Chapter 46 - 45: Unboxing

Chapter 46: Chapter 45: Unboxing

On the way back to the Medicinal Garden, Gaode managed to maintain a normal pace at first, only reaching out to touch his chest from time to time to confirm that the Magic Scroll tucked inside was still safe and sound.

As he drew closer to the garden, he could no longer suppress his burning impatience, and his steps quickened. The moment he stepped through the gates, he broke into a trot and plunged straight into his workshop.

Bending down, Gaode dragged out the large wooden chest from beneath his workbench and retrieved the magic wooden box he had carefully hidden inside. Then, he pulled the incredibly precious Magic Scroll from his shirt—the scroll that contained the Tapping Technique.

After a moment of thought, the impatient Gaode forced himself to calm down. Instead of using the scroll immediately, he stepped out to the washroom to wash his hands.

It was better to be safe than sorry. What he was about to do was akin to opening a blind box. And it was a Krypton Gold blind box at that. He had spent a fortune to buy this Magic Scroll; if he didn’t get anything good out of it, he would lose his entire investment. Therefore, he needed to perform the proper rituals before opening the box. In a world filled with the arcane, there was no shame in putting a little faith in mysticism!

Only after washing his hands and returning to the workshop did Gaode finally pick up the Magic Scroll. With a gentle tug on the knotted cord, the scroll unrolled and lay flat in his hands. Taking a deep breath, he focused his Spirit on the scroll.

Instantly, the obscure and incomprehensible Magic Text on the parchment emitted a faint glow, resonating with his Spirit. Feeling the surge of powerful energy, Gaode willed it forward, directing his intent to activate the magic wooden box on the table.

Driven by his will, the light on the scroll flared abruptly, releasing a wave of magic fluctuation that was invisible to the naked eye but vividly palpable to his Spiritual Power. This magic fluctuation seemed to take on a life of its own. In a flash, it transformed into a bolt of lightning that shot out along the path of his will, striking straight at the wooden box.

The invisible wave pierced the air and slammed into the unseen Secret Technique Lock on the box. The moment they collided, a water-like ripple spread across the surface of the box. Like a stone shattering the calm surface of a pond, a dense network of fine cracks erupted. The cracks continuously appeared and vanished, each manifestation and disappearance accompanied by a soft sound.

With a final CRACK, the ripples disappeared entirely, declaring that the magic power on the wooden box had been temporarily suppressed. Meanwhile, the Magic Scroll in Gaode’s hands, its stored Magic Power completely drained, dissolved into specks of fluorescent light and vanished into the air.

It was common sense that scrolls disappeared after use.

"It should be openable now, right?" Gaode wondered as he stared at the wooden box, which looked exactly the same as before.

He knew he had to open it quickly and extract its contents, because Pierre had told him that the Tapping Technique could not truly break a Secret Technique Lock; it could only temporarily suppress its magic effects. Once the time limit passed, the lock would reactivate.

Despite knowing time was tight, Gaode didn’t act recklessly. Instead, he took a few steps back until he reached the doorway. He opened the door, ensuring he had a clear escape route in case anything went wrong. Then, a barely noticeable shimmer gathered at his fingertips, and a translucent, floating Ghost Hand appeared.

Under his control, the Ghost Hand reached forward, touching the wooden box from afar with gentle precision.

Mage’s Hand.

"May the King of Yellow and Black, who wields good luck, bless me," Gaode prayed silently in his heart. Then, he commanded the Mage’s Hand to give the lid a gentle push.

CREAK.

With a soft sound of friction, the wooden box—which had previously refused to budge no matter how much force he used—opened effortlessly. Glancing from a distance, Gaode could see that although the box wasn’t large, it contained quite a few items.

It wasn’t an empty box!

A hint of pleasant surprise flashed through his eyes. Not daring to delay lest the Secret Technique Lock reactivate, he hurriedly manipulated the Mage’s Hand to extract everything inside.

As the items were pulled out, his eyes grew brighter and brighter. First came three relatively thick books. Then, five much thinner booklets. Beneath those were three pieces of ancient parchment. Next was a small stack of papers, about twenty pages in total. The further down the stack, the older they got; the bottommost pages had already yellowed, clearly having weathered the passage of time. After that came a rolled-up scroll tied with a string, looking surprisingly similar to a Magic Scroll.

But the very last item made Gaode’s breathing hitch.

Gleaming with gold, they exuded a captivating allure. They were perfectly round, with the image of a spirited young rooster engraved on their surface.

Sean Gold Coins!

Mage Seda had hidden these Gold Coins at the very bottom of the box. A full fifty Sean Gold Coins.

Having never seen—let alone owned—such a large sum of money, Gaode simply couldn’t contain his excitement.

"Praise the King of Yellow and Black!" He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

This time... he had struck it rich. This was the proper reward for taking the monumental risk of killing a veteran Third-class Mage Apprentice!

All the contents of the wooden box had now been removed. After confirming there were no hidden traps left inside, Gaode quickly shut the workshop door. Unable to wait a second longer, he strode over to the wooden table, snatched up the fifty Gold Coins, and began to play with them.

The Gold Coins clinked together in his hands, producing the most melodious sound. The cold, metallic texture made it impossible for him to put them down. Not long ago, it pained him just to spend money on an extra meal. He had wished he could snap a single Copper Coin in half to spend it twice. Only the fact that a broken Copper Coin would lose its value had stopped him from acting on that tempting thought.

Now, looking at all this gold, he felt a slight sense of unreality.

"How am I ever going to spend all this money!"

After playing to his heart’s content with the fifty Gold Coins Mage Seda had left behind, Gaode shifted his gaze to the still-open magic wooden box. He knew that in just a moment, its Secret Technique Lock would reactivate. When that happened, the box would lock itself again, unable to be opened.

After a brief moment of thought, an idea came to him. He casually swept up a small stack of scrap paper from the table, stuffed it inside to fill the empty space perfectly, and closed the lid.

Right then, a faint ripple of light spread across the surface. The Secret Technique Lock reactivated right on cue.

Looking at the sealed box, Gaode revealed a knowing smile.

The student surpasses the master. Just because Mage Seda didn’t play reverse-psychology tricks didn’t mean he wouldn’t.

Only after finishing all this did Gaode finally calm down and begin to inspect the rest of his spoils.