Brain bloom

"Those all belong to my dad," Yuan said proudly. "I picked one to play with, then I don't know where I put it, so I picked another one. Oh dear, you wouldn't know unless you clean the house, there were them hidden everywhere..."

"Hahaha."

"By the way, Yuan, your dad said he'll give us a reward."

"Oh, so you want me to open the treasure vault?" After saying that, Yuan picked up one of the sticks and contacted the ancient demon king. "Dad, I'm going to open the treasure vault now, is that okay?"

"No problem! It's agreed! Let the coffin bearers go in and do their thing..."

Upon hearing this topic, Mori Toki couldn't help but prick up his ears.

Choose one item, only one is allowed.

Volume 1 #400 - Thank You

Although the Ancient Demon King deliberately lowered his voice, Mori's pointed ears still heard everything. That previously bold tone had turned into a petty answer... If it weren't for Yuan being saved, Mori would probably be angry.

To be honest, all I've heard from the Ancient Demon King all along are empty promises like "there will be a generous reward" and "I am extremely grateful." But now that it's time to actually settle the reward with him, I really can only pick one item from the treasure vault.

Okay, one thing is fine. Anyway, I can see that I am no longer in pain, and I can also gain a Four Seasons Warrior who can be an ally. So it's not a bad deal.

After chatting with the ancient demon king, Yuan casually tossed the feather aside and then hurriedly walked to Mori Toki's side.

Mori pretended not to have heard what had happened before: "Huh?"

"Dad said he'd give you a reward. But it's busy hosting a banquet right now, so it can't get away... Haha, don't believe me, that lazybones just doesn't want to see the treasure in the vault taken by someone else, so it doesn't dare come."

"I can understand."

“Dad lets you choose whatever you want, take as much as you want, it’s no problem.” Yuan squinted slightly, her smile less innocent and more playful than usual.

Sen Shi raised an eyebrow and asked in a calm voice, "Really?"

"Okay, take whatever you like, it's fine."

"...They really are willing to spend that much."

“It would be really shameful to be stingy at a time like this.” After saying that, a black smear appeared on Yuan’s finger and drew the shape of a gate in the air. “Besides, this treasure vault is just gathering dust anyway, it’s okay.”

Mori sighed softly, unnoticed by anyone, a feeling of fulfillment and joy welling up inside him. Then, he pulled along Little Melia, whom he hadn't seen in a long time and felt an instant connection with, and turned towards the dandelion.

"Princess Dandelion, shall we go to the treasure vault?"

After thinking for a moment while pinching her pointed chin, Dandelion shook her head and said, "I won't go. I probably won't find anything I want there... Since they're having a banquet over there, I'll go talk to the Ancient Demon King and change my gratitude to helping out."

"Contribute your efforts? Build a kingdom of flowers?"

"Yes, just the Holy Coffin Kingdom alone probably won't be very efficient. With a bunch of demons added, the basic form of the capital will probably be ready in three to five days."

Melia sighed from the side, "Let the Kingdom of the Holy Coffin and the Demon Army shake hands and make peace, and build houses together... Hahaha, I hope the Kingdom of Flowers won't become a battlefield again."

"I'll definitely be there to supervise then." Dandelion waved her hand dismissively. "Alright, you guys go ahead. Sen Shi, before the country is revived and the Winged Cloud sweeps across the world, you can play freely without worrying about anything. After the house is built, I'll move the winery there, and you can just move in with your bags."

"You're in charge of everything?"

"The nation was revived because of you, so I will naturally handle these troublesome matters. Besides, I still need to personally oversee the construction of that palace that has been in preparation for so long."

After nodding, a fighting spirit, rarely revealed, flickered in Morishita's eyes. Since she herself was in charge of overseeing the construction, Dandelion, who would be forced to move into the Strawberry Queen's harem with nothing to do but look pale, should have no complaints.

Thinking this, she smiled and waved goodbye to Dandelion.

With a wish in his left hand and a Melia in his right, Mori slowly stepped into the door that had been drawn out of thin air by his wishes. Once inside, he discovered that he hadn't directly entered the treasure vault, but instead had to face a series of doors.

Of course, a monster of the Ancient Demon King's caliber possesses a treasure trove with a guardian of considerable stature. Even in this "great battle" aimed at saving Yuan, this guardian was not summoned, showing that he was, in fact, just like most people—a miser.

There's nothing wrong with that; taking away the miser's wealth and seeing his grief-stricken expression is quite amusing.

The treasure vault of the ancient Demon King is located in a strange place. It seems to be a space excavated separately, suspended in the air, neither touching the earth nor the sky.

Above are endless, terrifying mountains of sharp needles, and below is a sea of ​​boiling lava.

Around the floating hills surrounding the treasure vault, a total of seventy-two floating marble pillars encircle the entire vault in layers, exuding an extremely terrifying aura. This is because atop each pillar resides a fully-leveled guardian.

"...My God, is this really going to be this big?" Even Melia gasped.

If she were surrounded and attacked by these guys, she wasn't confident she could survive. At most... she could only fight to the death and kill ten of them, right? Melia secretly estimated, wondering if Aunt Fernanda could win... most likely not.

Her gaze drifted furtively towards Mori, her battle-crazed instincts urging her to witness her powerful and handsome father's ability to force his way in. Having not seen him for so long, her gaze burned with a intensity no less intense than molten lava.

Of course, someone is willing to lead the way this time.

Upon seeing the visitors, the guardians slowly rose, standing upright atop the stone pillars. A total of seventy-two, their unimaginable shapes and forms exuded an aura of eccentricity and aloofness.

"Princess Fuxiao."

"You...you survived?"

Who is this?

“You’ve been sleeping for too long. You’re the human adopted daughter that Ron Stolt picked up more than a decade ago.”

"She is known as the Dawn Princess, and there's a long story behind that."

"...Wait, she has access to the treasure vault?"

“Kind Princess Dawn, why don’t you take the entire treasure vault with you? That way, our deal with Ron Stolt can be finalized, and without any treasures to guard, we can make our escape.”

"Yes, it feels quite uncomfortable to stay here all the time."

Although the monsters greeted Yuan with their chattering, they didn't forget their duty. Having arrived here, they were clearly after the treasure vault. So one monster swooped down, unraveling a series of intricate traps and opening the door.

"Please come in and make yourself at home."

"Thank you, everyone." After saying that, Yuan suddenly remembered something and stopped before leading the two inside. "Actually, you can leave. Dad no longer abides by the ironclad rule of reciprocal exchange... He has broken free from that constraint."

The scene fell silent, but a few seconds later, a commotion erupted. The allure of freedom was quite sweet to them.

"Is this alright..." Melia asked Yuan with concern.

"My dad told me to tell them."

"Oh? Really?" Mori asked worriedly, concerned that this was also Yuan's good intention and might cause a fight between father and daughter...

“Because Dad said that the contract is about to expire, and if they run away, we’ll catch them one by one and bring them back. That’s a good excuse to sign a new long-term contract.” Yuan’s voice was soft, and it seemed to be tinged with a smile.

But it was too quiet here, so the seventy-two guardians obediently gave up their plans to escape and silently returned to the pillar.

After chatting, they finally stepped into the treasure vault. From the outside, the vault's architecture appeared quite ordinary, but once inside, Mori found it even more desolate.

The devil is bad at architecture and art; that must be an ironclad rule... Clumsy, jarring walls, a disastrous layout. It reminded Sen Shi of those awful, unlicensed motels next to the train station in small towns, where you could rest for half a day for twenty yuan.

What's worse, however, is that in this utterly awful environment, there are at least a hundred mouthwatering treasures on display.

“You...you shouldn’t have brought me here…” Melia grabbed her best friend’s hand and covered her eyes. “It’s far more terrifying than the treasure trove left by my parents.”

"After all, aside from his combat abilities, the only thing worth looking at on that guy is... well, that set of equipment." Mori joked nostalgically from the side.

"Yes, Mom is much wealthier and more extravagant. Aunt Fernanda must be quite wealthy too, but the treasure of the Ancient E'long must be extremely well hidden; even my mom has never seen it."

With a sense of nostalgia and warmth, Mori patted her shoulder: "I'll definitely tell you when I figure things out."

After saying that, Sen Shi walked deeper into the treasure vault. He walked towards one of the most special treasures among all the most precious items.

Its presence was extremely striking, for it possessed a life-like power; it was a gigantic heart, entirely transparent, with a texture like a supreme gemstone. It beat rhythmically, without ceasing. No blood flowed; only a vast spiritual energy brewed within it.

“The heart of the Dragon of Truth,” Yuan introduced. “I don’t know how my father got it, but it seems to have been here for a long time.”

"I want this one."

"Hmm." Yuan replied with unusual ease, "Anything else?"

Mori thought for a moment and decided not to take advantage of the situation. He was already very happy with Yuan's kind intentions. Seeing her shake her head firmly several times, Yuan finally gave up on giving any further gifts and instead took the heart from the crystal coffin with both hands and placed it in Mori's hands.

Then, she embraced Moritoki. A deep embrace, her arms holding Moritoki close, soul to soul.

"Mori, Mori. I've become very strange. My heart is full of gratitude for you, and I'm amazed that life has been extended and that I've made peace with my curse... But... without realizing it, I've turned back into my old self, as if nothing had ever happened."

Sen listened quietly with a smile on his face.

"This isn't right. I should be thanking you... I should be thanking everyone who has helped me—especially you—with countless words, countless gifts, and a lifetime of gratitude. But... in the end, I find... all I can say is this—"

A sorrowful yet hopeful voice, accompanied by sobs, flowed past Mori's ears.

"Thank you... for saving me. Thank you for letting me live... for giving me the opportunity to thank you."

"I have already received your thank-you gift."

"I will always be your partner."

"Then when I need you, I will definitely call on you and fight alongside you."

"Of course! I'm super strong!"

With a smile, she finally let go of Morishige. Then she hugged her best friend, but this time there was no long, heartfelt thank you, only a teasing laugh.

"Little Melia, how is your country?"

"Because I couldn't help much, I spent all my time governing the country, and everything has returned to prosperity. In another ten years, the Holy Coffin Kingdom will be under my feet."

"So...would you welcome a girl to travel alone? Are there any tourist attractions you could recommend?"

"I've heard that the Demon Queen's palace is quite nice, rather grand. I happen to know someone who guards the gate there, so I can ask him to take you inside for a look, how about it?"

Sen listened with a smile on his face; this was the kind of life that Yuan should have.

She no longer needs to chase the elusive dawn, nor cling to the idea of ​​dying beneath the winged clouds. Her destiny is firmly in her hands; she can choose and act on more than just "where to die." Look, now she is beginning to try to enrich her destined long life.

Then, she should learn to slow down and enjoy life.

Death is no longer chasing us, so there's no need to be too anxious.

With a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, mixed feelings of emotion and reflection), Mori Toki, having finally put an end to a matter on his mind, walked out of the treasure vault feeling refreshed. Even looking down at the sea of ​​lava was like gazing up at a cloudless blue sky.

A few minutes later—

The seventy-two guardian pillars suddenly became agitated, as if facing a formidable enemy. The culprit that caused their reaction suddenly tore apart the surrounding space, spreading its enormous and ferocious wings, and penetrated deep into the space where the treasure vault was located.

"The Primordial Evil Dragon Fernanda, who shattered the truth!" The strongest guardian, residing deepest within, spoke for the first time, "What are you doing here? Do you intend to steal the spoils that rightfully belong to you from under our protection?"

"if not?"

Fernanda's dragon roar carried an extremely terrifying pressure. This was no longer one of the two main worlds that required caution. The destructive power on her wings boiled like magma, as if it would stain the entire space with death.

On the seventy-two pillars, powerful figures revealed their fighting spirit.

The escalating tension was surprisingly eased quickly. A powerful yet gentle force soothed all fighting spirit within the space. Those who came forward were like elementary school students who had gotten perfect scores, finally finding an opportunity to show off their impressive test papers.