While Winston and Cavarl talked things through, Cabrera had long since gotten out of the mithril mine after explaining the situation to the boys.
They moved away from the mine's location and began to hunt down beasts in earnest.
The blood boiling potion worked like a charm, allowing them to net more kills than they thought possible.
There was also their fair share of dangerous situations nonetheless.
Cabrera's current goal was to fill both of his space rings with beasts and then head back to Kingsmere, while also making sure to buy large quantities of some herbs and send them to Kingsmere through traveling merchants.
Goals which he might complete earlier than expected because of the effectiveness of the potions.
Afar, Fredrick's visage came into view with a cloak around his figure as he rode on a sprinting horse along the road like there was no tomorrow.
He had to get to Kingsmere as fast as possible, and now, time was not on his side.
And then there was Ezra.
At this moment, he was seated in his bed while ruminating about his first reaction to the Emperor's punishment.
He smiled.
'Was that me acting like a kid back there?'
He had suspected it, but now he had confirmed it.
It seemed that due to his reincarnation, he now had a younger self within him.
That self was what showed itself in the throne room.
Whether this was good or bad he didn't know yet.
But enough about that, his thoughts went back to the drafted scheme.
'By now, Fredrick should be on his way'
And if that was so…
'It's time for me choose a weapon'
Ezra decided on his next plan of action.
With haste, he got off his bed, went to the royal advisor, and informed him of his needs.
The royal advisor chose to only nod and not speak until Ezra was done.
"I see…well, it is about time you did so. Follow me" the royal advisor said as he walked towards a particular part of the castle's walls that seemed no different from the others, before pressing on different parts and, what do you know, it opened up to a long corridor Ezra didn't even know existed.
The corridor's bricks were shining dark blue, but it was devoid of people and sound.
The royal advisor walked forth unperturbed and Ezra swiftly followed.
As they walked, torches hung along the walls flared up with green flames, and after a few minutes, they came face to face with a giant gray door that was made of something resembling steel, but Ezra knew such a cheap metal wouldn't be used here.
The door had Ezra straining his neck to look up, that was how high it was, but maybe Ezra was just too short.
The gigantic contraption seemed impenetrable, except for a small, very tiny keyhole at the lower part.
The royal advisor then removed a tiny key from somewhere Ezra didn't quite see and, with a smooth motion, inserted it into the keyhole.
*CLICK*
Loud clicks were heard, and immediately after, the door opened by itself, folding to the sides.
And what Ezra saw made his brain go blank.
Mountains of artifacts of all kinds were stacked haphazardly all over the place.
From weapons to armors and so much more.
And oh! Don't even get me started on the gold coins literally lying about.
Ezra stood unmoving until the royal advisor shook him out of his reverie.
"It's an astonishing sight, I assume"
Ezra's mind came back as he nodded to affirm the statement.
"Don't get fooled by what you see, this is just the beginning, and besides, looks can be deceiving"
Now that he thought about it…
'It doesn't make sense for the best treasures to be placed right at the start'
With such thoughts, his mind regained some tranquility and he quickly followed after the royal advisor.
"Watch your step" he said.
With slow steps, they crossed over loads of gold and went deeper inside, where they found another door. This one was brown and opened to reveal even more treasures, but more organized this time.
After that, they passed through a blue door. In it, they found artifacts even more organized, each one shelved into a glass box or wrapped neatly before being put on a stand or on a platform of some sort.
At this time, the royal advisor spoke.
"We're here. You will be picking a weapon from those that you see before you"
Ezra furrowed his brows.
"I'm sure there are still more rooms. Why are we stopping here then?"
The royal advisor calmly replied.
"That is because this is the level the Emperor said you should pick your weapon from"
"Does that mean I can't take weapons from the rooms beyond this?" Ezra asked for clarification.
"No, it does not" the royal advisor held a smile for the first time as he continued…
"But I can only assist you at this level. Anymore, and you will be on your own"
"Explain"
"My prince, every weapon within this hall is at least Epic Gold in quality" he paused.
"But higher quality doesn't translate into usefulness. After all, not all that glitters is gold"
"Should you pick from this selection, I have been permitted to inform you about its use, usefulness and compatibility to whatever fighting style our prince desires. Whereas, should you tread the rooms beyond this, I cannot do that"
Ezra didn't even take long to reply.
"Is that it?"
"Yes, your highness. Oh, and it can only be returned after six months"
Ezra felt like laughing underneath. Who was he? A reincarnator that had seen dozens of battles and hundreds of weapons.
He doubted that anyone at his age could understand weapons as much as he did.
So, with a smile and a bit of swagger, Ezra turned towards the next door with the royal advisor following right beside him in silence.
The next door wasn't far away and its color he could see from afar.
It was white.
Without further ado, he pushed it open and, lo and behold, the artifacts were truly on another level and there were even less of them. Platinum coins amounting to thousands stashed at the sides close to the wall.
But Ezra paid all this no mind as he walked forward, towards the door after this one.
A black door.
The royal advisor opened it up to reveal a hall far different from all the halls before it.
It had this chilling atmosphere as there were less than a hundred items.
Each one showcased radiated regality and power, or honor and might, or several other such feelings.
Ezra turned to the royal advisor.
"Is this the last hall?"
"Yes"
Ezra nodded. He would be taking a weapon from this section.
First, he cleared his mind.
Then, to prevent himself from doing something stupid out of greed, he closed his eyes to define what it was that he needed.
'I don't need armor and I will come back for my mana technique later. What I need is a weapon. Since I've already mastered it to a large extent, taking a sword would be a huge waste of this opportunity. Especially since I already know where some legendary swords and spears will be found. So no swords or spears. Also, no halberd, hammer or mace either. So…I'll pick from the rest'
He opened his eyes with a clear objective.
It was time to pick a good weapon!
