Chapter 154 Chest
Chapter 154 Chest
Thank you very much to the reader Swcowboy for supporting the book; it means a lot to me. Enjoy your reading.
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The builders gathered around this pit, looking curious. Adam raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled by what they had found, something he hadn\'t discovered before. After all, before the construction began, he had carefully examined this land but found nothing unusual.
"Hold the egg," Adam said, passing it to Chloe.
"Y-yes," Chloe nervously replied, looking at the huge egg with fear. She felt like she would be crushed under the weight of the egg if she were not careful. However, to her surprise, it was light. "Ooo..."
Adam loosened his tie and approached the builders with a casual stride. One of the men patted his colleague on the shoulder, and upon seeing Adam, the colleague informed the others. They all dispersed and stood aside as if welcoming him. Adam nodded in satisfaction.
"What have you found? The noise from you is unbearable, so I suppose it must be something unusual, right?" he asked, approaching the leader, an old man with gray hair.
"Y-yes, sir... it\'s a very strange-looking chest. We can\'t open it, but it\'s shining as if feeding on something. We\'re afraid it might be a natural bomb or something worse," the old man replied with a trembling voice.
"Hmm..." Adam mused.
Chuckling, Adam approached the pit and saw a small chest that resembled those from pirate movies. However, it was not dirty and certainly not sunken. The chest\'s exterior was bright and clean as if it had just been made. Adorned with precious gemstones, the chest stood out, and the shimmer of these stones had caught the builders\' attention.
"It\'s flashing..." Adam thought, noticing a strange flicker on one of the stones. Suddenly, he felt heat in his breast pocket and squinted, pulling out a map.
SWOOSH!
"Aaaah! Darn it, my eyes..."
"How bright..."
"It\'s like I turned on a light in the middle of the night."
The builders cried out in complaint as the stone\'s light intensified tenfold, and even Adam was slightly affected. It felt as if you had been staring at the sun for a long time. Adam quickly put away the map, and the brightness of the stone returned to that of a regular LED lamp.
"So that\'s what it is..." he thought, closing his eyes.
While no one was looking, the chest disappeared. This was the use of his ability [Inventory]. As soon as the chest disappeared, the builders gradually began to open their eyes. Some still hadn\'t recovered from the bright light, so Chloe had to call for emergency assistance.
"Fascinating. Very fascinating," Adam thought, smiling. He turned on his heels and headed to the area where he planned to create a district for himself and his women.
"Wait for me, Master!" Chloe shouted, running after him, holding the egg in her hand.
***
Today, Adam had a day off. His wives had scattered to the shops, some were doing their work, and others were simply enjoying themselves together. So, he was left alone, in his own company. He had suddenly been suspended from his advisory role under the pretext of a vacation, but judging by the sour expression on Elizabeth\'s face, she had found out something.
"I discovered that there\'s a connection between me and Veronica, and so I concluded that I was a spy infiltrated by Veronica. It\'s quite possible," Adam thought, sprawled on the couch. "Boredom. How boring. There\'s nothing to do, and it\'s irritating."
The serious work requiring his attention had been completed, while his wives handled the rest of the work, not allowing him to get near any paperwork. He had organized everything so that each of them had her responsibilities, but he hadn\'t expected the city to transition to autonomy so quickly.
"I\'m both glad and sad... have I retained my workaholic nature?" Adam muttered sadly, scratching his head. He lounged comfortably on the couch, staring at the ceiling, feeling emptiness inside. "In this world, there are no decent novels I can read. Just censorship and religious nonsense. It\'s so annoying."
The estate was quiet. It was as if no one lived here, even though the maids were currently preparing for winter. Yesterday, Amarantha had predicted that winter would come soon. Adam couldn\'t quite figure out the weather patterns in this world, but it seemed that such chaotic weather was normal for the locals.
"So many things to think about... Iliantra, Veronica, and finding the best way to solve everything. Still, I have no self-control, but that doesn\'t mean I should be irresponsible," he mumbled, resting his hand on his forehead. "Just thinking about it immediately gives me a headache. I don\'t know how I can solve these issues in the best way. I feel like an idiot."
Chirp-chirp.
Birdsong could be heard outside the window. Adam closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasant coolness, while silence filled the room. It seemed as though the whole world had disappeared, leaving him alone in this vast world. It was both beautiful and lonely.
Until the door slammed shut.
SLAM!
"Eh?"
Adam opened his eyes and looked towards the door. There stood Chloe, with a bright smile on her face as she brought food. Hovering next to her was Dereris, an egg about the size of a large man.
"Chloe and Dereris... what do you need?" he asked, getting up from his seat.
"Master, it\'s lunchtime. Besides, Lady Dereris expressed a desire to discuss something with you," Chloe replied as she began to set the table.
Adam yawned and sat down, looking tired and lethargic. He slumped into a chair and waited for Chloe to start serving the food. Next to him, the egg levitated, as large as a grown man.
"Uaaah... Dereris, is there something you need? You haven\'t been yourself since yesterday," Adam said, yawning.
"...," Dereris remained silent for a moment but then asked him a question, "Adam... do you know anything about that chest?"
"Hmm?" Adam chuckled in surprise, half surprised that she had addressed him by name and half surprised that she knew about it.
And yes, Dereris turned out to be a woman. Chloe had been the first to find out for some reason, and then Adam realized it when he heard Chloe referring to the egg as "Lady."
Settling more comfortably, Adam narrowed his eyes, looking at the egg. It seemed that the creature inside this egg, calling itself the Dark Dragon, knew what this chest was or had some thoughts about it. In Dereris\' question, there was doubt and a desire to know if Adam truly understood anything about it. After a few moments of contemplation, he decided to respond.
"Half yes, half no... and you, Dereris?" he asked, answering her question. "I could be mistaken, but... no, I won\'t make hasty conclusions right now. The most important thing is, did you save the chest?"
"The chest? Oh, yes, of course. I\'ve kept it in the safest place, so you don\'t have to worry, heh," Adam replied, cracking his neck. "Although I\'m genuinely curious about what that chest is. It exudes some otherworldly aura that sparks my curiosity."
"And on what terms?" the egg asked.
However, Adam didn\'t reply. He just smiled and began his meal, clinking the utensils. Dereris muttered something about this mortal being too audacious, but the man simply ignored her. Fragments of memories flooded his mind, memories of when he met the Goddess of Light, who indirectly influenced him. The aura of this chest was the same, but there were some differences.
While the aura of the Goddess of Light exuded warmth, kindness, and tenderness, the aura of the chest was one of grandeur and indifference, as if it represented a self-assured person who acted primarily on strict principles and rules. That was the feeling.
Adam sighed and continued to eat. The whole process lasted about ten minutes until he was satisfied. Then, Chloe cleared the table and removed the utensils, leaving the room and locking the door behind her. Adam and Dereris were left alone.
"Do you want to say something?" Adam asked, getting up from his seat and heading to the couch. He sat down on it and yawned, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at the egg. "You\'ve been silent all this time. You have something on your mind. If you want to say something, say it straight, and if possible, sincerely and honestly. Then my willingness to cooperate will be ten times higher."
"What an arrogant tone, damn it!" the egg complained, but soon fell silent. After a pause of two to three seconds, it continued, "This concerns my awakening. I want you to help me."
"So... you\'re suggesting that I help you? Well, there\'s a little issue," Adam replied, retracting his hand and sitting up straight. He smiled, looking at the egg, speaking with a deep voice, "I need a reason, and a substantial reward for it, you see?"
There was a snort, and Dereris expressed her dissatisfaction with Adam\'s tone but also commended him, "Looking out for your benefit from the very start... although, I like that. It\'s much easier to have a conversation with someone whose intentions are known."
"So?" Adam prodded, "Why do you love to keep us in suspense? Maybe you\'ll tell me the essence of your request?"
Dereris sighed... well if she could even sigh, but there was a sound.
"As I mentioned before, my full awakening requires a tremendous amount of energy, and finding someone compatible with me will be extremely difficult. Even Veronica, your mother, didn\'t have a high enough compatibility with darkness."
"Yes, I\'ve heard about that. However, Dereris, even with all my confidence in my abilities, I can\'t provide you with the same level of energy as my wives and... um, my mother. My talent in magic is extremely weak," Adam replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "So, you should have chosen Veronica instead of me. She would be interested in awakening a dragon."
"Well, partly you\'re right," Dereris replied, but there was weariness in her tone. Adam raised an eyebrow upon hearing the next words, "I once met her, but at that time, we met as a dead body and a living, curious demon... she was trying to study my body and even dissected it..."
"..."
To be continued...