The Achievement Junkie 132 Nobles Arrive in Ponlinne

According to those who were inspecting the statue, the cause was undetermined. Apparently, the statue's arm had broken from the inside and snapped on its own. It was impossible to determine what really happen because clearly the arm didn't just break out of nowhere and fall to the ground.

Far from the city park, Jack woke up after a hard night's sleep. He was too excited to sleep well. The moment Rydel woke up, he saw Jack sitting cross-legged on the floor with Bowzer next to him.

'You're too smart, kid.' Rydel was amazed to see Jack using Bowzer to remove the gold.

The foxes burning bite could easily break the layer of gold over the staff and Bowzer could do it without releasing any fire that would draw outside attention. Bits and pieces of gold fell to the floor as an ancient wooden staff slowly appeared. Though it was made of wood, Jack wasn't worried about damaging the staff. Why would he, it was a lv. 85 weapon?! If anything, Jack and Bowzer attacking it while using flame bodies couldn't even scratch it.

As rumors of the missing staff were covering the city, Rydel and Jack were soon inspecting a fully recovered lv. 85 cleric staff.

'It's called "Midas' Hand," make's sense to have it coated in gold. How ironic?' joked Jack, it was impossible for him to not be smiling.

Rydel asked, 'Jack, what are you going to do with this? After we find the hidden tomb and get back to Reinolt, what will you do with that staff?'

'I'm not sure, honestly,' Jack shook his head, still finding it hard to believe that he found such a treasure. Had he not been focused on finding the life spring for Slivia, he would plan to wait for a chance to sneak into the catacomb and more easily find the tomb so he could raid it in peace.

'Maybe I'll ask Zarris about it. Maybe I can get some amazing things for trading it? It's not like it would be much use to me?'

Though it was lv. 85, it was useless to him. Jack, with the achievement junkie subclass, had the chance to possibly learn cleric skills in the future, but why would he keep a staff that he may never use, even when he eventually reached that level? It would be far more beneficial for him to trade it for stuff more applicable to him.

Rydel laughed and shook his head. 'You'll make me cry acting like that. Only you would be willing to immediately trade a lv. 85 weapon in secret. If the world knew what you were holding, then everyone would go crazy just to get their hands on it.'

'But who would be willing to buy such a weapon, and who could actually afford it? In the end, I may have to trade it in with the Adventurers Association in order to get the best deal.'

Jack put the staff away and continued, 'What I'm interested in is what's in the hidden tomb. It should be filled with Ponlinne's treasures and items.' 

He didn't mention it, but Jack was very curious to see Ponlinne's status log and review it. It was a given that he wanted to see what had the ability to kill a lv. 85 cleric with outstanding healing abilities after the Holy War had ended. What could have that kind of strength? Was it still out there in the world?

Though Jack was anxious to find everything inside the tomb, Jack also understood that he wouldn't have the chance to better analyze the items after he left Ponlinne.

'Well, should we check out the town? Maybe we'll get a chance to learn about any nobles that arrived already,' suggested Rydel.

'Just give me a minute.'

Jack was surprised to see that he had an unread notification. Opening up his menu, he noticed that yet another achievement had been completed and he didn't even know it.

[Steal a city's totem item without getting caught: completed]

[Steal Ponlinne's totem item without leaving behind any evidence or being recognized, even as the entire city is an uproar searching for you. Special reward: 20 skill points.]

A light chuckle left Jack's mouth as he stood up and left with Rydel. They got some breakfast at the tavern and overheard the many rumors about the statue's missing staff.

With nothing else to learn there, the two exited and took to the streets. It took some time for them to find a street merchant that mentioned a noble family arriving in town.

Rydel browsed the man's wares and bought a small ring for a gold piece, which was far more than the asking price. "You mentioned the Maronn Family earlier. What can you tell us about them?"

"I can tell you plenty," answered the man. He smiled wryly and continued, "The Maronn Family arrived early this morning and are staying with the Pon Family until further notice."

"What do they specialize in?"

"The Maronn Family is known as a family of Berzerkers. They're able to use brute force and strength to overcome any obstacles. It's their philosophy that with enough strength behind their sword, anything will bow before them." The merchant proudly explained. "I also hear that the Lyre Family will be arriving shortly and the Treall family will be the last to arrive before they open the catacomb for everyone."

Rydel gave a satisfied nod and picked up another small trinket for a gold coin. "And what do you know about the Lyre family?" Since the Treall family was from Reinolt, he knew plenty about them.

The merchant happily took the gold coin. "The Lyre Family is famous for creating some of the most powerful mages in the empire."

"Anything special about those catacombs? There's got to be a reason why so many noble families agreed to come and search the catacomb, right?"

"You're right. Word on the street is that there are many hidden treasures inside the catacomb," explained the merchant. "Many powerful magic items were found in there in the past but lately the Pon family hasn't been able to find anything. That catacomb has existed longer than the Pon Family. It may be called the Pon Family Catacomb, but that's only in name. Not a single ancestor of theirs is buried there."

"No matter how many times the catacomb was raided, zombies and undead continue to appear and protect the place. Many locals believe that it was an ancient crypt for some powerful being or organization." The merchant paused for a moment, waiting for Rydel to purchase another trinket before he continued, "Most people don't know, but it's rumored that the great hero Ponlinne decided to stay here and form a town to protect that catacomb personally. Maybe the great hero even perished inside of it? Nobody knows."

Jack spoke up telepathically to Rydel, 'He may be right about that actually. I know that the Zuran Empire once had a crypt known for having undead hordes. It was used by a lot of heroes to grind and level-up.'

Rydel nodded and bought one last trinket. "Thank you, I hope we can keep this purchase a secret."

"Of course, for such great customers, that's the least I can offer. Come again whenever you need," replied the merchant.

Both men left the small stand and continued further into the city, heading toward the Pon Family estate at the north end of the city. They wanted to be ready to enter and wouldn't dare waste time.

As they expected, a group of well-dressed men and women were ahead of them. Those people had just arrived outside of the Pon Family gates and were waiting for entrance to be granted.

A servant hurried out of the manor and opened the gate. "So sorry for the wait, please forgive us. We didn't expect you to arrive so soon. Your rooms have already been prepared. Please, follow me."

The group's leader nodded and followed in silence. Very quickly, the group entered the estate and the gate closed behind them.

Crowds were already starting to form near the Pon estate, showing that many people were interested in the event that would soon be taking place. Most were only there to observe and not participate, but a small group was already forming of people waiting to enter the catacomb.

'It looks like the moment the Treall Family arrives, the catacomb will instantly open for everyone,' reasoned Rydel. 'Let's hang around near that group over there. The more we blend in, the better.'

They assimilated into the crowd easily, blending in with the masses.

Time passed slowly for most people, but Jack was entertained by exploring the achievement system. Eventually, thuds of hooves and armor were heard in the distance and everyone started smiling.

"Finally!"

"Now we can get in."

"Be careful, this will be dangerous but worth it!"

The crowd exploded into enthusiasm as the Treall Family neared the Pon estate's gates. Three groups came to welcome the Treall Family and each was being led by some extraordinary-looking people.

Jack took a deep breath and refocused himself. He reminded Rydel, 'Stay sharp, we'll have it harder than anyone else.'

Chapter end