The Treasure Room was located beneath the Property Management Department, protected by a thick iron door.

Unlike the architectural style of the Property Management Department building, the iron door had no ornate decorations or exquisite carvings. It was even spotted with rust in places.

Somlay took out a palm-length brass key and inserted it into the keyhole. After he turned it a few times, the iron door emitted a crisp CLICK, then shuddered violently.

TAK, TAK-TAK, CLICK... A cascade of sounds followed as gears began to turn behind the door.

Then, the iron door slowly opened outwards.

Somlay took a few steps back and motioned for the others to retreat to a safe distance.

Lisi frowned. "That sound is so grating. Somlay, your Property Management Department is so well-funded, can’t you get some better protective measures?"

"Better?" Somlay sneered. "This is an iron gate specially commissioned by the former Director. Its internal designation is ’Prism’."

"Lisi, as a Captain of the Investigation Department, you can’t be this ignorant."

"Are you saying I’m ignorant?" Lisi’s eyes narrowed.

"Ahem—you aren’t? I mean, the protective runes on this iron door are very powerful. It’s a Rune Array called Prism. Look over there,"

Somlay quickly pointed overhead. "Those are the Array’s markings. All the nodes are inside this iron door."

Wei’en looked where he pointed and saw faint black markings on the ceiling, even more complex than the sacrificial ritual of the Despair Sect he had seen before.

The markings were dense and intricate, yet orderly. All of them connected back to the iron door.

As the iron door opened, two very obvious nodes were revealed inside, inlaid with Gemstones.

At the same time, some exposed mechanical gears could be seen turning within the door panel. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Wei’en looked at the gears and rune nodes. ’A perfect combination of mechanics and runes?’

’It seems the Extraordinaries of this world are very open-minded and creative.’

"What does this ’Prism’ Array do?"

Somlay said proudly, "’Prism’ has two main effects. First, it can reflect attacks. Second, in a major crisis, it can protect the contents within a special space, unaffected by the outside world."

Hearing this, Marco said thoughtfully, "I think I’ve heard of this Array somewhere. It’s said that in the last era, it was widely used in some secret laboratories."

"You know your stuff, Marco." Somlay gave him an approving look, then turned to Lisi. "Understand now, Captain Lisi?"

Lisi stretched out her hand, summoning her Two-Handed Axe, and looked at him eagerly. "Is it really that powerful?"

"I told you, you have no com... We can go in. And like I said, don’t touch anything."

Somlay hurried into the Treasure Room. ’All she knows is violence. Can’t the Secret Investigation Department find some sane people to hire?’

Lisi pouted and followed him in, with Wei’en and Marco close behind.

As they entered, the sealed Treasure Room seemed to come alive. One by one, gas lamps flickered on, bathing the entire space in a bright orange glow.

"Welcome to the Treasure Room."

Somlay seemed like a different person, bowing gracefully and gesturing like a well-mannered butler.

But the others ignored him, their attention captured by the dazzling, fantastical, and bizarre lights before them.

The room, about the size of a soccer field, was divided into several areas of equal size.

Intricate and exquisite Defense Arrays were drawn on the floor. Strange runes and geometric patterns were woven together, forming one protective shield after another.

The most conspicuous sight was the set of alchemy equipment in the center.

A half-man-high Alchemy Furnace sat on an oak base, its body inlaid with dense runes, arranged in circle after circle like an upright compass.

Beside the Alchemy Furnace were crucibles, a workbench, grinding tools, measuring equipment, and more.

On the display shelves to the left were various books and Sheepskin Scrolls, one of which looked very similar to the Era Relic from the Eternal Life Association.

From within the Rune Arrays, these relics that had survived the changing of eras would occasionally poke out strange things—sometimes a ghastly white Bone Claw, other times a grotesque face.

The surrounding area was filled with bottles and jars. From the labels, one could tell they were all sorts of rare Magic Potions, such as Invisibility Potions, Frenzy Potions, and the Dawn Radiance Potion.

The area to the right was slightly larger, displaying dozens of strangely shaped pieces of armor and weaponry.

Among them was a Magic Staff the length of a forearm, made entirely of white bone, placed by itself within a Rune Array.

Besides these Era Relics, equipment, and bizarre items and materials, the Treasure Room also housed several steam-powered mechanical creations.

There was a mechanical cannon made of brass gears and machine parts, dozens of Mechanical Puppets, and some mechanical weapons resembling flintlocks.

The entire Treasure Room perfectly blended Rune Arrays with steam-powered machinery, presenting a strange kind of beauty.

"So? Are you impressed?"

Somlay swaggered in front of them, blocking their view with his head held high. "There’s a lot of stuff, but according to the rules, you can only choose three ordinary items, or one valuable one."

Wei’en came back to his senses and asked humbly, "May I ask which ones are ordinary? And which are valuable?"

"It’s simple. Anything stored by itself is a valuable item."

Somlay was very satisfied with their expressions. In fact, anyone who entered the Treasure Room for the first time always had that same wide-eyed look.

"See that Bone Staff? That’s a valuable item. It’s an ancient Magic Staff from the Third Era—the Touch of the Dead."

As he spoke, Somlay gave him a mischievous look. "But it’s not something a rookie like you can handle..."

BAM!

Lisi slammed a fist on his head. "Cut the crap and help him find something he can actually use."

Somlay clutched his head, glaring at her. "Lisi, has anyone ever told you to be more polite when asking for help?"

"Have they?"

Lisi cracked her knuckles. "All I know is, if I see something I don’t like, I smash it. Doesn’t matter if it’s a person or an Aberration."

’That punch felt... so refreshing.’

Marco chuckled and helped him up. "Somlay, in my experience, it’s best to just get on with your work at times like these. Don’t you think?"

"If I said no, would you guys even listen?"

Somlay grumpily shook off his hand and turned to Wei’en with a cold expression. "Alright, lucky kid. What’s your Extraordinary profession?"

Wei’en hesitated for a moment before answering honestly, "Wizard."

"Wizard?"

All three of them looked at him in surprise. Lisi’s brow furrowed slightly. "You said the other day your Extraordinary profession was a Wizard? A School Wizard, or from a clan?"

"...Both, I guess."

Wei’en rubbed his nose and, following that line of thought, said in a low voice, "Two generations ago, the Loft Clan had a Wizard who studied at the Ghost Soul School and returned."

’I originally wanted to hide it for a while longer, at least until I learned how to make Magic Potions and earned some money.’

’But alas, plans never keep up with reality...’