I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 274 The Red Griffin Family's Treasure Vault

Chapter 274 The Red Griffin Family's Treasure Vault
……

……

"Congratulations, Your Excellency."

Rod smiled and shook his head. "I just said that I didn't help you for any particular purpose."

Rod was not lying.

Rhodes treated Count Red Griffin more out of pity for Avril.

Another personal reason is that he hopes the Count of the Red Griffin can continue to manage the vast lands after he recovers.

The Northern Wasteland still has vast lands waiting to be developed, but Rhodes simply doesn't have the resources to develop the Red Griffin family's territory right now.

Of course, Rhodes now needs more slaves and trade.

But such a trivial matter is not worth exchanging for a life-saving favor.

"No, I must repay you!"

Count Red Griffin said firmly, "If I don't give you anything, then I'm a despicable and stingy old goat!"

"The Red Griffin family would never do something so dishonorable!"

Looking at the Red Griffin Earl's resolute expression, Rhodes knew that this noble earl would not give up unless he accepted something.

After a moment of contemplation, Rhodes slowly spoke.

"I don't really have anything I particularly want."

"but……"

Rod paused, then continued:

"If you have any magic-related items, you can give them to me. After all, it's a waste to leave such things to gather dust in the vault."

"Yes."

Count Red Griffin nodded happily, and then said,

"But I don't know which ones you need. How about this, I'll take you and Avril to the treasure vault to pick them out later."

"Thank you for your generosity."

Rod smiled and nodded in thanks.

Count Red Griffin patted Rhodes on the shoulder and then sat down in the main seat.

Without any prior instruction, the servants brought breakfast to Earl Red Griffin.

The three of them enjoyed breakfast while chatting.

The Red Griffin Earl was like an old man who hadn't been seen in the family for a long time, caring about every aspect of Rhodes and Avril's lives.

The familiar feeling made even the usually calm Rhodes nervous, causing him to unconsciously slow down his eating and carefully answer Count Red Griffin's questions.

After inquiring about daily life, Count Red Griffin asked some questions about the wasteland territory.

Aside from keeping secrets like the Abyss Wizard Tower, Rhodes didn't hide anything else.

"So you now control most of the wasteland?"

Count Red Griffin looked at Rhodes in surprise: "That's a huge tract of land!"

"You can say that."

Rhodes said, "But it hasn't been recognized by the Empire yet."

"The Empire should not have time to deal with the wasteland right now."

Earl Red Griffin wiped his mouth and said slowly, as if deep in thought, "However, there are indeed some problems with what you said about Longwinter Town and Frozen Bone Wasteland."

"I suggest you consolidate your power over these two territories as soon as possible, and keep both the people and the army firmly in your own hands."

"That way, even if the Hammer family and the Shieldbreaker family want to send an heir in the future, they won't be able to do anything."

"You're right."

Rhodes nodded, his smile tinged with helplessness: "It's just that we're really short-staffed right now."

"This is indeed a problem. At any time, the people are the most important, especially those who have talent."

Count Red Griffin instructed, "You will have Garrick invite all the slave traders in the city to buy all the slaves and transport them to you."

"I will pay with the gold coins."

"Thank you for your generosity."

Rod rose happily and bowed, "I think I should do something to repay you."

“You have done enough, child, and those gold coins will be yours sooner or later.”

The red griffin waved for Rhodes to sit down and joked, "Like you said, gold coins are just gathering dust in the vault, so we might as well let them put them to good use."

"Haha, you're right."

Rod echoed.

"By the way, I heard you say earlier that there are still places in the Northern Wasteland where it snows, right?" Count Red Griffin asked.

Rhodes nodded. "The Icefield Mountains."

"After you and Avril take over the family affairs, I'll go live in the wasteland for a while to escape the summer heat."

Count Red Griffin's words made Rhodes pause in his actions.

"Are you going to the Northern Wastes?" Rhodes asked.

The red griffin nodded slightly, its eyes filled with anticipation.

"I've been lying in bed for too long, wasting too much time. Now that I'm feeling better, I'm going to go out and about."

"You're right..."

Rhodes hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What about the affairs of the Red Griffin family?"

"Isn't it you and Avril who are here?"

The red griffin smiled and said, "Garrick reported to me about your arrangements over the past few days. You did a good job; you can continue."

"You are not old, now is the time to strive."

Rhodes hurriedly advised, "Avril and I are still very inexperienced. We are not capable of managing such a large territory as the Red Griffin family."

Just kidding, the Red Griffin family owns a city, six towns, and hundreds of villages, totaling tens of thousands of people!
Such a vast territory is completely unmanageable without a strong foundation!

"The eleven years I spent lying in bed have made me understand a lot of things."

The Red Griffin Earl's smile was tinged with melancholy. "The purpose of life is to experience different ways of living."

Count Red Griffin gazed at Rhodes, “My child, I have experienced life as an earl. Now I wish to experience other ways of life.”

"..."

Rhodes was speechless.

I feel that Count Red Griffin's ideas are completely contrary to my original plans.

Now it seems more likely that Earl Red Griffin would continue to manage the family while he is in bed.

“I understand your thoughts, Your Excellency.”

Rhodes advised, "I only know one or two people from the Red Griffin family right now, and there are still a lot of things waiting for me to deal with in Black Pine Ridge."

"Avril spends most of her time studying magic."

As he spoke, Rhodes took Vivian's hand.
“I don’t want to be separated from Avril so often, so… could your plans to travel the world be postponed again?”

Count Red Griffin frowned slightly. "How long do you think it will take?"

"About three years?"

"I'm just probing," Rod said tentatively.

"Three years is not a short time."

Count Red Griffin sighed, "But this was originally my responsibility, and I shouldn't have pushed it all onto you at once."

"You can use this time to recuperate."

Rod breathed a sigh of relief and continued to persuade her, "Avril can also make some medicine to help you recover your body when she has time."

"However, I still need to go and check out the Icefield Mountains you mentioned first."

The Red Griffin Earl said firmly, “They are all white mountains; I have never seen anything like them before.”

Rhodes nodded. "Of course, summer is a great time to travel through the Icefield Mountains."

"Then it's agreed. I'll send someone to inform the other nobles of the Red Griffin family to come and see you later."

Count Red Griffin instructed, "Also, you're in charge of dealing with those traitors in the dungeon."

"This one……"

Rhodes was about to refuse, but then he remembered that he had just stopped the Red Griffin Earl from "resigning," and it seemed a bit inappropriate to refuse again.

After a moment's thought, Rhodes spoke again.

"Traitors are unforgivable, but the allure of succubi cannot be ignored."

"Those knights were just ordinary people; it's normal that their minds weren't firm."

Rhodes suggested, “Exile them to the far north of the Northern Wastes to work as quarries and miners for me.”

"By the way, I will have the supervisors secretly observe their performance, and if there are really outstanding people, then we will give them another chance."

“Exile, that sounds like a good idea.”

Count Red Griffin hesitated for a moment.

"But the dignity of the Red Griffin family must be defended, and someone must be hanged in front of everyone in this matter."

Rhodes nodded. "I'll take care of it."

"Alright, we've been chatting for so long, I'm sorry to have kept you from having your meal."

The red griffin smiled and gestured for the others to proceed.

"Let's continue eating. After we finish, we'll go to the treasure vault."

"Ok."

Rod didn't stand on ceremony any longer and picked up the bread from the silver plate again to eat.

…… ……

After breakfast.

Led by Count Red Griffin, Rhodes and Vivian stepped into the watchtower next to the main castle building.

The three of them lifted the stone slab on the ground and entered the basement.

The basement was just an ordinary warehouse, filled with wooden crates and cabinets, containing common tools and items.

Reaching the innermost part of the basement, Count Red Griffin instructed Rhodes to push open a cabinet, revealing an iron door before them.

Count Red Griffin took out a large bunch of keys, selected two from them to unlock the locks, and led the two inside.

Then came the winding stone steps leading down, and a series of iron gates.

And each time, Count Red Griffin was able to accurately find the key to open the door, which made Rhodes very impressed.

After opening three iron gates in succession, they finally arrived at the end of the corridor—in front of a heavy stone door.

The gate is carved entirely from black rock, standing three meters tall and about two meters wide.

The stone gate is carved with exquisite relief patterns.

At the center is a giant griffin with outstretched wings, every detail of its feathers and mane is lifelike.

Two blood-red gems were embedded in the griffin's eyes, gleaming in the torchlight.

Surrounding the griffin were countless complex and ancient runes, which entwined the entire stone gate like vines.

There is a circular groove in the center of the stone gate, which looks like something is missing.

"Was this built by the ancestors of the Red Griffin family?"

Rhodes's eyes widened in shock. "This is a masterpiece that only a formal wizard could have created, isn't it?"

"Haha, I really hope you're right."

Count Red Griffin chuckled twice, then said helplessly, "Unfortunately, it's not."

“My ancestor discovered this place, had a miraculous encounter here, and became a legendary knight.”

"Then they changed their surname to Red Griffin and built the castle here."

The Red Griffin Earl's face was filled with pride. "The history of the Red Griffin family is even longer than that of the Shattered Rock Empire."

Rhodes agreed, "Yes, you can tell from the ancient runes on it."

"Give me that gold badge."

Count Red Griffin reached out his hand to Rhodes.

Rhodes turned to look at Vivian, who immediately pulled a leather pouch from her bosom and took out the gold badge, placing it in the Red Griffin Earl's hand.

The badge gleamed in the torchlight, complementing the griffin pattern carved on the stone gate.

Count Red Griffin took the badge and then drew a small dagger from his waist.

The sharp blade made a light cut on his thumb, and bright red blood immediately seeped out.

The Red Griffin Earl dripped his blood onto the golden badge, where it instantly merged with it.

The originally golden griffin pattern began to glow with a blood-red light, as if it had come to life.

"Only those who have the blood of the Red Griffin family can open this door."

Count Red Griffin slowly placed the blood-stained badge into the groove in the center of the stone gate.

hum-

All the runes on the stone gate lit up at the same time, and a faint red light also shone from the cracks in the stone gate.

Two blood-red beams shot from the eyes of the griffin relief, engulfing all three people in front of the door.

It was as if they were confirming their identities and qualifications.

A moment later, the beam of light disappeared.

"Crack..."

The sound of stones grinding together rang out, and the heavy stone doors began to part to the sides, instantly revealing a treasure vault as spacious as a castle hall to Rhodes.

"Magic lamp?"

Ignoring the rows of treasure chests in the vault, Rhodes stared in amazement at the rows of crystal lamps on the wall that looked like torches.

These lamps illuminated the treasure vault, which should have been dark and gloomy.

Each lamp is sculpted in the shape of a griffin spreading its wings, and is incredibly lifelike.

However, some of these crystal chandeliers have lost their luster.

It might be broken, or it might have lost its magic.

Rod felt a little sorry for him.

Even so, the remaining light from the magic lamp still outlined the luxurious contours of the treasure vault.

The vault was surrounded by countless boxes, and various cabinets were placed against the back wall.

In the center of the vault are some display cases containing jewelry and metal crafts in the shape of wild animals.

“These are all ordinary items outside.”

Count Red Griffin explained, “These boxes on your left are full of gold coins and ingots, and the cabinet contains pearls and gemstone ornaments. You probably won’t find what you’re looking for.”

"But you can choose whichever you like."

"Further ahead, to the left are armor pieces, and to the right are weapons."

Count Red Griffin thought for a moment and said, "They are all exquisitely crafted equipment; perhaps there are magical items among them, as you mentioned?"

"Let me finish introducing them to you first, then you can take your time to choose."

Count Red Griffin stepped forward and pushed open a hidden stone door.

"These are all special items; they should be related to the magical items you mentioned,"

Count Red Griffin opened the cabinet, took out an exquisite wooden box with metal edging, and presented it to Rhodes.

"For example, extraordinary gems."

Rhodes immediately took the wooden box with both hands, and sure enough, three green life gems were neatly arranged inside.

"There's more here, take whatever you like."

Count Red Griffin said with a smile, "You should need all of these."

Upon hearing this, Rod immediately stepped forward and took down the wooden boxes one by one.

To their astonishment, they discovered that these wooden boxes contained extraordinary gems that had been categorized and organized.

"As expected of a large family..."

Rod couldn't help but think to himself.

I wonder what the treasure trove of the tulip family looks like.

"Actually, these life gems and fire gems can help you with your cultivation."

Rhodes suggested, "Perhaps you could carry one with you."

Ordinary knights cannot absorb it directly like Rhodes, but having it by their side will still slightly improve their training efficiency.

"I know."

Count Red Griffin then took out an antique round pendant from around his neck. "There are two Life Gems inside."

"If I hadn't been so impatient back then, perhaps I would have had the chance to become a legendary knight in my life."

Count Red Griffin sighed, "Unfortunately, sometimes too much hope can make people lose their minds."

Seeing the Red Griffin Earl's melancholy expression, Rhodes suddenly thought of giving him the Knight's Roar Potion he was carrying.

Eleven years ago, he was able to challenge for the top knights, so I believe the Red Griffin Earl has considerable talent.

The most difficult part of the "Path of Kingship" entry is training warriors and spellcasters.

If Count Red Griffin succeeds, it will be a huge step forward.

But considering that Count Red Griffin had just recovered, he gave up.

After all, the Knight's Roar Potion is a violent breakthrough, and Count Red Griffin's body is still very weak.

Rhodes was worried that the count would be impatient if he gave it to him directly.

"Let's focus on getting better first."

Rhodes comforted him, "Perhaps you still have a chance to become a legendary knight."

"Haha, thank you for your comforting words."

Count Red Griffin shook his head slightly. "But I don't want to think about it now."

With that, Count Red Griffin handed the golden badge to Rhodes.
"You've seen how to open it, and it's the same when you go out. You and Avril can choose carefully here."

"I want to go out and soak up some sun."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Rhodes nodded in greeting.

Count Red Griffin did not linger and turned to leave.

Rhodes didn't stand on ceremony and rummaged through the treasure vault.

He collected all the extraordinary gems, as well as materials with magical fluctuations and ancient items he couldn't understand.

With the existence of the space badge, the hassle of carrying things was completely eliminated, and we could select and pack them as we went.

There are three items that are clearly magical equipment, and they are all accessories.

Two rings, a necklace.

Rhodes hasn't tested the specific effects yet, but all of them require magic to trigger.

This is also the main reason why they are overlooked.

As for weapons like longswords and bows, Rhodes found nothing related to magic.