Mithril Treasury

The mysterious woman wearing a veil paused slightly upon hearing Gawain's subconscious words, blinking with a touch of confusion. "My name is Melita Pernia. Perhaps the pronunciation isn't quite common in the Northern Kingdoms..."

Gawain quickly reined in his wandering thoughts. "Oh, apologies. Don't mind me, it's my pronunciation that's off."

He then cleared his throat twice, trying to adopt a more serious demeanor (and perhaps salvage the atmosphere). "So, Miss Agent from the Mithril Treasury, what brings you here so late at night, and through a window, no less?"

The woman leaped down from the windowsill and approached Gawain. "Coming through the window was a necessity. After all, we don't know how many eyes are watching this place right now, and the item you left in the Mithril Treasury is designated 'Top Secret.' According to the agreement from back then, whether depositing or withdrawing, the process must be kept confidential."

As she spoke, she gazed at Gawain with eyes that emitted a faint purple glow in the darkness. Although her veiled face concealed her expression, her eyes clearly held a look of scrutiny.

Gawain's mind was already racing.

He knew of the Mithril Treasury—or rather, his memories contained records related to it.

The Mithril Treasury wasn't some clandestine organization. In fact, the vast majority of intelligent beings in this world were aware of its existence, yet at the same time, not a single person dared claim to understand its true nature.

On the surface, it was a comprehensive vault. It could store your money or safeguard your treasures. As long as you paid a sufficient fee, you could entrust anything to them without worry. At least, that's what the Mithril Treasury advertised, and indeed, to this day, there were no reports of anything entrusted to them going missing. Simultaneously, the Mithril Treasury also offered loan services. They had countless branches and agents throughout the world, and anyone who met their credit standards could easily find them and borrow money or other things. Just remember two things: first, how much you can borrow depends entirely on the Mithril Treasury's "rating" of you, a standard they've never publicly disclosed; second, you must repay.

The Mithril Treasury ensured that every single copper coin they lent out was recovered, with both principal and interest.

Just as no one had ever heard of items entrusted to the Mithril Treasury being lost, no one had ever heard of anyone evading their debts. It was said that a cunning Fire Elemental Lord once attempted to challenge this rule. Although elemental beings didn't require money, this unconventional elemental lord borrowed a substantial sum from the Mithril Treasury and then returned to the elemental plane, ready to mock the mortal world. However, it eventually repaid all its debts.

Three days after the repayment deadline, the core and elemental fragments of this elemental lord appeared at an auction in the Northern Kingdoms. the money raised from the auction precisely covered his total debt and late fees.

This demonstrated that the Mithril Treasury didn't just deal with humans. In fact, it transacted with all intelligent races in the world. As long as there was a financial need, they were potential clients. This even included the enigmatic Elves of the south and the rock-hard Dwarves of the west. (It was rumored that Mithril Treasury outposts could even be found in Kobold caves.) No one knew if this organization was founded by humans, Elves, or some other race. Regardless, it had always existed, and even the Magic Tide seven hundred years ago hadn't disrupted its operations. In fact, its loans played a part in the establishment of the Ansu Kingdom, though Charles I eventually repaid the money.

The treasury agent continued to observe Gawain with curiosity. Gawain, meanwhile, swiftly organized the chaotic thoughts in his mind. He realized that this unexpected visitor's arrival tonight was likely related to a transaction from seven hundred years ago. The Gawain Cecil of that time was clearly a client of the Mithril Treasury, but the critical issue was...

He had no memory of it!

Gawain had no idea what the Cecil ancestor of seven hundred years ago had deposited in the Mithril Treasury!

As his thoughts raced, he instinctively wanted to fabricate an excuse to cover his memory lapse. But just as the words were about to leave his lips, he noticed the discerning gaze of the "My Little Pony" lady. A thought struck him, and he forcefully suppressed the fib he was about to utter.

This woman was shrouded in mystery. Before he knew her background, he needed to minimize variables. Lying could be problematic, as some special races possessed unique talents that could detect falsehoods.

He calmed himself and looked into Melita's eyes. "What did I deposit back then?"

"You don't remember?" Melita's eyes curved slightly, as if she were smiling. "Perhaps because you've been asleep for too long?"

"I slept for seven hundred years; I probably did forget a few things," Gawain tapped his head. "Say, even if the client passes away, do you still keep their deposited items?"

"Under normal circumstances, the client's passing signifies the termination of the deposit agreement. Afterward, the deposited item would be handled in one of two ways: if there were clear heirs designated, we would hand it over to them. If there were no legal heirs, the item would belong to the Mithril Treasury," Melita was genuinely smiling and raised her hand slightly. A delicate small safe box appeared in her hand out of thin air. "However, the item you deposited back then was very special. You specifically purchased an indefinite storage service for it, meaning it would be stored permanently as long as the Mithril Treasury remained operational, and only you could retrieve it."

As she spoke, she added, "You paid a considerable price for this service back then. When news of your death reached us, we thought it would become a troublesome bad debt, but it seems nothing is set in stone."

Gawain frowned, realizing the complexity of this matter might exceed his initial expectations.

But now was not the time to dwell on that. He needed to retrieve the item first before he could make any further judgments.

"Can I get my item back?"

"It is indeed a bit troublesome that you don't remember the deposit agreement from back then, but please rest assured, the Mithril Treasury has encountered all sorts of issues and has ample experience to face any unexpected circumstances," Melita held the safe box with both hands. "Memory is a minor problem. Please place your hand on this rune; these ancient enchantments will naturally verify your identity."

Gawain pondered for two seconds, simultaneously activating his Knight class's "Danger Sense" talent. He didn't sense any threatening aura from the safe box, nor did the rune itself exhibit any fluctuations of curses, poison, or other negative energies. After confirming this, he placed his hand on the rune, which resembled a claw print.

A slight warmth spread from his skin, and with a click, the small safe box's lid popped open a fraction.

"That's it?" Gawain asked, somewhat surprised.

Melita smiled. "Maximizing client convenience is the guiding principle of the Mithril Treasury. This helps clients settle their bills more easily—of course, your bill was settled seven hundred years ago."

With that, she fully opened the box and handed it to Gawain. He looked down, only to find a crystal that had lost its luster inside.

Wait, this crystal looks a bit familiar?

Gawain temporarily suppressed his surprise and looked up at Melita. "By the way, why did you choose to find me now? Was that also part of the agreement from the transaction?"

"No, that wasn't," Melita shook her head gently. "We also needed some time to verify your resurrection. Originally, I planned to meet you on your way to the capital, but your route was truly... rather unconventional. I didn't know what plans you had in motion, so I decided to wait for you here in the capital. And incidentally, I've been waiting here for quite some time. The price of rice in the capital is quite high, and rent isn't cheap either—but since you're a VIP client, I won't charge you for these expenses."

Gawain: "..."

Then what was the point of mentioning it!

Gawain turned his head and said faintly, "The price of rice in the capital is indeed very expensive, and the guard I keep has a huge appetite. You injured me this time, and recovering will likely incur considerable expenses. I won't charge you for that either."

Melita: "..."

The "My Little Pony" lady seemed to force a stiff smile twice. Since she was veiled, it was impossible to tell for sure. Finally, she shook her head and handed him something. "Then, Mr. Gawain Cecil, this transaction has been successfully completed. And as a VIP client of the Mithril Treasury, you will receive a gift."

Gawain took it curiously and found it was a silver-white ring. "What is this?"

"The Mithril Ring. Every VIP client receives one after their first transaction. Through it, you can contact your exclusive agent, your VIP specialist, at any time. If you encounter any financial difficulties in the future, or if you have treasures that need safekeeping, you can contact me directly. Of course, for general small-scale services, you can also take this ring to the nearest Mithril Treasury branch; it will grant you many discounts."

After saying that, she turned and walked towards the window she had entered through.

Gawain held up the ring in his hand. "Then I hope I never have to borrow money from you."

Melita had already stepped onto the windowsill. Hearing Gawain's words, she turned and smiled. "Believe me, Mr. Gawain, everyone can encounter financial difficulties. The Mithril Treasury's doors are always open to clients in distress."

Gawain waved his hand upon hearing this speech, which sounded just like credit card promotions from his past life. "Alright, alright, I get it. Miss My Little Pony, you should hurry back. The price of rice here in the capital is quite high."

Melita's feet slipped, though it was unclear whether it was due to the price of rice or the "My Little Pony" comment. However, she didn't look back this time and simply vanished into thin air.

A moment later, her figure reappeared in a small attic on the top floor of the mansion.

This was a place where no one would typically disturb her, usually used for storing miscellaneous items. Now, however, it also contained bedding, pillows, pots, pans, and other necessities.

Melita hadn't lied; she had indeed waited here for a long time...

While packing her belongings, the agent shook her head. "Fortunately, the food is all your family's rice."