Nathaniel approached the vault and quickly knocked a few times on the door. With a deep rumble, the heavy door slowly began to open.
Inside, the treasures were dazzling-emerald pendants glowing with an otherworldly light, a bronze cauldron engraved with mysterious symbols, and tablets shimmering with a strange, eerie glow.
At the center was an ornate box encased in bulletproof glass.
Nathaniel stepped forward, entered the code, and lifted the protective cover. He opened the box lid to reveal another Dracan essence inside.
The orb, about the size of a chicken egg, shimmered faintly. Inside, a stream of dragon-shaped energy swirled continuously.
“This one’s a keeper,” he muttered.
Nathaniel placed the Dracan essence Dustin had given him beside the first one. He couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear.
These orbs were a force capable of defying fate and a power that could turn everything around.
He’d gone to great lengths to get the first one but never imagined he’d find the second so quickly. Clearly, his luck had improved.
Once he had all three Dracan essences, he could set up a formation to harness their power. At that point, he’d be the luckiest man in Dragonmarsh. Then, the throne would be his, and no one would dare to question it.
As he carefully stored the two orbs, he admired them for a while before reluctantly closing the box lid and lowering the protective cover.
Nathaniel walked out of the vault, then returned everything to its proper place.
He had meticulously designed the vault and this hidden chamber. It was guarded by elite fighters and protected with deadly traps and mechanisms. Anyone who tried to break in wouldn’t make it out alive.
As he closed the door behind him and stepped out, Nathaniel sternly reminded the guards to remain alert and not to slack off.
Once he was sure everything was secure, he hummed a tune, clasped his hands behind his back, and returned to his private quarters.
By midnight, the sprawling mansion had fallen completely silent. Aside from a few routine patrols still moving through the grounds, nearly everyone inside had gone to bed.
In a secluded guesthouse, Dustin suddenly sat up in bed. He was wide awake.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a finely crafted compass, then channeled a trace of true energy into it.
Almost instantly, the needle lit up with a faint glow. After spinning a few times, it pointed toward the southwest and stopped moving.
Dustin turned the compass to test it, but the needle still pointed to the southwest.
“It works,” he muttered with satisfaction.
Grace had marked the Dracan essence with a tracking seal, which was nearly impossible for ordinary people to detect.
But with this compass, Dustin could pinpoint its exact location.
“It’s about time.”
Dustin glanced at the sky. Then, he changed into dark clothes, put on a mask, and quietly sneaked out of the room.
Before leaving, he placed a seal inside the room as a precaution. If anyone broke in, he’d sense it immediately.
He moved like a shadow and slipped silently through the mansion. Sometimes he leaped on the rooftops, and other times he vanished into the dark.
Dustin had already studied the layout and memorized the patrol routes. He could avoid the danger zones and slip by without raising any alarms.
After a thorough search, he finally found the secluded courtyard. He took a quick look around and noticed guards were everywhere. Every entrance was guarded, with no blind spots.
There was no way to reach the chamber without alerting someone. His only option was to take down the guards at the entrance and slip inside.
Dustin had come prepared. He pulled out a stick of intoxicating substance and lit it in the corner.
Once the wisps of smoke rose into the air, he used his hand to fan them. A gentle breeze carried the smoke toward the two guards at the courtyard gate.
They caught a whiff of the strange scent, and before they could react, they had already collapsed on the ground.
Dustin was impressed and muttered, “This stuff is really effective.”
Grace had given him the intoxicating substance. She’d claimed it could knock out anyone below the grandmaster level, and now, it seemed she was right.
He scaled the wall effortlessly and slipped into the courtyard.
By using the same method, he quickly took down the remaining guards with the intoxicating substance.
The guards were skilled, but they let their guard down. This was why they were so easily caught off guard.
None of them had expected someone to break in, especially an ultimate grandmaster whose cultivation far exceeded theirs.
After dealing with all the guards, Dustin pulled out the compass again and carefully checked the direction. Following its guidance, he soon arrived at the house where the hidden chamber was.
He held his breath and listened closely at the door. After hearing nothing out of place, he slowly pushed it open.
But after taking two steps inside, he heard a faint click beneath his feet. A split second later, dozens of poisoned arrows shot out from the walls.
Dustin’s body flickered and vanished. In a blur of movement, he dodged every arrow and deflected them midair with a flick of his fingers. Traps like this were nothing to him.
“This room looks plain. There must be a hidden mechanism here,” he muttered.
While holding the compass, he moved around the room until he stopped in front of one particular wall.
Dustin examined it closely. After searching for a while, he finally found the mechanism and twisted it twice.
With a rumble, the wall slid open and revealed a stone staircase leading down.
A spark of excitement flashed in Dustin’s eyes. He had finally found it.
