Chapter 297 Opening the Storehouse
Jack, Bowzer, Tralon, and Argyle soon left the beaten path and started to walk through the thickest, jungle-like forests of Trodar. Any ordinary citizen would steer clear of the area since it was filled with beasts over lv. 20 and sometimes lv. 30. However, these men weren't ordinary in the slightest.
With the flick of a wrist, both Argyle and Tralon would swat away any beast who dared approach them.
After another twenty minutes of walking and shooing away wild beasts, the party came to a halt. Argyle looked in awe. Tralon was beaming with pride. Jack had nostalgia oozing off of him. They were all looking at the sealed entrance of the Leisure Guild's storehouse, their private, artificial dungeon.
"This is it… I finally get to crack open its doors…" Argyle couldn't contain his enthusiasm. "Hey Tralon, did you know that the whole reason I fell in love with raiding dungeons was because of this place?"
"Really?" Jack was surprised by the sincerity of Argyle's sudden comment.
"Why's that?" Tralon asked with a smile.
"The first time I came to Trodar I was about Jack's age. I somehow trekked the deserts of Sandros and found my way here. When I stumbled upon this place on my way to Gilga, I wasn't sure what to think of it," Argyle explained.
"Growing up poor in Sandros, I heard plenty of stories about Trodar's past glory and wealth. But only after I get here did I find out how proud the Trodan people were, and they had good reason.
"They were proud to have the oldest guild in Kartonia, despite its loss of power, as well as the oldest, wisest guild master. They were proud of their history because unlike every other country they were founded by ancient heroes, one of which ranked among the greatest in all of history."
Argyle turned to Jack with a smile. "When I snuck my wife away on our first date, we came here. That's when I learned that not only was it an ancient dungeon, but that it was created by the founder of the Leisure Guild as a means to protect their many treasures. The pride in her eyes was contagious, that's why we stayed together and this had become a little getaway of ours."
Unsure if they should say anything, Jack and Tralon both looked to each other as Argyle continued.
"After seeing this sealed dungeon filled with ancient treasures so many times, how could I not dream of opening it up and exploring what had remained sealed since Ancient Kartonia? It may have been every adventurer's dream at one point, but that was the only way I could think of to gain approval from my father-in-law… To become stronger than him and prove that I could provide enough income to reestablish their declining nobility."
"Wow… I didn't know you had such a soft side," Jack joked.
"Everyone does at some point." Argyle sighed, "It's just too bad Lizbet couldn't live long enough to see me steal away some of your treasures, huh Jack?"
"Lizbet?"
"She's your mother-in-law."
"Oh… Then it is sad. I'm sure I would've gotten along with her. She wouldn't blackmail me like her husband," Jack chuckled.
"Are you still mad about that?"
"... No… Thank you, Argyle."
The swordsman proudly smiled. "I told you so."
"Yeah…"
"Anyway, shall we enter?" Tralon stepped forward.
"I'm guessing you've got the key."
"Yes, Jack, I've got the key. Till we get out, I'll have to leave it open. Honestly, that's the biggest flaw in your design, in my opinion," chuckled Tralon.
"It wouldn't be any fun if no one else was able to access it," Jack laughed. "Back then, we had more than enough guild members to monitor the place and keep unwanted thieves out."
'We also gave them all false hope, since the vault only opens to people over lv. 70, right Jack?'
Hearing Tralon's mental message, Jack snickered, 'So you did remember that… Another reason why you were fine with Argyle coming.'
'It's quite a devilish tactic. You placed a vault at the end of a dungeon that only let's people in under lv. 70, yet the vault will only open to people lv. 70 or higher. Hence, your creation of that ring, a loophole in your system,' Tralon kept his thoughts between Jack and himself. He didn't dare mention this out loud for the spies to hear.
Jack only kept laughing, not responding. The true reason behind the creation of that dungeon was an achievement. Jack only placed it on top of the storehouse, which half acted as Jack's extended storage, and created the lv. 70 paradox because he was bored.
Argyle eagerly walked behind Tralon, who retrieved a large, ancient key.
The key glistened yet had no sheen. Its material was strange and unknown to almost everyone in Modern Kartonia.
To create the dungeon, Jack went through the trouble of gathering heaping amounts of roxite, an ancient, black mineral denser than iron. It had an unusual texture when carved or crafted with, creating that lustrous yet unpolished sheen on the ancient key.
The giant black doors were covered in undergrowth, completely overrun by vines and tree roots over the past millennia.
As Tralon approached the side of the doors he uncovered the keyhole from the surrounding foliage and carefully placed the key inside. When the key was turned, a brilliant light was released around the edges of the great doors, destroying all fauna and plant life that had overwhelmed them in the past one thousand years.
Now seeing the intricate details of the door and its unrivaled craftsmanship, Argyle couldn't help but smile. "Finally…"
Tralon then removed the key and walked to the center of the two doors, standing still for thirty seconds.
Suddenly, the doors began to open bit by bit. This happened whenever the doors were unlocked and someone would properly wait for the doors to respond to their presence. They would even close behind the party, ensuring that no beasts or mobs from inside would be able to get out.
"Amazing…"
Argyle felt like he was a kid again. He had raided many tombs before, but none of them were quite like this. Most tombs had a simple entrance and didn't bother trying to contain what was inside, as well as a straightforward theme.
The storehouse dungeon was obviously man-made. That was clear by the expert carvings in the doors alone. And the level cap was an unusual thing for dungeons too, not to mention the mystery behind the dungeon's rumored "unpredictable" layout.
But what Argyle was most curious about wasn't even the loot that was waiting inside the vault. Argyle wanted to know how Jack, a mortal man, had managed to effectively create a dungeon with its own thriving ecosystem so that it wouldn't need outside management to maintain. The amount of effort it would take to make such a thing… It baffled Argyle.
While Tralon watched the doors open with a smile and Argyle's mouth was agape in awe, Jack and Bowzer stepped into the doorway. "Are you coming, or not?"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Argyle dashed in, making sure he was the first of the party to officially enter the storehouse.
"I'll make sure not to slow you down," Tralon joked as he walked alongside Jack into the dark cave system before them.
Thirty more seconds passed and the doors began to slowly but steadily close.
Not too far away, a few prying eyes watched the doors reseal themselves. "Lord Quallace, they've entered the storehouse and the doors are still unlocked."
"Good… Anything else I should know?" replied Quallace.
"Tralon stood in front of the doors for thirty seconds and then the doors opened up by themselves. After another thirty seconds, they started to close."
"And what about Argyle? Did you enter too? Quallace asked.
"He was the first one to dash in."
Quallace chuckled to himself, "That's good to hear. Thank you, you may return to your usual duties."
"Yes, Lord Quallace."
Taking out his crystal yet again, Quallace informed his fellow council members that he was about to arrive and that the plan was a go.