"Larvitar!"
Larvitar leapt up excitedly, its tiny mouth accurately catching the Flame Crystal Core that was even larger than its head without so much as a glance.
Crunch! Crunch!
A teeth-aching chewing sound instantly rang out. The incomparably hard, scorching-hot ore was like a crispy biscuit in its mouth.
After only a few bites, the Flame Crystal Core vanished completely. Larvitar let out a satisfied burp that carried a few sparks. Its little belly seemed slightly rounder, while the dark-red magma-like armor covering its body appeared brighter than before, radiating gentle warmth.
And that wasn't all.
"Hm? Meteorite Iron Essence? Its density and energy conductivity are even better than Starfall Iron. Taking it!"
"Deep-Sea Sinking Silver Mother? A top-tier water-attributed material. Better safe than sorry!"
"Mystic Gold? The perfect foundation material for engraving soul tool formations. Good stuff!"
Lin Xia moved through the ore section like the most efficient bargain hunter imaginable, yet also like the greediest dragon.
The light from his storage soul tool flashed continuously as one piece after another of top-grade ore and rare metal, treasures that would trigger fierce competition among major powers outside disappeared like flowing water.
Lin Xia was not "selecting" materials at all.
He was conducting a highly efficient, goal-oriented raid on resources!
Larvitar was even busier.
Lin Xia deliberately picked out some "lower-grade" ores with unusual energy attributes, larger sizes, or higher impurity content and tossed them over.
The little fellow refused nothing, opening its mouth like a bottomless pit.
Crunch! Crunch! Gulp!
Pfft!
"Larvi Larvitar~"
Its small stomach was like a magical furnace. Regardless of an ore's attribute, everything that entered was efficiently broken down, absorbed, and transformed into nourishment for its growth and strengthening.
The dark-gold dragon patterns and crimson-gold phoenix patterns on its shell occasionally flashed with faint light as it devoured ore after ore, while its aura steadily and gradually grew stronger.
Meanwhile, the two guards standing nearby were no longer merely shocked.
They had completely turned to stone.
Their eyes were as wide as bells, their mouths hanging slightly open, their jaws nearly dropping onto the armor covering their chests.
Their normally resolute faces were filled with enormous question marks that seemed to scream:
Who am I?
Where am I?
What exactly am I looking at?
They had seen many people enter the treasury before.
Some nobles became entranced by priceless jewels and soul tools.
Some Soul Masters trembled with excitement before secret manuals and soul skills.
Some alchemists carefully appraised heavenly treasures and rare herbs.
But someone like Master Lin, who treated the empire's supreme Star Vault Treasury like a neighborhood marketplace, bringing along his "pet" and pillaging ores like a bandit descending from the mountains.
That was absolutely unprecedented.
Watching priceless top-grade ores, which they normally guarded with utmost care, being stuffed into a storage soul tool in bulk as though they were worthless scrap or worse, being chewed up and swallowed like candy beans by that little monster.
The two guards felt as though their entire worldview was collapsing and reconstructing itself.
"W-What even is this?"
Guard A swallowed dryly and muttered in a faint voice only his companion could hear, his tone filled with bewilderment and disbelief.
"Is this really how you're supposed to use it?"
Guard B's lips twitched as he stared blankly at Larvitar swallowing another valuable piece of Earth Vein Violet Gold in a single bite.
"Does His Majesty know his treasury is being used like this?"
Their hearts were overflowing with complaints, but their iron discipline and absolute obedience to the Emperor's commands forcibly suppressed every thought.
His Majesty had clearly stated that any material Lin Xia required could be taken from the treasury if it was available.
And ore obviously fell within the category of "materials."
Although their hearts were bleeding, and although their values had suffered an unprecedented impact, the two guards remained as motionless as loyal statues.
They simply watched silently, offering neither objection nor interference.
Only the way they looked at Lin Xia and Larvitar had changed, from initial vigilance and scrutiny into profound awe and a hint of numbness, as though they were looking at monsters.
No one knew how much time passed.
When over eighty percent of the high-grade rare ores in the mining section had been swept into Lin Xia's possession, and Larvitar was patting its noticeably rounder belly while letting out contented burps, Lin Xia finally ended his locust-swarm-like plundering.
He looked at the mountain of top-tier materials inside his storage soul tool and felt Larvitar's clearly strengthened aura, now more refined and perfectly controlled than before.
An indescribable sense of satisfaction and security surged within him.
These resources would become the foundation upon which he would one day alter fate, build mechas, and protect the people important to him.
"Hoo..."
Lin Xia let out a long breath. A brilliant smile, one that came straight from the heart, spread across his face, as though he had just completed the most important shopping trip of his life.
He patted Larvitar's little head.
"Well done, buddy! This time, we really hit the jackpot!"
"Larvitar~!"
Larvitar proudly rubbed its head against his palm.
Lin Xia cast one final glance at the now noticeably emptier ore section, then looked toward the neighboring areas that were still filled with dazzling treasures and rows of soul tools. There was not the slightest trace of reluctance in his eyes.
Turning around, he nodded calmly to the two guards, whose expressions were complicated, as though they had just undergone a complete reconstruction of their worldview.
"Thank you for your patience. I've collected all the materials I need. We can leave now."
Guard A and Guard B did their best to keep straight faces and maintain the last remnants of their professional composure. Stiffly, they nodded and took their positions in front of and behind him, escorting or perhaps guarding the two "treasury terminators" as they left the Star Vault Treasury that had been thoroughly "looted."
The massive doors slowly closed behind them, once again sealing away that vast starry expanse and its countless treasures.
Inside the Star Crown Hall.
The elderly attendant appeared soundlessly and respectfully presented a detailed report from the treasury guards.
In an emotionless tone, he recounted everything that had happened after Lin Xia entered the treasury.
How he had been stunned by the sight before him.
How he had completely ignored the jewels, soul tools, and other treasures.
How he had headed straight for the ore section.
How he had collected vast quantities of top-grade ores at an astonishing speed.
And how his peculiar "pet," Larvitar, had treated some of those ores as snacks, crunching them down with cheerful "gabon gabon" sounds.
Dai Tianxing sat upon the Star Throne, lightly tapping the armrest with his fingers as he listened to the report.
When he heard that Lin Xia had shown no interest whatsoever in the priceless jewels, soul tools, secret manuals, or heavenly treasures, and had displayed near-fanatical greed only toward ores, a trace of understanding and a faint, condescending smile, appeared in his star-filled eyes.
"Ores, hm…"
Dai Tianxing's voice was low and magnetic, carrying a hint of amusement.
"At least he's a straightforward man. Those things, aside from being used to forge weapons and armor, are ultimately external objects on the path of Soul Master cultivation and cannot compare to true foundations. His obsession with them does suit someone who came from the Blacksmith Association."
In his view, the value of ores was far inferior to secret manuals and heavenly treasures that could directly increase soul power or grant insight into soul skills. They were even less valuable than powerful soul tools.
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