outfit looking dusty but her eyes alert.

Resting in the ground was a bizarre, ancient device. It was a large, hexagonal box built from dull bronze and dark wood, with a massive horn-shaped brass funnel attached to the top. It looked exactly like a primitive record player, but the outer casing was covered in glowing purple lines that pulsed with the old dynasty’s core signature.

[System: PING! Ancient Relic Identified: The Crown’s Secret Record Box (Tier 4 Administration Type).]

[Status: Damaged but operational.]

[Action: The internal magic matrix has been forcefully triggered by the digging movement. Automatic broadcast sequence initiated!]

"What is that thing, Barry?" Suzy asked, her voice dropping into a curious tone as she leaned closer. Her long hair brushed against my arm.

Before I could answer, the bronze horn suddenly made a loud sound. A cloud of magic dust shot out from the funnel, and a high-pitched, incredibly arrogant voice began to boom across the entire mountain gap, echoing off the stone ridges so loudly that every single guard and village worker stopped what they were doing to listen.

It was the voice of the dead Prince Raymond.

"Personal Ledger Log, Winter Year 94," the Prince’s recorded voice declared, sounding completely pompous and full of himself. "The local sector supervisors are completely useless. King Gregory of the Peak keeps writing to me, complaining that his grey stone crown makes his forehead itch during the public logistics meetings. I had to tell the old fool to wash his hair, but he insists it is a magical rejection symptom. Idiots, all of them."

The five hundred guards stood completely frozen in the pass, their mouths dropping open in absolute shock. Victor’s hand twitched slightly on his weapon grip, his eyes widening by a fraction.

Suzy let out a cute laugh, covering her mouth with her hand as her cheeks turned a tiny bit red from the sheer absurdity of the broadcast. "Is... is that the Prince’s secret audio diary?"

"It looks like a major leak in the royal archive, manager," I grinned, crossing my arms over my chest.

The machine crackled again, the voice turning slightly more conspiratorial. "Furthermore, King Malakor’s crimson eye magic is a complete fake. I discovered he uses a cheap, red mineral fluid tint from the eastern border markets to color his eyes before every war meeting just to look intimidating to the border clerks. If the merchant guild finds out their terrifying conqueror is just using eye drops, our entire public relations strategy will collapse into total liquidation."

Down the trail, several guards began to snort loudly, trying to hold back their laughter as the terrifying reputation of the enemy kings was completely dismantled by the dead Prince’s private gossip session.

But then, the tone of the recorded voice grew much lower and more serious, the lines on the bronze box pulsing twice as fast.

"The real inventory must remain hidden. The three outer villages were cleared according to plan, but the main asset is not in the warehouses. I have sealed the true Legacy Vault of the first King deep within the South Valley Crevice, exactly four miles past the border gates. It contains the ancient Sovereign Core and the crown’s ultimate gold reserves. I have set the activation phrase to the name of my favorite palace horse, ’Gold-Hoof’. If Gregory or Malakor find this out, they will try to balance the sheets for themselves..."

Click.

The light on the machine died out completely, the bronze horn going silent as the internal magic matrix finally burned out from the broadcast strain.

The entire mountain pass fell into a quiet stillness. The guards looked at each other, their faces full of pure shock as the locations of the supreme royal treasury and the activation code were just blasted out into the open air for anyone to hear.

"Barry," Suzy said, her face turning completely serious as her business mind took over. Her eyes locked onto mine with absolute intensity. "That broadcast traveled through the mountain gap. The remaining border kings have scout posts just three miles from here. They definitely heard that message."

"A massive asset has just been posted on the open market, manager, And every single competitor in the region is about to rush the venue to claim the inventory."

[System: Grand World Event Triggered, Barry! The ’Royal Treasury Race’ has officially begun! King Malakor and King Brandon are already mobilizing their remaining forces to reach the South Valley Crevice! If they secure the Sovereign Core, their tiers will break through instantly! Reach the vault first to liquidate the asset!]

"Victor, call the front rank!" I ordered, my voice turning deep and authoritative. "Forget the border post setup. We are changing our route immediately. Five hundred men, march toward the South Valley Crevice at double speed!"

"Right away, sir!" Victor shouted, his face remaining perfectly rigid as he turned his horse around, his deep voice barking orders to the guards to form a fast marching line.

Suzy stood right next to me, her hand gripping the silver guard of her sword tightly, her body buzzing with ready mid-stage Ascendant power as we prepared to launch a high-stakes race against the clock to claim the kingdom’s true ultimate legacy.