Chapter 153: Spoils

Watching the two of them gnaw stubbornly at the crystal, Phield’s face darkened with exasperation. "You two are really something else."

Why was it that every Divine Chosen in Nightfall Domain was so... "intelligent"?

"Now the problem is—how do we get her out?" Phield frowned. "If we ignore her, the moment we leave, she might escape, and all this will be for nothing. But if we guard her, who knows when she’ll come out on her own."

Ashina raised her weapon without hesitation. "We could just smash it to pieces. One less potential threat."

"Her divine artifact has already disintegrated. If we kill her now, we won’t even get any loot," Rosalia fanned herself lazily with her hand. "I’ve worked this hard—I can’t just walk away empty-handed. Besides, no power is eternal. Her defensive state will eventually collapse. We can afford to wait."

Phield nodded slightly. Compared to a potential risk, a collared, mature maid-type beauty was far more appealing.

After some discussion, the three decided to take her back, with Rosalia carrying her for easier supervision.

"Let’s search the area. Since she used this as a base, there must be something special here."

After a thorough search, they found Ophelia’s hidden chamber. It was located on the first level of the ruined pass—a relatively intact room, clean and orderly, even decorated with several corrupted plants of a strange aesthetic.

"There’s a treasure chest. I smell money. Wait—more than one." Ashina’s eyes lit up as she sniffed the air, quickly locating chests hidden in a secret passage.

"As expected of you!" Rosalia immediately gave her a thumbs-up.

They dragged out the absurdly heavy chests and opened them.

"Wow... golden legend."

The dazzling glow nearly blinded them—an entire chest filled with gold coins, mixed with various jewels, magic scrolls, and graded weapons.

"Damn, we’re rich. Let me count this."

Ignoring the gold and jewels for now: five Tier 3 magic scrolls, twenty-three Tier 2 magic scrolls, and one Tier 3 longsword.

Even Rosalia, well-traveled as she was, couldn’t help but gasp repeatedly, her tone tinged with envy. "Tier 3 items are extremely rare. Even at the height of the Starnight family, Tier 3 weapons were reserved only for the strongest. I never even had one."

Taking out the longsword, they examined it closely. The blade was slender, made of a material they had never seen before—possibly mithril, as described in ancient texts. Weapons forged from mithril dealt terrifying damage to spirits and supernatural beings.

Looking carefully, they saw engraved words on the guard: Silver Key.

The blade itself was etched with intricate patterns so complex they were dizzying to look at, giving it an exceptionally elegant appearance.

"Hmm... pity we don’t have a master blacksmith. Otherwise, we could identify its abilities," Phield said, giving it a light swing. The air split with a crisp tearing sound. "Very good. Store it in the warehouse for now."

"There are two more chests inside, but they’re smaller."

Ashina crawled into the hidden passage, stretching herself to reach them. Only half her body remained outside, her hips swaying back and forth, her snow-white tail flicking along. The movement caused subtle ripples along her legs, making it rather... distracting.

"Someone can’t take his eyes off her."

Rosalia teased.

"Correct. I’m honest about it!" Phield replied without shame.

"Perverted lord!" Ashina dragged the two chests out, her face flushed red. "Next time, I’m never doing treasure hunting again."

Completely unfazed, Phield patted her head. "There, there. We don’t stoop to the level of bad women."

"Okay!" Ashina nodded obediently.

"You two..." Rosalia fumed. "He’s clearly the one being shameless. Simp!"

"I’m a wolf!" Ashina shot back confidently.

They opened one of the smaller chests. Inside lay a beautifully crafted pink orb.

"It’s a divine artifact!" Ashina exclaimed, then immediately lost interest. "Not from the Goddess of Winter. No one in Nightfall Domain can use it."

Only Divine Chosen of the corresponding goddess could use such artifacts, so neither of them could.

"Then it’s mine." Phield didn’t hesitate. He pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto it. Instantly, its abilities appeared in his mind.

Divine Gift: Orb of Life (Tier 1 Divine Artifact, Single-Use)

Origin: Goddess of Life

Effect: Heals all injuries, restores the body to peak condition, and extends lifespan by 100 years (single-use, shatters after use).

"Holy shit!"

There were many treasures in this world that could extend lifespan, but they were incredibly rare. Even though he was still young, what noble would ever complain about living longer?

Phield nodded in satisfaction. "It also restores injuries. I’ll save it for when I’m wounded—maximize its value."

"With me around, you’ll never have the chance to get injured."

Rosalia flicked her hair proudly, deliberately brushing her golden strands across Phield’s face.

"Don’t jinx it."

Phield brushed the hair aside helplessly and immediately started spouting nonsense like "I’ll retire after this battle."

Finally, they opened the last chest. It was empty—except for a single map.

"A treasure map." Phield looked it over, then complained, "Who has the time to draw these things all day? What’s the point?"

"But it’s interesting, isn’t it?" Rosalia leaned in to read. "It says: contains the technology of the Subterranean High Elves. Wait... Subterranean High Elves?"

The two Divine Chosen exchanged glances.

"Burn it. It’s definitely something demonic."

"The word ’demonic’ coming from you, Rosalia, is oddly ironic." Phield chuckled, then asked, puzzled, "Why do you both react like that when you hear ’Subterranean High Elves’?"

Ashina shook her head. "My Divine Chosen inheritance tells me they are a blasphemous existence. They were cursed beyond imagination. The farther away from them, the better."

"Yes," Rosalia added. "They were obsessed with technological advancement. They treated Divine Chosen within their own race as experimental subjects, trying to create an invincible machine capable of killing gods. They even banned magic entirely."

"They all died out 750 years ago. Overnight, every Subterranean High Elf vanished completely. It could only have been the work of the gods."

"Human ancestors even explored their cities. The meals were still warm—but the people were gone. They disappeared into thin air, as if they had evaporated."

"...That’s terrifying," Phield muttered. "But that’s ancient history. I’ll store the map for now."