(MC POV)
Stepping through the wall that was simply an illusion, I found myself in the real vault of this place.
Like the outside, it was filled to the brim with gold and treasures, except this time they were all real and not just gold slimes with an illusion Technique placed on them.
My disciples were obviously interested in the treasures, but it was more out of curiosity than greed. All of them were simply inspecting the treasures around the room but showed no signs of wanting to claim any for themselves.
"Master!" All of them greeted me upon seeing my entry. They even tossed the treasures they had been holding aside just so they could come and hug me.
Even Akari and Shiori had leapt off the mountain of gold to climb back up my shoulders again, cuddling against my cheeks.
"I've only been gone for a few minutes you know?" I pointed out, my hands busy patting my disciples' heads.
"A few minutes away is a few minutes too long, Master." Lian Li purred, rubbing her cheek on me.
They're so cute.
I tried to change the topic, "So did you all find anything interesting?"
"There are some interesting artefacts around Master, but I don't know what they do," Brendan answered from atop a pile of gold.
In his hands was a jewelled crown that looked to be a perfect fit for his head and it certainly gave off a feeling of power.
I narrowed my eyes at the crown for a moment, "I believe that's a Crown of Wisdom. It grants the wearer the answer to a question and one question only. Care to try?"
Brendan tilted his head at me, "That is quite tempting, Master… Umm… Would it answer even if I were to ask what the path to godhood was?"
I grinned, "It will tell you of course, but the answer may just be something that you are not able to reach. I can even tell you what the crown would answer to that question: 'ask your master to make you into one.'"
My alchemist nodded his head in understanding, "So it's that kind of artefact… Does it break upon a single use?"
"No, it's just you in particular won't be able to use it again but someone else can."
"I see… I would have to think of how to phrase my question properly then."
Naturally, I know the reason why such an artefact would interest my alchemist. If he could understand how it worked, then he could also find a way to replicate its effects which would allow him to craft his Origin liquid at a more substantial rate.
Nothing wrong with that, you have to at least possess some confidence in yourself if you're treading on the path of godhood after all.
I shrugged, "No need to be so fixated on it now, we can just take everything here and bring them back home and then make use of them there. What about you girls? Did you all find anything you're interested in?"
"Ehehehe~ The only treasure here is the really, nice, hard rod that's in between Master's legs~" Diao Chan giggled, prompting me to flick her forehead.
Eris had stepped away from me then, "This one humbly requests Master's opinion on the sword."
I followed her gaze to see the sword that the black slime outside had been trying to mimic as a trap. What was it called again? The Sword of the Nine Heavens or something?
I moved towards it and that was the girls' cue to step aside, albeit a little unwillingly.
Only Cai Hong continued to cling to me so I scooped up my loli dragon in my arms and carried her towards the sword, stopping just in front of it.
The sword looked exactly like how the black slime had mimicked inside the trap version of the vault. Coupled with the fact that it looked to be the centrepiece of the vault, it should most likely be the most valuable or most powerful object inside this place.
Asking omniscience had proved my assumptions to be true.
"Interesting… It's a sword capable of cutting through the concept of space… Even to the point of cutting open a portal that leads to other Planes if you know how to use it," I mused aloud.
With this sword in hand, distance meant nothing. As long as the user knew what they wanted to cut, it would be cut with a swing of the sword even if that thing is on the other side of the world. Even creating portals that lead to other places was possible with this sword so it can substitute as a teleportation tool.
The previous owner must have also realised this sword's potential but surprisingly, did not make use of it to reach the Earthen Plane. Instead, he had used the sword as a basis for his own cultivation and ascended there through his own efforts.
Not sure why he never took it with him though? Maybe he thought he could come back here whenever he wanted?
Still an interesting weapon though.
I picked up the sword and handed it to the most obvious candidate who could use such a weapon.
Eris was quite shocked when she saw the sword presented in front of her.
"Eh? Ma… Master is giving it to me?" She gasped.
I raised an eyebrow at my swordswoman, "Yes? Who else could use this sword?"
"Aye… Aye thought Master might 'ave wanted da' sword for 'yerself?"
"Silly girl, why would I even need this sword?"
"Collection…?"
I chuckled, "There's no point in taking something like this just to let it collect dust somewhere. No, it will be much more useful in your hands."
"It's… But… It's too valuable for this one to have, Master! Something like this… It is this one's humble opinion that it should be kept with Master!"
I raised an eyebrow at her, "Eris, did you forget I can do this?"
I snapped my fingers and an exact replica of the sword appeared in my other hand.
"If I wanted it, I'll just create another one," I chuckled, dematerialising the copy before handing the original back to her.
Eris took the sword from me reverently, "Thank you, Master!"
I nodded at her acceptance of the sword before turning back to the rest of my disciples, "Now, why don't the rest of you continue looking around? If you find something interesting you can ask me about it."
There was no rush to leave here after all and this could be treated like a treasure hunt for my disciples.
Cai Hong squirmed in my arms and I immediately set her down, prompting the little dragon to run off to grab something in the corner before running back to me.
"Papa! Papa! Cookie!"
I looked down at the object she was holding in her palms before letting out a chuckle, "That's not a cookie, Cai Hong, it's a Moonstone."
A stone that could actually help boost the cultivation of yin energy when used, making this a boon for Manami and Kiyomi when they're cultivating. I'll keep this and give it to them later.
"Not cookie?" Cai Hong asked, looking slightly disappointed.
"Not cookie," I answered, plucking it from her palms but replacing it with a real cookie I materialised from my storage ring.
Cai Hong giggled at the treat and gave me a hug before starting to nibble on the cookie cutely.
I then let my little dragon rest on top of a pile of gold, knowing she had no interest in the treasures littered around the place anyway.
Right then, Brendan approached me again with the crown in his hands, "Master… I am ready to ask my question."
That's fast but also not surprising I suppose.
"Then just place it on your head and ask the question in your mind, you will receive the answer in your mind as well. Just make sure you have your question fully phased out before putting it on."
He nodded and moved himself to a corner of the room, no doubt to avoid being distracted when he was asking his question.
He placed it on his head and silence reigned for those few seconds.
It was a moment later that a flash of light appeared from the crown and my alchemist suddenly fell over onto the ground unconscious.
I was just about to rewind time when I realised that he merely just passed out from trying to process the information the crown had given him and was not in danger at all.
Huh… I wonder what kind of question he asked?
Well, at least he'll be fine so what are the rest of my disciples doing?
I quickly realised Cai Hong had fallen asleep after being comfortable on top of the pile of gold. I guess that's just one of her dragon instincts.
That wasn't the problem though… We're now inside a room where no one else can enter and the two people I don't have the intimate kind of relationship with are now passed out which means…
Yep… My girls were now looking at me with eyes full of lust…
Looks like they couldn't wait till tonight after all.
