Ace and Zaria, two shadows weaving between pillars of carved obsidian, slipping past dormant sigils and empty guard posts.
When Ace had entered the castle previously, he had already remembered the layout of the castle through the Live Fate Map, for he already had such thoughts about stealing from this place if he got a chance like this.
Although the location of the treasury was hidden, Ace had already spotted a space where the chances of the treasuryās location were highest. Moreover, with the lessened security of the castle, they were easily able to move around as long as they didnāt cause any commotion.
As they advanced through the labyrinthine corridors of Khazarās stronghold, each step synchronized, each pause calculated to the heartbeat. To anyone watching, the corridors were empty.
Ace had to admit that, despite Zariaās first time participating in a theft, she seemed quite organized and expert at sneaking around, and he was urged to question her but kept his curiosity to himself.
After he wasnāt here with his actual body, and with one mishap, he might draw the attention of not only the Khazar but the Dread Duchess if she had already arrived in the city.
At that moment, Ace looked at Zaria and nodded, and, as if understanding his intent, her eyes shimmered with a hint of resolve.
Her hand flicked subtly, casting a thin line of amber spirit Qi, and the moment that Qi came in contact with the surroundings, invisible runes across the floor suddenly surfaced!
Ace was amazed,
āSo she wasnāt bragging when she said she has a trick to discover the concealed runes. Well, I guess itās related to her secret background within the Runic King Crown Palace, and she isnāt an alchemist for show, and might be a rune crafter! This technique seemed to be very good for mapping wards and bypassing traps...ā
Ace thought as he secretly decided to exchange pointers on rune crafting with Zaria, hoping to learn these kinds of secrets.
Although he was a Primordial Arcanist, it didnāt mean he knew all the special techniques related to runes; it just gave him a huge advantage to learn anything related to runes without any limits.
But Zaria was getting started as if she wanted to show off in front of Ace. She flickered her wrist, and within a second, she dismantled a layer of defense that should have taken a team of formation expertsā hours to crack!
"Youāre really hiding too well. I guess I was worried about nothing."
Ace smiled wryly while he ghosted behind her.
"This is still nothing. If this damn abyssal Qi didnāt suppress me, or if these were the heavenly runes, I wouldnāt even need to waste my spirit Qi to disarm them.
"Although these Abyssal Runes seemed different and used Abyssal Qi instead of Spirit Qi, Iāve seen it, and the difference between the Abyssal Runes and Heavenly Runes is just the type of Qi and slightly altered rune language.
"As long as you are a 6-Star Spirit Runic Crafter or above, it wonāt take a genius to figure out that the origins of these two runes are almost similar. However, it is still not easy to craft with Abyssal Runes without thoroughly studying them. If I get the chance, I would like to study the Abyssal Rune Crafting and Abyssal Alchemy!"
Zaria casually remarked as she felt great about lecturing Ace.
Seeing Ace silently nodding in agreement, Zaria smirked. Still, her suppressed power was simmering beneath her skin, as it was clearly taking a toll on her to use such high-grade runic techniques under that terrifying suppression.
Nonetheless, she could feel her heart hammering faster, not from fear, but from exhilaration.
āSo, this is the thrill of the Thief this guy was ranting about.
ā She thought. ā
Risk, stealth...perfection in motion!ā
In her mind, she could almost hear Aceās words that he said to her in private,
"A thief doesnāt move against power.
"A thief moves before power even knows itās missing!"
With Zariaās newly unraveled abilities, they didnāt have any more trouble stealthily making their way towards the position where Ace thought the treasury was located.
However, the treasury of the Black Hermit City might await deep within the castleās core. Still, it would definitely not be left unguarded, and it would be highly likely to be sealed behind powerful formations and guarded by experts.
Ace and Zaria advanced deeper, their figures gliding through the descending halls like shadows poured from ink.
The castleās heart was a maze of shifting corridors and secret stairways, designed to disorient any intruder.
But Aceās memory was absolute as the Live Fate Map had already etched every turn, stair, and hidden pulse of spatial current into his mind.
Each intersection they passed, each rune-inscribed wall they brushed past, felt like a pattern heād already solved once before.
Even under the castleās oppressive energy, his perception remained razor-sharp, and Zaria kept up as well, but beneath her calm demeanor, a hint of exhaustion flickered.
After almost ten minutes of silent descent, they reached a narrow corridor slanting downward, ending before an unassuming wall of dull obsidian.
Ace halted, his eyes gleaming faintly. "I think this is it!"
"Thatās a wall." Zaria blinked, scanning the seemingly ordinary surface, but she didnāt jeer and released her law sense while casting a spell.
After a few moments, she smirked faintly. "Thereās a spatial deviation here. Albeit subtle, the air is bending around a central node by less than half a breath. Itās a hidden door!"
Ace no longer doubted Zariaās runic skills and only waited patiently as he watched her with interest. It was also a learning opportunity for him since Zariaās level of skills in rune crafting was higher than his.
Nonetheless, he was still on high alert, and if anything untoward happened, he would step in. After all, he had made special preparations when he decided to tag along with Zaria.
At this moment, Zaria placed her palm lightly against the wall. Her amber eyes brightened as a thin ripple of her spirit Qi spread outward.
Within moments, countless faint lines and glyphs began surfacing; they were dense, intertwined, and almost invisible to the naked eye.
"A layered rune sequence," She muttered under her breath. "Upper Ascension Grade-6 defensive array reinforced by a masking ward... clever. The main trigger isnāt even in the wall, itās buried beneath it!"
She crouched, fingers weaving in a complex rhythm. Lines of glowing amber Qi traced the runes, cutting through them one by one. Each flick of her wrist unraveled another circuit in the formation, turning what once glowed with deadly power into harmless dust.
Ace watched in silence, eyes narrowing with appreciation.
The precision, the elegance, Zaria worked like a master craftsman. Every movement was steady, deliberate, and flawless.
After only a minute, the final rune dimmed, and a faint tremor rippled through the corridor!