The Imperial Treasury Is Yours!
Kuwoong—
The heavy iron gate of the Imperial Treasury creaked open.
“Cuwooooaaang…”
It’s blinding… really making my eyes hurt.
The moment the door swung wide, a flood of dazzling golden light rushed in. I squeezed my eyes shut tight.
Inside the vast underground chamber, dozens of mountains made entirely of gold rose like a glittering sea.
“Uwaaaaaaaa! Oppa! Is that all gold? It’s sparkling!”
“Cuwoong.”
Gold is useless. I can’t eat it. Be quiet, be quiet.
Lumia wagged her fluffy tail so hard her eyes were spinning from all the sparkles, but I felt zero spark of excitement.
Even if there was more gold, what good would it do?
I didn’t pay for it, and the surroundings were already giving me food anyway. Where was I supposed to put this?
Even if it was priceless, it was still less than a single piece of meat that could fit in my mouth.
Carrying Lumia in Emperor Karsion’s grandfatherly arms, I passed through the golden mountain range and headed deeper into the treasury.
This wasn’t just gold or valuables anymore — this was the actual zone where true treasures were stored.
“Here we are. From this point on is where the empire’s real treasures have been sleeping.”
Karsion carefully lowered me and Lumia from his arms.
He gave my plump little bottom a few light pats and let out a soft chuckle.
“I’ve brought you the Earth Dragon’s bone you’ll want to chew on.”
“Cuwo! Cwuaang!”
Yes, find it fast!
“Great. You two can explore the inside and pick anything that catches your eye as a toy.”
With those words, the grandfather figure vanished between the massive display cases.
I and Lumia turned to look at Kailian.
Hey, grab a shopping bag — we’re stocking up.
“Haa… I’m really going crazy here.”
Kailian stood with her hand on her forehead, clearly stunned, but her bright red eyes were swirling with hidden awe as she took in the surroundings.
“This is the first time I’ve ever come this deep into the treasury… all those artifacts I only read about in books are just lying out in the open like this…”
“Cuwoong?”
Really? Then let’s take a tour together. I’ll pick my toys too.
I started walking between the display cases, tail swaying.
Everywhere I looked were weapons, armor, and brilliant jewels pulsing with mysterious mana.
Swish.
I zeroed in on the first thing that caught my eye: a glowing blue sphere resting on an altar.
It looked… tasty.
A water-attribute mana vortex swirled inside — clearly an incredible artifact.
“Cuwo.”
What kind of flavor is this?
I tapped the sphere with my front paw, then opened my mouth wide and bit down hard.
Crack!
“Cuuaa… tsk… tttch…”
Aw, it’s disgusting… just dusty glass.
I spat the sphere out without a second thought. Kailian, watching from the side, let out a helpless sigh.
“Hey, Blanc. Do you even know what you just ate? That was the Heart of the Ocean the elves gifted the empire right after its founding.”
“Cuwo.”
So what? It tasted terrible.
“Haa… never mind.”
When I stared at her with my eyes asking what she meant, Kailian shook her head in defeat.
“It’s that rare? Who would even want to eat it.”
“Cuwoong.”
If it hadn’t broken, I would’ve kept it.
I let out a fart and headed to the next display case.
A golden crown studded with dense red gems sat there.
This one was obviously off-limits.
I raised my front paw and tapped the sharp points with my claws.
Click, scratch.
“Cuwoong.”
This is way too slippery for a scratch toy. Rejected.
“Hey! Blanc! Where did that come from… Haa, I really can’t live with you anymore…””
As I casually poked and bit at national-budget artifacts like they were neighborhood toys, Kailian finally gave up and stared blankly into the distance.
Whatever. I kept hunting for treasures anyway.
“Cuuaang!”
Oppa bites everything! I’m gonna ask about every single thing he chews!
Lumia stayed glued to my back, copying me by pawing at every artifact I touched.
She opened her tiny mouth at the Heart of the Ocean I had just spat out.
Chomp!
It’s bad.
“Cueng… cuwuu.”
Tastes bad! Too hard.
Lumia spat it out too and walked over to the crown I had scratched, tapping it with her paws.
She wants to do everything I do, doesn’t she?
“Sigh… those little beasts… that brother and his sister.””
“Cuwo.”
Yeah, I know.
Kailian let out a helpless laugh as she trailed behind us.
After wandering the treasury for a while, a very old, worn-out table hidden in a corner caught my eye.
“Cuwo?”
What’s this?
I hopped up onto the old table on all fours, nose twitching.
Among the shiny artifacts around it sat a single, ancient, weathered wooden stick.
A faded cinnamon-brown stick with holes drilled at regular intervals, like a flute.
“Cuwoong…”
Its scent is… kind of weird.
A deep, ancient natural aroma — like forest soil, the roots of ancient trees, and endless ocean depths all mixed together.
Compared to the others, this shabby wooden stick pulled at my instincts stronger than anything.
I opened my mouth without hesitation and took a bite.
Crunch.
“Cuwoong.”
Oh, the texture feels good.
Tail wagging, I turned to find Emperor Karsion and found him walking toward us, carrying a massive Earth Dragon bone on his shoulder.
“Blanc, look. This is the Earth Dragon’s bone. It’ll last you ages of chewing.”
“Cuwo! Cuwaang!”
Grandpa’s the best! I picked this too!
I ran over still holding the stick in my mouth and dropped it at Karsion’s feet with a thump.
Grandpa, I want this one.
“Um…?”
Karsion set the huge bone down with a heavy thud.
“Oho? Already found a toy you like?”
He picked up the old wooden stick, examined it carefully, and frowned.
“This is…”
“Ah, Baba. It looks extremely old. What kind of artifact is it?”
Kailian, who had followed us, leaned in curiously to look at the stick.
It was way too plain-looking to belong in the treasury.
Emperor Karsion stroked the stick with a serious expression.
“This is the item the founding Emperor sealed deep in the Imperial Treasury the moment it was built.”
“The founding Emperor? So it’s an artifact of incredible power?”
“Cuwo?”
Is that good?
Kailian asked with sparkling eyes, but Karsion laughed and shook his head.
“I don’t know either. He only left a will to keep it safely. There’s no record of what it does or even what it is.”
“Eh? You’ve been keeping an artifact whose purpose you don’t even know in the treasury all this time?”
“Cuwoong.”
Exactly.
Kailian stared at the stick in disbelief.
Yeah, just a regular old wood stick acting all mysterious.
I placed my two front paws on Emperor Karsion’s shoe, tail swaying, and looked up at him with the brightest, most pleading eyes possible.
“Cuwoooong… cuwaang.”
Grandpa. I like this. Can I have it?
The soft, grandfatherly expression on Karsion’s face melted in a single second.
“Hehe, you really want this, huh? If our Blanc wants it, then it’s yours. Take it.”
“Ah, Baba… can we really just hand over the founding Emperor’s artifact like this?”
Kailian gasped in shock, but Karsion happily placed the stick in my mouth.
He reached down and ruffled my head with his large hand.
“Go on, our Blanc. This is a gift from me. Play with it as much as you want. You’ve already given me something priceless.”
“Cuwo! Cuwahaaang!”
Thank you, Grandpa! I love it so much!
I ran over still clutching the stick and rubbed my head wildly against Karsion’s thick legs, letting out a wild purr song from the bottom of my throat.
Vibibib, bu-bu-bu-bu.
“Hahaha. The kid’s affection grows more and more every day.”
Karsion was lost in my fur-rubbing bliss, smiling with pure delight.
From behind, Lumia bounded over, tail wagging like crazy.
“Cuwaang! Cueng!”
Me too! Me too! I wanna play with Grandpa and Oppa too!
She hopped over on her short little legs and latched onto the other side of Karsion’s leg.
Then she started head-butting his leg with all her might.
“Oho… the little one does it too.”
“Cueng! Cueng!”
Emperor Karsion, sandwiched between two adorable beasts, laughed warmly and gently ruffled both their heads.
“Perfect! Bring everything you want! I’ll give you all of it!”
“Cuwo!”
Grandpa’s the best!
“Cueng! Cueng!”
Grandpa’s the best!