As a renowned magical family, the Reynolds had produced at least one 10th-level mage in nearly every generation, so their status in Moonlight City was self-evident.
After so many years, if anyone claimed the Reynolds family hadn't amassed vast wealth, even ghosts wouldn't believe it.
After blasting open the stone gate with magic, Kael was greeted by a dazzling hoard of treasures. The little cat's eyes nearly popped out of its head from excitement.
Behind the gate lay a trove of golden artifacts—an overwhelming array of jewelry, agates, crystals, and gemstones. The Reynolds' century-long accumulation was no joke.
Even Alaric gasped at the sight. "So much money… How many ranches could this buy?" His massive frame prevented him from entering the chamber, leaving him to drool from a distance.
Kael chuckled. Alaric truly was a glutton—now even measuring the value of everything in terms of ranches.
But Alaric wasn't wrong. The treasures in this vault could indeed purchase countless ranches. A ranch in the outskirts of the Reynolds Empire cost around a hundred thousand gold coins, whereas the gold and riches here were worth at least tens of millions.
"Let's get moving. Strip this place clean first!" Kael declared. With such wealth right before their eyes, there was no reason to hold back.
However, Kael felt a slight disappointment—most of the treasures here weren't magical materials but mere gold and jewels. Though their value was immense, flooding the market with such a massive amount at once would inevitably drive prices down.
Still, Kael was more than satisfied. The Reynolds family was obscenely wealthy, and these riches alone could fuel rapid development in Laffey's territory for a long time. Tens of millions of gold coins were no small sum.
Currently, Laffey City's income and growth were balanced, sustaining itself. But through the Reynolds family, Kael had come to realize just how many shortcomings Laffey still had.
Compared to the Reynolds family, an established magical dynasty, the strength of Laffey's territory was still too weak, lacking in depth and heritage. After all, the Reynolds family boasted three 10th-level powerhouses—had it not been for Kael and the little cat's teamwork, Kael might well have met his end.
At present, the only formidable force Laffey could truly rely on was Kael himself. Though the number of unicorn rhinos was considerable, they would hardly stand a chance against a 10th-level expert.
"With the Reynolds family destroyed, we can finally catch our breath—for now. But we mustn't let our guard down. Next is the Tower of the Fallen." Kael muttered to himself.
"Relax! With this young lady here, that so-called Darkwing Mage faction will be scared to death just by my draconic aura!" The little cat drawled lazily, utterly unconcerned.
Kael couldn't help but chuckle and flicked the little cat's head. It immediately glared at him. "How dare you touch this young lady's dragon head!" The cat stubbornly refused to admit it was just a cat, much to Kael's amusement.
Choosing not to argue, Kael focused on looting the treasures. This time, he had come prepared with several spatial rings.
Meanwhile, the little cat rolled gleefully among the piles of gold and jewels, its face the picture of bliss.
Soon, all the wealth accumulated by the Reynolds family fell into Kael's hands. Suddenly, the little cat perked up and exclaimed, "Kael, something's up!"
"What?" Kael tensed, assuming remnants of the Reynolds family had appeared. But the little cat only cried excitedly, "Kael, I found something really good in this vault!"
As it spoke, it stretched out a paw, pointing toward a spot ahead.
Kael's eyes sharpened. "Lead the way."
The little cat nodded eagerly, darting ahead and weaving through the treasure hoard until it stopped and jabbed its paw forward. "That thing, Kael!"
Kael focused his gaze. The vault was now nearly empty—except for a single short staff resting in an inconspicuous corner.
It was an unassuming magical short staff, yet it gleamed like pristine white jade—smooth as mutton fat. Though it bore almost no magical engravings, Kael sensed an unusual power emanating from it, its tip radiating a faint white glow.
The staff had one striking peculiarity: it seemed to be only half complete, as if the other half had been cleanly severed. A distinct crack ran along its length.
At the same time, the white light carried traces of holy magic, which intrigued Kael.
"Light magic?" Kael was astonished. Across the Three Continents, light mages were rarer than any other type of spellcaster, and nearly ninety percent of them belonged to the Holy Temple—figures like Magnus and Stellan!
Yet, in Kael's experience, none of the light mages he had encountered possessed magic as pure as the energy emanating from this staff.
"This is a treasure. Such potent light magic—what a shame it's missing half." Kael gripped the staff, and as light shimmered across its surface, he felt the surrounding light elements dance in harmony with him, resonating with an almost eager affinity.
"Light magic, huh?" Kael mused, intrigued by the lively pulse of holy energy around him.
This broken staff was undoubtedly a relic of immense value—perhaps even a sacred artifact of light!
Sacred artifacts—that title was reserved only for magical equipment of the highest caliber. Currently, the only item Kael possessed that came close was his own crystalline staff, though it still fell short of true sacred artifact status.
But if this broken staff were whole, it might very well have been one!
Any sacred artifact could drastically enhance its wielder's combat prowess. Across the Three Continents, such treasures were exceedingly rare, with most held by major factions like the Holy Temple or the Sacred Council.
Even within those organizations, sacred artifacts were as scarce as phoenix feathers. Kael's heart surged with excitement—this broken staff was nearly a sacred artifact in its own right!
"Light magic inherently possesses a restraining force against dark magic. With this broken staff in hand, I'll have an extra edge against the Tower of the Fallen," Kael mused with a smile. It was a shame the staff was only half intact—otherwise, it would have been a true sacred artifact!
Had Kael possessed a genuine sacred artifact of light, dealing with the Tower of the Fallen would have been far easier. Still, this was already a considerable boon.
If the Holy Temple ever laid eyes on this staff, they would undoubtedly regard it as a priceless treasure. Even in its broken state, it could drastically reduce the time required for light mages to gather holy energy and cast spells.
In truth, this half-staff was still useful to Kael. The Book of Immortality contained records of all manner of magic, including light spells—though Kael rarely used them, as they weren't his primary focus.
However, as his power grew, he had begun to realize that his current magical repertoire was becoming insufficient. He needed to delve deeper into composite magic.
In high-level battles, the disparity between opponents widened exponentially. This time, Kael had managed to slay two 10th-tier experts—one of whom, Orc, had been at the peak of that tier. But the fight had been perilously close; a single misstep could have cost him dearly.
After stowing the broken staff away, the ambient light elements still pulsed faintly, though their purity had diminished, gradually dispersing into the air.
"This was quite the haul," Kael remarked with a satisfied smile.
The little cat nodded vigorously. Having received a generous share of the spoils, it was practically glowing with contentment.
With the fall of the Reynolds family, Kael had finally rid himself of a lingering thorn in his side—and gained immense rewards in the process. Millions in treasure, and now this mysterious broken staff, which might well be the greatest prize of all.
If he could somehow find the missing half and restore the staff to its full power as a sacred artifact, it would become another trump card in his arsenal!
Of course, such a thing was easier said than done. Kael knew better than to get his hopes up.
Having stripped the vault clean, Kael stepped outside to find the herd of unicorn rhinos gathered at the entrance.
"Boss Kael, we've taken care of everything!" one of them bellowed in its booming voice.
Kael gave an approving nod. With their task complete, it was time to head back.
"Boss Kael, we've found something!"
Just as Kael was about to order the rhinos to move out, another one shouted urgently.