Eternal Night: Building an Empire from Scratch

Edgar followed Gordon through several long corridors before they reached a large stone staircase descending beneath the castle.

The further they went, the colder the air became, while the sound of their footsteps echoed through the narrow passage.

"This place goes quite deep." Edgar glanced at the walls as they descended. "How old is this castle?"

Gordon shook his head. "Nobody knows exactly, my lord, but the Yamhad Clan has occupied it for generations."

They eventually reached a massive iron door where several knights were standing nearby, guarding the entrance.

The moment they noticed Edgar, they immediately stepped aside.

Gordon walked toward the door and pulled out a heavy key.

"According to the records, only the ruling family and a few trusted people were allowed inside."

The lock clicked, and with a deep metallic groan, the enormous door slowly opened.

Edgar stepped inside, and the sight of the items inside made his eyes widen slightly.

"...That’s quite a lot."

The treasury was much larger than he had expected.

Rows of wooden chests filled the enormous chamber, while several shelves contained neatly arranged items.

There were stacks of gold and silver coins, Nightmare Stones, precious metals, weapons, magical materials, and countless other objects.

The faint glow of enchanted crystals illuminated everything from above.

Gordon walked beside him. "The Northern Sect managed to take some of the wealth when they captured the castle, but they didn’t have enough time to empty everything."

Edgar slowly walked toward one of the chests.

He opened it, and old coins immediately filled his vision.

Another chest contained ores and ancient-looking stones that glowed gently.

Edgar picked up one of the stones and held it toward the light. "...These should be valuable."

Gordon nodded. "Very."

Edgar continued walking deeper into the treasury.

The more he saw, the more satisfied he became.

The Yamhad Clan had clearly accumulated wealth over several generations.

There were enough resources here to fund the development of Soragon Bazaar for quite some time.

But Edgar soon noticed something unusual.

He stopped in front of a large wooden chest sitting alone at the end of the chamber.

Unlike the other chests, it was covered in strange symbols.

"What is this?"

Gordon looked at it before shaking his head. "I don’t feel anything special from it."

Edgar raised an eyebrow. "The keys?"

"...We don’t have the key for it, my lord."

Gordon pointed toward the symbols carved across the surface.

"We assumed it belonged to the Yamhad Clan’s private collection."

Edgar stepped closer, and the moment his hand touched the chest, his system suddenly reacted.

A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.

---

⟨Unknown Treasure Chest⟩

Status: Sealed

Required: Yamhad Bloodline

---

Edgar’s expression changed slightly. ’...A seal created by blood?’

Gordon noticed his reaction. "Is something wrong?"

"...No."

Edgar slowly removed his hand. "It’s just locked."

Gordon frowned. "Can you open it?"

Edgar looked at the chest again. "Probably."

He didn’t explain how.

Instead, he stepped back and summoned one of his Invisible Sage Hands.

The invisible force wrapped around the chest.

Edgar slowly increased the pressure.

CRACK!

The wooden exterior immediately splintered.

The strange symbols began glowing, and Edgar’s expression became serious.

"...It’s resisting."

He increased the force again, making the entire treasury suddenly shake.

RUMBLE!

Gordon immediately reached for his sword. "What is happening?"

Edgar didn’t answer. His eyes remained on the symbols covering the chest, which became brighter and brighter.

Then a faint golden light appeared from between the cracks.

Edgar shouted, "Everyone, step back."

The knights immediately moved away as the chest suddenly exploded.

BOOM!

A wave of energy swept through the treasury.

Edgar raised his arm as the Heavenly Spirit Body appeared around him.

The golden translucent skeleton absorbed the impact.

When the dust finally settled, the broken chest lay scattered across the floor.

Something remained floating above it: a small golden object slowly rotating in the air.

Edgar walked closer. It was a crystal shaped like a human heart.

Its surface was covered in countless tiny golden lines.

Edgar stared at it for several seconds. "...What are you?"

The moment he reached toward it, another system screen appeared.

---

⟨Solar Crystal⟩

Grade: Unknown

Status: Inactive

Description: A fragment containing extremely pure Solar Energy.

Warning: Direct absorption is not recommended.

---

Edgar’s expression immediately became serious. ’Pure Solar Energy?’

His Solar Heart reacted almost instantly when he touched it.

Thump.

A faint golden glow spread beneath his skin, and the crystal trembled in response.

Gordon noticed the change and walked toward him. "My lord?"

Edgar quickly withdrew his hand, which made the crystal stop moving.

"...We’ll store this separately."

He carefully used his Invisible Sage Hands to place it inside a small metal container.

Whatever this thing was, Edgar wasn’t going to absorb it without understanding the consequences.

He turned toward the rest of the treasury. "How much of this belongs to the city?"

Gordon thought for a moment. "Most of the treasury technically belonged to the Yamhad Clan."

Edgar nodded, folding his arms as he looked around the place. "Then we’ll divide it."

Gordon looked surprised. "Divide it?"

"Yes."

Edgar pointed toward the mountains of coins and materials.

"Some of it will be used for the city’s development."

He then pointed toward several piles of valuable materials. "The rest will be transferred to my Fortress."

Gordon nodded immediately. "Understood."

Edgar looked around the enormous treasury one final time. His thoughts had already begun racing.

With the wealth from this place, the Church’s connections, the new blacksmiths, and the resources accumulating in his Fortress, his territory was finally becoming self-sufficient.

But there was still one major problem.

The Northern Sect was gone.

That meant he would need to keep Soragon Bazaar running along with his two other Fortresses.

Edgar slowly narrowed his eyes.

The thought didn’t frighten him, but it made a faint smile appear on his face.

’A pain in the ass, but I am sure I can work with it somehow.’

Edgar turned toward Gordon. "Let’s start moving the resources."

Gordon nodded. "Immediately?"

"Yes."

Edgar began walking toward the exit.

"Make sure we can bring some of it to our Fortress by tomorrow."

He glanced back at the treasury. "Oh, and we are going to stay here tonight."

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