Chapter 1050 In the Treasury 2
He had never heard of his home being unlucky to be where it was, even from his master who had delved through many of the records of the Church before speaking to him. But here, the Treasury knew something about their location, somehow, even though all communication to the outside was supposed to be blocked by the natural barrier that surrounded Angaria.
Intending to find out more, he opened his mouth, but as if knowing what he would ask, that mouth in the air spoke again.
"Don't be so hasty, now. Yes, we have a lot of secrets, but they are not yours to learn unless you pass our test. Oh, don't get that look - we know as well as you do that there is no time for games. Typically, as I told you the last time, the Treasury sets tests for those who are allowed entry so that they may gain from its bountiful vaults filled with unimaginable riches. However, this situation is special, so your test is simply this - with what we offer, save the continent, and all the information that we have about the outside world will be yours. It does not pertain to Angaria's present struggle, anyway, so it can wait. The Seven send you their greetings. Lord Xandar even wonders just what the piece of his consciousness that you spoke with must have seen to be impressed by you. Either way, he is content with his judgment. Alas, they cannot speak with you as the time span during which they can remain awake without losing the chance to slip back into a dream filled-slumber is short. They could only convene to make this decision. Thus, it is my duty to show you what has been selected to be offered to you at this crucial junction. Before you choose, there is one final thing that I was asked to say - remember this favor that the Godbeasts give unto to the continent that gave them birth. It is your duty to pass on whatever you have obtained, so if you wish to return the favor, it is asked of you to give back to the Treasury objects of equal or greater value, when it is possible for you to do so. I don't see it happening, myself, but the Seven clearly think that you will go far - well, time will tell, and I'll be right here to see who wins the bet. Now, it is time to choose."
This voice, whoever or whatever it belonged to, had the amazing ability of sounding bored even while talking about excitement.
Still, Daneel hung on every word that was said, and the moment the request was made, he swore in his mind that he would fulfill it.
Others might have asked for an official oath before giving him anything, but here, they had not done so, which meant a lot.
And of course, the very fact that the Treasury had decided to help the continent filled him with joy and thankfulness, as at this point, he was ready to take any help that he got.
With bated breath, he waited as a few sounds were heard from deep inside the hole in the floor.
Looking down, he saw that far, far in the distance, four tiny pinpricks of light could be seen that were like the first stars in the night sky when evening fell across the land.
They seemed to be moving with astounding speed, though, as they began to grow larger and larger the longer Daneel watched, and not even a few seconds after the mouth had spoken, he had to move back as a sudden feeling of danger struck him.
Sure enough, the four objects burst through the hole with a brilliant plume of fire behind them.
Like comets, they had appeared in front of him, and as he watched, the fire was put out, before the four objects were made to float in the middle of the room while shining in all their brilliance.
The first two looked like stone tablets. Above them, words could be seen floating whose objective must be to explain just what they were.
Among the other two, one of them was very eye-catching, as it kept morphing between a thousand shapes as Daneel watched. It was doing so so quickly that he could not study all of them even if he used the Basilisk's Breath, so deciding that he would wait for the mouth to speak again, he laid his eyes on the fourth object, which was the only one that did not need any explanation.
Large droplets of blood, each the size of a fist floated in a circle, while faint images of the Godbeasts that they belonged to could be seen within them. There were five of them, but one was in the center, almost as if the other four had to pay respect to it even though they were but leftover remnants.
Just as Daneel gave himself over to the urge to walk forward to tough the drops of blood that almost felt like they were calling to him, the mouth spoke again, so stopping himself with difficulty, he pricked his ears and listened, even though his eyes did not leave the treasures in front of him.
"These four objects were hand-picked for you. Each of them has a different purpose. If you remember, I spoke about choice - as you can see, they are split into groups of two. You can take both objects in the latter group, but of the former, which are being shown here as stone tablets as that is what you must be accustomed to after living in this age, you can only choose one. They are two methods to increase the overall strength of the people who have risen to your cause - but each has consequences that you must measure and weigh carefully. This choice is a hard one, and if I'm not wrong, something like it has not been presented to anyone living or dead since the very creation of the Treasury. Before their slumber, even the Seven tried to guess what you might choose, but despite their vast wisdom that comprises of thousands of years of studying your kind, they had no certain answer. Make no mistake, human - this choice might decide the fate of you, and all those who keep their trust on your shoulders, young as they may be. Despite the nature given to me where I'm not supposed to care for anything, I do not envy you this decision. Well, no time to dally. Go on, and may your wisdom serve you well."