Treasure-hunting: Into the Unknown

"Well, I see. I will support you no matter what decision you make in the end," Zachary said with a firm nod.

"I hope you remember your promise." Vivian glanced at him.

"But, if you happen to fall in love with me one day and are willing to be my wife, please tell me in advance so that I can be mentally prepared," he teased.

"I'm afraid that you won't be able to wait that long," Vivian retorted.

"If that day comes, I will take off the Calming Bracelet for you. It will be a token of our love." Zachary continued to tease her.

"How long do I have to wait?" Vivian asked as she fell into his trap.

"Not long. Since you are well now, you can begin absorbing one of the Celestial Energy Crystals that I gave you. But, you can't absorb all of them in a short period. So remember to keep the extras safely. Please don't give them to others as it wasn't easy to get them. I have to leave now," Zachary said. Then, with a last glance at Vivian, he turned and left.

"He is so difficult to understand. But, he made a significant contribution to the success of the race. Even so, I will never fall in love with him. He is too dangerous!" Vivian's heart beat faster as she glanced at Zachary's receding figure.

As soon as Zachary reached the courtyard, he went straight into the north room. After entering the system, he headed for the Living-dead Tomb. Since the race was over, he planned to catch the second elite treasure beast. However, before he could implement his plan, Zachary needed to complete his preparations.

On seeing Anne, he inquired about the treasure beast's background and the method for forging the sealing tool required to capture it. Once Anne had given him all the information he needed, Zachary exited the system. Then, he left the Xiao Clan Castle and headed for the Centennial Inn in Alexander City.

As soon as he arrived at the Centennial Inn, he found Goliath at the table on the first floor with a jar of wine. It seemed that he had been waiting for Zachary for a while.

"Harley, congratulations!" Goliath greeted with cupped hands the instant he saw Zachary.

"You should congratulate yourself as well. If I had lost in the race, you wouldn't have the chance to enter the Xiao Clan. You were lucky this time," Zachary answered with a faint smile.

"I witnessed the race, and the strength you displayed shamed all the warriors of the Imperial Level. It would have been impossible for you to fail! Besides, you knew you'd defeat them. Otherwise, you wouldn't have promised me." Goliath believed that if Zachary weren't confident, he wouldn

the barn. However, Shaw never expected that Zachary wanted to expand the barn with so much effort.

"You don't have to worry about the cost. Here are the gold notes worth three hundred thousand gold coins. These should cover the cost of the early stages of the expansion," Zachary remarked as he took out the gold notes and placed them in front of Shaw.

"Really?" Shaw was surprised as he had not expected Zachary to give the money upfront. Three hundred thousand gold coins was not a small amount. If Shaw used it to buy treasures, he could get a lot of good ones.

"As for the matters of negotiation with the other departments, I'm afraid that I have to ask you to do this. Here are the gold notes worth two hundred thousand gold coins with which to compensate them. After the expansion is complete, I will reward you with three hundred thousand more." Zachary handed another stack of gold notes to Shaw as well.

Shaw was stunned. He didn't think that Zachary was wealthy enough to offer five hundred thousand gold coins so easily.

"Does this settle your concerns?" Zachary asked with raised eyebrows.

"Don't worry, Manager Harley. I'll handle the expansion as discussed," Shaw answered quickly. He had always been money-centric, and so, when he saw how generous Zachary was, Shaw complied with him agreeably. Besides, the leader of the Xiao Clan had also ordered him to help Zachary to expand the barn. Now, not only would he profit from the deal, but he would also please the leader of the clan. This was a double win for him, so he was happy.

"I hope that the expansion of the beast barn will be finished within a month," Zachary said. Of course, he would not let Shaw take advantage of him so easily.