Chapter 99 How many secret rooms are there in our house?
After dinner, Aaron hugged Abey tightly and followed behind his father and the butler.
He had walked this path many times, but it was his first time feeling so nervous.
Vico stopped in front of a large door, turned around, and looked at his son meaningfully, "Are you ready?
Tonight, you will learn the secret of the Gaius Family's enduring prosperity."
Aaron nodded solemnly. He had been to the vault more than once or twice, and the items inside were very familiar. Although rare, they shouldn't be considered a secret.
"You might be a little confused why I brought you here.
In fact, Wizard families with a certain heritage all have their own Chamber of Secrets, and our family is no exception."
"It's hidden deep enough!" Aaron exclaimed, "I've been around here so many times, but I haven't found anything."
"Of course you couldn't find it, because what's important has never been the vault, but the method."
Vico said, taking out a string of keys, all of the same style, but made of different materials.
Aaron's mouth twitched. He also had a similar key; it was a birthday gift from his grandfather years ago.
"My dear grandson! You've grown up, and it's time to let you know about our family's foundation."
He remembered that sentence clearly; it had touched him deeply at the time.
But now, looking back, it was all a ploy.
That iron key couldn't compare to the ones in Vico's hand. This string was clearly much grander, with keys made of gold, silver, copper, wood, and a few others whose materials he couldn't even name.
"If one key corresponds to one Chamber of Secrets, then... how many Chambers of Secrets does our family actually have?"
"In short, a little more than you think.
When your grandfather brought me here, my expression was exactly the same as yours, but I was fifteen then, and my capacity to handle it was much greater.
Enough with the chatter, today I'll broaden your horizons."
Vico said proudly, then inserted a key into the lock.
"Wait, Master, not this one." Gines's expression changed slightly when he saw the gold key inserted into the lock. He quickly spoke to warn him, but it was still a step too late.
Click!
Dazzling golden light burst out from the crack in the door, almost blinding the three of them.
The door opened, and Aaron walked in full of curiosity, which then turned into shock, his pupils even reflecting the symbol of money.
Abey's dragon eyes were also wide open, and he ran out of Aaron's arms directly, plunging into it, unstoppable.
This Chamber of Secrets was very large, and its internal structure was identical to the vault.
Only, what was placed inside were endless large wooden chests, filled to the brim with gold, silver, and jewels.
But even more visually striking were the several towering mountains of gold coins; gold treasures were ubiquitous here.
"Oh my goodness!"
Aaron couldn't help but swallow. He knew the Gaius Familywasn't short on money, but he hadn't expected them to be this wealthy. He finally understood why Gines always looked so nonchalant when calculating the accounts of his small shop.
The family has a mine; this is more like a family in a mine!
It turned out his family was built on a mountain of gold.
Aaron grabbed a handful of gold coins, and the heavy feeling made him want to just lie down.
Maybe he should just close the shop; this one handful was enough for him to squander for over a decade.
"So, this is our family's secret?
Endless money?" Aaron turned to look at his father, still a little slow to recover, but he quickly found an explanation for himself.
Yes, it must be like this.
No matter who it is, no matter what they want to do, they can't do without money.
If the Gaius Family's assets were placed a few hundred years ago, they would be enough to support a kingdom in launching a war that lasted for decades.
"Son..."
"No, no need to explain." Aaron waved his hand, "I understand the principle that money makes the world go 'round. Even the Dark Lord would have to bow before such immense wealth."
"It's not me..."
"No need to say more, let me first accept the fact that we are as rich as a nation."
Vico was about to explain when a splashing sound came from the side. The white Holy Dragon was swimming in a pool of gold coins, having a great time.
Dragons all love shiny things, and it was no exception.
For Abey, Aaron was first, food was second, and the remaining interest was treasure. This place was simply paradise for it.
Aaron rolled his eyes, walked over, and pulled it out.
Although a bit speechless, he also felt it was typical for a dragon, and he wouldn't have to worry about it being sold by someone in the future.
Having witnessed such immense wealth, unless someone could bring Gringotts here, nothing else would truly impress it.
"Son, this is our family's treasury."
"It truly lives up to its name!
Are the other three families like this too?"
"I don't know. The four hidden families are united and help each other, but they also have their own responsibilities. I really don't know about their financial power.
But even if they can't compare to our family, they shouldn't be too far off."
Aaron thought the same. Thousands of years of accumulation, having a mine might be an exaggeration, but it wasn't unacceptable.
"Ahem!" Gines cleared his throat, "Master, shouldn't you be getting to the main business?"
"Right, I almost forgot." Vico smiled awkwardly but politely, "We came to the wrong place. We need to go to another Chamber of Secrets.
This is just the treasury; what comes next is the family's true secret."
Aaron also became serious, and his curiosity grew even stronger. Their family seemed to have something even more important than this treasure.
Vico led the way, walking to the end of the treasury.
He stood there for a while, and the wall slowly began to move. A massive amount of gold coins scattered to both sides, revealing an identical large door, and a familiar keyhole abruptly appeared in the center of the door.
This time, Vico took out the string of keys, carefully selected the silver key, and inserted it into the keyhole.
"You won't make a mistake this time, will you?"
"Definitely not."
A creaking sound was heard, and the inside of the door was pitch black. Compared to the opulence of the treasury, it was much deeper and more mysterious.
Aaron and Abey reluctantly looked back, as if after this glance, they would say goodbye to this treasure forever.
"Young Master, all of this will be yours in the future." Ginessmiled and shook his head, "So don't be reluctant."
Aaron stepped into the black Chamber of Secrets. As soon as he entered, the door closed.
Then, rows of lights illuminated the darkness. The objects inside this Chamber of Secrets once again made Aaron's eyes widen, but Abey clearly had no interest, turning his dragon face away haughtily.
This Chamber of Secrets was relatively smaller, and there were no large wooden chests inside. Instead, there were dozens of shelves, filled with various cold weapons.
Bows and arrows, longswords, scimitars, daggers, hammers, shields, and various armors were all present.
Moreover, these weapons were exceptionally well-maintained; just by approaching, one could feel the sharp, cold glint.
"Are these... antiques?"
"You're not wrong to say that. Any one of these has a history of over a hundred years." Vico explained, "It's a bit early for you at twelve to be exposed to these, but there have been even greater geniuses than you in the past.
Approximately seven hundred years ago, there was one in the family who entered this Chamber of Secrets at the age of ten."
"What's the difference?"
"Naturally, there is." Vico said with some reverence, "This ancestor was an Advanced Magician at only ten years old. His talent was so high that he ranked among the top five in the family genealogy."
"Ten years old? Top five?" Aaron was astonished.
Even he, who had a cheat, only reached this realm at eleven, although he had barely used magic points to enhance his inherent magic power. But a full year's difference was enough to illustrate the point.
This ancestor was a true genius, a genius among geniuses. Compared to him, Dumbledore and Lord Voldemortcouldn't even rank.
"What? Can't accept that someone is more powerful than you?"
Vico looked at his son's surprised expression and felt like laughing. His own son often teased him, relying on his good talent.
Although he desperately wanted his son to be successful, he was also somewhat annoyed.
"There's always someone better, and your talent is only just presentable."
Aaron curled his lips in disdain, "I have self-awareness, and I've never thought I was the best.
But if my talent is only presentable, then Father, is your talent..."
"You brat, you dare to criticize your old man." Vico's face darkened, but he quickly calmed down, "But you're not wrong, so my life is much easier."
Aaron's heart skipped a beat, feeling there was a hidden meaning in those words, "What do you mean?"
"It's not time for you to know yet." Vico subtly changed the subject, "Do these weapons give you any ideas?"
Aaron thought for a while, "They should be quite valuable, no less valuable than gold."
Vico staggered, almost losing his footing, but then he remembered that his son had just been dazzled by a large treasury, so this thought was understandable.
"And what else?
Don't you feel an urge to try them?
These weapons are all excellent masterpieces, extremely sharp. It's no exaggeration to say they can cut iron like mud."
"Not at all." Aaron shook his head indifferently, "Times have changed. Muggles use firearms in war. While cold weapons won't be completely eliminated, their usefulness is truly limited."