Chapter 112: Rare Treasures and Hidden Secrets

As Blackbeard spoke, the pitch-black world beyond the doorway suddenly lit up. An enormous glowing magic array was set into the ceiling, casting a soft, pure white light that illuminated the vast space ahead.

The underground space was nearly a hundred meters high and over two hundred meters long and wide. Lin Qi looked around in surprise. The space was huge, much larger than the biggest church hall he had ever seen. He was amazed at what force could have carved out such a large area underground and turned to look curiously at Blackbeard.

“It’s big, and magnificent!” Blackbeard wiped his nose and said with a serious frown, “I don’t know how our ancestors made such a huge place. Maybe it was originally an underground cave. Well, this is nothing special, nothing special at all. This is just the largest section of our family’s secret vault. There are three other passageways leading to three smaller but more important areas.”

He patted Lin Qi firmly on the shoulder and laughed, “Go and look around. See what you need. You’re eighteen now; you should contribute to the family. But as your father, I can’t let you go empty-handed to expand our family’s territory. See what you need.”

Lin Qi smacked his lips and gazed greedily at the vast space ahead.

Many metal shelves were neatly arranged, piled high with all sorts of strange items. There were gold bricks, gold bars, and silver ingots. Mountains of gold, silver, and jewelry glittered, making Lin Qi’s heart beat faster. In this enormous secret vault, fully half of the space was filled with piles of gold and silver, with gold making up one-tenth and silver seven-tenths. The remaining areas were stacked with bags the size of a person’s head, filled with various colored gemstones.

The other half of the vault contained some peculiar items, such as swords, armor, crossbow bolts, and some ornate, massive objects that looked incredibly valuable. For instance, three large black coffins, made of a crystal-like material but inlaid with countless gold and silver threads that formed intricate magic arrays, with the array eyes densely set with numerous blood-red gemstones.

Those three coffins lay in a corner of the vault, emanating a chilling cold. Just one glance from Lin Qi made him feel as if his blood was about to freeze.

Blackbeard quickly tugged on Lin Qi’s ear, redirecting his gaze from the three black coffins. He said gravely, “Don’t even think about messing with them. They are the guardians of the family secret vault. You must not have any ideas about them. If anyone enters here without triggering the self-destruct array outside or without the family’s bloodline, these guardians will tear them to pieces.”

Lin Qi stared at Blackbeard in shock. “How could anyone break in here?”

Blackbeard shrugged. “It happened once. A core member of the family was captured outside. His blood was drained, and his memories were extracted with an evil spell. The person who killed him infiltrated this place two months later.”

He let out a cold laugh and shook his head. “But that person didn’t expect there to be three guardians here. He was torn to shreds, and then all the pieces were eaten.”

Pointing very seriously at the three coffins, Blackbeard said quietly, “Do not disturb them. They have been guarding this place for our family for many years. Since the secret vault was established, they have been stationed here. Anyone who enters without the family’s bloodline aura will be torn apart.”

Lin Qi glanced fearfully at the coffins. Well, what Blackbeard had told him tonight was shocking enough, but the existence of these three guardians was the most startling. What kind of creatures could survive for so many years in such a deep underground place? Legendary undead beings? Or something even more evil? And why would they guard this secret vault for the Black Tiger Family?

From Blackbeard’s expression, it seemed he didn’t know the details either. Lin Qi could only shake his head and turn his attention elsewhere.

The ancestors of the Black Tiger Family had clearly put a lot of thought into this secret vault. All the treasures placed on the shelves came with nameplates that noted their origins and uses.

For example, the set of armor in front of Lin Qi was entirely gold, with intricate patterns carved in an unknown blue metal. Though somewhat worn, the nameplate indicated that this armor had belonged to a former leader of the Church’s most famous, brutal, and bloody “Knights of Punishment.” It was one of the renowned Punishment Knight sets of the Church.

“No, Lin Qi, this thing cannot see the light!” Blackbeard quickly dismissed some of Lin Qi’s improper ideas. He gritted his teeth and said, “You don’t want to be hunted across the continent by the Church, do you? Then you can’t take this armor out. Of course, it’s an incredibly strong set of armor, but our ancestors didn’t acquire it in a very honorable way. They kicked a man when he was down, finishing off that Punishment Knight leader and a great demon when both were gravely injured.”

Shaking his head firmly, Blackbeard said seriously, “We absolutely cannot let this thing see the light of day. Choose something else.”

The sword of the founding emperor of the Gaul Empire, a sharp magical weapon that could release thunder spells to attack enemies. Blackbeard again discouraged Lin Qi from taking it out to show off. This magical weapon, named “Thunder God’s Wrath,” was something the Gaul Empire had been tracking down. If Lin Qi dared to walk the streets of Borelly with it, the Imperial Military Ministry would immediately dispatch troops to hunt him down.

The secret trade agreement signed between the Vias Commercial Federation and the alien races of the Five Great Archipelagos during the Hundred Years’ War. Lin Qi had no interest in this item, and Blackbeard was glad he wouldn’t take it out. This thing was a major weakness for the Vias Commercial Federation, and Blackbeard intended to keep it to use for extortion when necessary.

The personal seal that a queen of a certain kingdom gave to her lover during a secret meeting. Lin Qi wasn’t interested in this either, and Blackbeard couldn’t let it become public knowledge either.

The pearl undergarments of a princess from another kingdom. Lin Qi was astonished at how such an item ended up in the Black Tiger Family’s hands. Though valuable, it seemed it couldn’t be revealed either.

Various royal families, imperial households, and important figures—Lin Qi walked around the secret vault and suddenly realized that all of the family’s treasures had questionable origins. It seemed there wasn’t a single item he could openly take out and use.

“Father, did you bring me here just to make me angry?” Lin Qi couldn’t help but glance again at the three eerie black coffins in the corner.

Blackbeard grinned broadly. He pulled Lin Qi over to the three passage entrances in the corner of the vault and chose the leftmost one to enter.