Chapter 25: Gathering Treasures

Chapter Twenty Five

Orion frowned. It wasn’t because he didn’t believe the old man... no, it was the complete opposite. Just like Sir Dwaine, Orion also felt that the danger hidden within this place was so vast... so enormous... that they were completely incapable of seeing it or even determining what level of danger they were dealing with.

Despite the seemingly peaceful atmosphere filling the place, Orion’s hand clenched tightly, and his mind was not at ease at all. If anything, that subtle sense of danger he had felt before entering the dungeon had only grown stronger after arriving here.

Yet there was no going back now. They had to explore this place and discover whether there was something lurking within its depths. After all, who was to say they would even be able to leave this dungeon if they failed to uncover the secret it held?

Sir Dwaine sighed and shook his head. "Kid, I’ll urge you to stick close to me." He lifted his blindfolded gaze toward the seemingly boundless galaxy above them.

"There doesn’t seem to be any danger for now, but danger could appear at any moment. Sticking close to me is your best chance of leaving this place alive."

Orion nodded. He was truly grateful for all the help he had received from the old man so far. One could say that without Sir Dwaine, Orion wouldn’t have been able to have such a smooth journey through this dungeon.

And the old man hadn’t merely protected him; he had also helped him level up. Orion was genuinely grateful for the old man’s help.

"Thanks a lot," Orion bowed, showing his gratitude toward this legendary awakened warrior.

Sir Dwaine merely waved his hand before walking forward. Since they hadn’t encountered any danger yet, it was best to get their hands on whatever treasures they could find. After all... the place was filled with treasure.

Even the massive pillars holding the white palace together were made entirely from Magic Crystals, and not just ordinary Magic Crystals. They were the purest Magic Crystals Sir Dwaine had ever seen in his life.

Every inch of those massive pillars was made from them. It was enough to show just how extraordinary this place truly was.

Just like the old man, Orion also began walking around, carefully examining the treasures scattered throughout the palace. There were several of them... no, there were countless treasures.

Each one radiated a majestic aura that was impossible to ignore. Without a doubt, every single one of these treasures would fetch an enormous sum of money in the outside world.

Orion tried scanning them with his System, but the result was always the same: [Error.] His System simply didn’t have the capacity to scan these treasures. That made choosing what to take far more difficult.

The small bag Orion carried with him was only so large. Unlike most of the other warriors, who carried Spatial Storage Bags capable of holding an enormous amount of treasure, Orion couldn’t carry nearly as much.

He could only choose carefully from the endless treasures surrounding him. Since his System couldn’t even scan the smallest treasure here, Orion had no choice but to rely on his instincts. And so he did.

The first treasures that caught his eyes were several translucent eggs. They weren’t very large; in fact, they were even smaller than ordinary eggs.

Yet when Orion tested their durability, his expression became slightly surprised. They were harder than anything he had ever seen. They weren’t fragile at all... far from it.

These eggs were incredibly sturdy. Orion examined them for a moment before picking up twenty of them. He had no idea what they were, but he decided to give them to the kids.

After all, his instincts were telling him that they would be important for the kids as well. He could very well take them with him for the meantime and figure out their usefulness later.

With the eggs secured, Orion moved toward another treasure that had caught his attention: a mirror. It was a small, circular mirror surrounded by an elegant golden frame.

Orion picked it up and looked into its reflective surface. His own reflection stared back at him. Yet... Orion couldn’t help but feel strange.

There was something about the reflection that made him feel as though it was alive. As though the person inside the mirror wasn’t merely a reflection... but something capable of thinking and watching him from the other side.

Orion’s eyes narrowed. He tried scanning the mirror with his System, but the scan failed once again: [Error.] Orion stared at the mirror for several moments before finally deciding to keep it.

Whatever secret this strange mirror possessed... he would explore it later.

After that, Orion continued roaming through a small section of the white palace. Everywhere he looked, he saw more treasures.

There were shining suits of armor that gave off an incredibly majestic feeling, alongside great swords and various other weapons... bows, shields, spears, and countless other items that made Orion feel incredibly small just standing before them.

Every single one of them was an absolute treasure. Any one of them would probably fetch an enormous price in the outside world.

But alas... Orion couldn’t carry them. For obvious reasons, he simply had nowhere to put them.

He continued roaming through the palace, picking up the smaller treasures that caught his eye while leaving behind anything that would become a burden if danger suddenly appeared.

He also tried searching for a weapon. Unfortunately, most of the weapons in this place were simply too large for his small bag to carry.

Soon, however... Orion stopped before a white box. Inside the glass-covered box were three daggers, floating majestically in the air.

What caught Orion’s attention wasn’t the majestic aura radiating from them... every weapon and treasure in this place possessed that same extraordinary aura... no, it was their colors that caught his eyes.

The three daggers were blue, red, and white respectively. Orion stared at them for several seconds. They reminded him of the trio of young ones: Jack, the red one; Noah, the blue one; and Iris, the white one.

"I should get these," Orion’s eyes flashed with excitement. He bent down beside the glass box and began pulling away the cover.

The moment his hand touched it... BOOM! It was as if an invisible force suddenly descended upon his mind. The pressure was so immense that Orion nearly fainted.

An intense urge immediately surged through his mind, telling him to remove his hand, to stop, to leave the box alone. But Orion didn’t listen.

He persisted. He would get these daggers. The trio would be beyond thrilled when he brought them back. Just imagining their warm smiles was enough to make him willing to endure a little strain.

Orion pulled harder. The pressure on his mind increased. His face gradually became pale, and his teeth clenched tightly.

Yet he persisted. He had been called an optimistic fool for a reason. He didn’t give up easily. As long as the objective was achievable... he would do it.

And what he needed to do was simple: remove the cover. That was all.

Several minutes passed as Orion struggled against the invisible pressure. His body trembled slightly from the strain. His mind felt as though it was being crushed.

Just when it seemed like the pressure would knock him unconscious... it suddenly vanished. Just like that. It was almost as if the mysterious box had finally relented.

Orion froze for a moment before pulling the cover away. The three daggers immediately shimmered with faint lights.

Orion’s exhausted face broke into a smile. "Got you." He carefully placed the three daggers into his bag. By now, however, his bag was completely filled to the brim.

He couldn’t take anything else.

With that, Orion left the area and went searching for Sir Dwaine. He soon found the old man. Sir Dwaine was holding what appeared to be a piece of jade, his expression unusually solemn.

"My System can’t scan any of the treasures here," he stared at the jade in his hand. "Just how valuable are all these treasures? And if they are truly this precious... why were they tossed aside as if they were useless?"

Sir Dwaine shook his head before placing the jade into his Spatial Storage Bag. "You got yourself some good things?"

Orion nodded and smiled. "I wasn’t able to get much, but I’m content with what I got."

Sir Dwaine nodded. He could sense the sincerity in Orion’s words. Someone like him was truly rare. To remain content in a place filled to the brim with countless treasures was no easy thing.

Many of the warriors had already lost themselves to greed. They were taking everything they could get their hands on. The thought that their lives could be in danger had already completely fled from their minds.

Sir Dwaine could only shake his head at the sight. He wanted to find James and ask whether he had discovered the treasure they had been assigned to retrieve.

But before he could leave... a warrior suddenly approached the two of them. He bowed respectfully. "Sir Dwaine, Master James asked you to come over," he paused before continuing.

"He said he has found out where the treasure we’re assigned to find must be hidden."

The old man raised an eyebrow. "And where is that supposed to be?"

The young warrior hesitated before shaking his head. "I don’t know the details, but I heard something about the middle of the White Palace... there’s a majestic throne sitting there."

"The treasure must be on that throne."