Fang Zhen could feel a golden glow radiating from the chest.
The shimmer of pure gold.
The golden light wasn't particularly strong, but as Fang Zhen gazed at it, he found it incredibly dazzling.
His heart pounded in his chest. He took a deep breath, calming himself just enough to get a clear look at the contents.
Inside the chest, the first thing that caught Fang Zhen's eye was a golden cup.
'Gold!' Fang Zhen's heart leaped, and he felt a small thrill of excitement.
He took the golden cup out.
The golden cup was quite heavy in his hand. Fang Zhen estimated it weighed at least 200 grams, perhaps even as much as half a pound.
As Fang Zhen held the heavy golden cup, an inexplicable sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.
"Hahaha, this thing alone makes the whole trip worth it!"
Fang Zhen confirmed that the cup in his hand was indeed made of gold and let out a laugh.
A moment ago, Fang Zhen had harbored a sliver of doubt, wondering if his reasoning had been wrong.
But now it seemed he hadn't been mistaken. The Goblin Camp really did have treasure!
A literal treasure chest with literal treasure.
The Gold invigorated Fang Zhen.
He never hid his love for and pursuit of wealth. He was never indecisive when it came to money. A real man goes after what he wants; there's no need to be coy about it.
Right now, Fang Zhen was not only feeling the thrill of obtaining valuable treasure but also the distinct pleasure of his predictions proving correct.
'Looks like my brain is still reliable,' he thought. 'It's working pretty well.'
Fang Zhen gave himself a mental pat on the back.
He began to carefully examine the golden cup in his hand.
The golden cup's overall shape resembled an hourglass. Its base was like that of a table lamp, an inverted cone tapering upward before narrowing at the center. The top was a bell-shaped cup of a somewhat European design. Its capacity was slightly larger than a tall wine glass, but not by much.
The entire vessel was cast from gold. It was heavy in the hand and had a substantial, high-quality feel.
Fang Zhen studied it for a moment, feeling a vague sense of familiarity, as if he'd seen a similar vessel somewhere before. But he couldn't quite place it.
'Even ignoring the value of its craftsmanship, this golden cup alone must be worth eighty or ninety thousand, right?'
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to clear his head.
Fang Zhen placed the golden cup on the fur rug beside him and took out the second piece of loot from the chest.
It was a golden plate.
The golden plate looked similar to a small, stainless steel basin used for washing fruit at home, only a bit shallower. It, too, was made entirely of gold and gleamed brightly.
Fang Zhen saw that the inside of the golden plate had a continuous, decorative pattern carved along its rim, adding to its beauty.
The golden plate weighed about the same as the golden cup.
He looked at it for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something.
He placed the golden plate on the fur rug next to the golden cup.
With the two golden objects placed side by side, Fang Zhen looked at them for a moment before a flash of inspiration struck him. He suddenly understood.
"No wonder these two things looked so familiar! Placed together, aren't they a Golden Holy Chalice and a Holy Plate?"
Fang Zhen blurted out.
He had recognized what they were.
He'd gone through a phase of frequenting the library—not necessarily to study, but to broaden his mind and spark new ideas. As a result of reading all sorts of miscellaneous books, his general knowledge was quite extensive.
In some books on religion, Fang Zhen had seen items similar to the golden cup and golden plate now before him.
The cup-shaped object was called a 'Golden Holy Chalice'. It was a religious ceremonial item made of gold, used in the Holy Communion ritual during Mass.
As for the golden plate, it was called a Holy Plate. It was also used in religious ceremonies as the plate for holding the sacramental bread.
Both of these were items used to perform the Holy Communion ceremony.
Because he had this knowledge, he paid more attention to such details when watching movies and American TV shows and had seen similar items in quite a few of them.
Now, with the two golden trophies laid out before him, Fang Zhen instantly realized they were religious artifacts.
He also remembered the Gold Pendant he had acquired previously. At the time, it had also seemed to have some connection to religion. Now, it looked like they might form a set of ceremonial items from this world.
The more he thought about it, the more certain he became.
'Did this band of goblins rob a Priest or some other kind of cleric?'
He suddenly chuckled.
"Heh, not my problem. It's even better if they're a set. I'll take them back to Xiahai and might even be able to sell them for more."
Fang Zhen continued to rummage through the chest.
Inside the chest, besides the Golden Holy Chalice and Holy Plate, Fang Zhen also found a gold-based Gemstone Ring and a Black Velvet Money Bag. The bag contained five Gold Coins and sixteen or seventeen Silver Coins that appeared to be genuine silver.
The Gemstone Ring had a gold setting, topped with a gem the size of a pinky fingernail. Its color was somewhere between red and purple, and Fang Zhen couldn't identify the type of stone.
Fang Zhen emptied the Gold Coins from the Black Velvet Money Bag. Each coin was about a quarter to a fifth the size of his palm. One side depicted the head of a man wearing a crown, while the other featured an eagle. They weren't very thick and showed signs of wear along the edges, suggesting they were frequently circulated.
He examined them for a moment before placing the Gold Coins in his palm and toying with them.
The velvet money bag was definitely stolen by the goblins. Based on the information he had, Fang Zhen could make a rough deduction: the goblins of the Dark Path must have robbed a noble or a high-ranking religious figure. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to possess things like a Golden Holy Chalice and a Holy Plate. Moreover, someone who carried only Gold and Silver Coins had to be a member of the wealthy upper class.
Fang Zhen recalled the wrecked carriage he had seen upon entering the instance.
The carriage had been quite exquisite. In this world, owning a carriage was likely equivalent to owning a luxury car in modern society. The owner's status couldn't have been low.
The dead man in the woods had been dressed plainly; Fang Zhen guessed he was probably the carriage's driver.
But if that was the case, it was very strange for an upper-class person to venture out without guards in a world with goblin bandits.
'Did something happen? Was it a last-minute decision, made without arranging for proper security?'
He pondered for a moment.
After a moment, he shook his head.
'There's still too little information to deduce anything valuable.'
This line of thought did make Fang Zhen consider that the Dark Path instance might hold more hidden clues, possibly with value to be gained from deeper exploration.
But there was no need to rush.
He had expended a great deal of stamina, and it had been nearly a full morning since he'd first entered the instance.
Now that he had his loot, he could call it a day. He would take everything back, then either sell it for cash or keep it for research and his collection.
The instance would still be here. If there truly was more to be uncovered, he didn't need to be impatient.
He was in an excellent mood.
Clearing an instance was satisfying in itself. This was especially true after investing so much—in equipment, in preparation, and in the life-or-death struggle against the goblins in the Dark Path. The more money, energy, stamina, risk, and mental focus Fang Zhen poured in, the more tangible his sense of accomplishment was now that he had his reward.
Moreover, the fact that these golden spoils could be brought back to the real world gave him an even more profound sense of achievement.
It was like playing a video game. Getting a Dragon Slayer Saber to drop in *Legend*, or obtaining the one and only Frostmourne in an early version of *Azeroth*, would make you feel like a king in the game—a thrill in and of itself.
Then, a rich whale suddenly shows up and offers to buy your Dragon Slayer Saber for fifty thousand, plopping the cash right down in front of you.
That was a whole other level of satisfaction.
Fang Zhen had enjoyed the fight in the instance; the experience of clearing an instance in person was already more real and exhilarating than any game. Now, obtaining golden loot on top of that was truly a double dose of joy.
"Hehehe, this was a huge haul. I can upgrade my gear when I get back."
But before that, there was one more thing he had to do.
An idea formed in Fang Zhen's mind.
He needed to test whether this Dark Path instance was truly and completely cleared.