Far Too Suspicious

Duke Connor was originally a member of the Spirit Hall, so how could he not know the true origins of Sea Horse Douluo?

Inviting the other party to my home for drinks was nothing more than a trap set in advance, waiting for the other party to fall into it.

Faced with Sea Horse Douluo's persistent questioning, Duke Connor feigned doubt and said, "The Imperial Treasury is the private property of the Imperial Family. How could I have ever been there?"

"Brother Sea Horse, you must have misheard me. I never said such a thing."

These words confirmed to Sea Horse Douluo that the other party was completely drunk and had begun to talk nonsense.

Therefore, he changed his approach, avoiding mentioning the Imperial Treasury directly to avoid arousing Duke Connor's suspicion.

"Brother, I've heard that the Imperial Family has a National Treasure called the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud. Is it true?"

Duke Connor swayed and said, "It seems there is such a treasure. However, it is very special; its method of use has long been lost, and it is no different from an ordinary ornament. But for some reason, the Imperial Family left an ancestral instruction requiring all emperors to guard this item strictly."

Sea Horse Douluo guessed something.

Long ago, the Heaven Dou Royal Family obtained the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud and likely knew its true function. However, as time went by, it was gradually forgotten.

Alternatively, the Heaven Dou Royal Family may have known that this item was of great importance, and that if its true function were to become known to the outside world, it would inevitably cause unrest within the empire.

Over time, they selectively forgot the function of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud and established ancestral instructions for future emperors to guard this object.

This is not a good thing for Sea God Island. If Xue Qinghe knew the function and origin of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, Sea Horse Douluo could directly demand it from him based on Sea God Island's identity.

Now, Xue Qinghe is completely unaware of this and can only seek other methods.

Duke Connor was completely drunk and spoke recklessly, revealing many secrets of the Imperial Treasury.

For a moment, Sea Horse Douluo had a wicked idea.

There are many ways to obtain the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud during this trip.

The safest way is to join the Imperial Family, make great contributions to the Imperial Family, and then wait for Xue Qinghe to bestow the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud upon him.

However, this approach is too time-consuming. Tang San's assessment progress cannot be delayed, so Sea Horse Douluo cannot adopt a conservative strategy and must choose to take risks when necessary.

From Duke Connor, he roughly figured out the location of the Imperial Palace's treasure vault. However, he still didn't know the internal structure of the treasure vault, nor did he know where the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was stored.

It's important to understand that the Imperial Family Treasury is enormous. Getting inside is easy, but finding the desired treasures is not. Furthermore, the security measures the Imperial Family has implemented are extremely stringent. If someone manages to break in and cannot escape with the treasures quickly, they'll be trapped like a turtle in a jar by the time the Sword Bone Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Dugu Bo arrive.

After a brief exchange with Duke Connor, Sea Horse Douluo hurriedly left the Duke's Mansion, citing his inability to hold his liquor.

Watching his departing figure, Duke Connor, who had been drunk, became unusually sober.

"Heh, you thought you could get information out of me? Little did you know, all of this is what I wanted to tell you. Hurry up and act, don't let my plan go to waste."

Having obtained crucial intelligence, Sea Horse Douluo immediately sought out his Dog Head Strategist.

Upon hearing this, Tang Shang said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Treasury is heavily guarded. Without Xue Qinghe's written authorization, no one can enter. If we force our way in, we fear we will alert Sword Bone Douluo."

"Moreover, this operation can only be carried out by you alone. We will not only be unable to play any role, but we are more likely to make things worse."

Infiltrating the heavily guarded Royal Treasury is something that only Titled Douluo expert could accomplish.

The group of Soul Master brought by Sea Horse Douluo were certainly strong, but they were no match for the treasure vault guards. On the contrary, if anyone were captured, suspicion would immediately fall on them, and then no one would be able to escape.

"Later, I will take on a major mission from Xue Qinghe, and use that as an excuse to send you all out of Heaven Dou City. You should flee back to the Star Luo Empire as soon as possible. Once I obtain the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, I will rush to meet up with you."

Tang Shang pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Your Majesty's arrangements are excellent. But, does Your Majesty know the layout of the treasury's interior?"

"As Your Majesty wishes, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud is not very large to begin with, and the Imperial Treasury contains many small items. The most important thing is to find the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud in a short time."

"If the first operation fails, even if His Majesty escapes unharmed, it will be much more difficult to succeed again with the Imperial Family on guard."

This is also the problem that Sea Horse Douluo is most worried about.

Unfortunately, even when drunk, Duke Connor remained extremely sensitive to matters of principle, and he was unable to extract any information about the inner workings of the treasure vault.

Without a crucial layout map, entering the treasure vault is entirely a matter of luck.

Of course, conventionally speaking, National Treasure are usually displayed independently in the treasury, making them relatively easy to identify. But who can guarantee that the guards will always follow this conventional approach when managing the treasury?

After a pause, Tang Shang advised, "Your Majesty, if you are going to take action, it would be best to do so soon."

"I heard that Dugu Bo and Ning Fengzhi will soon be heading to the front lines to inspect the battle situation. After they leave, there will be no Titled Douluo- level combat power left in Heaven Dou City."

When Ning Fengzhi goes out, he will inevitably take one of the Sword Bone Douluo with him, and the remaining one will have to stay behind to guard the sect.

To avoid falling into the enemy's trap of luring them away from their stronghold, under normal circumstances, one of the Sword Bone Douluo who remains in the sect will not easily leave the sect.

As long as the enemy doesn't reach the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they won't care even if Heaven Dou City falls, and they certainly won't launch an attack.

For Sea Horse Douluo, this was indeed a good opportunity to infiltrate.

However, he felt something was amiss and couldn't help but ask, "Why did Dugu Bo and Ning Fengzhi choose this time to inspect the front lines? Aren't the arrival of the two sect Sect Master from major sects afraid of further escalating the situation on the continent?"

"Or perhaps, the two major sects only sent representatives to the front lines, instead of the two Sect Master themselves?"

Tang Shang shook his head and truthfully recounted the information he had gathered. "This matter was accidentally let slip by a core disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"There's been no word from the Imperial Court. It seems the two Sect Master are aware that this move will escalate the situation. This is likely a secret operation."

Sea Horse Douluo frowned. "Since it's a secret operation, how can we know if Ning Fengzhi and Dugu Bo have left?"

"I still feel there's something fishy about this."

Sea Horse Douluo was somewhat skeptical that someone was secretly orchestrating this.

Duke Connor was already at odds with Ning Fengzhi and Dugu Bo, so how could he possibly help them plot something?

Furthermore, Sea Horse Douluo never revealed his true intentions; his mention of the Imperial Treasury was more likely a display of his power.