Throne Of Supreme

Chapter 172: The Thirty-Sixth Treasure House

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"It's fine!" Aoki wiped his hands.

When experimenting with the Four Rakshasa demons, he could act without restraint, not having to worry about breaking them. But with Leone, he had to be more cautious.

Fortunately, Leone's imperial weapon, Lionel, granted her recovery abilities far beyond ordinary people. Without it, this experiment wouldn't have been possible.

Leone sat up, holding her stomach. "It feels weird having your thing moving around inside me."

Aoki shot her a glance. "For the record, it's a scalpel, not that thing."

"Hehehe!"

Leone burst into laughter and wrapped her arms around his neck. "So, did you find anything?"

Aoki nodded. "Your body has already shown signs of assimilation."

"Really? I don't feel anything." Leone patted her flat belly with curiosity. "How long do I have?"

Aoki replied, "At the current level of assimilation, it won't affect your life for now."

"Hehehe, then there's no need to worry!"

"However, it's best if you avoid getting injured. Once you're hurt, the rate of assimilation will increase rapidly. The more severe the injury, the faster the progress."

"Got it, got it!"

Leone leaned closer to Aoki, smiling. "Thanks for the hard work. Want a reward?"

Aoki ignored her, busy organizing the experimental data.

"Haha, I'm heading out!" Leone laughed and left with a victorious air.

Aoki glanced at her retreating figure and then looked away.

Despite her playful talk, Leone knew how to draw the line. She only flirted with people who would never take advantage of her.

"The changes in the body caused by imperial weapon assimilation are not entirely the same as those from consuming dangerous species' blood and flesh. Some aspects can be useful."

Aoki alternated between deep thought and scribbling notes in his notebook.

…

The Imperial Palace.

A heavy, oppressive atmosphere loomed in the air.

Armored guards stood like iron towers on either side of the road. Palace maids hurried by, a trace of panic on their faces. Yet, despite the tension, the palace remained in basic order.

After Minister Honest's death, there was a brief period of chaos in the imperial capital, including the palace. But General Budo quickly crushed all dissent with brutal efficiency.

Within a single day, many had been executed.

Although there was widespread discontent, everyone stayed silent in the face of Budo's power and the strength of the Guards.

In a quiet, unnoticed corner, a figure emerged silently.

Aoki scanned his surroundings, confirmed the coast was clear, and relaxed.

During his last visit to the palace, he had left several space markers behind, so this time he didn't need to enter from the sky.

Aoki oriented himself and began moving toward his destination.

"The security's much tighter now!"

However, with his previous experience, he had already mastered the palace's layout. The increased number of guards posed no threat to him.

Moving like a shadow, Aoki's figure darted from place to place. Under the cover of night, he passed close to the guards, who remained unaware of his presence.

Soon, Aoki arrived in front of a palace in the central area.

The guard detail around this particular palace was at an entirely different level.

This was one of the suspicious locations he had discovered during his last infiltration.

After reviewing Honest's memories, Aoki learned this wasn't the residence of an important figure but rather the empire's treasure house, where the royal family's wealth and treasures accumulated over thousands of years were stored.

Of course, before Honest's death, it had effectively become his private vault.

Although Honest was gone, the treasure house remained unaffected.

The palace was heavily guarded, with almost no blind spots, from the ground to the sky, making a normal infiltration impossible.

But for Aoki, this posed no problem.

Aoki's appearance shifted rapidly, transforming him into a middle-aged man with glasses and a somber expression.

The West Palace awaited.

The founder of the assassination unit, the minister's most trusted confidant, and one of the few people with access to the treasury.

Aoki walked confidently towards the palace.

Tap, tap, tap.

Steady footsteps echoed through the silent night.

All the guards immediately tensed up.

"Who's there?" one called out.

"It's me!" Aoki stepped out of the shadows.

"Master Nishimiya!"

The guard leader spoke respectfully.

"I'm here to pick up a few things," Aoki said, continuing to walk forward.

The guard leader hesitated and did not move aside, wearing a conflicted expression. "Master Nishimiya, you know about the recent assassin attempts. I..."

Aoki interrupted by tossing a token at him. "Here, take it."

The guard leader caught it and pulled out his own token, comparing the two. Their uneven edges fit together perfectly.

"The token is verified," the guard leader confirmed, handing it back.

Aoki, growing impatient, refused to take it. "Another token."

The guard leader finally relaxed, exchanged his token with Aoki's, and stepped aside.

"Master Nishimiya, please proceed."

Without acknowledging him, Aoki pocketed the token and walked straight inside.

Having accessed Honest's memories, Aoki knew the entire process for entering and exiting the treasure vault.

Only a select few are authorized to enter the vault, each possessing a unique token that matches the one held by the guards. After verification, the tokens are exchanged. Any deviation from the process would brand the person as an intruder.

It was a meticulous and careful system.

Unfortunately for them, Aoki had already extracted all of Honest's secrets.

Of course, it couldn't stay secret for long. The guard leader would have to report this. But Aoki only needed a little time.

Inside the treasure vault.

The hall was filled with countless boxes. Aoki opened one at random, and the dazzling gleam of gold immediately flooded his vision.

Gold!

The second box contained more gold.

The third box was filled with exquisite gems.

The vault housed not only the royal family's accumulated wealth but also much of what Honest had plundered over the years.

Without hesitation, Aoki transported all the boxes into his alternate space.

After clearing out the hall, he didn't leave. These were just worldly treasures. The true valuables weren't here.

Walking up to a pillar, Aoki grabbed the dragon-shaped ornament and twisted it lightly.

Crack!

The innermost wall split open, revealing a hidden passage.

Aoki approached.

It wasn't surprising to find a secret room in the treasure vault. In fact, it would have been strange if there wasn't one.

After passing through the passage, Aoki entered a smaller, airtight room. It contained fewer items than the outer hall and had an eerie atmosphere.

Here were strange-shaped rocks and metals that emitted an unusual glow.

Black Demon Stone, Ohara Steel... Yes, these were the rare materials used to create imperial weapons. Relics from a thousand years ago, long extinct in the present world.

There were also ancient books recording secret techniques, though most were incomplete.

Aoki wasn't sure how useful these things would be, but he decided to take them all. Better to have them than to leave them behind.

The area within his alternate space was more than large enough to hold everything.

Imperial weapons had once been stored here as well, but they had all been distributed long ago. No luck in getting his hands on any of those.

After emptying the hidden room, Aoki discovered another mechanism in the corner.

When he pressed the button, a hidden passage opened in the floor, with a staircase descending into what seemed like an endless abyss.

"They hid this well," Aoki murmured.

Without hesitation, he stepped into the passage.

Secret rooms within secret rooms.

Without access to Honest's memories, this place would have been nearly impossible to find.

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T/N: There is a patreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early access of 40 chapters.

Patreon link:- patreon.com/ANelite

And also:

Imperial weapon = Teigu

Teigu = Imperial weapon