Chapter 9: The Vault and the Veil
It began with a rumor.
A hunter returned from the Iron Lake forest, wide-eyed and pale. "Stone door in the hills," he said. "Not natural. Sealed with runes. And when I touched it… the air sang."
That night, I sat alone in my study, candlelight flickering over a map.
[Hidden Vault – Coordinates Logged: Iron Lake Ridge]
Estimated Risk: Medium
Estimated Reward: Unknown]
It was the first time the system offered no real guidance.
That both terrified and excited me.
The Vault at Iron Lake
I took Ray, Alric, Ardenn, and two guards. We rode before dawn.
By midday, we stood before it: a stone arch buried in moss, wrapped in ancient script that shimmered faintly beneath the light.
"Old magic," Ardenn whispered. "Pre-Kingdom. This predates even the Dukes' bloodlines."
"What does it say?" I asked.
Ardenn touched the stone. "Knowledge is weight. Only the wise may carry it without breaking."
Then the vault opened.
Inside: silence. Dust. And something that changed everything.
The Inner Chamber
There were no gold piles. No weapons.
Only:
A long obsidian table
Six sealed books in glass cases
One steel lockbox stamped with the crest of the Royal Trade Union
And a broken terminal pulsing with blue glyphs—arcane script woven into technology.
[System Prompt: Hidden Archive Activated – Access Level: Fragmented]
[Gained Item: Union Black File (Encrypted)]
[Gained Item: Ledger of House Laister – Personal Contracts]
[Gained Knowledge: Trade Sigil Algorithm – Grants +15% negotiation success]
"Blackmail," I whispered. "Political. Financial. Legal."
The ledger revealed illegal arms trades by Vern's family during a border embargo. Worse—he had funneled wealth off-record, bypassing the Union's taxes.
[New Option: Leverage → Buy Out 100% of Grey Antler Mercantile (with Coerced Consent)]
Ardenn stared at the broken glyph terminal. "This is beyond magic," he muttered. "This is civilization lost."
"Can it be rebuilt?"
He looked at me grimly. "Maybe. But if anyone finds out what you have…"
He didn't finish.
The Veil Falls
Back in Blackhollow, I worked in silence.
I created two sealed packages.
One for the Royal Trade Union, proving Vern's fraudulent dealings, with a quiet offer: if they authorize my acquisition of Grey Antler, I'll hand over the full ledger… and let them claim the audit glory.
The second was hand-delivered to Vern Laister himself.
He opened the envelope during a morning inspection and went pale.
"To Lord Vern,
Enclosed are copies of five contracts signed under false registries, and a list of nobles who would be most interested in seeing them.
My offer: sell me Grey Antler. All of it. You leave with coin. Your name remains intact. Refuse, and you lose everything.
You have one week.
—Blackhollow"
He did not reply.
But he did send a representative to our office three days later.
A New Crown of Commerce
[Acquisition Confirmed: Grey Antler Mercantile – Status: Merged]
All Assets Transferred to: Hollow Rise Trade & Holdings
3 Trade Routes
1 Textile Mill
2 Regional Warehouses
Livestock License
Merchant Lord Title Progress: 42%**
[Warning: Influence now rivals Barony of Drevan. Regional attention rising.]
Ray stood beside me as I watched Vern's former banners lowered.
"You didn't just win," he said. "You absorbed him."
"No," I said. "I made sure he couldn't fight anymore. Now we build."
I thought of the books we left sealed in the vault. Of the pulsing terminal that still whispered in broken fragments.
Knowledge was weight.
But I'd learned how to carry it.