Chapter 13: The Alchemist’s Relics

With a wave of her hand, Yin Feixue swept aside the trash; she certainly wasn’t going to rummage through filth with her bare hands.

Even Qin Yu was using a broken sword and wearing a scavenged “trash-picking suit” composed of gloves and sturdy gear to protect himself from the grime.

Beneath the surface lay a transparent spherical object emitting a dim glow.

Yin Feixue lifted it into the air with telekinesis; even after being buried for so long, the object still radiated an inextinguishable luster.

Any fool could tell this was a high-quality item.

“Hey! Servant!”

Yin Feixue called out to Qin Yu, who was currently engrossed in his scavenging.

Qin Yu looked toward her and was instantly captivated by the sphere.

This was the first time his gaze had shifted away from Yin Feixue—and with good reason, as that object was the key item he needed to become a Lord.

The item was called a [Territory Core], and wild ones were incredibly rare.

In his previous life, the major guilds had fought tooth and nail for these during the early stages, collaborating with various factions in the Divine Realms just to secure one.

A wild Territory Core usually commanded a price tag starting in the eight figures.

A minor character like the old Qin Yu could never have dreamed of obtaining such a thing, but things were different now.

“Xiao Xue, I truly love you~”

As he said this, however, Qin Yu’s eyes weren’t on Yin Feixue at all, which made her extremely annoyed.

What was wrong with this guy? Was that stupid ball really more attractive than her?

As for Qin Yu saying he loved her, Yin Feixue simply accepted it by default.

Just as Qin Yu reached out for the Territory Core, Yin Feixue lifted it higher, making him grab at thin air.

“Hmph…”

Her displeasure was written all over her face.

“Xiao Xue, this is the key to building our future territory. Could you keep it safe for me?”

The underlying meaning of Qin Yu’s words was that he considered Yin Feixue his most trusted companion.

Her expression softened slightly, and she nodded slowly.

“Since you put it that way, servant, I, your master, shall safeguard this important item for you.”

With that, Yin Feixue stashed the Territory Core inside her [Bloodwood Coffin].

With her protecting it, Qin Yu didn’t have to worry about it being lost.

Now that the most critical item had been found, Qin Yu had no more reservations; his next task was to scavenge as many useful things as possible.

‘I wonder where that other item is…’

Qin Yu still had no clue where the specific item the major guilds had fought over was located.

Regardless, his plan was to stay in the Blood Soul Realm for the full seven days (in-game time) before returning to the main world to seize territory.

There were still three days left, so there was no rush.

“Servant, surely you don’t intend to spend the night here?”

Watching Qin Yu continue to sift through the rubbish, Yin Feixue finally couldn’t help but ask.

“Hard to say—unless you’re willing to let me sleep in your Bloodwood Coffin, Xiao Xue~”

Qin Yu brought up the coffin again, and naturally, Yin Feixue was unwilling.

He had been digging through trash; how could he dare sleep in her coffin? What if he got it dirty?

“Then you might as well sleep in the trash pile.”

Yin Feixue replied sharply, leaving Qin Yu to shrug helplessly and continue his work.

A short while later, Yin Feixue asked another question: “Servant, I am curious. Why did you come here, and why are you working so hard…?”

To Yin Feixue, Qin Yu was a mystery.

He had awakened her using a Blood Alliance Oath that only she should have known, and he seemed to understand her perfectly.

Could it be that this man knew her from before?

But that was impossible; she knew for a fact that Qin Yu was an Outworlder.

Though she had lost her past memories, it was impossible for her to have had any connection with someone from another world.

“For you, of course…” Qin Yu answered immediately without thinking.

“Even sweet talk won’t get you into the Bloodwood Coffin to sleep…”

She said this, but Yin Feixue felt a small surge of joy in her heart, even if she didn’t show it.

However, she felt that Qin Yu still wasn’t telling the whole truth; he was just flirting to make her happy.

“Then I suppose I’ll have to sleep in the trash.”

Qin Yu smiled and continued poking through the debris with his rusty sword.

Though it was tedious work, it felt fulfilling.

If he sold all this “trash,” his assets would double and triple; earning back the million he had spent would be child’s play. This was likely the joy of a scavenger.

Time continued to pass as Yin Feixue watched Qin Yu tirelessly flip through the garbage…

Clang!

Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out; Qin Yu’s sword had struck a hard object.

Maintaining his composure, he prepared to pull it out; he had encountered this many times before and was used to it.

Usually, it was just some scrap metal that could be sold for a decent price.

“Hmm?”

Both Qin Yu and Yin Feixue stared at the object, stunned.

“This thing…”

Once they had unearthed the item entirely, they saw it was a heavy casket about 1.5 meters long, with a thickness comparable to Yin Feixue’s coffin.

“Is this the rare item you were looking for?”

Yin Feixue couldn’t see anything special about the casket’s exterior.

Could there be a powerful weapon inside?

If so, the casket was impressive for being able to perfectly mask the aura of a rare item.

“Probably…”

Qin Yu hadn’t participated in that struggle in his previous life; he had only heard about it from others.

Some said it was a mysterious large box, some said it was a sword case, and others said it was a coffin…

Everyone’s description was different, but what was certain was that it was some kind of container.

“It won’t open…”

Qin Yu tried to pry it open but failed.

Yin Feixue leaned in. “Servant, you really are useless. Something like this, I can open in an instant…”

Intending to force it open with her power, Yin Feixue was embarrassed to find that she also failed. This casket was unique.

When she had applied her strength, a row of engraved runes had flickered on the surface.

“Xiao Xue, use your strength like you just did, but be careful. Don’t break it.”

Qin Yu was afraid that Yin Feixue would get reckless and damage the casket like what had happened in his past life.

Yin Feixue exerted her power as instructed, and the runes appeared again. Qin Yu quickly scanned the text.

[This casket contains my life’s work. I hope whoever finds it in the future treats it well — From Bruce, a despairing alchemist.]

After reading the text, Qin Yu became even more expectant.

It was something left behind by an alchemist, and he had heard of the name “Bruce” in his previous life—a Grandmaster Alchemist from a century ago.

It was a tragedy that he had disappeared without a trace.

Who would have thought he had ultimately fallen in the Blood Soul Realm? Qin Yu really had to see what was inside.

In his previous life, the Alchemists’ Union was a top-tier power; their puppet soldiers and construct knights were nightmares for many factions.

Furthermore, their Crown-tier units, the Colossus Golems, were absolute slaughtering machines on the battlefield.

Many major guilds wanted to obtain their unit structures and ally with them.

Moreover, the Union held the monopoly on the crucial magic of Alchemy; their potion industry was so profitable that it rivaled the Gremlin Chamber of Commerce, which controlled the flow of gold.

Given all this, the question of what treasures a legendary Grandmaster Alchemist would leave in this casket was well worth considering.

It was no wonder those major guilds had fought to the death over it…