By now, Downs felt that he and his master had long since become inseparable in fortune and misfortune.
His master's glory was his glory, too.
When his master's might could easily surpass that of an entire kingdom, Downs suddenly felt that the high office and generous rewards promised by the king didn't seem like much after all.
How could mortal power compare to something as important as my pursuit of arcane secrets?
Downs was grinning so widely he nearly split his face in two, and he felt he might die of delight.
He had no idea that his good master was in an awkward spot.
Lein muttered to himself, "Could I have accidentally opened a portal and scared everyone in the Cervantes Kingdom half to death?"
Lein felt somewhat guilty.
No matter how you looked at it, this was a textbook case of extortion!
Am I the kind of person who would do that?
No!
Absolutely not!
If it happened, it must have been a misunderstanding!
But his own foolish disciple was thrilled!
"Master, you once said that even if people offered you their treasure vault, you wouldn't give it a second glance..." Downs rattled off, repeating the boast someone had made earlier.
Was this not a truly catastrophic case of Social Death?
Lein couldn't bring himself to correct his disciple.
If you've made a boast, you have to follow through, even if it means swallowing your tears.
People were like that. To cover up one lie, they often had to invent a whole series of grander, more outrageous lies.
But why did this string of lies feel like it might actually come true?
Lein's eyelids twitched wildly. Under the pretense of "reassuring his disciple," he was really trying to get himself off the hook. "Heh! First of all, the Cervantes Kingdom has to be worth my getting involved."
Downs thought it over. That made sense. If the Cervantes Kingdom wasn't worth his master's intervention, then violating his master's principles would make Downs, as his disciple, a sinner.
Downs immediately put on a serious expression. "You're right, Master. But what should we do with this Mage Tower?"
Lein replied leisurely, "The original agreement was that we'd deal with this Mage Tower. Now that it's been dealt with, go to their treasure vault and pick any high-tier treasure you like. As for offering up the whole vault, don't bring that up again. I'll find time to move this Mage Tower."
"Yes!"
Downs went out and told Ganis, who was left dumbfounded.
"Move... it?"
"That's right! Move it! That's what Master said."
It wasn't just Ganis. Famite and the others behind him were all staring in astonishment.
The Madela Mage Tower wasn't huge, but it wasn't small, either. Even without taking its magical properties into account, the tower still weighed several thousand tons.
As expected of a Legendary Mage. If he said he'd take it away, he'd take it away. The legendary mages were said to be able to cut off a mountain peak, turn it upside down, and transform it into a massive Floating City.
Was he about to perform that miracle right in front of everyone?
Just hearing about it left Ganis and the others too stunned to speak.
After a long while, Ganis finally managed to say, "We will obey Your Excellency Tesla's will."
"Oh, right. Master said I should go to your treasure vault on his behalf and pick a high-tier treasure as compensation for this. You don't have any objections, do you?"
Ganis froze, then felt relieved. At least they clearly weren't dealing with someone who intended to take things too far.
People showed you respect by giving you face.
If you gave me face, I'd give you face in return.
At the national level, many matters were settled just like that.
Ganis quickly nodded. "Of course! His Majesty's promise stands at all times."
"Then let's go."
"Very well!"
From a distance, the ancient royal treasure vault looked like a gigantic pyramid.
Unlike the pyramids on Earth, this one was a grayish blue throughout. It had been built from local bluestone. The stone was not only exceptionally hard, but after being treated with secret arts and soaked in a precise mixture of rare metals, it could also be strengthened with carved magical runes.
The phrase "a guard every five paces, a sentry every ten" wasn't enough to describe how tightly guarded the place was. The enormous tunnel alone, which ran five hundred meters down from the pyramid's "mid-slope," was enough to deter any ordinary thief from even considering a break-in.
At this point, Downs was accompanied not only by Ganis, but also by the old Palace Minister, Doolittle.
The old Palace Minister's hair was white, but he was clearly in good spirits and didn't even need a cane.
Aside from his expensive formal robes, which featured numerous gilded decorations, the dozens of badges pinned to his left chest were even more eye-catching.
They were symbols of honor!
The old Palace Minister asked curiously, "Did Your Excellency Tesla really only ask you to choose one high-tier treasure?"
"Of course!" Downs proudly lifted his chin.
Curious as he was, the old Palace Minister insisted, "Although that was Your Excellency Tesla's choice, His Majesty's promise still stands."
"Mm," Downs replied casually, and strode into the vault with his head held high.
The treasure vault wasn't the national treasury.
It held no gold coins or treasures, and ordinary gold and silver artworks weren't worthy of being stored there, either.
Instead, magical armor and divine artifacts were scattered all over the place.
Downs also saw dragon meat that had been preserved by special means. The quantity stored in the vault would have been enough to make any butcher in the royal city gawk, even though ordinary people considered dragon meat extremely valuable.
"Sir Quijote, just tell us which treasures catch your eye, and someone will pack them up and deliver them wherever you wish," Ganis said politely.
Yet both he and the old Palace Minister felt as though they had misjudged the boy.
Downs completely ignored a magical sword that radiated a fierce aura and overflowed with Wind Element.
A five-colored scepter that shone with a rainbow of light and constantly let out soft dragon cries failed to attract Downs's attention, too.
Both were unquestionably Master Level treasures.
In Ganis's eyes, the two treasures were a good match for Downs's affinities; they were just a tiny bit too high in rank.
If Downs wanted one, they certainly wouldn't refuse him.
Who would have thought that Downs would ignore dozens of treasures they considered priceless, only to stop in a corner and casually pick up something that looked like a torn fishing net?
Naturally, it wasn't an ordinary object.
The purest, most inorganic arcane fluctuations emanated from it.
But the power felt more like an afterglow, and the sense that it was slowly fading made it hard for anyone to think highly of it.
Ganis and Doolittle exchanged a glance. They saw the same bewilderment in each other's eyes. When had this thing appeared in the vault?
Treasures in the vault were usually labeled and described. But this thing had no label, and it hadn't been removed from the vault, either. It had simply been forgotten in a corner. That alone was highly unusual.
Downs turned the thing that looked like a torn fishing net over and over in his hands, as if he were playing with a piece of fishnet stockings.
The next moment, brilliant light burst from the torn-net-like object in Downs's hands.
Downs grinned.
Ganis plucked up the courage to ask, "May I ask, Sir Quijote, do you know what this thing is?"
"I don't know, but I've decided on this one."
"Why?" the old Palace Minister asked curiously.
"Because it has high [power]! Master said the more powerful something is, the better it usually is."
These past two days... I've been sick.
It wasn't the sheep. I was just plain worn out.
Before you continue