Indeed, an earth dragon, as a summoned creature, was absolutely of the highest tier.
Considering that a Sword Saint could mostly only drive away an adult earth dragon and find it difficult to slay it, this proved that an earth dragon could still hold its ground even against a Sword Saint.
Dragons generally possessed extremely high magic resistance, with a true dragon able to withstand even Tactical-Class Magic without a single scale being harmed. Even a lesser dragon, like an earth dragon, while not as formidable as a true dragon, could still endure over a dozen hits from Tactical-Class Magic.
Needless to say, this was beyond excellent and definitely a summoned creature that every Control System Magician dreamed of.
When an adult earth dragon faced a being with power below that of a Sword Saint, it would be a complete landslide victory. Even a Sword Master would suffer defeat, including someone like Albert, who was half a step into the realm of Sword Saint.
Of course, what made an earth dragon even better was that it was far more reliable than any attendant. Unless a magician could recruit a Sword Saint as an attendant, no amount of attendants could compare to having an earth dragon.
Given this, choosing to take the earth dragon egg was, logically, a smart move.
However, there was one problem.
"Only a magician skilled in the Control System, specifically a Tactical-Class Magician, could control a creature like an earth dragon, right?"
"Besides, by the time this earth dragon reaches adulthood, its master will have already been buried."
Dragons were famously long-lived, capable of living for thousands, even tens of thousands of years. Unless they were hunted down or met an untimely end, each one could outlive the history of an entire kingdom.
It was said that once they hatched from their eggs, their juvenile phase lasted three hundred years, and their growth phase also lasted three hundred years. After a full six hundred years, they finally reached adulthood, attaining their peak strength.
Even though earth dragons weren't as ridiculously powerful as true dragons, their juvenile phase still lasted several decades, and by the time they matured, nearly a hundred years would have passed.
In that case, what was the point of raising it as a summoned creature?
Was it just to have it around to see you off in the end?
Besides, earth dragons were living creatures, not mechanical dolls like Yoriichi Type One. They not only required space to live but also needed daily care for their feeding, dwelling, and other needs.
Moreover, they also had a huge appetite, with an adult earth dragon able to consume countless cattle and sheep in just one feed. Given this, it was not strange for a few weeks' worth of food to bankrupt a small noble family, and only the super-rich could afford to raise one.
In such a situation, not to mention Riezel, even Yuri, a Strategic-Class Magician specializing in the Control System, wouldn't have chosen to take this egg back.
Of course, the main problem remained the long growth period, as no one could wait that long. Otherwise, this egg wouldn't have been lying in the royal treasury for two hundred years without anyone taking it.
"Let's look at something else."
Riezel shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
"Sure."
Hendrick seemed to have anticipated this outcome, responding quite readily.
With that, under Hendrick's guidance, Riezel became acquainted with one precious treasure after another.
"This is the Sword of Darkley, an exceptional magic weapon crafted by a famous alchemist named Darkley Coro. It's adorned with three high-quality magic crystals and forged from the finest magic metal, making it not only incredibly sharp but also able to be imbued with magical energy. It can effortlessly slice through tactical-class defensive barriers, making it the ultimate weapon for close combat."
"This is the Tiernar Armor, created by the Reiburg Kingdom, known as the kingdom of war, for their strongest Sword Saint, who once fought in a war. Reiburg mobilized all its famous Structure System Magicians for three days and nights to forge this armor, using precious materials from its treasury. It has a reputation for being impervious, leaving no trace even amidst attacks from thousands of troops."
"This is the Forest Staff, made from the branch of the now-extinct Adam Tree, with a history spanning hundreds of years. Its creator is unknown, but it possesses exceptional assistance capabilities for magic. Any magician who wields this staff will have their magic's power enhanced by about thirty percent, while also reducing magical energy consumption, making it an excellent piece of equipment for any magician."
"This is..."
As Hendrick introduced one treasure after another, guiding Riezel through the entire royal treasury, Riezel realized just how precious the items within were.
In truth, Riezel felt drawn to more than one treasure, and if it hadn't been for his strong self-control, he might have chosen one right there on the spot.
Seeing that Riezel still hadn't made a choice, Hendrick remained patient, continuing to explain each treasure's origin, function, and purpose in detail.
At this moment, Hendrick didn't look like a king at all and instead resembled a collector proudly showcasing his collection.
All of this continued for a solid half hour.
During this time, Riezel remained intrigued by many treasures but didn't rush to pick one until he spotted a pendant.
"What's this?"
Riezel's attention was instantly captured by the pendant.
It was adorned with a transparent jewel that radiated a spectrum of colors, and its exterior was exquisitely beautiful, finely crafted from mysterious materials—clearly a treasure of exceptional origin.
Yet, for some reason, while the other treasures emitted faint waves of unusual magical energy, this pendant was devoid of any magical energy fluctuations, appearing to be just an ordinary luxury item.
However, Riezel didn't think so, not because it was placed on a display shelf rather than in one of the jewelry-filled boxes, but because of a subtle sense of intuition he felt.
Hendrick, unaware of this, noticed Riezel's interest in the beautiful pendant, which caused his expression to become somewhat complex.
"It's called 'Divine Meloe', an ancient mystical treasure unearthed from an ancient ruin that has remained silent in this treasury for nearly four hundred years."
Hendrick explained the pendant's origin to Riezel.
"It automatically absorbs its holder's magical energy, and when fully charged, it can activate two abilities."
"The first ability is to completely isolate its holder from the outside world. Any power directed at them, whether harmful or harmless, cannot affect them for one minute."
"The second ability is to record its holder's state. If its holder suffers fatal damage or is affected by negative powers, this ability can reset their state and bring them back to the state they were in one day ago, which can be triggered manually."
"Most importantly, though, it will begin absorbing magical energy again only after both abilities are used, so if only one of the abilities is used, the unused ability must be used first before the used one can be reused again. Meaning, only after its magical energy is fully recharged will the already used ability become available again."
After hearing Hendrick's explanation, Riezel's gaze toward the pendant shifted dramatically.
A treasure?
It was clearly a divine artifact!
Completely isolated its holder from the outside world, and any power directed at them, whether harmful or harmless, couldn't affect them?
It was clearly a space ability!
Recorded its holder's state, and as soon as they suffered fatal damage or were affected by negative powers, it could reset their state to what it was a day ago?
It was clearly a time ability!
It was clear that this pendant actually possessed abilities of both space and time. If having both of these amazing abilities wasn't considered a divine artifact, then what was?
However—
'Why would such a powerful item be left here for nearly four hundred years without anyone taking it?'
Riezel couldn't help but wonder.
Such an amazing item, without a doubt an absolute life-saving item, could easily turn a dire situation around with either ability, allowing anyone to escape any crisis unscathed.
Even if it had just one of the abilities, it would still be an incredibly valuable and powerful item. Yet, for this pendant to have both abilities was simply absurd.
Most importantly, it could be reused, unlike the one-time life-saving item like the teleportation magic crystal Sorren had used before.
Needless to say, this greatly increased its value, enough to earn it the title of a divine artifact.
Such a powerful item shouldn't realistically be left unused.
Riezel was sure that anyone who had ever entered this royal treasury would inevitably be tempted by the pendant's abilities once they learned about it.
Even Hendrick's intense gaze while introducing the pendant indicated that he was also immensely captivated by its abilities.
No choice.
If he had it, why would he fear assassination? Why worry about danger?
He could live freely without fear!
However, alongside that burning intensity, there was also a hint of undeniable regret in Hendrick's eyes.
What did this mean?
"Does this treasure have some harsh usage conditions or some unacceptable side effects?"
Riezel immediately understood when he blurted out his assumption.
"Indeed..." Hendrick sighed, filled with regret. "It has a flaw and a side effect..."
Riezel looked at Hendrick, signaling for him to continue.
Hendrick glanced at the pendant for a moment before resuming his explanation.
"For its flaw, it requires an astonishing amount of magical energy to be fully charged. So far, no one has managed to fill it completely. If it weren't for the records in the ruin about it, no one would even know what abilities it had."
"For its side effect, it always puts its holder into a state of sleepwalking, causing them to unknowingly stray somewhere before ultimately perishing in the wilderness."
"Such a harsh flaw and side effect make this powerful mystical treasure completely useless."
Indeed.
If not for the harsh flaw and side effect, this pendant wouldn't have sat in the royal treasury for hundreds of years.
Up to this day, no one had ever chosen it.