After drifting weightlessly like an inanimate object for a while, Riezel soon felt solid ground beneath his feet.
At the same time, the surrounding mist parted as if its job were done, clearing his vision and finally allowing him to take in his surroundings.
He was surprised when he realized that he had somehow ended up in a valley, standing before a massive stone gate.
"Where... is this?"
Riezel glanced around before asking Hendrick, who had also appeared beside him without him noticing.
"We are in a place where the royal treasury resides." Hendrick replied with a smile, though his eyes carried a certain depth.
Besides the ability to obscure one's senses, preventing anyone from perceiving what lay within or beyond it, the Mist of Nothingness also had the ability to affect the mind and memories of any living creature caught in it.
Anyone trapped inside the Mist of Nothingness would have their memories blurred, leaving them in a groggy state throughout their time in the mist. It would even affect their recollection of how they entered the mist or what they did before getting caught in it.
Its influence was incredibly powerful, so much so that even high-class magicians, who usually had strong resistance to Interference System Magic, couldn't resist it.
When she came to her senses, she was already in front of the royal treasury's door, and when she left, the same thing happened—one moment of daze, and she found herself outside.
If even a Strategic-Class Magician like Yuri was affected by the Mist of Nothingness, it showed just how powerful its effects were.
One thing was sure—the mist itself was a treasure, a magical substance that could be classified as a mystical treasure.
Meanwhile, the only ones able to avoid the Mist of Nothingness's influence were those who carried a special item, which was the guide, in this case, Hendrick.
Yet, when Hendrick saw Riezel's eyes, clear and bright, he immediately understood that this young Sword Saint hadn't been affected by the Mist of Nothingness.
'As I thought, he really does have some secrets...'
Hendrick couldn't help but take Riezel more seriously.
He didn't know if any of the previous kings had encountered this kind of situation, but for him, this was the first time he had met someone who wasn't affected by the Mist of Nothingness.
He had brought quite a few people here before, all of them with significant reputations and statuses, either Strategic-Class Magicians or Sword Saints, but none of them had been able to avoid the Mist of Nothingness's influence.
Only Riezel seemed completely unaffected, which made him worry a bit, wondering if Riezel could actually see through the Mist of Nothingness, catching a glimpse of what lay beyond it.
Maybe Riezel even knew exactly where they were and had realized they were standing in Jinas's most secretive treasury.
Luckily, besides the Mist of Nothingness, there were other safeguards in place.
As a royal treasury, the strongest foundation of the kingdom, it was naturally equipped with protective measures in case anyone ever discovered its location and intruded.
Moreover, the same restrictions as the royal palace were also in place, meaning no one could use magic or manipulate magical energy in this place.
Indeed, like the royal palace, the royal treasury was also surrounded by a high-class defensive barrier, its defense only second to the Light of Heaven, a strategic-class defensive barrier. Once activated, it could even resist an army of enemies.
Additionally, this place also had a guardian—a terrifyingly powerful one.
Hendrick bent slightly, bowing toward a wooden hut beside the stone door, which caught Riezel's attention.
Riezel immediately glanced over at the hut, his focus shifting from observing the surroundings.
In the next moment, his eyes narrowed slightly at the sight, a transparent gleam flashed across his pupils, and, a moment later, his expression became noticeably more serious.
"Alright."
After bowing to the hut, Hendrick turned to Riezel.
"Let's go in."
Hendrick stepped forward and tapped the heavy stone door with the sword in his hand.
*Rumble—!*
In the next second, the stone door began to open slowly, producing a deep, resonant sound that echoed throughout the valley.
Before long, as the door was fully open, a sudden light illuminated the interior, driving away the darkness.
Hendrick immediately entered the door, and Riezel followed him inside, disappearing into the royal treasury.
Once they vanished into the royal treasury, the valley returned to silence.
"Riezel Brynhart…"
A faint muttering came from the wooden hut next to the stone door before everything went quiet once more.
===
As soon as Riezel entered the royal treasury, he finally understood why even Yuri spoke so highly of it whenever it was mentioned.
It was because the treasures inside it were truly overwhelming.
What he saw was a place that resembled a treasure-filled stone chamber, with polished, smooth walls surrounding it.
Inside, shelves and chests were packed so full that they almost covered the entire floor.
In the chests, countless dazzling golden coins and all kinds of expensive jewelry and accessories were stored.
On the shelves, a variety of items emanating strange auras were neatly arranged.
Among the items were meticulously organized ancient books, full sets of knight armor, swords, various weapons, potions, ores, crystals, rings, necklaces—just about everything imaginable.
He even spotted a giant egg resembling a dinosaur egg, staves and canes hanging on the walls, magician robes, a giant feather, and several alchemical dolls—the sheer volume of treasures left him dazed, almost revealing a look of shock.
Evidently, the sheer number of treasures gathered here was not only incredibly awe-inspiring but also caused the magical energy contained within the various magic items to mingle together, creating an invisible pressure that spread throughout the chamber.
If someone didn't have a strong enough mind, their legs might have given out by now, making it impossible to remain calm.
"Well, what do you think?"
Hendrick had been observing Riezel all this time, and seeing the faint surprise on his face, couldn't help but feel a bit proud.
"All of these are treasures Jinas has spent centuries accumulating, passed down through generations of kings, gathered from different eras and places."
"Every single item here, aside from the gold and jewels, is a mystical treasure that would cause a huge stir if taken outside."
"Ordinary magic items aren't even allowed to be stored here. Only those that our royal family considers incredibly valuable can be kept in this royal treasury."
Upon hearing Hendrick's statement, Riezel couldn't help but believe it.
Just the magical energy he sensed from the rack of swords alone was enough to confirm that each of these weapons could be classified as First-Class Special Equipment in the world of Danmachi, and they would rank among the most powerful even within the class.
Albert had once drawn his exceptional sword in front of him, but here, the sword might not even make the cut, as there were plenty of weapons in this treasury that clearly surpassed it.
Even his own Hermit and Fool wouldn't be considered particularly strong here and wouldn't rank anywhere near the top.
Meanwhile, seeing several dolls standing beside him, Riezel couldn't resist reaching out to touch one of the alchemical dolls.
He had to admit that the doll's capabilities likely far exceeded those of the mechanical dolls he had created and might even match or surpass a Level 5 Sword Master.
As for the only item Riezel had on him that could compare to the treasures in this royal treasury and possibly rank among the top, it was probably the resurrection medicine gifted by Tamayo from the world of Demon Slayer.
All of this made it all the more clear just how vast and precious the collection of treasures in the royal treasury was.
"What kind of egg is this?"
Riezel showed some interest in the giant egg that looked like a dinosaur egg.
"It's an earth dragon egg."
Hendrick, almost like a tour guide, introduced the egg to Riezel.
"It was brought back two hundred years ago by one of our Sword Saints. Back then, he was tasked with a mission to eliminate monsters in the kingdom's territory. While there, he slayed an earth dragon and found this egg inside its belly, which he brought back with him."
Earth dragons were lower-tier dragon species, often grouped with wyverns as part of the lesser dragons.
Although wyverns had wings and looked like dragons, they weren't as massive, nor were they as powerful as true dragons. Being the offspring of true dragons and other monsters, wyverns weren't considered pureblood dragons and were thus classified as lesser dragons.
However, earth dragons were the opposite of wyverns.
Although earth dragons had no wings and couldn't fly, they were as large as true dragons. Like wyverns, earth dragons were also the result of true dragons mating with other monsters and were therefore considered lesser dragons.
Regardless, despite being lesser dragons, creatures with dragon lineage still sat at the top of the food chain among monsters.
For instance, an adult earth dragon was said to be nearly impossible for even a Sword Saint to defeat. Most Sword Saints, upon encountering an adult earth dragon, would simply drive it away rather than try to slay it.
It was no surprise.
Given Earth dragons had enormous bodies, incredible vitality, and scales as hard as steel, even Sword Saints would struggle to deal significant damage. Some Sword Saints who practiced swordsmanship that didn't focus on raw strength might not even be able to break through their defenses, let alone slay them.
Of course, despite being lesser dragons, earth dragons weren't true dragons, so even if a Sword Saint couldn't slay one, they could at least drive it off.
However, if it were true dragons, things would get tricky.
True dragons were known as the kings of monsters, even Sword Saints would struggle to match their power. In fact, history was full of Sword Saints who met their end at the hands of true dragons, proving their truly terrifying existence.
"We've coated the surface of this earth dragon egg with a special magic potion to slow down its hatching. If you wash off the potion, given the vitality of dragon species, the egg should hatch pretty quickly."
Hendrick continued his explanation while smiling at Riezel.
"An earth dragon is undoubtedly a high-tier summoned creature, making it ideal for Control System Magicians who primarily use summoning magic. Sir Brynhart, if you're interested, you can take it with you."