Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: The Dragon's Hoard
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Bubble, bubble—.
The sound of the simmering stew was delicious. The savory, clean scent of meat filled the room.
"I'm sorry about the seating."
Harkes's wife, Peneia, said as she placed dishes on the table.
It was a low table, not even half the height of a normal one.
A wooden table and chairs, hastily made for Do-jae and Herteias.
"It's quite all right, ma'am."
Do-jae smiled brightly, easing Peneia's worries.
"But you're our esteemed guests. How can this be okay?"
"It's really fine. Please don't worry about it."
"Thank you."
Peneia placed the carefully prepared side dishes in front of Do-jae and Herteias before heading back to the kitchen.
She and Teus were busy preparing dinner.
"So this is a Titan home-cooked meal."
A baked dough dish that looked like hard bread, a large bowl of fresh vegetables with a gamey sauce, something made of dried radish pickled in a sour liquid, and more.
Various side dishes and main courses continued to fill the table.
Though the table was low, its long and wide surface was piled high with food.
"Herteias, what are you thinking so hard about?"
Do-jae lightly tapped the table to get the attention of the dazed Herteias, but he remained lost in thought.
Even after they arrived in the village, even when he had surprised the Titans by revealing Eurabia's divine artifact, Aegis.
And even when Harkes invited them to his home, Herteias had shown no reaction, simply continuing to ponder something.
He had muttered words like 'Golem, spirit, skeleton...' at one point, seemingly agonizing over summons, but he hadn't revealed anything concrete.
"Right... Think about whatever you want. It's better than you causing trouble."
Do-jae gave up on dealing with Herteias and turned his gaze to Harkes.
He was lifting Aegis up and down, stroking and rubbing it repeatedly.
"My, I don't know why he's being so silly today..."
A chicken?
No, a massive roasted bird the size of an ostrich. Peneia set it down, looking at Harkes with an embarrassed expression.
"Just let him be. He probably wants to experience for himself what kind of artifact that is."
Do-jae had given Aegis to Harkes.
Honestly, it was a coveted item, but Eurabia's hint and the fact that it was too large for Do-jae to use were the reasons it ended up in Harkes's hands.
Of course, he could have enlarged his Golem Armor to the size of a Titan and used it, but there was no reason to use a shield when he already had the armor.
If it had been a greatsword with performance on par with the Black Scale, however, he would have been greedy for it.
Thud—.
Harkes carefully propped Aegis up and perched on his chair.
His expression was more satisfied than anyone else's in the room.
"It's such a magnificent item, I can't take my eyes off it."
"Of course it is. It's no ordinary item."
"But. I don't know if I'm worthy of receiving it..."
"A little late for that, isn't it? After you've been cherishing it like that?"
Harkes smiled faintly.
"Haha. I'm not greedy for other things, but I can't help myself when it comes to swords and shields. It's just that I don't understand why I should be the one to receive it. Pelos and Helia are also formidable warriors. Although I hold the title of the greatest warrior, the difference between us is slight. They are also worthy of wielding this."
"Hah? Consideration to that extent is just hypocrisy. You are definitely stronger than those two. I can tell. It's only natural for the strong to wield strong weapons."
"Is that so? Being acknowledged by you makes me feel quite proud."
Harkes approached Do-jae's table, squatted down, and carved the large bird meat into easy-to-eat pieces.
Soon after, Peneia brought out a grilled meat dish with a fragrant aroma and sat down, with Teus sitting beside her.
"Teus. You and your father are direct descendants of Lady Eurabia. Among all the Titans, her blood runs thickest in you."
At Do-jae's words, Teus's eyes sparkled as he tore into the meat.
"Aegis is a divine artifact. It's not something just anyone can use. Being a good fighter or being smart doesn't mean you can handle it. The only Titans who can draw out this shield's true power are you and Harkes. Understand?"
Munch, munch—.
"Really? Dad, we were descendants of Lady Eurabia?"
"That's... news to me as well."
As expected of Titans, with their relatively short lifespans, that fact must have been forgotten or erased over the generations.
Nevertheless, Eurabia's descendants continued to endure, carrying on to this day.
As descendants of a Titan who had ascended to godhood, her strength must have been passed down through them.
They must have been heroes who protected the Titan tribe, like the village leader Harkes and the youngest warrior Teus.
And Harkes setting out to find Eurabia and inheriting Aegis might not have been fate, but inevitability.
"In any case, I hope you'll put Aegis to good use."
"I will. I'll use it for the sake of the Titans... no, the continent."
Harkes replied, clenching his fists.
Do-jae gave him a smile before reaching for the meat.
"Well then, shall we start eating in earnest? Ma'am, thank you for the food."
***
After spending the night at Harkes's house, Do-jae gathered the Titans the next day.
He had them scout for a suitable location to build Eurabia's temple.
"We're going to build it grand and massive. For now, just find a spot and start gathering the basic materials. Don't worry about decorations and such; I'll get those."
"Understood. I have a place in mind, but I will go check it again."
The first temple was planned to be built in the south.
If even one temple could be erected quickly, it would please Eurabia, and her divine influence could spread across the continent sooner.
"Well then, I'm off. See you again soon."
"We'll be waiting."
Leaving Harkes to watch, Do-jae headed toward Herteias.
Whatever happened last night, Herteias was in a remarkably good mood.
"Do-jae, are we leaving now?"
"Yeah. To your lair."
"Alright, let's go right now!"
Herteias chanted the teleportation spell.
Instantly, a familiar scene unfolded before Do-jae's eyes.
"Where's the treasury?"
Do-jae immediately sought out Herteias's treasury.
A dragon's treasure hoard.
He was already buzzing with anticipation, wondering what rare and valuable treasures it held.
"Ah, the treasury? Follow me."
Surprisingly, Herteias led the way without protest.
For someone about to have his entire collection of treasures cleaned out, he seemed quite relaxed.
Do-jae, who had steeled himself for an argument, was actually taken aback.
"Uh... okay..."
Rumble—.
As expected, they walked for a while down a splendid, glittering corridor.
A massive stone door, too heavy for an ordinary person to move, opened with a single gesture from Herteias.
And then, the scene unfolded.
"Ha... haha... This is insane..."
Seeing what lay before him, Do-jae was initially at a loss for words.
As the door opened, something directly ahead glittered dazzlingly in the incoming light.
All of it gold.
A golden statue so tall he had to crane his neck to see the top.
A gold dragon, presumably Herteias, had been crafted from solid gold in its actual size.
"Is... that you?"
"Hahaha. What do you think? Magnificent, isn't it?"
"That... that one's a bit much to take and use..."
"You can use it if you want. It's a shame to let a masterpiece like this rot away in a treasury. How about we set it up right in front of Eurabia's temple?"
Do-jae shook his head.
No matter how artistic it was, if they put something like that in front of the temple, no one would dare to enter.
The large gems glittering in its two eyes were so lifelike they were almost frightening.
And that dynamic tail.
It looked ready to whip out at any moment.
"You're going to take everything anyway, right?"
"Well, yeah."
"Tch. Then get to packing. I'm just going to... step out for a bit."
Herteias glanced around furtively and then left.
Do-jae decided to let the hastily departing Herteias go.
It wasn't like he could run away even if he wanted to.
He was bound by two contracts, after all.
*'Shall I take a look around?'*
Do-jae cast a Light spell, creating a glowing orb of light and sending it floating into the air.
It was to get a better look inside the treasury.
He didn't know much about art, but there was also an array of various weapons and armor.
*'Wow... where do I even start?'*
He picked up one of the weapons Herteias had collected.
It was a heavy sword with a long, thick blade.
[Equipment Information]
Name: Claymore of Thunder
Type: Sword
Description: A claymore made from a Blue Dragon's bone. Simply swinging it can summon a thunderbolt.
Effects: Attack Power +500 / Durability +80 / All Stats +100 / Lightning Resistance +50%
Skill: Thunderbolt Lv. Max
*'It fell far short of a divine weapon like Elatra's Spear or Eurabia's Aegis, but it was still a sword with stats worthy of being called a treasured blade.'*
*'This one too... and this one... Every single one is worthy of being called a treasure...'*
Do-jae examined the other weapons one by one with Eye of the Golem.
All of them possessed powerful stats.
If given to an F-rank hunter, they could easily hunt orcs and trolls.
*'If I arm my guys with these, they could handle C-rank dungeons... no, even B-rank dungeons without a problem.'*
The weapons were one thing, but the armor was no joke either.
A suit of plate armor lying carelessly on the ground had stats incredible enough to raise defense by 100.
And there were over a dozen sets like it here.
*'I'll just take it all for now. I definitely have a use for the weapons. The armor is a bit tricky to wear... but it's not like my guys need armor anyway, so whatever.'*
Do-jae opened his Subspace and swept every last weapon and piece of armor into it.
The first thought that came to Do-jae's mind.
He planned to give the weapons to his golems to use directly.
The advantage of golems was that as long as their core didn't sustain critical damage and he had enough mana, they could regenerate infinitely.
This was an incredible advantage, but against powerful enemies, they were little more than punching bags.
They would just get beaten up, slowly draining Do-jae's mana.
Therefore, the plan was to improve the golems' offensive power with these weapons, as they had hit their limit.
*'I don't know much about the remaining art pieces or jewels, so I should ask Oson.'*
Do-jae swept the remaining art pieces into his Subspace all at once.
Framed paintings, statues, ornate clothing, jewels, and more.
After putting everything away, he could truly appreciate just how vast Herteias's treasury had been.
*'What a greedy dragon! Well, I bet Briareus has about this much too, right?'*
An image of his golems fighting with treasured swords and blades formed in Do-jae's mind.
He couldn't help but smile.
"Herteias! Where are you! Let's go!"
Do-jae called for Herteias, his steps light and refreshed.