My basement connects to another world.

Chapter 57 Rare Items

One hour later.

Old house, basement.

Looking at the dozens of bags of wheat flour that had just been delivered downstairs, Jiang Yuan couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Now that I have money, I need to hurry up and set up a grain factory. Otherwise, if I keep buying like this, problems will be discovered sooner or later."

His heart moved.

The gate to the realm has opened.

When he opened his eyes again, he had arrived at a spacious bedroom in the Cape Territory Castle.

This was the lord's master bedroom that he had specially selected and cleaned before he left last time.

The room now contains only a heavy oak bed, a floor-to-ceiling wardrobe, and a sturdy desk; the furnishings can be described as simple and sparse.

That's why it took dozens of bags of wheat flour to be piled up to barely fit them all, so that there wasn't even a place to stand.

Afternoon light squeezed in through the narrow gaps in the window, casting several long, slanted beams of light onto the stone wall.

It took him eight or nine hours to get back, and it's currently around three or four in the afternoon here.

Jiang Yuan stepped on the soft grain sacks, trudging along with the muddy ground to the doorway and out of the house.

The castle was quiet; the maids hadn't been summoned yet.

Walk through the corridor and arrive at the first floor.

There, at the entrance, Marin sat on the ground with his back against the stone wall, one leg bent and the other straight, his hands resting on his knees, as if he had been waiting there for a long time.

Upon hearing the sound, he almost sprang to his feet, quickly stood up straight, and bowed respectfully: "My lord!"

Jiang Yuan asked curiously, "What are you doing at the door?"

Marin smiled憨厚ly and said truthfully, "Before Madam went to oversee the distribution of grain, she instructed that you were resting and should not be disturbed. I thought you might wake up at any time, and I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to find me when you woke up, so I simply waited here."

As he spoke, his face revealed genuine admiration: "My lord, you ordered the distribution of grain to relieve the common people, and your wife personally carried it out. You are truly so considerate of your people!"

The woman did as I said—Jiang Yuan nodded in satisfaction and also planned to go out for a walk to inspect his territory.

This place serves as his foothold in another world, though he never intended to develop it into a powerful force.

In his view, the most important thing is always one's own strength.

Having a few more knights in your territory is no match for leveling up by one rank yourself.

However, since it's my own territory, I should at least make it look presentable.

Wouldn't it be better to live in a place where there are starving people and a lifeless atmosphere?

As he was thinking, Marin's expression turned serious, and he whispered, "My lord, regarding your instruction to find Marcus's property—it seems we've found it."

Jiang Yuan thought about it and realized that he had indeed given the order to do so.

That night, after killing Marcus, he and several knights, including Marin, returned to the canyon to search for the relics left behind by the original Rogge and his group.

In just half a day, the corpses were eaten and mutilated.

The knights rummaged through the items and found only everyday items; they brought back anything usable.

As for valuables—Rogge was indeed not favored by the Duke.

So, they thought they could try to find something else in the Cape Territory.

Marcus has been entrenched for so many years, he must have some wealth to his name.

Thinking about it, he looked up at Marin and said, "You've been waiting here for this? Why didn't you let Tissa tidy it up?"

Marin hesitated for a moment, then said, "I haven't told Madam about this yet. It would be best if you saw it for yourself."

Seeing his expression, Jiang Yuan knew there must be something fishy going on, so he nodded and followed him.

The two walked deeper into the castle along the corridor on the first floor.

Marin led the way, bypassing a heavy load-bearing stone pillar and turning into a side corridor.

The corridor was much narrower, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side, with no windows on either side, and the air was filled with a musty smell.

Marin stopped in front of one of the rooms in the corridor.

"My lord, over here."

He spoke softly as he pushed open the door.

Behind the door was an inconspicuous storage room, not large in size, covered in dust, with thick cobwebs in the corners, at first glance it looked like a long-abandoned junk room.

After Ma Lin and Jiang Yuan entered, they walked to the innermost stone wall.

He crouched down, his fingers groping along a stone slab at the base of the wall that looked no different from the other stones. He then pressed his fingertips into a crack in the stone and pressed down hard.

With a soft "click," a hidden door, about half a person's height, slid silently into the wall, revealing a staircase leading downwards.

Marin stood up, took an oil lamp from the wall, lit it, and held it in front of him to lead the way. As he walked down, he explained in a low voice, "It was information provided by Sir Baron. He discovered that Corwin was sneaking around this area, acting suspiciously, and suspected that there was something wrong here. We searched for a long time before we found the mechanism in this storeroom."

Jiang Yuan praised, "Well done, there will be rewards for everyone."

We must not discourage our subordinates.

As for how much the reward is—that depends on what's hidden inside.

The two descended the damp steps, the air gradually becoming murky and carrying a putrid smell.

At the end of the passage, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a hidden underground prison.

The walls were inlaid with rusty iron rings, and rotten straw was scattered on the ground, clearly indicating that many people had been imprisoned here.

Deep inside the prison, several stiff female corpses could be seen, carelessly discarded on the ground.

In the corner, there were a few women still alive, but their eyes were unfocused, their expressions were numb, and they were uttering meaningless mutterings; they had clearly gone completely insane.

Jiang Yuan frowned.

Seeing this, Marin immediately explained cautiously, "That's why I didn't tell you, Madam. Quite a few people have died here—when we found them, we tried to feed the few still alive, but it was very difficult to get them to eat; they've all gone mad. I dare not take matters into my own hands; I await your decision."

Jiang Yuan glanced at him and nodded slightly: "Well done."

This Marin, though young, is quite thoughtful.

He didn't tell Tissa, which might mean he was trying to express his loyalty to her privately, and he didn't seem as honest as he appeared.

However, Jiang Yuan thought this was also good; with his subordinates checking and balancing each other, he felt more at ease using them.

Continuing further in, you arrive at what appears to be the former governor's private room underground.

The furnishings inside exuded a decadent atmosphere, and Jiang Yuan even saw quite a few things that resembled sex toys.

He's playing quite a game—his gaze swept over a row of boxes stacked against the wall, and he stepped forward to open one.

Instantly, a dazzling golden light dazzled his eyes.

A whole box full of gold coins.

Marin, watching from behind, gasped in astonishment and exclaimed, "Wow, so many gold coins—!"

He was completely dazzled; he had never seen so many gold coins before.

When he led the search, he didn't dare to open the boxes without permission. He never imagined that they contained such a large fortune.

For a moment, a sense of lingering fear swept through him; thankfully, he hadn't dared to open it.

Otherwise, if I had seen it then, I'm not sure if I could have resisted the temptation.

Jiang Yuan picked up a gold coin and weighed it between his fingers.

This gold coin doesn't look like pure gold; it's brighter and has a strange luster. On the front is an open law book, with a vertical eye floating above it.

"This shouldn't be just plain gold; it must be made by melting down some kind of material," he thought to himself. He tossed the gold coins back into the box, then turned to the other boxes next to him and opened them one by one, only to be stunned.

empty.

Several boxes in a row were completely empty.

"Empty?" Jiang Yuan turned to look at Marin.

Marin's heart tightened, and he hurriedly explained, "These boxes are exactly as we found them here, they have absolutely not been opened! I made sure that every knight was not carrying anything before they could leave."

Jiang Yuan thought about it for a moment and agreed that it made sense.

With so many gold coins, in a poor place like Cape Territory, even if you had the life to take them, you wouldn't have anywhere to spend them. Those knights aren't fools.

Moreover, it is difficult for them to coordinate their statements.

If that's the case, where did these boxes of gold coins go? Or were these boxes originally empty?

But since it's empty, why bother putting it here so solemnly?

With a sense of doubt, he opened the last box.

It's not empty inside; it contains quite a few other things.

It contained some kind of crystal, magic core, and dried-up tubers.

Jiangyuan uses universal knowledge.

They discovered that all the materials were made of metal and were of ordinary quality.

However, two magic cores did reach the second tier.

My gaze fell to the bottom of the box, where several rolls of paper lay.

He picked up one of the scrolls and unfolded it.

The parchment felt slightly cool to the touch, covered with lines and symbols, resembling some kind of topographical map, but Universal Knowledge did not react.

He picked up the other two volumes, and this time, the Universal Knowledge immediately gave feedback.

【Abyss Scroll - Flesh and Blood Sacrifice】

[Quality: Excellent]

[Description: Using blood as a catalyst, one sacrifices their own or another's flesh to gain the abyss's favor. Once activated, wounds will heal rapidly, and severed limbs can regenerate. However, the consumed life force will be tripled, and the remaining lifespan will be shortened.]

[Note: The sacrificed flesh and blood do not disappear, but are devoured by some being in the abyss. Each use will make that being more familiar with your aura.]

Another volume.

【Abyss Scroll - Touch of Corruption】

[Quality: Rare]

[Description: This ability erodes the target's will with the abyssal aura, releasing a wisp of corrupting power that can shake the minds of beings at the second tier and below for ten seconds. If the target's will is weak, they will permanently become the user's puppet.]

[Note: After use, the user will also be exposed to a slight abyssal contamination. After several uses, the body will undergo irreversible mutations.]

Rare quality item! Jiang Yuan was overjoyed, but then he realized something was wrong.

It was already problematic enough that Governor Marcus possessed one Abyss Scroll, but here were two more, one of which was of extremely rare quality.

Where did he get it from?

Jiang Yuan carefully put away the two Abyss scrolls, thought for a moment, and said, "During your search of this place, did you find anything else that seemed amiss?"

Marin hesitated and said, "There is a strange place—when my subordinates were cleaning out those cells—they recognized a few faces, a few women, who were the people Marcus had publicly announced were dead."

"I remember it very clearly. At that time, the reports were all about people dying from illness or starvation. Every now and then, a few people would be reported. We subordinates got used to it and never thought much of it."

"But I saw them alive in the cell just now. Although they've gone mad, I would never mistake them for someone else."

After listening, Jiang Yuan frowned slightly and asked, "In recent years, how many people in the territory have been reported dead but whose bodies have never actually been found?"

Marin's expression changed slightly: "Now that you ask, my lord—after careful consideration, I realize there are quite a few. From what I remember, people are reported to have died of illness every few days. For more details, I'll have to ask the other knights."

He had been a Cavalier for less than a year.

Jiangyuan was in a state of deep silence.

There are only these few people locked up in the cell. The bodies of the others have not been found. Were they abandoned, or where did they go?

He said, "Is there not a single person here who isn't crazy?"

Marin shook his head: "They've all gone mad, not a single one of them is sober."

Jiang Yuan was silent for a moment, then said, "Kill them all."

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Marin was taken aback, then lowered his head: "Yes."

Jiang Yuan turned and walked out of the room, leaving the oppressive underground chamber, and let out a long breath.

Those women have all gone mad. Rather than letting them live like that, neither human nor ghost, death is a relief.

Of course, he was also aware that he might have had some selfish motives.

What if someone inside is faking madness? If they are, then there must be something wrong, and he cannot leave any survivors or let any potential threat escape.

I recall the way Marcus stared wide-eyed and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something before he died.

I'm afraid this person is not simple.

"I hope I haven't really gotten myself into any trouble—" Jiang Yuan muttered to himself.

The "secure identity" granted by the Vientiane court was used up yesterday.

This ability is not invincible, and it cannot guarantee him a worry-free life forever.

Yesterday's "luck" has already been paid out. What will happen tomorrow is not part of this deal, and he can't afford to pay for it anyway.

Jiang Yuan pondered to himself.

There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world; every gift from fate comes with a hidden price tag.

It seems that this ability should be used with caution.

Stepping out of the castle again, bathed in sunlight, Gangwon headed towards the town.

He was preparing to go and see his people.

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