Chapter 46: The Nightmare of the Treasure Hoarders
Do the Treasure Hoarders live good lives?
Not really.
Although most people join the Treasure Hoarders hoping to strike it rich, only a few actually manage to improve their lives.
Instead, after joining them, they end up being shunned everywhere—like rats in the street, chased and cursed wherever they go.
"Brother Zhongfu, is there really treasure in there? I mean, aside from those strange little shrines, I didn't see anything else."
Ah Xian wiped the throwing knife in his hand as he asked.
"Yeah, and when we were there earlier, I kept feeling uneasy, like someone was watching us from the shadows. The gods won't punish us for this, will they?"
The Treasure Hoarder named Ah Hao squeezed closer to Ah Xian as he spoke.
Unlike Zhongfu, Ah Xian and Ah Hao had only joined the Treasure Hoarders recently, so they could only handle scouting work.
In team operations, their usual tasks were reconnaissance and keeping watch.
But compared to Zhongfu, who lived relatively well, even after half a year in the organization their lives hadn't improved much.
Even the throwing knives in their hands had been used countless times. When they became dull, they would simply sharpen them against stones by a stream instead of replacing them.
In truth, with a veteran like Zhongfu guiding them, their lives shouldn't have been this miserable.
Unfortunately, they lacked talent, and due to their poor upbringing they couldn't even read properly, so they were only suited for jobs like scouting.
If Zhongfu hadn't intentionally brought them along this time, they probably wouldn't even have had the chance to participate in a mission of this level.
"You two don't understand. The stranger a place looks, the more likely there's something valuable inside. And listen—asking questions like that is fine when it's just in front of me, but don't ever bring it up in front of others. Otherwise they'll use it as an excuse to get rid of the two of you."
Zhongfu had been in the Treasure Hoarders for many years, so he understood the internal scheming better than anyone.
Even though they all belonged to the same organization, they were far from friendly with one another.
If Ah Hao and Ah Xian were under someone else's command, they would definitely have been used as cannon fodder.
Like those guys sitting nearby.
They were subordinates of a small boss named Kousuke from Narukami Island, sent here to assist Zhongfu with reconnaissance.
If Zhongfu hadn't been watching them, Ah Hao and Ah Xian would have already been pushed forward as shields against the Slimes lurking in that cave.
Those men would have been more than happy to watch the two rookies die and then take their belongings afterward.
Unlike most Treasure Hoarders, Zhongfu had read some books and possessed a bit of talent.
Because of that, he had a skill most ordinary members lacked—alchemy-like potions.
Across Teyvat, there were always people who found ways to harness elemental power without using Visions.
For example, the Delusions developed by the Fatui, or alchemy itself.
There was also Ksenia, who used the natural attraction of Mist Grass to control her Cicin insects and make them fight for her.
Zhongfu's methods were somewhat similar to those of an alchemist.
Years ago, in order to break open the hard stone blocks inside ancient ruins, some Treasure Hoarders with basic knowledge of alchemy tried mixing together certain potions.
These potions possessed properties similar to elemental powers.
For example:
Pyro potions that exploded and burned
Cryo potions that radiated cold
Hydro potions that soaked everything in moisture
Electro potions that caused a tingling numbness
Back in the day, Zhongfu had followed a potion master who specialized in Electro potions.
Unlike proper alchemists, however, the recipes circulating among the Treasure Hoarders were crude folk formulas and far less stable than real alchemy.
So anyone hoping to inherit such techniques needed not only patience but also a sufficiently clever mind.
The reason Treasure Hoarder potion craft has survived until today is largely thanks to improvements made by some of its members.
Otherwise, things would still be like in the early days, when every time a potion was used, one member had to be sacrificed.
Now, Zhongfu was using Ksenia's battered old pot to brew his own potion.
That was also one of the advantages of potion-making. Even without an alchemy bench, as long as you had a pot, you could prepare mixtures yourself.
. . .
Night grew deeper.
The Treasure Hoarders assigned to guard duty had already rotated through another shift, yet Zhongfu was still studying his potions by the light of the fire.
"Hm?"
After setting down a prepared bottle, Zhongfu glanced toward the group of Treasure Hoarders who weren't part of his own team.
He felt something strange.
To put it simply… compared to when they first arrived, it seemed like there were a few fewer people.
Did they go stand guard? Or maybe someone went to relieve themselves?
Sigh…
What a bunch of rookies. At a pitch-black time like this, how could they wander around casually?
If they attracted Hilichurls, that would still be manageable.
But if it was Nobushi, that would be a real problem.
Although Treasure Hoarders occasionally cooperated with Nobushi, those insatiable devils weren't the kind you could provoke lightly.
After muttering a few complaints, Zhongfu returned to studying his potion, wondering if he could improve the formula further.
But when he looked up again a few minutes later, his scalp prickled with fear.
Because someone he had seen earlier… was now gone.
Went to the bathroom?
Impossible.
Even though he hadn't been paying full attention to that group, he was certain he hadn't seen anyone move or leave.
So how could someone suddenly vanish?
A monster? A spirit? Or…
Thinking about the cave their group had explored earlier, Zhongfu began to feel uncertain.
He gripped a bottle of potion in his hand and slowly stood up.
Based on habit, he first looked toward the people standing guard.
But strangely enough, some of the guards were also missing.
Yet their companions acted as if nothing had happened.
Some leaned against trees, others against rocks.
Were they slacking off?
No.
They weren't slacking off.
They were dead.
The moment Zhongfu realized this, he instinctively opened his mouth to shout a warning.
But the cold sensation at his neck made him slowly close it again.
A black ghost wearing a white mask stood in front of him.
"Shh."
The figure still held a dagger in his left hand, while his right hand was raised before his lips in a gesture of silence.
After surviving so long among the Treasure Hoarders, Zhongfu was no fool.
He understood immediately that since the man hadn't killed him, there must be another purpose.
Besides, those dead men weren't from his group anyway.
So he wisely nodded and sat back down.
However, the bottle of potion he had just finished preparing was something he absolutely no longer dared to hold.
At this point, the white-masked ghost stopped pretending.
He didn't even bother hiding his presence anymore and casually walked straight into the sleeping Treasure Hoarders.
Like a wisp of wind in the night, he stole the warmth from their bodies and harvested their souls.
Only then did Zhongfu finally understand why some of the others had disappeared.
After the dagger pierced his comrades' bodies, some of them strangely turned into faint specks of light and vanished on the spot.
Such an unheard-of method made the fear in his heart almost impossible to suppress.
This guy… is he the Grim Reaper?