Chapter 74 The Treasure Key

Clad in white, Myshus glanced at his black-robed counterpart and smiled. "Thanks to our ongoing 'competition,' all three branches of alchemy were cultivated to their utmost limits. Yet, potion alchemy holds the dominant position among the three, and so the rewards in the first two trials were both related to potion-making." As he spoke, a sudden excitement seemed to strike the white-robed Myshus, and his eyes gleamed. "Moreover, we made a significant breakthrough in potion alchemy in the end. We even managed to—"

"White Robe, you’re saying too much!" The black-robed Myshus, who had remained silent until now, suddenly interrupted, stopping his counterpart from revealing more.

"Ah… yes, you’re right. I haven’t spoken to anyone in ten thousand years, so I got a bit carried away. Why don’t we let Rollin open the treasure soon?" The white-robed Myshus quickly changed the subject.

Though the white-robed Myshus did his best to hide it, Rollin could tell he had nearly shared something important, only to be stopped by his counterpart. Rollin was deeply curious—what could be so significant that both Myshuses were so guarded about it?

“Hmph, then bring out the key to the treasure already!” the black-robed Myshus said, extending his hand toward his counterpart.

The white-robed Myshus paused for a moment, casting a complicated look at the other. “Must we really retrieve the key so soon?”

“It’s been over ten thousand years. Haven’t you had enough?” the black-robed Myshus replied without emotion.

“Very well, give me a moment.” With that, the white-robed Myshus leapt gracefully, floating down into the great hall below. He slowly walked from one side to the other, occasionally caressing the towering white stone columns as if bidding them farewell.

Within the hall, the donkey Little Black and Cous watched in astonishment as this white-robed figure—who looked almost identical to the black-robed Myshus and seemed not to notice them at all—passed by. After one slow circuit of the hall, the white-robed Myshus opened the tall stone door and walked out the back. Rollin realized he was heading back to the place where the two trials had taken place.

“How troublesome!” the black-robed Myshus grumbled at his counterpart’s dawdling, though he himself couldn’t help but glance at the rows of bottles and jars atop the table in the small room, a trace of nostalgia in his eyes.

Seeing this, Rollin wisely remained silent, though his mind was awash with questions. Why were the two Myshuses acting so strangely all of a sudden?

After about a dozen minutes, the white-robed Myshus returned to the small room along the crack. He looked much calmer now, and with a gentle smile, said, “Black Robe, let’s summon the treasure key.” He extended his arm toward the other.

The black-robed Myshus likewise extended his arm, and their palms pressed tightly together in midair.

At that moment, Rollin was startled to see both Myshuses gradually fading away, starting from their feet. As their bodies slowly disappeared, a scattering of tiny black and white particles began to appear in the air.

“Farewell, young one,” the white-robed Myshus said to Rollin with a smile.

“Rollin, I’m glad to have met you before leaving. You performed excellently in the three trials. With the treasures from Myshus’s hoard, your future achievements will surely soar. Farewell!” The black-robed Myshus waved with a smile.

Before Rollin could recover from his surprise to say anything, the two Myshuses burst into laughter, facing each other.

“Black Robe, I’m starting to regret it now. All these years spent opposing you, and for what? Looking back, there was no need. We spent our lives competing, cultivating, practicing alchemy, and never took the time to enjoy the world around us!”

“I feel the same, White Robe. We fought all our lives, and in the end, all the benefits go to this youngster.”

...

With their final exchange, the two Myshuses vanished completely. In the air, the two small piles of black and white particles rapidly merged, and in the blink of an eye, an ancient gray key appeared before Rollin!

In the dense forest of the Maya Mountains, Victoria’s violet garments were now somewhat disheveled, and her breathing had grown heavy.

Not far away, the white fox stood its ground, a trace of disdain flickering across its human-like face. Suddenly, it dug its claws into the earth and shot forward like an arrow, charging toward the violet figure before it.

Victoria swiftly flicked her delicate wand, and the ground beneath the fox began to writhe, forming a muddy pool several meters across. The white-fox’s four paws became trapped, halting its charge.

Third-level Water Magic—Mire Pool. As a fifth-level mage, Victoria had instantly cast this third-level spell.

Seeing her spell take effect, Victoria wasted no time. Gripping her wand tightly, her beautiful red lips chanted a rapid incantation.

The white fox, enraged by its predicament, let out a roar. With a mighty effort, it churned the muddy water, sending muck flying in all directions. Moments later, it broke free of the mire and lunged at Victoria once more.

Just then, Victoria leveled her wand at the creature. Instantly, a dozen crystalline ice lotuses, each the size of a fist, blossomed in the air. With a final gesture, she retreated quickly, her petite frame now sheathed in a delicate suit of ice armor.

The white fox’s sharp claws collided with the incoming lotuses.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The ice lotuses, under Victoria’s control, shattered all at once, unleashing a series of deafening explosions. The resulting shards of ice slashed at the white fox like countless blades.

This was Victoria’s most powerful fifth-level ice spell—Ice Lotus Burst!

Assailed at such close range by so many shards, even the peak sixth-level white fox was left covered in wounds, its snowy fur now matted with blood. It had never imagined that a low-ranking human could injure it so badly.

With a furious howl, the fox flung itself at its attacker, its speed increasing with its rage.

Victoria’s heart tightened as she saw her strongest attack had failed to stop the beast. Her purple dress and golden hair fluttered as she retreated rapidly.

Back in the small room above the Myshus Hall, Rollin found himself annoyed—he suddenly remembered that the black-robed Myshus wore a spatial ring, likely containing another ring. He recalled being told that a hundred such rings had been prepared for the first trial, and his was the ninety-ninth. That meant the black-robed Myshus should have had at least one more, possibly with further treasures inside. But with the Myshuses’ disappearance, all of that was lost.

After a moment’s frustration, Rollin shook his head and forced himself to move on. In his hand was the ancient gray key forged from the two Myshuses’ dissolution. No wonder their behavior had been so strange—they had sacrificed their very forms to create this key. It seemed they would never return.

A wave of melancholy swept through Rollin. From the moment he arrived at Myshus Hall, the black-robed Myshus had guided him through three trials. Over time, Rollin had grown fond of the slovenly, sometimes even crude middle-aged man. The white-robed Myshus, meanwhile, had been even more amiable, even sharing a way for Uncle Cous to recover his health. Yet in the blink of an eye, both had vanished from his life.

After a moment of sorrow, Rollin raised the key—this was the key to the Myshus treasure. His heart burned with anticipation. The rewards from the first two trials had been so abundant; what wonders would the Myshus treasure hold for him?