Chương 431: Chapter 426 - Impressive shinies

"That's…a lot of gold," Skyler said, staring at the piles of coins spilling across the floor and filling several open chests.

"If you think this is a lot, you should see what she keeps in her—""Miss Hale," Scarlett cut in flatly, before Rosa could finish.

"There is no need for unnecessary commentary." Rosa looked at her, then mimed stitching her mouth shut. Scarlett turned her attention back to Skyler.

"I suppose I should not be surprised that you are impressed by this. Still, I would hope you understand that the gold is the least valuable thing in this room." Skyler's expression shifted as her gaze moved from the coins to Scarlett, then slowly swept across the rest of the chamber. Scarlett kept her own expression perfectly impassive. To be entirely honest, there was far more gold in here than there had any right to be. Thousands of coins, in fact, amounting to several million solars' worth, give or take.

It wasn't normally kept like this — most of it existed as paper and promises: merchant bonds, shipping charters, forward contracts for grain and similar resources, as well as the various agreements administered on Scarlett's behalf. Of that, a significant portion was already tied up in relief programmes and supply guarantees, along with long-term provisioning efforts scattered across a good quarter of the empire.

This gold, however, had largely been paid out by the imperial crown as part of the agreement to place an Empyreal Barrier pylon on her estate. Rosa had insisted that it would look 'cool' in a treasury and that it would help sell the image of Scarlett Hartford as a rich, powerful, and very haughty noble. Scarlett didn't necessarily disagree.

"Baroness," Princess Regina said, her eyes moving over the artifacts, tomes, and artworks arranged throughout the chamber.

"This is an impressive collection."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Scarlett replied. She noticed the princess lingering on a section of shelving that held Zuverian coins, crystals, minor devices, and other articles. It wasn't an enormous collection, but as far as Zuverian curiosa went, it was more than enough to catch the attention of anyone interested in that civilisation.

"Baroness," Oveth spoke, his focus fixed entirely on the wall etched with scorched glyphs.

"Is that…a primordial spell?" Regina inhaled sharply, turning to it.

"So you recognise it," Scarlett said.

"Yes. A section of a primordial pyromancy glyph." It was the very same spell she had found engraved on a stele beneath the House of Fire in Elystead. She still couldn't cast it herself, but she thought it made for an effective statement, and she'd wanted to add at least a hint of her own touch to the room. She'd only inscribed part of it, though. Just in case Oveth could do something absurd like memorise the whole thing in a single glance. Unlikely. But better safe.

The rest of the treasury consisted mostly of artifacts, magical reagents and materials, and assorted oddities recovered from dungeon runs over the past few months, along with a number of items from the Rising Isle that she hadn't gotten around to selling. It had been some time since Scarlett had simply sold everything she picked up. To her mild surprise, the first person to move was Melody.

Not towards any of the artifacts or weapons, but towards a single painting mounted behind a pedestal holding a polished metal helm. She stopped there, staring at it. Scarlett watched her. The painting depicted a quiet lake beneath a washed moon, the water blurred into soft reflections behind the central figure of a woman standing at the edge of the frame. Her features were indistinct, turned slightly away, the focus less on the setting than on her presence within it.

Scarlett didn't know whether it depicted anyone of importance. It was one of the additions Rosa had insisted upon to give the treasury more 'flare', and Scarlett had simply had the Loci teleport it here at the bard's direction. The mansion was full of paintings like it, presumably collected over generations of Hartfords. Skyler glanced at Melody for a few seconds, then turned her attention back to the gold.

"Hey, Regina," she whispered, keeping her voice low.

"Is it normal for nobles here to just have this much gold lying around?" Scarlett barely caught it. Regina looked away from the Zuverian artifacts to Skyler, then to the gold.

"There is more than this stored within Dawnlight Palace's vaults, and some dukes likely command similar wealth," she said after a moment.

"But for a barony? No. With that said, I sincerely doubt the gold is the most valuable thing here." Her gaze drifted back to the primordial spell scorched into the wall.

"Baroness," she asked, "may I ask where you obtained a primordial spell?"

"You may, Your Highness," Scarlett replied, "but I am afraid I cannot share that."

"I see. My apologies."

"Do not concern yourself with it." Scarlett's attention shifted to Briana, whose focus had settled on a few of the pedestals near Melody displaying various small pieces of armour and other artifacts. Her eyes were fixed on a pair of ice-white steel gauntlets, faintly illuminated by a simple protective array etched into the stone beneath them. Those were the [Frostbound Talons (Legendary)]. Scarlett wasn't surprised that they had caught her interest. They suited the Oathbound knight well.

They were also among the most valuable artifacts in the room. None of Scarlett's companions used that sort of armour, though. They clashed with Kat's pyromancy, and Shin's aura had reacted poorly to them in a way Scarlett didn't fully understand.

"You may examine anything here freely," Scarlett said, addressing them all with a gesture to the room.

"I will not stop you." After a brief hesitation, Skyler and the others began moving towards whatever had already caught their attention. Melody didn't look away from the painting, as if she'd forgotten the rest of the room entirely. Scarlett remained near the centre with Slate, arms crossed as she watched them. Outwardly, her attention stayed on Oveth and Regina as they examined the primordial spell. Through the Loci's senses, however, she kept an eye on Skyler.

She wasn't entirely sure whether to be amused or mildly concerned by how quickly her sister made a beeline for the gold. Skyler crouched beside one of the open coffers and picked up a coin between thumb and forefinger, rubbing it as though she expected it to dissolve like some kind of illusion. She did it again, then brought it closer to her eye, squinting. Finally—after glancing around to make sure no one was directly watching—she bit it. Did she really think the gold was fake?

Even if it had been, how exactly did she expect to tell? Scarlett was fairly sure imperial gold coins were alloyed and didn't bend that easily. Shaking her head inwardly, she watched as Skyler returned her attention to the coffer, running her hand through the coins. The soft clinking echoed through the chamber. Scarlett had to suppress a small smile when, a few seconds later, Rosa appeared behind the young woman, hands clasped behind her back as she leaned in.

"You wondering how many of 'em you can fit in your pockets without anyone noticing?" Skyler jolted and spun on the bard. For some reason, she had the exact look of someone who'd just been caught red-handed.

"I know how it is." Rosa nodded sagely.

"I fight those urges every single day I wake up in this mansion. The life of the privileged comes with trials few can comprehend." Skyler narrowed her eyes.

"…You're just always trying to pull someone's leg, aren't you?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Rosa said, wide-eyed. Scarlett rolled her eyes without anyone noticing, ignoring whatever fanciful nonsense came out of the bard's mouth next. Instead, she found herself wondering how Skyler and the others were actually doing for money. Depending on the quests they had been taking, they could either be sitting on a decent reserve or barely scraping by. From the way Skyler was acting, Scarlett suspected the latter.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Her sister had always been careful with money back in their old world. Maybe it was a habit formed during the years Scarlett herself had managed their finances and kept a close eye on Skyler's spending. Either way, seeing this much gold in one place had clearly rattled her. Scarlett let them look around for a few more minutes.

Eventually, Skyler seemed to lose interest in the gold, trapped in an awkward half-conversation with Rosa that she clearly didn't know how to escape, and turned back to Scarlett.

"So," she said.

"What do we actually get? Can we choose just whatever we want?" Scarlett arched a brow.

"Skye…" Regina sighed quietly.

"What? She's the one who brought us here." Scarlett looked between them, then glanced at Rosa and gave a small nod. The bard stepped away from Skyler, smoothing her clothes as though she were about to perform, then clapped her hands once.

"Right," she announced.

"Listen up, brave adventurers." All eyes turned to her.

"Our gracious Baroness has decided to part with several very valuable items in support of your noble mission. Those of you who aren't royalty are welcome to feel very appropriately grateful." A few uncertain glances flicked towards Scarlett. Rosa smiled sweetly and crossed the room to a smaller chest near the entrance, opening it and pulling out a leather pouch. She weighed it in her hand, glanced over Skyler's group as if doing some mental arithmetic, then tossed it to Briana. The Oathbound caught it, frowning.

"Draughts," Rosa said.

"You've got the classics. Healing, mana, stamina. A few stimulants for when bad decisions catch up with you. Plus some fun extras I haven't dared to test. All brewed by our resident alchemist, complete with handwritten notes." Briana opened the pouch and peered inside. It was a spatial pouch, similar to Scarlett's [Pouch of Holding]. That made it rare and expensive, but Scarlett had no particular use for it.

Next, Rosa moved to a nearby cabinet and pulled out a slim case, carrying it over to a table near Regina and Oveth. She opened it to reveal a velvet-lined interior filled with rings, earrings, and other small artefacts. Most were only Rare, but Scarlett thought they might still prove useful to Skyler's group.

"You can divvy these up however you like," Rosa explained.

"They're pretty, and they all do something. What exactly? No idea. I'm hoping you can figure that part out for yourselves." She slid the case towards Regina, motioning invitingly. The princess hesitated, then stepped forward, lifting a pair of emerald earrings and examining them. Rosa continued around the room, selecting items she and Scarlett had already agreed on and giving each a brief introduction.

Scarlett wasn't especially impressed by the explanations, but they were acceptable, if only because she knew Oveth could identify everything later. By the time Rosa was done, she had handed out several minor trinkets, a handful of wands, a few pieces of armour—including the ice-white gauntlets Briana had been eyeing—and several spellbooks that Regina and Oveth might find useful. Skyler's group was already reasonably well equipped, from what Scarlett could tell, but this gave them more options.

More importantly, it ensured they had a proper reserve of healing potions. Scarlett had already confirmed that Skyler and the others weren't weak, but they were still nowhere near the level where they could challenge her—much less someone like Ustrum—and they had no dedicated healer. She wasn't about to send them into the Steppes without some means of compensating for that. After Rosa finished distributing the items, Regina and the others examined their new acquisitions with a mix of interest and uncertainty.

Melody, in particular, was holding a slim velvet choker, the gemstone set into it hovering just above the fabric, flickering faintly as though something were being held back. That was the [Aetheric Clasp (Epic)], which had been among the items Scarlett had recovered in Beld Thylelion. She had tried giving it to Rosa and the others, but aside from Slate, it hadn't suited anyone in her own party — and even Slate hadn't felt any real need for it. Melody might, though.

When activated, it silenced the wearer, but it also allowed energy to be stored and released in a single focused burst. For someone like Melody—who could draw on her divine-sourced abilities almost without restraint—it could be extremely useful. Though the silencing aspect was… less ideal. Because of that, Scarlett had spoken to her the previous night and asked whether it was something she would be willing to use at all. Melody hadn't refused. As Scarlett considered that, Rosa turned to Skyler.

A thoughtful expression crossed her face as she folded her arms, one hand rising to her chin. Skyler noticed. She lowered the pair of silver bracelets she'd been given and looked at Rosa warily.

"…Do I have something on my face?" Rosa nodded seriously.

"You do."

"What?"

"Your nose. Not that it's especially relevant to much of anything. It's just surprisingly small. Cute, though. Even if I was expecting something a bit more dramatic. Indifferently upturned, maybe." Skyler stared at her, looking deeply unsure of what to do with that. Scarlett very deliberately did not glare at Rosa. She knew exactly what the bard was doing. It was a sideways comment on what Scarlett's original appearance had been like.

She'd told Rosa that she and Skyler hadn't looked too different, and the bard had clearly filed that away for later use. Rosa just smiled slyly at her, only to suddenly pause as if she had just thought of something. She snapped her fingers.

"Scarlett," she said.

"I know you're terribly loath to part with even more of your good-gotten gains, but it'd be a dreadful shame if we sent them off with a polite fraction of your fortune only for them to end up face-down in some miserable Steppe ditch with nothing but regret and half-made planning to keep them warm. Since we're already investing, why not sweeten it just a touch?" Scarlett watched her for several seconds, maintaining a perfectly expressionless demeanour. Rosa had been meant to stick to a simple script.

This was technically part of that, but of course she added her own flair. Scarlett eventually dipped her head in a small nod.

"Very well." Rosa beamed, then walked over to a pedestal. Resting atop it was a gleaming gold-coloured metal sphere, its surface carved with looping lines and etched with celestial bodies and Zuverian glyphs. One half of the [Sphere of Serendipity (1/2) (Unique)]. Rosa picked it up and carried it over to Skyler, holding it out to her. Skyler eyed it.

"…What's that?"

"Insurance," Rosa said lightly, then dropped it. Skyler reacted just in time to catch it.

"For that nose of yours to stay as cute as it is."

"Insurance for what?" Skyler asked.

"Oh, you want the boring version with details? I suppose I can give you that." Rosa pointed at the sphere.

"It's what some might call a one-use escape. Activate it and it'll haul you and your charming assortment of friends out of immediate peril and dump you somewhere that's hopefully less peril-y."

"Hopefully?" Skyler repeated.

"Where, exactly?" Rosa's smile thinned just slightly.

"Well, somewhere that isn't directly in front of the thing trying to kill you."

"That answer is the opposite of 'exactly'." Rosa lifted both hands.

"I'm a bard, not a mage. It blinks you somewhere by'poof' means." Skyler frowned at the sphere.

"So it could drop us into a wall."

"It will not drop you into a wall," Scarlett said. Skyler looked up.

"How do you know?"

"Because I am not interested in retrieving your corpses from masonry." Her sister's jaw tightened.

"It would be best if you never use it," Scarlett continued.

"But if you do, all you need to know is that it will take you somewhere safe." Skyler kept studying her, then turned to Oveth. The man seemed to catch her meaning, stepping across the room to take the sphere. Dark magic gathered briefly around his hands as he examined it. After a moment, he lowered the artifact and looked at Skyler.

"It performs a spatial translocation. I cannot say where, but the likelihood of it being dangerous appears low." Skyler took it back, still skeptical, rolling the weight of it in her palm. Oveth's veiled gaze shifted to Scarlett. She did not react. Rosa clasped her hands together.

"Anywho, that should about cover the borrowed miracles. Those were very much my idea, by the by, so I won't mind if you try to direct a suitable amount of gratitude my way at some point or other. The proper rewards, however, are entirely at her ladyship's discretion." She gestured towards Scarlett. Everybody looked to her again. Scarlett met their gazes.

"I am willing to re-evaluate the rewards once you return," she said.

"For now, you may choose one item from this room to keep."

"Just one?" Skyler asked.

"If you choose well, that is me being generous. As I said, I may be willing to re-evaluate later." The gauntlets Briana would be 'borrowing' alone were probably worth a fortune. Scarlett might well find a decent excuse to give them more later when she could, but right now, to anyone who actually understood the value of some of these objects, promising more at the outset would border on absurd. Skyler hesitated, glancing at Regina, then the others, before turning back.

She lifted the sphere in one hand and the bracelets in the other.

"What if we just…keep these?"

"You would be thieves," Scarlett said evenly.

"And you would find it very difficult to remain free ones." Skyler went quiet. She wetted her lip, then glanced at the open coffers.

"Could we choose one of those?"

"…If you wish." Scarlett doubted they would ever need that much coin, but she had no particular objection to giving it.

"No, wait." Skyler stopped herself, looking back at Scarlett.

"What's the most valuable thing here that we're borrowing?" Scarlett pointed at the [Sphere of Serendipity] in Skyler's hand.

"That." Discounting the Divine artifacts Scarlett personally used, it was probably the most powerful item in the room. Even if it couldn't be used in combat, its range within the same realm was practically unlimited, which was absurd in its own way. Skyler ran a thumb over the sphere.

"Can I try it?"

"I would advise against it." Skyler frowned.

"…Alright. Then can we tentatively choose this one?" She lifted it slightly.

"Pending reconsideration." Scarlett inclined her head.

"Very well." She had intended for Skyler to keep it regardless. Not only would it serve as a potential lifeline for her sister, but it would also ensure Scarlett could find her wherever she went. The only reason she hadn't explained its full nature was that she suspected Skyler would refuse it outright if she knew. Skyler turned to her group.

"Everyone alright with that?" None of them objected. Scarlett could tell that both Regina and Oveth were interested in the primordial spell and some of the reagents, but neither pressed the matter. Though it was possible they simply wanted time to discuss it in private. Still, with that settled, Scarlett was nearly ready to have the Loci move them out of the treasury when she noticed Melody looking at the painting again. A thought stirred.

"Melody," she said. The woman startled, turning at once. Skyler shifted as well. Scarlett met Melody's eyes.

"Is there anything you want, beyond these things?" Melody blinked several times, then shook her head quickly.

"N-No…no, I can't…" Scarlett followed her gaze back to the painting, brow knitting slightly.

"…Would you like a painting commissioned for you?" she asked after a moment.

"Of whatever you wish." Melody froze. Her eyes widened. Scarlett waited, but the woman didn't say anything.

"…Mel," Skyler eventually said in a quiet voice.

"Isn't there that one dream you keep having?" Melody looked to her.

"Wouldn't it be nice to have a painting of that?" Melody hesitated. Her lips moved without sound for a few seconds before she finally turned back to Scarlett. She held her gaze, then dipped her head in a small nod.

"Y-Yes…please."

"You would like a commissioned painting?" Scarlett asked.

"Yes…"

"Very well. I will see that it is done. If I may ask, however…what is the dream?" Melody tensed, shoulders lifting, mouth opening. But she didn't speak. Scarlett glanced briefly at Skyler, who was giving her a complicated look.

"…No," Scarlett said, turning back to Melody.

"You do not need to tell me now." Melody's shoulders eased. Scarlett let the moment pass, then turned her attention back to the others, considering them. After a few seconds, she had the Loci bring them away.