Monarch of Solitude: Daily Quest System

The blinding flashes of light and expensive treasures rendered Rino motionless for a while, even after the library floor stopped moving. He could hardly compute the level of awesomeness he should place the dwarves at seeing the size of this vault they spent their whole lives guarding.

If Rino thought the grand furnace room was big, this treasure vault was five times bigger than that. The grand furnace room was about the size of his World Tree cavern that was currently filled with overgrown magic tree branches and leaves.

The majority of the dwarven mine was here in this secret vault. Rino knew about the dwarves' love for secret passages, but this took not just the cake but the entire bakery. Rino wasn't unfamiliar with the concept of sneaky elevators, but those usually only took him to the dungeons where they interrogated captured dark magicians to smoke the ring leaders out. Besides, those sneaky elevators were usually small platforms powered by magic behind dumb bookshelves that parted like doors.

Nobody ever made an entire library floor an elevator, and Rino could understand why Mutt did not sense any strange airflow. This vault had no vents leading in or out.

The dwarves must not be able to linger here for too long, and even if they did, Rino bet they wore some breathing equipment. The vault was enormous, and weapons were not the only things Rino found here.

While a fair amount of cobwebs were lying around on useless expensive-looking accessories made from gold, there was a particular section in the vault dedicated to preserving the dwarven masterpieces encased in glass.

Glass was a recent discovery by Kragami in this world. Rino was rather proud of that until he learned that the dwarves already knew how to make them and make them better than Kragami did. Honestly, Rino simply wanted to make Noir Province the production house of many great things like glassware and pottery. The more arty and farty things they were known for, the less likely other regions will call them a countryside pooper.

Now, Rino wondered if there was a need for that. If Noir Province was the art sanctuary, Rino would make Town Zera the iron stronghold in memory of the dwarves he never got to meet. Foundry and craftsmanship had to be Zera's strong point now with the grand windmill, barn and waterwheels.

As Rino walked around the vault, ignoring the mountain of gold bars and precious gems that would make very good mana refiners and spatial magic mediums, he studied the vault's concept.

The dwarves did not choose this place to be the heart of their fortress. There was something in this place that pulsed with life even after the fortress was abandoned. Rino could feel the faint thrumming in the air like a buzz in his ear. It was the sound of a cave breathing if he had to describe the strange sensation, and Rino was getting closer to it.

Living caves often had this, but the ecosystem was the reason for the feeling. The boss of the living cave was responsible for everything that happened in the cave, from intruder killing to internal hierarchy. The dwarven cave did not have such a boss, but the feeling of domination was the same.

What could it be?

Stopping at the centre of the vault, Rino stared at the circle of weapons wrapped in chains and encased in glass. Compared to the other weapons Rino saw earlier, these weapons felt different. Rino could tell because he finally placed a finger on what that familiar feeling was.

That glowing space rock Fronzo discovered falling onto the farm outside his farmhouse in the fields gave a similar buzz. Rino simply used that as a balancer for his World Tree in a cave, not knowing that it was the true master of every dungeon and living cave in this world.

The four weapons wrapped in chains reminded Rino of the elements excluding holy and dark. The dwarves must have discovered something similar in this world through their engineering to derive at the same ancient knowledge that Rino did as an alchemist. Elements were the closest thing they could understand when it came to the origins of the world. Nobody really understood how worlds were created, but researchers have arrived at the same conclusion repeatedly across time.

The spear represented the air element, the double-edged sword representing fire, the battleaxe representing earth and a strange pair of angled metal batons that Rino never saw before representing the water element.

Under every weapon display, there was a short write-up introducing the weapon's name and crafter. Rino never lamented how he was unable to read a language more than now. He was far from illiterate, but he felt like one when faced with such a wonderful treasure of knowledge.

Initially, Rino thought that they were the mana weapons born from modern alchemy. In his previous world, Rino worked hard and succeeded at helping his dwarven friend create the first mana-steel ingot that the dwarves turned into a magical bracelet for him. The weapons here vibrated and had an aura that made Rino think they were alive. These creations were alive, and the chains were meant to restrain the strong spirit living inside the weapons.

Then, the lich flinched when he came too close to the metal batons.

For a very brief moment, Rino sensed killing intent from the weapons. He backed off cautiously and examined it from a distance. No, these weapons were more powerful than mana-steel. They were living weapons with consciousness. Only a master crafter could create such a thing, and most of these things in his previous world had to possess a long history to accumulate such power.

They were known as artefacts. Artefacts were similar to minor deities and gods across the land that people helped cultivate through centuries of worship or forged by the will of a powerful crafter who poured his soul into that one creation.

Rino always admired the dwarves for being able to create something using sheer will that rivalled magic. These weapons were the product of a master crafter's will and spirit, and they are alive. The lich classed them as low levelled artefacts. No wonder there was no need for sentry guards for the dwarven treasure trove. The dwarves already had powerful guardians sleeping here.

Although Rino did not know where the dwarves were now, he was determined to find them and include them in his empire's history. If they were extinct, Rino would build them a monument in Town Zera and spread stories about them for generations to come. Every blacksmith and artisan must know of the dwarves. He would introduce world history in the crafting examinations once he set up his capital and only grant the title of a crafts master to those who passed his exams.

Yes, Rino had great plans for the future with or without the dwarves. They had no say in how Rino wanted to portray them now that he was convinced by their awesomeness. Even if they were dead, they still had to accept all the praises Rino would sing to them using his minions.

There were four low-levelled artefacts in this treasure trove, and Rino knew what he wanted to do now. There was no way he could safely transport everything here out of the cave. In fact, he did not want anyone else coming here. It was a game of finders keepers, and the dwarves were not coming back.

Rino took up the duty as a cultural preserver to protect such a precious historical site and chanted a time freeze spell enveloping the whole treasury, including the library. Rino knew that he could set up a private teleporting array on the library floor that only he could access easily. He would be back for more in the future, but now, Rino finally had some answers. It was time to make preparations for the future.

The four artefact weapons were coaxed into a slumber by Rino's powerful infinite illusion so that the lich could set up his protective spells and link this place to his mana web array. Compared to the defensive spells Rino used to protect Noir Province, the lich expanded more effort to protect this place. Even if someone found the location of this treasure trove, they would not be able to take anything away from here or touch them. Rino cast a very powerful illusion that fed on a person's greed and fears. He made the illusion convince them that they succeeded in their heist with a lot of realism that will trigger a memory wipe curse an hour after they left this place.

It was a little cruel to do so, but Rino didn't feel sorry for cultural asset thieves. Normally, this level of security was used to guard the forbidden books in the magicians' tower. Nothing else was as important enough to warrant such a time-consuming spell. The magicians also condone unnecessary murder, so this trap was designed to preserve peace. The price to pay was a little hefty for petty theft, and Rino knew how those people under a memory-erasing curse lived an uneasy life plagued by uncertainties and not knowing who they were. Some were driven insane by the insecurity and committed suicide, but Rino did not feel responsible for that.

If anything, they could take it up with karma. In Rino's opinion, they had it coming. The world could use a little fewer idiots.