Items by Rank

Inside the treasury of Anguo Temple's inner hall, Ying Ru Shi pulled a coil of Serpent-Patterned Rope from her backpack.

"Wow, as expected of the Murong Family's rope." Shang Xin Lei took the Serpent-Patterned Rope, wrapped it around the wheel outside the treasury, and praised it. "It's practically a work of art."

"Looks like White Fox has quite a few connections in Qi." Yaoshi Yuan wrapped the rope as she spoke blandly. "The rope the Murong Family sells publicly isn't this good."

Ying Ru Shi smiled. "I wouldn't exactly call it connections. After all, when it comes to something like rope, you can't buy this quality anywhere else, which makes it precious. But on the other hand, no one else has requirements for rope quality as high as the Murong Family's. Their secret realm is beneath a cliff, after all... I just happen to know a friend from the Murong Family, so getting it was easy."

"Compared to that, Black Wolf, your connections are even more outrageous. You actually managed to obtain a Rare Treasure Relic. Could it be that you got a relic synthesis blueprint from some secret realm?"

"It wasn't synthesized." Hearing the question, Yaoshi Yuan lifted her head, her reserve tinged with a hint of pride. "It was sublimated."

"As expected. I know a little about Rare Treasure Relics too, but none of them have power that matches what you displayed just now, Black Wolf." Ying Ru Shi's surprised voice carried just the right hint of envy. "You can actually sublimate a relic... Really..."

Yaoshi Yuan's face reddened slightly beneath her mask. She felt comfortable all over, and her gaze toward Ying Ru Shi softened. She was even willing to offer some guidance. "Sublimating a relic isn't that difficult. As long as you temper it day and night and use it with perfect mastery, you may be able to sublimate it."

Yan Qing was somewhat confused. He knew about "relic synthesis" and "relic sublimation"—the two paths for upgrading relics.

However, he had never heard of the "Rare Treasure Relics" Black Wolf and White Fox mentioned and had no idea what they referred to.

"Black Wolf, your Rare Treasure Relic should have the two effects of 'defense' and 'counterattack,' right?" Shang Xin Lei phrased it as a question, but her tone was extremely certain. "Moreover, the strength of the counterattack is proportional to how much damage you block. Otherwise, you wouldn't have needed to wait for those bald monks to attack you before striking back. From that perspective, your Rare Treasure Relic should be a suit of armor—or perhaps clothing?"

Ying Ru Shi glanced at Shang Xin Lei.

She could see those details too, but she wasn't going to say them aloud.

Red Snake has a sharp eye. Ying Ru Shi had assumed the relic was Black Wolf's conspicuous Fine Steel Spear.

Yaoshi Yuan had never intended to conceal it once she exposed herself. She tugged at her collar, revealing dark-brown inner armor. A faint blue glow appeared along its edges, as if the armor were breathing.

"Second-Rank Rare Treasure Relic: Vidyaraja Armor." She spoke lightly. "When you need to break through a difficult obstacle in the future, rely on me."

This time, Yaoshi Yuan finally saw the surprise she had hoped for in Yan Qing's eyes.

There was just a little less envy and unwillingness. Hmph. He probably thinks there's no way he can catch up to me in this lifetime, so he doesn't even have the heart to feel envious.

But Yan Qing wasn't surprised by the Vidyaraja Armor. He had finally understood that the Rare Treasure Relic Black Wolf and the others spoke of so highly, and that had left the monks outside so shocked, was actually just a rare-grade relic in the game!

In "Messenger," relics were not only the source of players' skills but also their equipment. Naturally, they were divided into different grades. From lowest to highest, they were ordinary white, rare blue, precious gold, legendary orange, and immortal dark gold.

Among them, ordinary white and rare blue were merely the sort of goods players used for transition. That was why Yan Qing hadn't reacted when he heard them talk about Rare Treasure Relics. It was like hearing someone praise a treasure as "thin as a cicada's wing and white as snow"—who would associate it with the Vinda tissues they used to wipe their mouths and asses?

As he turned the Serpent-Patterned Rope, Yan Qing asked, "What comes above Rare Treasure Relics?"

Everyone looked at him oddly. Shang Xin Lei said, "Obviously, Rare Treasure Relics."

"And above Rare Treasure Relics?"

"Those would be the Legendary Relics famed throughout the world. Every holder is an influential figure."

"And above Legendary Relics?"

"Legendary Relics are the highest grade." Shang Xin Lei looked puzzled. "Are there relics of an even higher grade than Legendary?"

Looks like they don't know about Immortal Relics... Yan Qing wasn't surprised. After all, even Legendary Relics could only possibly appear after the fourth rank. At Red Snake and Black Wolf's level, it was indeed impossible for them to know anything about Immortal Relics.

Still, the names alone made it obvious that high-grade relics were far rarer in this world than in the game—rare had become "rare treasure," precious had become "rare treasure" as well, while legendary remained legendary.

Even the most capable housewife can't cook without rice. No wonder they value rare relics so highly.

That was what he thought, and it showed in his expression. Yaoshi Yuan keenly noticed Yan Qing's gaze gradually change from surprise to pity. She was familiar with that look. Many nobles would go outside Chang'an, see half-naked street urchins, and casually toss down a little food to watch them scramble for it. They looked down from above, pitying the suffering masses.

Yaoshi Yuan had never imagined that she would become the object of such a gaze. She even forgot to get angry, merely puzzled by why Yan Qing was looking at her that way.

Before she could say anything, Shang Xin Lei raised a question that immediately caught her attention. "Wasn't the quest reward to turn Bingzi Jiaolin into a relic? The reward from the Thieves' Den should at least be a Rare Treasure Relic, right?"

"It could be a Rare Treasure Relic." Ying Ru Shi was brimming with interest. "But it absolutely can't be an ordinary relic."

"It's a Legendary Relic," Yan Qing said.

Only then did Yaoshi Yuan realize she ought to be angry. She immediately shot back, "How do you know it's a Legendary Relic? Do you know how rare Legendary Relics are? Besides, the quest reward is a First Rank Token. How could there be a first-rank Legendary Relic?"

Yan Qing didn't argue with her. He simply continued twisting the Serpent-Patterned Rope with all his strength. As they twisted the rope, it tightened continuously, and the treasury door wrapped in it began to emit the sound of warping and cracking.

The golden door, which even the Messengers couldn't budge, actually began to collapse under the force of a single coil of rope!

Boom!

After several explosions, the treasury door bound by the Serpent-Patterned Rope was blasted out of the treasury, crashing into a heap in midair!

The treasury door that had taken the martial monks an hour to open lasted only a few sentences in their hands. They hadn't even used a single relic—only a coil of rope!

"Although this was within the plan, it's still astonishing to see it happen." Ying Ru Shi murmured, "Why does tying so many knots let the rope unleash so much force?"

"It's simple. It's just the principle of mechanical advantage from movable pulleys." Yan Qing pulled out a large sack. "Hurry up, take everything and leave."

The key to opening the treasury door with rope was using the knots as movable pulleys to amplify force. As long as enough knots were tied, it was equivalent to using an extra-long lever to pry open the treasury door. Yan Qing had learned this trick from the experience of a master thief robbing a bank. It had been tested and approved in practice by professionals; he had merely reconstructed the procedure using his own knowledge of physics.

All four treasuries had been opened. Naturally, Yan Qing and the others couldn't leave with only Bingzi Jiaolin. Even Yaoshi Yuan had no objections—the bag she had prepared was still the largest. However, time was tight and the task was heavy. There were so many treasures in the treasuries that they had to fill their bags and leave as quickly as possible.

The treasuries were large and held plenty of items, but most of them were of no value to Yan Qing and the others. They had no use for commercial contracts or land deeds, didn't need gemstones, gold, or jewelry, and antiques and paintings were even more meaningless to them.

Thus, the most valuable things in the treasury were undoubtedly spiritual jade, Blood Replenishment Pills, and all kinds of precious materials obtained from secret realms!

As for relics, there wasn't a single one. In the end, relics were weapons, and weapons existed to be converted into combat power. Even relics that couldn't be used for the time being would certainly be kept at home as spares. Who would lock weapons in a treasury to earn interest?

But just taking a sack of spiritual jade would make the trip worthwhile. Yan Qing estimated that the sack could hold two or three thousand pieces of spiritual jade. Unfortunately, he wasn't a game character. Without a Game Console, he couldn't use a personal warehouse or public warehouse. Otherwise, he could have emptied all four treasuries.

Clang!

Suddenly, the sound of metal striking metal rang out behind them. Yan Qing turned around and saw Black Wolf and White Fox fighting. Black Wolf thrust with her spear while White Fox drew her sword. Neither yielded an inch as they blocked the front of one of the treasuries.

Inside the treasury was a saber stand, and on it rested a three-foot-long saber. Gemstones were set into the hilt to form patterns, while the scabbard was engraved with carvings of birds and beasts. It was elegant, imposing, and extravagantly luxurious. Even with all the other gold, silver, and jewelry in the treasury, everything paled beside this saber.

This was their target for this mission.

Bingzi Jiaolin!

The method of theft was inspired by a movie I really like. The villainous protagonist in it was just a little more handsome than me.