Chapter 636: The Key
Anderson gave an awkward smile and continued his explanation: "This sort of thing is basically harmless. It's usually meant for hiding valuable items, not for defense. If you can't open it properly and try to force it, what's inside will be destroyed. But making the whole thing out of Adamantine is ridiculously extravagant—whatever's inside must be truly extraordinary."
Leon nodded. He was well-traveled, but when it came to these little historical details, Anderson was definitely the expert.
A few sheets of draft paper were pulled out, and a quill darted across them with rapid calculations. Whatever was inside this box had to be precious—if they messed up, it could all be ruined. In that case, the Adamantine Reliquary would be nothing more than expensive magical scrap.
After double-checking the calculations and making sure nothing was off, Leon finally began to unravel the alchemical array on the box with his crystal pen.
Every alchemical array was disabled, the runes and patterns erased, but the box still didn’t budge—not even a crack. Leon was stumped.
Anderson, unfazed, simply said, "Check for a mechanism."
Only then did Leon have a sudden realization—he'd been so focused on the alchemical array that he'd forgotten these boxes almost always had some kind of mechanism!
Recalling the alchemical patterns that had covered the box, he quickly found two spots that hadn’t been touched by the array’s runes or markings.
There was only one alchemical array on the box, and it was completely asymmetrical. But on both sides of the box, there were matching spots free of any runes or patterns—pretty telling, really.
The double-trigger mechanism was still all the rage—both had to be activated at once to open the box. Otherwise, you’d set off some other trap.
Leon set up his defenses ahead of time, took a deep breath, and pressed his fingers into the two narrow blank spots at the same moment.
Click—
A crisp sound rang out, and a crack appeared on the box where previously there hadn’t been the faintest seam. The box opened on its own...
No danger appeared.
He gently opened the box, and what was inside caught all three of them off guard.
It wasn’t some obviously priceless treasure, but a single key.
The key was ancient, brown, with a hint of rust. Its handle was shaped like a detailed skull, the skull sporting a single-eyed eyepatch and two crossed sabers thrust through the top.
All three instantly recognized it as Redbeard’s insignia!
Lord Shawn glanced at it, tossed out a remark, and left with the Soul Magic Crystal.
"I'm heading back."
Leon was a little surprised to find a key inside. Its design was ancient—something you'd only see with the oldest locks, more of a decorative artifact than anything practical these days.
If it hadn’t been hidden so carefully, Leon doubted he’d have noticed its value at all—it looked like something you’d toss aside without a second thought.
Anderson frowned, lost in thought, but came up with nothing.
"I can't tell what this key is for either. But considering how well it was hidden—and the fact that even that monster tried to snatch it—it's bound to be important. Maybe it's the key to Redbeard's treasure vault, or maybe something else entirely."
Leon shook his head, put the key back in the Adamantine Reliquary, and tucked it away. If he couldn't figure it out right now, he'd leave it for later. Whatever that creature wanted, he had to get his hands on it first.
After a short rest to recover some mana, Leon glanced back at the entrance—now just another wall—and felt a faint unease creeping in.
Thinking back, ever since they'd boarded the USS Dauntless, it was as if some unseen hand had been guiding them. Danger lurked everywhere—every cabin was a deadly trap.
No matter how perilous the USS Dauntless was, it shouldn’t have been lethal at every turn.
This cabin, though, was clearly an abandoned alchemy lab—piles of broken furniture, rusted alchemical golems long since fallen silent.
Hubert and the others had been able to rest here in peace, meaning it was safe after a thorough check.
If every cabin along the way had been just as dangerous, Leon wouldn’t have thought twice. But now, suddenly feeling safe, he looked back and suspected they’d walked straight into a trap.
That cabin floored with Soulwood, sealed by twelve True Spirit Array Formations, and reinforced with a Dimensional Corridor—plus all that Soulwood—was clearly a prison built to hold something truly evil.
But if they hadn’t broken the seal, they’d never have escaped. Now, whatever they’d released was probably an even greater threat.
Once his mana had recovered halfway, Leon couldn’t sit still. He walked over to Hubert, who was sleeping soundly, and gave him a nudge. The big guy didn’t react at all.
Leon tossed a casual Fireball at Hubert, and only then did the thick-skinned Dragonblood Orc leap up, howling.
"Who? Are we under attack? Where’s the enemy?"
He spun around, only to see Leon standing behind him, face grim.
"Archmage Leon, you made it back safe! I knew that monster was no match for you..."
Hubert grinned, shamelessly flattering him.