Chapter 68: Sword of Divine Power - Orger
Weapons and equipment piled high like mountains shimmered faintly in the darkness.
The most striking were the piles of multicoloured glowing gems, each one no less impressive than those Kurtz and his companions found in the Dragon's Lair. The light they cast danced across polished metal surfaces, creating a hypnotic display of wealth.
The illuminating stones embedded in the walls were clearly of the highest quality, still emitting a soft glow even after hundreds of years.
They were on a completely different level from the faintly glowing ones outside, these burned with steady, unwavering light that spoke of superior craftsmanship.
"I thought there would be more precious metals like gold," Kurtz said as he walked toward a glittering golden hill made of various shapes of gold coins.
He had imagined that the Dwarf Kingdom's treasury would be filled with gold like in The Hobbit, enough to fill the entire room, perhaps even described as an ocean of gold coins.
When Smaug was buried in the pile of gold, even the protagonist didn't notice him at first, which showed how much gold there was.
But what was before him now was somewhat disappointing. The reality fell short of his modern imagination, shaped by the fantasy stories he had read.
"There's certainly less than expected; it clearly doesn't match the legends."
Serie also walked over, her footsteps echoing softly in the vast space. As an elf who had witnessed the Dwarf Kingdom from its peak to its collapse, she naturally knew the truth behind the treasury's legends.
It could be said that for Dwarves, the legends were not the whole truth, because the truth was even more astonishing than the legends.
"Did we take a wrong turn? Or are there more treasuries like this?" Norn also appeared beside them, his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty.
"I'm not sure. Let's see if there are any clues."
Kurtz's gaze swept across the treasury, finally landing on an inconspicuous stone platform in the corner. Something about it drew his attention, perhaps the way it seemed deliberately positioned away from the more obvious displays of wealth.
Neatly arranged on it were a dozen thick books, and the stone platform was inlaid with star minerals, glowing with faint blue light.
"Wait, these books are..." He quickly walked over, picked up a book, but didn't open it immediately.
Kurtz was unsure what material these books were made of.
If they were made of ordinary paper, after hundreds of years of erosion, they would likely have become extremely fragile, and a single careless move could cause damage.
Just like archaeologists excavating burial artefacts, especially books and ancient paintings, they are always incredibly cautious.
After all, except for specially treated paper, most paper is challenging to preserve for long periods.
Serie also followed, surprise flashing in her eyes: "These should be magic books from other races, made of special materials, strong enough to withstand hundreds of years without decay."
The binding alone told her much, reinforced spines, pages that still held their original colour despite the passage of time.
Hearing her say that, Kurtz felt a sense of relief.
"These races are stingy. Why didn't they use dragonhide paper?"
Serie rolled her eyes at him: "Do you think every race can slay dragons? Besides, expending so much effort just to make dragonhide paper is completely meaningless."
A dragon's entire body is a treasure, not to mention that they also like all kinds of shiny gems and ores; these alone are the best rewards for a dragon slayer.
The only regrettable thing was that after they killed that Dragon, they didn't take too many gems and ores; most were left behind, waiting for a lucky person.
After all, in this era, the uses for these gems and ores were really limited, only valid when trading with Dwarves. If it were in later generations, Kurtz might try every way to take them all.
Hearing Serie say this, Kurtz hadn't even spoken yet, but Norn, who was beside them, couldn't help but show a reaction. His expression shifted slightly, a reminder of their shared history with that particular dragon.
After all, a significant reason they slew the Dragon was to make dragonhide paper; the treasures they found afterwards were just a bonus.
However, fortunately, everyone did not dwell on this.
Kurtz picked up a magic book and opened the first page, and silver-glowing characters immediately appeared. The text seemed to shimmer with its own inner light, each word perfectly preserved.
This was a complete magic tutorial. Kurtz even felt that if he just read a little longer, he could initially grasp the magic within.
However, this was due to his powerful talent. If it were Norn and Eric, it would probably take at least several days to learn.
"This should be how other races compensated the Dwarves during trades, using their own magic books as payment. I didn't expect it to benefit us so much."
Kurtz remembered that when he communicated with Serie before, she mentioned that every magic in this world was very precious.
After all, except for Demons, who are born with magic, all other races learn magic later.
And each Demon's innate magic is different, which means, theoretically, Demons are the most magically diverse and talented race in this world.
It's just that other races are unwilling to admit this uncomfortable truth.
Furthermore, there have been no examples of other races learning Demon magic to date, unlike these magic books, which can be used to teach others.
"Well, this saves much effort."
There were at least a dozen magic books on this stone, representing a dozen types of magic that Serie had not learned.
Holding the magic books in her hands, their substantial weight even made Serie smile, a rare display of genuine pleasure that she quickly suppressed.
She was already eager to experience these magic spells she hadn't learned yet.
"Look at this," Somo said, finding a book on another stone platform and handing it to Kurtz. The dwarf's excitement was barely contained as he approached with his discovery.
"Let me see."
Kurtz read the words from the book: "This is the Inner Treasury of the Dwarf Kingdom, hiding the secrets of the stars and gathering the brilliance of the silver moon."
"Inner Treasury?" Norn leaned closer, his breath visible in the cool air. "So, this is only part of the treasury?"
Kurtz suddenly realised: "I understand! The Dwarf Kingdom's treasury is divided into two layers: outer and inner! The outer treasury stores the legendary treasures, while the true ultimate treasures are in the inner treasury, accessible only by the King and a few Dwarves!"
No wonder the treasury they entered was so small; it turned out that the Dwarves' most precious treasures were hidden here.
This made everything clear: the anticlimactic entrance, the modest size, all of it suddenly made sense.
These Dwarves were thoughtful, knowing to place a book here to answer the questions of intruders like them. It even recorded what treasures were stored in the Inner Treasury.
Although Kurtz felt that these Dwarves were doing it for easier inventory.
Eric rubbed his hands excitedly: "Does that mean the items here are more valuable than those outside?"
Serie nodded: "Of course. No matter how many treasures are in the outer treasury, they are useless things. But here," her fingertip traced the page, pointing to the content above,
"are stored the most precious magical knowledge of various races..."
Her voice suddenly stopped. The confidence in her tone evaporated instantly. Kurtz followed her gaze and saw clearly written on the page:
"[God Strike Sword, Orger, forged jointly by hundreds of master blacksmiths of the Dwarf Kingdom, possesses the power to strike down the true form of gods.]"
"[Forging Materials: eternal ore, Star Gold, Planck Stone...]"
"Good heavens! This thing is actually real!?"
Kurtz exclaimed in disbelief, his modern sensibilities struggling to process what he was reading.
You Dwarves are truly amazing! You actually managed to create a holy sword capable of slaying gods in the Age of Myths.
Aren't you afraid that the gods would be displeased if they found out and strike you down with divine retribution?
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