Isolde pulled her thoughts back.
Logically, she should have left by now.
The Mooncrown Lock was in her possession, the last wishes had been fulfilled, and the Silver-Robed Inquisitor was dead as dead could be.
Staying any longer would be the epitome of greed—like a snake trying to swallow an elephant—once the other top-tier powerhouses caught wind of what had happened.
But...
She was already here.
A place like this monastery took in refugees and wounded soldiers on the surface, while secretly processing holy beast remains in bulk and even trafficking people on the side.
How poor could it possibly be?
Her memory was excellent. She instantly recalled the “Reliquary” that Luo Jiuge had casually mentioned in passing.
Isolde made her decision on the spot. Guided by the map markers in her memory, she bypassed the dense crowd of resentful spirits in the front, slipped through a dark side corridor, and hurried toward the Reliquary.
While the main hall was in utter chaos, this side corridor was surprisingly quiet.
However, it wasn't completely empty.
Along the way, she spotted two Holy Court guards frantically running outward, carrying a heavy wooden chest between them.
They clearly knew that Grey Dove Monastery was finished today, and that the Lord Silver-Robe was most likely dead. Thus, they wanted to take advantage of the chaos, grab some valuables, and flee.
Standing in the shadows of a corner, Isolde watched the two fleeing guards. She flicked her fingers slightly, and several 【Soul Threads】 silently wrapped around their ankles.
Already in a state of panic, the two tripped and instantly lost their balance, tumbling onto the floor in a tangled heap along with the chest.
The iron-bound chest rolled several times with a loud clatter.
Just as one of them was about to shriek, his mouth was gagged by a tightly wound clump of Soul Threads, reducing his voice to muffled whimpers.
The other guard's eyes widened. Before he could even make out the black-haired woman stepping out of the shadows, he was bound tight by the Soul Threads.
As the Soul Threads tightened, both let out muffled groans and slumped weakly to the floor.
Isolde strolled over unhurriedly, looking down at the chest on the floor.
She flicked her hand, flipping open the lid.
Inside lay scattered Holy Court gold coins, several bottles of high-grade recovery potions, and a few precious magical ores.
Before Isolde could even reach the monastery's central vault, the treasures within were already making their way to her.
She picked up one of the high-grade recovery potions and downed it. The wound on her shoulder healed rapidly, and her HP climbed back above the safety threshold.
Sweeping all the loot on the ground into the 【Radiant Ring】, Isolde continued forward.
The vault doors had originally been sealed by three layers of complex golden holy runes. But now, with most of the monastery's holiness nexus shattered, the runes on the door flickered erratically, looking very much like a fluorescent tube running out of power.
Isolde glanced at it and threw a kick.
The door didn't budge.
“...”
The smile on Isolde's face stiffened for a moment.
She was about to have a breakdown. Was her Strength attribute really so low that she couldn't even kick a door open?
With no other choice, she sighed in resignation. With a gentle flick of her fingers, she released her 【Soul-Binding Threads】, sending them through the gaps in the door to successfully pull the door hinge open.
The door slid open, and the dazzling glow of wealth from within instantly blinded Isolde.
Row after row of heavy black wooden shelves stood in neat order, with large chests of gold coins piled high in the corners.
The potion section was incredibly clear at a glance; all potions were strictly categorized and arranged by tier, with magical light of various colors swirling inside the translucent glass bottles.
On the other side, the section for ores and basic materials was packed so full that there was barely any room to step.
Looking deeper inside, there was even a whole row of weapon racks at the far end, alongside bookshelves stuffed with parchment skill scrolls.
Isolde was so delighted she wanted to spin in circles. What kind of vault was this?
This was clearly a starter pack that the Holy Court had thoughtfully prepared and organized for her beforehand!
She locked the door behind her first, then quickly walked to the first row of shelves and swept her right hand.
【Obtained: High-Grade Healing Potion ×30】
【Obtained: Mid-Grade Mana Recovery Potion ×30】
【Obtained: Purifying Salt ×8 chests】
【Obtained: Holy Silver Ore ×27】
【Obtained: Radiant Crystal ×16】
【Obtained: Low-Tier Skill Book: 《Holy Rune Perception》】
【Obtained: Mid-Tier Skill Book: 《Purifying Barrier》】
【Obtained: Mid-Tier Weapon: Condemnation Wand】
...
Prompts popped up one after another. Isolde collected them so fast her hands practically left afterimages.
The space inside the 【Radiant Ring】 was massive, more than enough to hold all these items.
Chests of gold coins vanished into thin air, and rows of heavy shelves became cleaner than if they had been washed, all in the blink of an eye.
“The Holy Court truly lives up to its name. Eating the offerings of the common people and drinking the blood of refugees, yet keeping their own vault so incredibly fat behind closed doors.”
Having completely stripped the first basic storage area bare, Isolde turned around and walked toward the second storage area without stopping.
The supplies stored in this area were of a noticeably higher tier. Each shelf was sealed with a spell seal bearing the emblem of the Holy White City, and the chests were carved with extremely complex defensive seal patterns.
Isolde had originally approached with the mindset of just giving it a try.
But to her surprise, the moment the silver inquisitor's ring on her index finger drew near, the seemingly indestructible seals glowed slightly and clicked open, granting automatic authorization.
She looked at the ring, her gaze instantly softening.
Very good. You're already a mature spatial ring. You've learned to open chests for your master on your own.
With an innocent, harmless smile on her face, she went on an unbridled, relentless looting spree.
It wasn't until the third row of high-tier shelves was mostly empty that Isolde suddenly stopped.
She snapped her head up, her expression shifting slightly.
Her Soul Threads had spread through the gaps in the floor tiles. Through the vibrations transmitted back, she faintly caught the sound of heavy footsteps approaching from not far away.
Those were definitely not the frantic footsteps of fleeing monks, but the approach of a well-trained, heavily armored military force.
And there was more than one squad.
Amidst the heavy footsteps was an exceptionally strong wave of magical fluctuations.
It seemed the reinforcements stationed in the Holy White City had arrived.
Isolde made a split-second decision. With a flip of her palm, her last teleportation stone was already pinched between her fingers.
Inside the irregular crystal, mist flowed slowly, looking like a miniature night sky trapped within.
The destination coordinates were locked: Crow Candle Castle.
She cast one last, slightly regretful glance deep into the vault. There were still two rows of high-tier materials she hadn't had time to collect.
What a pity.
But one shouldn't be too greedy. More importantly, if she pushed her luck any further, her squishy self would probably end up dead here today.
Isolde squeezed her fingers, crushing the teleportation stone.
A grey spatial storm suddenly erupted from her palm, swallowing her figure.
Almost at the exact same moment, a furious roar echoed from outside the heavy vault door:
“Break the door down!”
The already crumbling runed door was forcibly blown apart by a violent martial skill, sending countless wooden splinters flying everywhere.
Several knights clad in holy heavy armor and a few white-robed mages clutching staves burst through the door, radiating murderous intent.
However, with their greatswords and staves raised high, all they managed to catch was a fading greyish-blue afterimage in the very center of the room.
And a vault that was now mostly empty.
Rate on N.U.
