Read Novel Full Chapter 956: Treasures
Chapter 956: Treasures
Though the thought of Shojo’s treasure cave sat at the back of his mind with quiet persistence, Michael set it aside temporarily.
The more immediately useful matter was the demonic supernatural’s memories.
A full digestion of everything transferred was not something he could accomplish in a short period.
This would take time, possibly weeks of gradual integration before the more obscure details became reliably accessible.
But skimming through the surface layer was manageable.
Tomorrow, or the day after at the latest, he needed to be back at the academy. Going back empty-handed when he was sitting on a catalog of demonic faction intelligence felt like a waste.
Michael began organizing what he could reasonably present.
It was only after sorting the information he intended to bring to the academy, Michael turned his attention to Shojo’s memories.
To be honest, in terms of overall value Michael placed the demonic supernatural’s memories higher, despite Shojo being considerably stronger.
A good part of that assessment came down to the fundamental difference in what they were.
One had been a human. The other had been a monster.
All roads led to the heavens, as the saying went, however the saying that what was meant for one was not necessarily meant for another also held true.
A monster would probably benefit more from Shojo’s memories than a human cultivator of the same level would, and vice versa. In fact, as long as the level was high enough, benefits were always present, but compatibility was very important.
This was why Michael valued the demonic supernatural’s memories more highly. They carried cultivation insights, hard-won understanding of progress that Michael could potentially apply or at least reference in his own path forward.
That said, Shojo’s memories were far from worthless. The possible treasure was the most obvious reason. A creature that had existed for a thousand years had to have left behind something worth finding.
After a while Michael had composed a list of suitable locations and information to present to the academy upon his return, along with a reasonable account of how he had come across it.
With that settled, Michael turned to what he had genuinely been looking forward to.
Just because he placed the value of the demonic supernatural memory higher did not mean he looked down on shojo’s memory.
A moment later a look of excitement appeared on Michael’s face.
"It seems I made a mistake! This.... this! I need to see it!"
Michael had gone in hoping for a treasure cave but preparing himself for the more likely alternative, that Shojo would simply have knowledge of locations holding resources rather than a directly accessible personal hoard.
The demonic supernatural’s memories had followed that pattern, pointing toward places rather than things in hand.
Shojo was different. The cave was real, and the value of what was inside was immense.
The other thing that stood out was the confirmation about the Everlong Forest’s power structure.
There was no other Legendary Stage monster in the forest.
Michael was not particularly surprised. The Everlong Forest was vast, but a mountain could only contain one tiger.
Two powerful creatures with no relationship would only coexist in the same territory under very specific conditions. Either the location was too valuable for either to abandon, or they both answered to something higher than themselves.
Shojo had answered to no one.
Since there was an ownerless treasure waiting to be claimed, Michael did not hesitate.
His body in the Land of Origin was already moving before he had finished the thought.
Michael appeared in midair above the Everlong Forest, the familiar dark canopy spreading out below him in every direction. He picked a direction based on what Shojo’s memories had given him and disappeared.
A short while later Michael stood in front of a small hill with a large opening carved into its face, wide and somewhat natural-looking.
This was where Shojo had lived. Where its immediate treasures lay.
What struck Michael first was the complete absence of any security measure. The previous overlord of the Everlong Forest had apparently operated entirely on the assumption that its own existence was security enough.
However, Michael was cautious by nature. Though Shojo’s memories stated it had left no security measures in place, Michael still summoned the Rank 4 demonic supernatural regardless.
A tattoo appeared on Michael’s body and from it ash came forth to form a humanoid figure before disappearing.
The two of them made their way into the cave together.
The passage led downhill, the angle gradual at first then steepening as they went deeper.
After a while the passage opened.
Michael stopped at the threshold and looked out at what lay ahead. A large clearing spread before him underground, illuminated by bioluminescent grass growing in patches along the walls.
The layout reminded him immediately of the underground space where they had found Rynne living metal.
Michael stepped inside and looked around slowly.
Surprisingly, this space bore more than a passing similarity to that secret realm.
Around Michael were scattered bones of varying sizes. Some belonged to beasts. Others were harder to categorize. They looked human, but it was hard to tell.
Other races existed in the Land of Origin after all. It would be difficult to tell what was what through bones alone without clear distinguishing features.
Having an understanding of Shojo’s methods, the current sight was not surprising to Michael.
As for his feelings regarding how an ordinary deer had reached its current level, Michael could only reflect that truly, no one who lived above a century was simple.
Or perhaps the more accurate saying was that no one who reached the Legendary Stage was simple, regardless of species or origin.
Michael did not know exactly how long his own path to that level would take. But he believed it would not require a hundred years.
He was technically only one rank away, and even at his current stage he was far from simple. The same could be said for Rynne, whom Michael felt should not stop at Rank 3 either.
Michael moved through the cave space and let his thoughts drift back to the memory that had caught his attention most during his review of Shojo’s past.
The human Shojo had devoured a decade ago.