Chapter 174: The Very First Diamond Chest
It was truly rewarding. The gold reward alone amounted to 10 million!
This exceeded Zhang Nu's expectations. Considering that the Malevolent King's tomb was not particularly large in terms of monster quantity or scale, and despite its high level and powerful inhabitants, this amount of gold surpassed even what Zhang Nu acquired from capturing Ironheart City, a Level 5 overlord region with a population of several hundred thousand.
Throughout this journey, Zhang Nu reaped significant rewards. In terms of gold alone, he had obtained over 30 million!
10 million was from slaying the Malevolent King, 10 million came from opening the treasure chest, and an additional 12 million was acquired by clearing out high-level minions like Skeletal Dragons, Evil Giants, and Soul Guards.
The total amounted to 32 million gold coins!
Although Zhang Nu had anticipated a significant reward, he never imagined it would be this extraordinary!
This was truly beyond his wildest expectations!
Indeed, for Zhang Nu, the monarch-level areas were not perilous grounds but rather treasure troves brimming with opportunities. If only he could stumble upon a few more of such places.
Of course, compared to the abundant gold rewards, what excited him even more were the rewards of other items. The blueprints from the diamond treasure chest were all rare Level 5 blueprints.
[Blueprint: Altar of Sacred King] Level 5 blueprint. Costs gold x6,000,000, light gem x2000, life gem x2000, elemental gems x500 each. You may construct an Altar of Sacred King within your territory.
[Blueprint: Evil God Cultivator] Level 5 blueprint. Costs gold x5,000,000, dark gem x2000, undeath gem x2000,. You may construct an Evil God Cultivator within your territory.
The costs of these blueprints were quite exorbitant, even among Level 5 buildings.
Zhang Nu was already acquainted with altar-type structures such as the Altar of Inferno, Soul Altar, and Giant Altar, all sharing the common feature of sacrifice and empowerment. Almost all altars possessed an empowerment function, and he fervently hoped that the Altar of Sacred King would follow suit. Its price tag surpassed even that of the Soul Altar, thus he could only anticipate its usefulness, hoping it would prove as valuable.
As for the "Evil God Cultivator," it was truly thought-provoking. What kind of entity were Evil Gods? They were a force on par with deities, a completely uncontrollable natural disaster. Zhang Nu could not believe that a mere Level 5 building could actually nurture an Evil God.
However, given its name, it surely possessed some relevant functions. Zhang Nu could not help but feel intrigued by the Evil God Cultivator and held high expectations for it.
In addition to the valuable Level 5 blueprints, this time he also obtained a Level 4 Special Building Upgrade Scroll.
The significance of a Level 4 upgrade scroll was immense as it could elevate a Level 4 building to a Level 5, a rarity of great value in itself. Furthermore, it was a special building upgrade scroll. With this scroll, Zhang Nu could directly upgrade the Miracle Tree in Giantree City to an Eternal Tree. The possibilities and benefits were undoubtedly extraordinary.
In some sense, the value of this upgrade scroll might even surpass that of the two Level 5 blueprints combined. However, upgrading into the Eternal Tree would not come cheap. It would likely cost more than constructing numerous ordinary Level 5 buildings. Moreover, the upgraded Eternal Tree would attract too much attention, causing a significant stir across the continent.
For now, the functionalities of the Miracle Tree were sufficient. Zhang Nu needed to wait for the right timing. Upgrading the tree was a matter that required careful consideration.
The Malevolent King's tomb yielded immense rewards, but the spoils did not end there. Utilizing his ability to perceive hidden information, Zhang Nu, accompanied by a group of giants led by Jin Kui, discovered a seemingly inconspicuous hidden door.
"Open it!" commanded the Demon King.
The giants immediately resorted to their brute strength, violently demolishing the wall. Although the door was forged from refined mystic iron, it proved no match for their relentless assault and was dismantled within moments.
Curiosity piqued, Jin Kui inquired, "What lies within this place?"
Zhang Nu replied, "This is a secret chamber where burial offerings are stored."
"Burial offerings?!" Jin Kui exclaimed.
Without hesitation, Zhang Nu stepped inside. Emerging from a passageway, he found himself in a grand hall that, by giant standards, could be deemed a small chamber.
The other giants followed suit, their astonishment evident. The chamber was filled to the brim with a myriad of priceless treasures, collectibles, as well as relics, items, and equipment once used by the ancient monarchs.
Regrettably, the passage of time had taken its toll. Most of the once invaluable treasures had succumbed to ravages of time and environmental degradation. Even those that had not been destroyed had suffered varying degrees of damage or lost their original potency.
For Zhang Nu, it was a lamentable sight. After all, during its zenith, this ancient kingdom rivaled the Azure Water Federation's Pale Moon Kingdom in prestige. The burial items accompanying the ancient monarchs could not have been mere common articles.
The pile of now mostly dull objects before his eyes had once represented their glorious era. In their prime, they were likely national treasures. Though now tarnished and diminished, some still retained significant value. Packaging and selling them could easily fetch billions of mainland coins.
Every little bit mattered, and this was no small haul either, it was more akin to a plump pig, waiting to be slaughtered.
Apart from the burial treasures, there were numerous items that had once belonged to the ancient monarchs. Among them were weapons, equipment, and armor, although their practical value was limited due to mismatched sizes.
However, the materials used for these items were top-notch, making them perfect for the dwarves to reforge into powerful weapons. Their value was not inferior to the burial treasures, and for Zhang Nu and his territory, they could potentially hold even greater value.
At that moment, an inconspicuous crystal caught Zhang Nu's interest.
[Titan Crystal] Superior purple quality item.
......
Description: This crystal is a guiding crystal and relic key that has withstood the test of time. It contains the location of the "Titan Ruins'', one of the ancient kingdom's most closely guarded secrets... The ancient monarch that obtained this crystal spent decades searching for the marked location with it, but ultimately failed, marking it as his greatest regret...Thus, his descendants placed this item as a burial offering in the king's tomb...
Zhang Nu activated the crystal, and a partial map appeared. It only displayed the terrain near the ruins without any specific markings. After so many years, it was unclear where exactly it was located. Tens of thousands of years had passed, leading to significant changes in the landforms. It was uncertain if the Titan Ruins still existed.
Nonetheless, the titans, the supreme beings among the giants, had undoubtedly left behind a wealth of dangers and treasures within their ancient ruins. The crystal served as a crucial means to access the site. If given the opportunity, Zhang Nu desired to explore and uncover the secrets hidden within the ruins.
With the crisis in Thunderclap City now resolved, the Malevolent King's tomb had become the most formidable location Zhang Nu had encountered, raising the standard for the entire Chaos Forest.
Next, Zhang Nu planned to unify the Chaos Forest within a few days, solidifying his position as the undisputed ruler of the region!"