Chapter 160: Forbidden Treasure

King Arthur began to tap the armrest of his throne anxiously.

“Strange…” His mind trailed off, attempting to guess where his granddaughter had learned about the treasure.

The existence of the Legendary treasure was kept secret for a reason. Should it fall in the wrong hands, dire consequences would inevitably follow.

That was why, despite sharing the same bloodline, the mighty King hadn’t gone in-depth with his granddaughter about the many dark truths that polluted the world. Considering her age, this information wouldn’t aid her. Even worse, it could bring her harm.

“Could it be that when Elina had followed Victoria toward Neptune, she shared some information with her?” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a second later discarding the idea.

“No, I can’t foresee the possibility of her betraying or hiding something from me.”

Eliza and Elina were two of his most loyal followers; they would always answer to him.

“Maybe a Lord has taken her hostage and demands a certain treasure from our treasure vault?”

That did seem more believable, yet Arthur’s heart told him that wasn’t the case. His granddaughter wasn’t going to be taken advantage of so easily.

He would do well to proceed thinking that she had managed to escape his surveillance and somehow learn that information on her own.

Should this prove true… It would mean she had gone well beyond his expectations.

“Maybe it’s all connected to that man, Michael, whose family we still guard. Yet it’s hard to believe. He’s not tied to any major faction.” Arthur doubted that Michael, the man his granddaughter had recently gotten close to, played any role in this.

After spending several minutes in consideration, the King made his choice. With a sigh, he got up from the throne.

His figure blurred, moving so fast that it disappeared out of existence.

Faster than a heartbeat, Arthur appeared before the grand gates of their treasure vault. Instantly the guards that had been keeping watch froze in bewilderment, witnessing the appearance of their ruler.

Their training kicked in as they bowed at a 90-degree angle.

“We greet the mighty King!” They shouted in absolute respect.

Nodding in acknowledgment, the King entered the vault, not bothering to elaborate himself.

Effortlessly navigating the numerous traps that had been set to stop any infiltrator. The King halted before the Legendary treasure.

It was an oval mirror that didn’t have a reflection. Regardless of how much light one shone on its surface, it would always remain utterly dark.

The tyrannical thing was named Cursed Mirror. Unlike most treasures that aided humanity, this wasn’t one that could be mass-produced.

Not surprising, considering that the forging process relied on the use of Titan’s corpse. Naturally, since only the Emperor himself could hope to slay such a monster in battle, only a few Cursed Mirrors existed in the world.

The mirror’s effects were quite simple. If a human were to drop a beam of their blood on its surface, everything alive in the vicinity would enter it.

Once inside, the souls of the trapped victims would be forced to battle each other until only one remained.

There was a limit, of course. If the blood belonged to an Adept, a Lord wouldn’t be forced to enter the mirror’s domain.

Undoubtedly, the treasure’s effects bore striking similarities to the famous soul duels. However, the key difference was that while only the strongest cultivators could initiate a soul attack, anyone could use the Cursed Mirror.

In the hands of a malicious actor, it could cause immense devastation. It wasn’t hard to imagine a mortal bringing the mirror into the heart of a large city and activating it. By that point, millions would be lost without any chance of reversing the damage.

“Forbidden for a reason.” The King chuckled darkly.

Some might have wondered if giving her the treasure was part of some clever scheme. In reality, his reasoning was simple: He had observed how quickly she had grown over the past few months and was genuinely impressed by her progress.

While neither Golden Vanguard nor their ruler had any intention to spoon-feed their members. Victoria had managed to prove herself to a certain extent.

This was, in a way, her reward for her efforts.

Hup!

Arriving at the headquarters roof, the King’s body arched in a perfectly straight line. Using a portion of his strength, he hurled the treasure like a meteor towards Neptune.

Shudder!

The very foundation of the structure shook from his might. Fortunately, it managed to hold on.

“Don’t disappoint me now.” The King exclaimed, going back to his duties.

Perhaps the role of leading the Golden Vanguard would fall to her in due time…

Back on Neptune, Michael and Victoria waited at certain coordinates.

“I fear you’re overestimating my influence.” She admitted somberly. “A Legendary treasure is something very sought-after. Few Grandmasters have managed to acquire such a thing. So I, a mere Master, seriously doubt that my faction or my grandfather would permit me to own something this precious.”

Michael heaved a sigh. Victoria was progressing at an astonishing rate, so it was only natural that she would eventually be affected by imposter syndrome.

“Victoria.”

Hearing her name being called, she focused on Michael, who was gazing at her with a sincere expression.

“This won’t do.” He said firmly. “I need you to understand that you are immeasurably more precious than some worthless Legendary treasure.”

“…”

Quietly she turned to the side.

“…Thank you.”

Although she didn’t believe his words, he indeed managed to brighten up her mood.

Swosh!

Just in that moment a black object broke past the atmosphere of Neptune, heading straight towards their location.

With the speed the treasure traveled, it looked like a large crater was going to be formed. However, the King had thought about this ahead of time. The spiritual energy he had imbued into the treasure stirred, slowing it down.

At the end the mirror reached the ground with a slight thud.

“This… This is the treasure?” Victoria mumbled, did her family really fulfill her unreasonable request?

Michael chuckled warmly. “See? More precious than you think.”

The two gazed at the Legendary treasure for several seconds.

“It’s your honor.” Victoria said, stepping backward.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Michael exclaimed, taking hold of the oval mirror.

The second his fingers touched its surface, a message appeared before his retina.

[Legendary treasure gained]

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