“That’s a Dragon for you. It’s a veritable mountain of treasure.”
It was nothing compared to Nazarick’s Treasury, but it was still the largest pile of wealth he had seen ever since coming to this world.
There were gold coins, but those were outnumbered by gold-bearing ores, and what looked like raw gemstones.
There was a golden chain over five meters long, a pelt from some beast, golden gloves studded with jewels, a plain staff that looked magical… where had he gotten all these things from?
Perhaps only the Dragon that had become a corpse knew.
“Umu, hardly any brass or fool’s gold. So most of that is natural gold? Is that a Dragon’s sense of smell at work…”
Gondo muttered all that to himself as he studied the glittering ores. Are those any different from gold, Ainz thought, and he resolved himself to properly appraise them once he got home.
“I trust there are no problems with exercising my victor’s rights over the Dragon’s hoard?”
“Those rights are yours, of course. However, how about trying to open that while nobody’s around?”
“Huhu. You’re quite the villain.”
“It’s purely for research, of course. Then, please tell me if there is anything you desire, Your Majesty. According to that Dragon, there’s no ledger of treasure or anything, but it might not be good to take a Dwarven treasure that’s too famous.”
“Why not say the Dragon took it?”
“If that happens, they might request that Your Majesty return the Dragon’s hoard, no? While I don’t think the Council will say anything to Your Majesty, it would be best not to sow the seeds of future conflict, don’t you think?”
“It is as you say. Then, I shall open the door to the entrance. It’s better if less people know about what will happen.”
“Please, Your Majesty.”
Ainz and Gondo went about their respective business.
First, Ainz used [Gate] to bring over his Eight Edge Assassins.
“─I have an order for you. Search this palace, hidden rooms included, and bring all the books you find to this place. If you meet any Dragons, say you are my subordinates. If you are attacked, you may kill them. However, avoid making the first move. Also… while I doubt there are any around, there might be powerful beings present, so move in groups. If you encounter any such entities, prioritize bringing that information back to me.”
Since the books were written in Dwarven, only Gondo could understand them, so Ainz had no choice but to let him read them.
As he watched his subordinates disperse through the Royal Palace, Ainz chucked the Dragon corpse through the [Gate].
Mm, first I’ll harvest all the materials, and then process them. And then, if the Dragon is willing to accept resurrection, I’ll have another batch on hand. Though I doubt that’s likely…
As Yuri Alpha of the Pleiades looked at him, he ordered her to store the corpse on the 5th Floor. In order not to let the corpse rot, he ordered her to put it on ice.
“Your Majesty! There are no signs that it was opened. It would seem the treasures should still be in place.”
“Really now. Then I shall open it.”
He bade Yuri farewell, and after the great doors closed, Ainz stood before the entrance to the Treasury.
As he recalled his YGGDRASIL days, elation soared in Ainz’s chest. It had always been an exciting experience to encounter a treasure chest-shaped drop. Even if there was only a single data crystal inside, one would not know before opening it. He felt that same excitement now.
However ─ it was forcibly negated.
Every time his joyous emotions were canceled, it gave rise to some measure of displeasure. Even so, it still enlivened him somewhat.
Ainz took out a magic item which looked like a board.
It was an artifact: Epigonoi[9].
It was a magic item which could only be used seven times, but it possessed the lock-opening abilities of a level 90 thief.
It was very valuable, and he did not want to use it if possible, but he had not summoned any vassals with high-level lock-opening abilities. The Eight Edge Assassins were specialized in stealthy combat, and they had very poor lock-opening abilities.
“It can’t be helped.”
Ainz ─ who very rarely used any rare items he obtained ─ decided to use it after some waffling. It would seem that he was looking forward to the treasures within.
He touched the artifact to the Treasury door, and activated its power.
As they peeked through the slit of the opening door, Ainz and Gondo clenched their fists.
Neither of them said anything, but their expressions said everything.
The glitter of gold was little more than a trick of the light. Without any light, it would not shine. However, what they saw was a massive pile of treasure that seemed to shine from within. Unfortunately, the word “tidy” could not be applied to it.
“…Amazing.”
Much like the Dragon’s hoard, the Dwarven trove could not compare to that of Nazarick, but to Ainz, it was also a commendable sum.
Ainz picked up a gold coin. He had never seen coins like this before, and it did not look like the gold pieces used for trade nowadays. However, it did not feel like it was Dwarven-made, simply because of the profile of a human carved onto its surface.
“They say that in the past, the Dwarves traded with the huge human nation which ruled the area around this mountain range. This must be a portrait of the ruler of that nation. Runesmiths flourished then; it was their golden age.”
“Umu.”
Ainz flicked the coin from his fingers, dumping it into the pile of treasure. Gold clinked against gold, producing a crisp sound that pleased the ears.
“Then, please excuse me for a moment while I look for technical manuals and any items made by runesmith researchers, and so on.”
“Do so. I will look around myself.”
Pandora’s Actor would probably be very happy to see this.
As he recalled his bizarre attitude, the mental image of Ainz making sure the Treasury’s door was properly locked came to mind.
He saw armor and weapons seemingly buried by gold pieces. Would that not damage them? Why did they not mind that damage?
I see, if it was neat and tidy, then any thieves who got in could quickly find the treasure they were looking for. So instead they messed things up? If that’s the case, then they might use that old dodge as well…
“Gondo, I have something to ask you. Is it possible that there is a secret door under this mountain of treasure?”
Gondo looked back in surprise.
“I see!..It’s not impossible, but even if there were, it would be very difficult to find. After all, we would have to move out all the treasure in here.”
At the very least, they would need to move the gold coins.
“Then, we could estimate the distance from this level to the one below, and if there’s a discrepancy in height we’d be right, then?”
“I feel that even if one wanted to put in a secret chamber in this place, it wouldn’t be anything more than a sliding secret door to hide several pieces of treasure. Measuring thickness would also be quite difficult. Also, since this is the Treasury, the walls and floor would naturally be thicker.”
Gondo’s gaze seemed to be asking what they should do next, but Ainz shook his head. Frankly speaking, taking the items from here felt like a complimentary gift. It seemed a waste to go to too much effort for it.
“That is not our reason for coming here, and we do not know if it really exists. Wasting too much time and effort on it would be foolish. In any event, once the Dwarves come to reclaim their city, we will have them serve as witnesses and buy those items at their proper price.”