Chapter 575: The Sealed Spell Map (2)

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Julius reflected on how Ji Chen had aided him in securing victory during the war and had exposed the Deep Sea Church’s hidden threat. He had also generously compensated most of the troops for their efforts.

Offering a modest bonus or additional reward as a token of appreciation is not a challenging task.

This request was entirely feasible.

“It can be done, but what kind of reward should we give?”

Monica answered eagerly, “For example, we could grant Lord Ji Chen control over several towns near Fish Tail Island. I’ve been to the Crown of the Ocean, and Lord Ji Chen has shown great talent in governing territories. 1 believe he can make these towns even more prosperous!”

When Julius heard this, his eye twitched suddenly.

He had a complex expression and sighed.

“Daughter, in the history of the Grand Duchy, non-noble families have never been granted such a high degree of autonomy over land. When I previously granted Fish Tail Island to Lord Ji Chen, many nobles expressed their dissatisfaction. If we grant control over several towns as well, it may lead to even more discontent…”

“I see…”

Monica’s face was filled with disappointment, and even her eyes dimmed, which made Julius somewhat flustered. He quickly tried to console her.

“I fully agree to grant him more reward, but it should be something other than additional land.”

“Really?”

Monica became more attentive and asked in a hushed tone, her eyes revealing a touch of doubt.

Julius, seeing this, vigorously patted his chest and assumed the role of a reliable father. “Of course, after all, I am the Grand Duke. 1 can afford such a reward!”

Monica’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “Let Ji Chen pick a few things from the warehouse.”

“No…” Julius was about to instinctively refuse, but he held back, feeling somewhat trapped.

The Valencia family’s warehouse was filled with a vast amount of gold, silver, rare resources, and precious treasures collected over hundreds, even thousands of years. Even he hesitated to use them, let alone give them away.

Julius quickly realized that he had fallen into a trap as he saw the mischievous look in Monica’s eyes.

Well, this was a clever setup by his dear daughter!

Seeing her father’s realization, Monica immediately employed her playful tactics, hugging Julius’s arm, which was thicker than her leg, and swaying it gently.

“Father-, you’ve already agreed to grant him a reward other than towns-, you can’t go back on your word!”

In the eyes of outsiders, Grand Duke Julius, who was majestic and brave enough to fight lions and tigers barehanded, had no resistance when faced with his daughter’s cute act. His stern lion-like face gradually softened.

Finally, he could only sigh heavily.

“At most, only two items!”

Monica suddenly beamed with joy, jumping up and down with excitement.

“Father, you’re the best!”

Julius had an extremely complicated expression, and the emotions in his eyes were so complex that they could be charted as a pie chart.

His daughter, whom he had raised with his own hands, now even had him wrapped around her little finger. It truly saddened this old father.

He couldn’t bring himself to hit her, and he couldn’t bring himself to scold her. In the end, he could only glare angrily at Ji Chen.

Ji Chen looked at Julius suddenly glaring at him and felt puzzled.

What’s going on? What did I do to provoke him?

The two of them quickly approached, and Monica generously said, “Lord Ji Chen, my father said that as a token of our gratitude for helping us uncover the Deep Sea Church, he is willing to let you choose two items from the Valencia Family’s treasury as our thanks.”

Ji Chen’s eyebrows twitched, his interest piqued.

“Oh, this is rather embarrassing. I just did what I could.”

If he was truly embarrassed, he could decline, Julius rolled his eyes internally but still managed to force a reluctant smile under Monica’s suggestive gaze.

“This is our way of expressing our gratitude to you. Please don’t refuse again.”

A faint curve appeared at the corner of Ji Chen’s mouth. He could actually get two items for free? In that case, he wouldn’t be polite.

“Please follow me.”

After saying that, Monica couldn’t wait to lead the way, which made Julius roll his eyes once again. This daughter of his was beyond salvation. Where was the intelligence and rationality she had displayed earlier? Why did it disappear when facing this guy?

And another thing, was it really a good idea to bring an outsider to take items from their own family’s treasure trove?

The Valencia Family’s treasury was located within the palace and was heavily guarded by numerous guards. It had very strict rune mechanisms and magical seals in place, making it impenetrable even to a fly.

However, this was not a problem in front of the current Grand Duke. Julius directly bypassed the security layers and arrived at the door of the underground treasury. Using a certain passphrase, spells, and keys, he opened the door and led Ji Chen inside.

Inside was a spacious domed space, with dozens of intricately carved stone columns supporting the topmost stained glass dome, through which some source of light projected a colorful and vibrant spectrum.

In the radiant glow, countless piles of gold coins, enough to make a dragon’s heart race, filled nearly one-fifth of the enormous storage room.

Ji Chen glanced at it with mild surprise before shifting his gaze to the other side, where rows of wooden shelves displayed various treasures and rare items.

Julius pointed in that direction, saying with a touch of annoyance, “Go ahead and pick two items, but remember, only two!”

Ji Chen nodded and walked confidently toward the shelves, starting to inspect them row by row.

As the ruling family of Lienhardt for over a thousand years, the Valencia Family’s treasury contained many rare treasures rarely seen in the outside world.

With just a cursory glance, Ji Chen found no less than five 4 to 5-star treasures, several high-level spell scrolls, potent alchemical potions, and more. Any item taken from here would undoubtedly arouse the fervor and competition among players.

Among them were also some high-level military recruitment camp cores and rare building blueprints.

Ji Chen glanced briefly at a few recruitment camp cores but quickly lost interest. These cores were either land-based units or unsuitable for the Ocean Crown, rendering them useless to him.

Taking a cursory look, he stopped in front of a wooden shelf in the middle of the third row. He gazed at an item on the third tier.

It was a roll of silk exuding a faint magical aura. From the exposed side, one could see intricate runic patterns and unfamiliar, archaic inscriptions etched in golden threads.

Julius leaned over to take a look and suddenly realized.

He spoke in a relaxed tone, “This is a spell map, but it has been sealed for centuries because no one could unlock it.

It was probably created by a powerful ancient figure, maybe to record the location of some treasure or a specific relic. It has been lying here for so long without anyone being able to unlock it. If you forcibly break the seal, it will likely be damaged.”

Ji Chen picked up the map, a glint of interest in his eyes.

[Sealed Spell Map]

[Level]: Special

[A mysterious map that, if the seal is unlocked, may reveal its secrets.]

“Ding- Detected an item in your backpack that can unlock the seal.”

Ji Chen was slightly stunned and felt a surge of joy in his heart.

Well, it was quite a coincidence that he happened to have something capable of unlocking the map’s seal, wasn’t it?

“The first item is this!” Ji Chen declared confidently.

Julius was taken aback, wearing a peculiar expression. “Are you sure about this?”

Ji Chen nodded calmly. “Of course, I believe this item is destined for me.”

“Lord Ji Chen, if you can’t unlock the seal on this map, it will be of no use. Perhaps you should choose something else,” Monica said anxiously.

Ji Chen shook his head, but Julius furrowed his brows in response and spoke with a deep voice.

“If you think I would feel resentful or hostile towards you for talcing something valuable from here, then you are mistaken. It’s only two items, Yurius Valencia can afford that.”

Ji Chen was slightly astonished and somewhat amused. He replied, “Your Grace, I really didn’t choose this item for that reason. 1 have a way to unlock the seal on this map.”

“You have a way to unlock it?” Julius was skeptical, but seeing Ji Chen’s honest expression, he slowly nodded.

“Since you’re certain, I won’t say more about it. Let’s proceed to choose the second item now..”

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