Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 613 2 The Prince's Magic Book (3)

On the right wall of the interrogation room, there was a collapsed gap. Han Zu smashed through the rubble of varying sizes and the soil that had almost merged with the rubble, and entered the room next to the interrogation room, which seemed to be an armory.

Through observation, Han Zu discovered that this armory, located next to the interrogation room, was unusual. Its door was made of a single block of granite, with three huge iron padlocks embedded in it, appearing very sturdy. However, the padlocks were now rusted, and the lock cylinders were filled with mud and moss. Han Zu gripped the rusted padlocks tightly with both hands, pried them open one by one, and pushed open the heavy stone door. However, behind the door was not the corridor he had used to enter the interrogation room, but rather another path.

The armory was slightly larger than the adjacent torture chamber. Rows of grooves were carved into the stone walls on either side of the room, containing numerous weapons and armor from that era. Most of the weapons were badly rusted; the blades of the longswords were covered in rust and had lost their former sharpness, and the wooden parts of the shields had long since rotted away, leaving only broken iron frames. However, in one of the innermost grooves, Han Zu discovered a relatively intact set of knight's armor. The armor was made of a special metal, with only a thin layer of verdigris covering certain areas. The shoulder armor was engraved with ornate emblems, very similar to the early emblems of the Ferdinand family that he had learned about from Christina, but with several differences.

The armor was even sized to match Han Zu's stature. Given the living conditions of that time, the size of the armor indicated the wearer's status. In that era, someone over two meters tall must have been extremely wealthy and powerful. Based on this, Han Zu roughly deduced that the armor belonged to a member of the Ferdinand family at least five generations back, or even earlier, and most likely a direct descendant. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the right to place his armor next to what appeared to be a secret interrogation room.

Besides the still magnificent and imposing suit of armor, beside it lay a knight's greatsword with a hilt inlaid with precious gems. The scabbard was made of leather, and although the leather was long since cracked, the fact that the scabbard wasn't completely broken suggested that its craftsmanship and materials were of high quality. Despite the cracks, the blade remained unexposed. Under such protection, the blade was surprisingly well-preserved; when Han Zu drew the scabbard, the blade even reflected a cold, gleaming light, illuminating the surrounding dust.

"Isn't this a timely help?!"

Having learned some information about Bastienburg, Han Zu deeply felt the importance of weapons and equipment, especially since his abilities were temporarily unusable. That's why he had been carrying that old Morning Star Hammer, which wasn't exactly a sharp weapon. Since then, Han Zu had been looking for a set of armor, but he hadn't found any suitable pieces. Now, having discovered such a set—clearly not ordinary, having survived for so long, magnificent yet protective—Han Zu was naturally very satisfied. After polishing away the thin layer of rust, Han Zu immediately put on the armor. Except for the helmet, which wasn't quite right and he couldn't wear it, the rest of the armor fit him quite well.

"Om~~~"

Han Zu then picked up the still sharp and heavy knight's greatsword. He first lightly flicked the blade, and as Han Zu's hilt collided with the blade, the greatsword began to vibrate, emitting a pleasant hum. Immediately afterwards, Han Zu took a few steps back to a relatively open area, and swung the heavy knight's greatsword violently. The air seemed to be cleaved open where the blade struck, producing a dull yet sharp "hissing" sound, accompanied by a vibrating sensation that shook the eardrums.

"A fine weapon!"

The scabbard of the knight's greatsword was unusable, but the securing straps along the edge were still quite sturdy. Han Zu tied the straps to his waist, inserted the greatsword, and tried walking a few steps and jumping a few times; the greatsword remained firmly in place. Han Zu adjusted the straps, freeing his hands, and then continued his investigation inside the armory.

Fully armed Han Zu stepped over fragments of rotten wood on the armory floor, which emitted a series of grating creaks. The steel plates of his plate armor clanged against each other with his movements, producing a dull metallic resonance. He passed the spot where he had found the armor and sword, his gaze sweeping over the rows of armor stands on either side—now piled high with scrap metal and rotten wood. The armor that had once been displayed on them had long since collapsed, the rusted metal plates forming small mountains, revealing the decaying leather linings beneath. As for the armor not made of metal, it had long since rotted into shreds, mingling with the nearby broken stone slabs and damp, moldy soil. If it weren't for the fact that the metal parts hadn't completely rusted and broken off, Han Zu might not have been able to even distinguish what they were.

Continuing deeper, one could see a long stone platform behind, scattered with broken swords and deformed helmets. Han Zu's footsteps echoed in the empty space, the hinges of his plate armor occasionally making a dry, rattling sound. He bent down to examine the engravings on the edge of the stone platform; they were the marks of some craftsmen. Next to the crooked cross symbol were the numbers "1347," which might represent the quantity of weapons or armor, or perhaps simply a record of how many small stones were used to construct the long stone platform.

"Clang!"

During the continued search, Han Zu suddenly kicked something hard. He looked down and found it was half a rusty spear. The spearhead was rusted into a ball, but upon closer inspection and confirmation, the outline of the diamond-shaped spearhead could still be discerned.

The deeper Han Zu went into the armory, the more humid the air became. He could feel the velvet inside his plate armor was soaked with moisture. Han Zu stopped in front of a row of iron weapon racks. The racks were already leaning precariously due to the rust and breakage of the rivets. The short swords and battle axes that had once hung on them collided and pressed against each other. Han Zu touched them lightly, and they made a soft, clinking sound, but the sound was harsh due to the rust. Han Zu raised his hand to steady the racks, using his arm to steady the swaying iron frame. His gaze swept around and finally settled on the wooden crate at the bottom of the rack. The crate was riddled with holes from insects, and the insects that had caused it to be in such a state had been dead for who knows how long, leaving no trace of their bodies. When he opened the box, wood chips fell out in a flurry. Han Zu didn't use much force at all, but he easily pried off the lid. Before the lid broke in the middle, Han Zu quickly threw the broken lid aside and then looked back to examine the contents of the box. Inside were some leather handguards wrapped in oiled paper and neatly folded. Although the oiled paper was already cracked and the leather handguards had long since stiffened, the exquisite stitching could still be seen from the patterns on them.

He looked up and discovered that the armory actually had a second floor. Parts of the stone staircase leading to the second floor had collapsed and broken, but the remaining sections were still relatively sturdy. Several suits of armor were suspended in mid-air by specially made display chains on the second floor, but from below, the armor obscured the chains, making them appear as if they were being carried by invisible hands. Han Zu strode heavily towards the stone stairs in the corner, his plate armor causing the steps to tremble slightly with each step. Reaching the second-floor platform, he found an iron cabinet embedded in the wall. The lock on the cabinet door was badly rusted, but Han Zu grasped the lock and, with a slight effort, easily pried the door open.

Twelve crossbows were neatly arranged inside the cabinet. Although the crossbow arms were cracked, they still maintained straight lines. Han Zu picked one up. The metal parts of the crossbow mechanism looked relatively intact. He gently pulled the string, but the rotten string snapped in response. Han Zu shook his head and tossed the damaged crossbow aside.

At the bottom of the cabinet lay a roll of parchment, so brittle it almost shattered when unfolded, even though Han Zu had been deliberately restraining his strength. It depicted what appeared to be a layout of the armory, and in one of its locations, Han Zu noticed a faded "X" mark. This seemed to indicate that something was hidden within the armory as well.

Following the map, Han Zu quickly found the location. After some searching, he discovered a hidden door in the corner, made of the same stone as the nearby walls. The door panel fit perfectly into the stone wall. If it weren't for the fact that the wall near the trapdoor had cracked due to the passage of time, this place would not have been so easy to find.

Han Zu took a half step back, bracing the hidden door with his shoulder, controlling his strength, and then slammed it into the door with a loud crash as his plate armor struck the stone wall. Because Han Zu deliberately controlled his strength, the hidden door didn't shatter along with the wall; it only loosened slightly. Han Zu inserted his fingers into the loose gap and pulled himself up, snapping the hidden door in two towards him. He then dragged the broken pieces out and threw them onto the deep ground. With the sound of shattered stones rolling down, a damp, moss-covered stone staircase leading downwards was revealed behind the hidden door. The space below wasn't large, only about ten square meters, but it was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

However, when Han Zu enthusiastically switched to night vision and descended the stone steps, he found nothing below. It was clear that the excavation had been stopped halfway through for some reason. Han Zu lost interest and, after carefully confirming that there were no more hidden doors or secret rooms, shook his head and left. The search of the armory was complete, and there was no point in staying any longer. So Han Zu left the armory through the door he had opened.

Emerging from the armory, Han Zu walked along the passage for several dozen meters before finding a narrow staircase leading downwards. Reaching the bottom, he determined he had reached the lower level of the building. The staircase was paved with bluestone slabs, their surfaces exceptionally smooth from years of dampness. Niches were carved into the walls on either side of the staircase, containing oil lamps from years past, now long since dried up, leaving only broken lamps.

Compared to the previous area, this place was relatively narrower. Continuing along the open area, Han Zu soon arrived at the center of the lower area, where there was a huge stone chamber. After Han Zu removed the rusted iron door and entered, he discovered that this place was probably a water dungeon.

The floor of the water dungeon was below the waterline, so it was filled with about a meter of black water. The water was murky and emitted a strong stench of decay and fish. Dozens of iron rings were carved into the walls of the dungeon, and rusted chains were wrapped around them. Some of the chains still had broken shackles attached to their ends, clearly the ones used to restrain prisoners in the past. Several withered, black objects floated on the surface of the water; they were tattered pieces of linen. Occasionally, bubbles would rise from the bottom, breaking the stillness of the water. Han Zu used his X-ray vision to see that directly below where the bubbles were rising to the surface were some drains, but they were mostly blocked and had long since lost their original function.

After a quick look around, there were no clues in the water dungeon that would lead Han Zu into the water, so Han Zu simply stayed at the entrance and did not enter the water. After all, he did not intend to dirty the armor he had just acquired.

After leaving the water dungeon, there were no other areas to investigate nearby. Han Zu intended to return the way he came, but as he stepped onto the stone steps, he paused. He stepped on a flimsy step and crushed it. Just as he stopped, he felt a small gust of cold wind coming from the wall on his right, which was unusual. After all, there were no ventilation openings or anything like that in this place.

"boom!"

With a swift punch, Han Zu slammed into the wall where air was flowing. Sure enough, a large chunk of the wall shattered, revealing a narrow corridor. As he walked along the corridor to its deepest point, Han Zu discovered that this place actually contained a mysterious secret room. If he hadn't accidentally stopped at the bottom of the stone steps and felt the cold wind, he might never have found this place.

Walking along the narrow and steep passage, barely wide enough for one person to pass at a time, one finds several pieces of fluorite embedded in the walls, emitting a faint green glow that illuminates the path ahead. The chamber itself is small, perhaps twenty or thirty square meters. In the center stands a long stone table, its surface intricately carved with celestial diagrams and runes. Around it are six stone chairs, some relatively intact, others broken and fragmented from dampness.

The relatively intact stone chairs reveal different emblems carved on their backs, which are remarkably similar to the emblems of the various factions within the Ferdinand family that Han Zu currently understands, or rather, those emblems resemble the patterns on the backs of the stone chairs. Three tattered tapestries hang on the walls of the secret chamber, depicting medieval battle scenes. Although the tapestries are faded and damaged, their exquisite craftsmanship from their original period is still evident.

In the center of the long stone table in the secret room, Han Zu found an iron box with three locks, each completely different. Judging from the surrounding environment, it could be roughly guessed that to open the iron box, three completely different keys would be needed, and these keys must be in the hands of the Ferdinand family.

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

"Okay, let me see what's hidden."

But Han Zu didn't have the time or patience for that. He gripped the locks and crushed them one by one, tearing apart the chains binding the iron box and opening the box, which clearly contained a secret.