As the grand doors of the Eight Peaks Mountain treasury slowly opened, what greeted everyone's eyes was a dazzling golden light, enough to blind anyone.
Gold! Gold was everywhere!
Inside the ancestral treasury, which spanned thousands of square meters, every step, every platform, every statue, every corner, even every wall, was covered in an overwhelming amount of gold!
It was like an ocean made of gold!
The treasury, hundreds of meters deep, was so filled with golden light that it almost burst through the ceiling! When the White Dwarf took his first step into the treasury, his boot nudged a gold coin.
That coin bumped into two others, which in turn triggered a cascade of thousands of coins, and then a thunderous rumble echoed from all directions.
It was an avalanche of gold!
Thousands upon thousands of coins tumbled down from the heights, making a deafening sound as they slid, forming a golden landslide that spread throughout the treasury. The friction of the coins was music to the ears, and atop the flood of gold were piles of jewels, dwarven jewelry, and relics from glorious battles of the past. Tens of stone pillars supported the ceiling, beneath which was a sea of gold and countless treasures.
Within this opulent hall, a narrow corridor led directly to the Ancestral Hall of the Eight Peaks Mountain. Along the corridor, rune-powered stones had illuminated the path.
What lay before Ryan's eyes were rows upon rows of finely crafted vibranium rune armor! These exquisitely made armors could fetch thousands of gold crowns in any corner of the Old World, yet here in the ancestral hall, they were so numerous that the line of armors stretched as far as the eye could see. There were also thousands of spiked helmets, rune axes, rune hammers, and over two thousand rune crossbows, along with countless artifacts, all displayed along the sides of the hall. Twenty colossal dwarven statues, ten meters tall, still stood at both ends of the hall after thousands of years, while in front of them lay books, crowns, weapons, armor, and even the skulls of ancient beasts from long-lost civilizations!
What Ryan and the others were witnessing was a symbol of the dwarves' golden age—truly, the Golden Age!
"Oh, heavens, heavens above!" François muttered, shaking his head. He picked up a gold coin from the ground, his eyes glazed as he examined the dwarven coin: "I've had the honor of entering the treasury of Lady Carcassonne's grand cathedral before, but the gold there was not even a fraction of what's here."
The Bretonnian knights, who had always prided themselves on their wealth, were now overwhelmed by the sight of such riches. Only now did they realize that their so-called fortunes paled in comparison to the dwarves'.
Dwarven gold coins—genuine dwarven gold! Ryan picked up a coin, inspecting it closely. Dwarven coins were known as "gold marks," just like the empire's currency, but dwarven coins were rarely called by that name. The dwarven coins were far superior in quality and material, with one standard dwarven coin being worth at least two and a half of the best gold marks minted by the Empire's Nuln Mint!
Holding the heavy coin in his hand, Ryan scrutinized it. One side of the Eight Peaks coin bore the clan crest of Angrund and the outline of the Eight Peaks, while the outer edge was inscribed with its minting date in the dwarven language. The other side depicted the iconic Book of Grudges.
This particular coin had been minted in the dwarven year 476.
"Your human currency is entirely built upon what we dwarves taught you," the White Dwarf said smugly, watching the Bretonnian knights' awestruck reactions. "When your ancestors first encountered us dwarves, you were still living like savages. It was we dwarves who generously taught you the art of minting coins. Otherwise, how would you have even known how to assign value to anything? Want to know how you used to do it?"
"How did they do it, Elder?" Veronica asked sweetly, stepping out from behind Ryan and bowing courteously to the White Dwarf.
"Heh, the lowborn used to tie knots in strings or draw symbols on bits of gold, silver, and copper stones to mark their value!" the White Dwarf chuckled, grabbing a handful of gold coins and tossing them toward a corner of the hall.
In the next moment, the rumble of golden cascades filled the air, as waterfalls of coins tumbled down, flowing into the depths of the hall with a symphony of clinking and shimmering sounds.
"So I've always said, you humans had no idea what wealth truly lay hidden within the Eight Peaks," Belegar remarked with great satisfaction. The King of the Eight Peaks, having finally settled countless grudges, now felt a tremendous weight lifted from his shoulders. "Before evacuating the Eight Peaks, King Rune sealed the treasury and took only a small fraction of its riches with him. Knowing it would fall into enemy hands, the Rune Masters used the strongest enchantments to seal it, collapsing tunnels and fortifying the doors with numerous runes to ensure the greenskins and Skaven could neither find nor open it."
"Incredible. It's like I'm witnessing the splendor of an ancient civilization," Juan said, gazing at the magnificent ceiling lit by the restored flames and glowing stones. He suddenly felt insignificant. "By the gods, I feel like such a bumpkin now."
"No kidding," Belegar said, tossing another handful of coins into the golden waves. "With this immense wealth, the Angrund clan will undoubtedly rise again. Welcome home, my brethren."
Belegar then pulled a massive ruby, larger than his fist, from atop a golden mound and tossed it casually to Veronica. "Here, Veronica. This is for you."
"Thank you~!" Veronica's eyes gleamed with delight as she held the enormous gem, looking much like a dragon mesmerized by treasure.
"Everyone, follow me," Belegar said, pulling a shining blue sapphire from another pile and gifting it to Olica, who accepted it with a sweet smile. Belegar nodded and led everyone forward. "Let us pay our respects to the ancestors."
The ancient dwarven hall and tomb led through a long corridor, lined with gold, silver, gems, and numerous rune weapons and artifacts. Stone pillars and lampstands were covered in dust and cobwebs. Ryan sighed, "It's said that only the treasure vault of the High King at the Everpeak can rival the wealth of the Eight Peaks. Now I finally understand why so many covet its riches. Compared to this, the royal vaults of Couronne and the Empire's capital of Altdorf seem so pitiful."
"No, you're mistaken about one thing, brother Ryan," Belegar corrected him proudly, puffing out his chest. "Even the treasury of Karak Zorn holds less wealth than this. Over the four millennia, the gold reserves and weapon stockpiles of the Everpeak have been dwindling, and only after the Great Holy War did High King Thorgrim manage to turn the situation around. But even his vault cannot compare to that of the Eight Peaks."
"According to the information passed down by our ancestors, the Eight Peaks treasury contains over 2.2 million dwarven gold coins and more than nine thousand precious gems and diamonds."
"The armory holds over twelve thousand sets of vibranium rune armor and more than ten thousand helmets, five thousand rune axes, six thousand rune hammers, over four thousand rune shields, and three thousand rune crossbows. Additionally, the treasury stores dozens of tons of meteoric iron, several tons of mithril, and more than ten tons of vibranium."
"Furthermore, the ancestral tombs contain countless rare ores and treasures, including many ancient runes and artifacts. These were spoils from various wars, including many treasures looted during the War of Vengeance from the elves. They are all here," Belegar laughed heartily. "Brother Ryan, as per our agreement, a third of this treasure belongs to you."
"Hahaha~" Ryan gazed at the vast wealth within the treasury, feeling waves of contentment and satisfaction. Only by standing at the summit could one enjoy such breathtaking vistas, and only through true hardship could one reap such bountiful rewards. He could sense the greedy eyes of his subordinates and fellow knights watching him. Even they could no longer remain composed in the face of such riches.
Soon, they reached the ancestral tomb. Belegar took out a small knife, cut his palm, and smeared blood on a rune. The outer layer of three towering statues began to crumble, revealing a blinding golden light. The statues were of the three dwarven chief gods, each over thirty meters tall and made entirely of pure gold!
"Now, my friends, my dwarven brothers, pay your highest respects to the ancestors, and then we can begin."
All the dwarves knelt on one knee, and under Ryan's lead, the knights bowed deeply. Only Olica hesitated, clearly reluctant to show respect to the dwarves, but in deference to Ryan, she begrudgingly bowed as well.
And then, the great division of spoils began.
Since humans had little use for dwarven axes and hammers, they received more in terms of armor and gold. Belegar promised Ryan five thousand sets of finely crafted vibranium rune armor, along with one million dwarven gold coins. Additionally, he gave him twenty chests of rare treasures, priceless scrolls, and books, including many artifacts seized during the War of the Beards. As the White Dwarf himself had said, better to gift these to Ryan than return them to the elves!
The value of one million dwar
ven gold coins was equivalent to more than two million gold crowns, and the worth of the vibranium rune armor was incalculable. Though it was only half-body armor for humans, it was priceless in the Old World. To commission such a set from a dwarven rune-smith would cost at least five thousand gold crowns, with most craftsmen charging an additional 15-20% fee. Ryan did a quick calculation and was astounded.
This deal was an absolute bargain!
In addition to the one million dwarven gold coins and five thousand sets of rune armor, there were countless other treasures, filling twenty large chests. Filled with excitement, everyone began tallying the treasures.
"Olica!" Belegar's call caught the attention of the dark elf, who was puzzled as to why Belegar, with whom she had little interaction, was summoning her. Still, she walked up to the King of the Eight Peaks.
From an ancestral tomb, Belegar produced two daggers, gleaming with a purple glow. "These are called the Omens of Sorrow, seized during the War of the Beards. I believe you're familiar with them. They contain the soul of an ancient beast, and each strike carries boundless malice. These daggers are now yours."
Olica took the daggers, her normally calm face lighting up with unprecedented joy. The daggers held a fragment of the Pale Queen's divine essence!
With this fragment, Olica could unleash tenfold damage with these daggers, enough to harm a True God or instantly kill a weaker Chaos Demon!
The dark elf immediately stored the daggers.
"Veronica~" A few minutes later, Belegar called out once again, laughing heartily. The Garland Witch hurried over, her black high heels clicking as she approached. Belegar pulled out a long, thin mithril armor, glowing with dozens of ancient elven runes.
"This is Hothling's Radiance, a full-body inner armor made from Yseralamithril. During the War of the Beards, this fire mage had his head chopped off by our brave warriors while casting his spells. Hence, we named this artifact after him. It's incredibly lightweight yet indestructible, and it has excellent magical conductivity. It should enhance your ability to absorb and cast spells by at least 30%."
"Thank you, King Belegar!" Veronica was overjoyed as she accepted the Yseralamithril armor. She immediately tested its magical properties, causing the armor to radiate a brilliant light. Veronica was so delighted she could hardly contain herself, bouncing with excitement. She knew even Speaker Margarita didn't have such a powerful artifact!
With this armor under her robes, who could ever hurt her again?
"Brother Ryan!" Finally, Belegar gestured for Ryan to step forward, and the knight-king promptly did so.
The King of the Eight Peaks approached the three solid-gold ancestor statues, reaching out to take a glowing amulet from the altar.
This amulet shone like the stars, radiating warmth and strength.
"The Heart of the Mountain," Belegar said, handing the amulet to Ryan. "This is the Angrund clan's ancestral treasure, one of our most powerful artifacts. Today, I present it to you, brother Ryan."
"This is a symbol of our friendship and the beginning of our great alliance. Take it, brother Ryan. Anytime, anywhere, if you ever need our help, present this amulet, and the Angrund clan will come to your aid without hesitation."
"This is the dwarves' promise, and it is eternal!"
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