NOVPUB
Chapter 134: ...To Look at the Symbol
Inside the treasure vault, rows of artifacts were on display, each one protected by a glass case. Aldrian knew that if anyone somehow managed to slip inside and break the glass to steal an artifact, the traps would be instantly activated. All of the artifacts on display were of at least Low Heaven grade, and their numbers reached into the thousands. These artifacts spanned the long history of the Forgeheart Kingdom, each possessing unique qualities that made them worthy of being stored here.
For example, there was a shield created by the 15th king of the Forgeheart Kingdom. This shield was forged when he was at the Low King stage, using rare material from a dragon’s scale. In the past, when the dragon race still roamed the continent, their scales were renowned for being nearly impenetrable by physical attacks. With the disappearance of dragons from the Barisan continent, this shield had become an incredibly valuable item, sought after by many.
Another notable artifact was a sword made from Obsidian Poison Iron, a rare material found in the Poison Canyon within the demon territory. This is one of the most toxic materials on the continent, capable of poisoning even a Low Emperor stage cultivator. Without special precautions during its forging, the blacksmith would have been poisoned to death.
Aldrian was amazed by all of these artifacts and made a mental note of how much he still had to learn. Blacksmithing was clearly a field of vast knowledge, filled with countless things worth studying and mastering.
King Douwin felt proud, seeing the amazement on Aldrian and his group’s faces as they admired the artifacts. They continued walking until they reached another door, identical to the one at the entrance of the treasure vault. King Douwin repeated the same process to open it, and as the door fully swung open, an aura even more terrifying surged out, with the energy of heaven and earth swirling beyond.
It was as if the long-trapped energy of heaven and earth inside the room was finally released. Aldrian and the others trembled when they looked inside, for all the artifacts on display here were of Divine grade. There were only a few dozen, a much smaller number compared to the Heaven-grade section, but the aura and energy were far more intense and intimidating.
The artifacts were arranged in a circle along the walls of the circular room. As they continued walking through it, King Douwin came to a stop in the center. He placed his hand on the floor, pressing several stone tiles before channeling his energy into them. Suddenly, the ground trembled, and a secret underground passage opened before them. Without a word, King Douwin stepped inside, and the others followed closely behind.
After walking for two minutes, they arrived at a vast underground hall. But their attention quickly shifted to the sword displayed in the center of the hall.
The sword was set on a platform atop a beautifully crafted wooden long box. When they focused their senses on it, they felt something strange. Although the sword’s aura was weak, its presence demanded attention. The power radiating from it sent chills down their spines. Aldrian, seeing the sword, instantly guessed that this must be the one Duke Valiard had told him about—the top-secret weapon of the Forgeheart Kingdom.
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Unnamed Sword (Unfinished)
Description: An unfinished Peak Divine Grade sword forged from various rare materials. It is the result of generations of effort within the Forgeheart Kingdom to create a peak divine-grade artifact. The sword still lacks certain materials to completed it.
Level: None (Peak Divine).
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Aldrian glanced at the information screen and confirmed that this was indeed the sword Mardred Valiard had attempted to complete—an endeavor the Forgeheart Kingdom had pursued for a long time. The sword was a longsword with a golden guard atop a white grip, adorned with the most intricate pattern Aldrian had ever seen.
Despite the sword looking perfectly fine on the outside, Aldrian could sense that something was missing within. The weak aura it emitted was a stark contrast to the immense power he felt from it. According to the information, the sword wasn’t yet a graded artifact—in other words, it was still an ordinary sword. It only needed that missing ’something’ to be completed and unleash its true form.
"This is the sword we forged from a blueprint discovered in the Everlasting Silent Forest long ago. We don’t know how our ancestors came upon it, but ever since, it has been our kingdom’s greatest wish to complete a peak divine sword—something that has never been achieved on the Barisan continent," King Douwin explained.
"Many of the materials required to forge this sword were unknown to us—things we had never even heard of. Yet, over time, we found all the materials mentioned in the blueprint scattered around the outskirts of the Everlasting Silent Forest. But after all these years, we’re still missing one final component." He continued.
"A final component? What is it?" Aldrian asked.
"A material called ’Divine Iron.’ Its description is quite unbelievable, and we doubt whether such a material even exists," King Douwin replied, still gazing at the sword with a look of longing.
"Anyway, that’s—" the king began to say, but then he noticed Aldrian’s strange expression. Aldrian’s face was that of a man who had just found an enlightenment. Puzzled by this, King Douwin asked,
"Aldrian, are you alright?"
"Hmm? Ah, yes, Your Majesty. I was just enlightened by the story of this sword. It’s truly a marvelous and remarkable weapon," Aldrian replied with a smile.
King Douwin looked at Aldrian suspiciously, then shifted his gaze to Duke Valiard, who wore a stiff expression. Sensing that something was off between the two, the king wanted to question them, but Aldrian spoke first.
"Your Majesty, is the blueprint for this sword kept here?"
King Douwin, setting aside his suspicions for the moment, answered, "The blueprint is inside that room," he said, pointing toward a door on the other side of the hall. They walked past the sword, and once again, the king had to repeat the intricate procedure to open the door, demonstrating the multilayered failsafes used to protect the kingdom’s most important secrets.
As the door opened, they were greeted by a small room. It looked plain at first glance, but what King Douwin said next left them stunned.
"This entire room is a divine artifact. Its primary function is to store items within it. It has its own sentience and can adjust its size according to the will of its master."
Aldrian nodded as he listened to the king’s explanation.
"No wonder I can feel such abundant spatial energy here. There’s also a profound presence of space laws," he thought. "I feel as though I could increase my comprehension of space laws just by being here. The one who created this artifact must have had a high level of mastery in space laws."
His gaze trailed to the golden box at the far end of the room. Just as Aldrian began wondering if that was where the blueprint had once been stored, King Douwin answered his unspoken question.
"The blueprint used to be kept right there, before it was lost with Mardred’s disappearance. The symbol he left behind is still inside the golden box. You can open it—there’s no trap," King Douwin said.
Without hesitation, Aldrian walked toward the golden box and opened it. Inside, he found an empty box with a symbol he immediately recognized. It was the same symbol he had seen in his visions, one that represented a piece of his past. He felt drawn to it, his fingers brushing over the symbol as he stroked its surface, feeling a vague connection to it.
As soon as his hand made contact, the energy in his dantian trembled, and the symbol emitted a golden light. Then, a sharp pain shot through his head as he was pulled into another vision. This vision, however, felt different, it wasn’t from his usual first-person perspective. Instead, he observed everything as though from a third-person view. He was able to move his transparent body freely.
In the vision, Aldrian saw a blurry figure. He had never seen this figure in his previous visions, but like other fragments of his past, the connection felt undeniable. This time, it was even more intense, the connection he felt to it was stronger than any he had ever experienced before.
He could only discern that the figure was a man. Dressed in regal robes, the figure radiated a serene aura, as calm as still water. There was nothing intimidating about him. In fact, just looking at this figure made Aldrian feel a deep sense of peace, as if he were returning home.
The man sat beneath a peach blossom tree, gently playing a guqin. The sound was beautiful, soothing Aldrian’s entire being. He closed his eyes lost in the music, temporarily forgetting the situation he was in.
When the melody finally stopped, Aldrian opened his eyes and saw the blurry figure looking at him. Although the man’s face remained obscured, Aldrian sensed that he was smiling.
"I see... at this point, it has succeeded, after all," the figure said softly.
