Three days after the virus crisis ended, Sirzechs visited Morpheus, bringing Rias along and presenting a list.
The list detailed treasures from the Hell, numbering in the hundreds, each one priceless in the human world.
"As per our agreement, you may choose ten treasures," Sirzechs said, sitting on the sofa and watching Morpheus ponder. "But since you voluntarily returned the White Dragon Emperor, His Majesty Lucifer has agreed to let you select thirty treasures from this list."
Morpheus was mildly surprised. "I didn't expect your Satan to be so generous, allowing me to pick thirty treasures."
Sirzechs replied, "It's what you deserve, Your Excellency."
Morpheus looked down at the list, which cataloged hundreds of treasures, each accompanied by a detailed description.
The first treasure was the Ring of Authority.
It could unconditionally summon a powerful army from the Hell to serve its wielder.
With this treasure, conquering the world might be difficult, but taking over a nation would be feasible.
However, Morpheus wasn't interested and skipped to the next item.
The second treasure was a demonic sword, crafted by devils in imitation of legendary holy swords.
It was called the Sword of Ruin.
Its wielder would gain immense power, capable of slicing rivers and cleaving mountains.
It sounded impressive, but it was of little use to Morpheus, who lacked no strength.
He continued scanning the list.
One treasure after another caught his eye, only to be dismissed.
There was a mirror that could manipulate moonlight, allowing its user to spy on people thousands of miles away or bombard enemies.
Another was a fountain that could restore youth.
There was even a vial of Demonic Water that could grant demonic power.
Though the list was dazzling, few treasures piqued Morpheus's interest.
Then, a grimoire caught his attention.
The Book of Thoth.
The name was familiar. Legend had it that in ancient Egypt, a mystical book was written on papyrus by Thoth, the god of knowledge, thus named the Book of Thoth.
It contained numerous spells, including one that let the reader understand animal speech and another that allowed sensing divine beings.
Legend claimed that those who read it could gain mastery over Earth's oceans, air, and celestial bodies.
The book was said to be hidden at the bottom of the Nile River, inside an iron box.
Within the iron box was a bronze box.
Inside the bronze box was a wooden box.
The wooden box contained an ivory box.
The ivory box held a silver box.
And within the silver box was a golden box.
Inside the golden box lay the Book of Thoth.
A true nesting doll of containers.
The iron box was surrounded by venomous snakes and scorpions, and a giant python guarded the book.
An ancient Egyptian prince once sought the Book of Thoth, battling the python for ten days before retrieving it.
But he incurred the wrath of the gods, for their knowledge was not meant for mortals.
To punish the prince for stealing the Book of Thoth, the gods killed his wife and son, and he ultimately took his own life.
The prince was later buried with the Book of Thoth.
Years later, an Egyptian tomb raider excavated the prince's grave, intending to steal the book.
The prince's ghost appeared, demanding the thief recover the remains of his wife and son for a proper burial.
Of course, these were merely legends.
Their truth was uncertain.
Yet now, the Book of Thoth appeared on the list.
And this list was handed to him by Sirzechs, a devil.
That was peculiar.
How could devils possess the knowledge of Egyptian gods?
Sirzechs noticed Morpheus's confusion and smiled. "This isn't the original Book of Thoth. Long ago, Thoth glimpsed demonic knowledge and traded a handwritten copy with His Majesty Lucifer."
"So, this is a handwritten copy of the Book of Thoth."
Morpheus didn't hesitate. "Then I'll take it."
Knowledge was priceless.
Morpheus was eager to discover what secrets the Book of Thoth held and decisively claimed the copy.
Beyond that, he found numerous other grimoires on the list, detailing knowledge of gods, angels, and devils from various mythologies—Greek, Japanese, Norse, Egyptian, and more.
There were dozens of these handwritten copies, including those covering devils and angels.
Morpheus chose all the grimoires, disregarding the material treasures.
Compared to physical items, he valued knowledge far more.
With knowledge, Morpheus could create whatever he needed.
Sirzechs was impressed by Morpheus's choice of grimoires over treasures and readily agreed.
Knowledge was precious but also replicable.
If Morpheus took treasures, Lucifer's collection would diminish.
But if he took knowledge, Lucifer lost nothing.
The grimoires could be copied.
The true value lay not in the books but in the knowledge they contained.
Snap!
Sirzechs snapped his fingers, and a magic circle appeared before Morpheus. A pile of grimoires spilled out, stacking up in front of him.
Morpheus smiled as he collected them. "From now on, we're even."
Sirzechs clarified, "To be precise, you and His Majesty Lucifer are even. But Serafall and I still owe you a favor. If not for you, we'd have died at Rizevim's hands."
He paused, then pulled an item from his coat and offered it to Morpheus. "This is a token of gratitude from Serafall and me. Please accept it."
"What is it?" Morpheus asked curiously.
"The Sacred Gear, Annihilation Maker," Sirzechs said. "This is our gift to you."
Morpheus raised an eyebrow. He'd heard of Annihilation Maker, one of the top-tier Sacred Gears.
It allowed the user to create beasts from their imagination—the stronger the imagination, the more varied and powerful the creations.
Its original wielder was Leonardo from the Hero Faction.
Morpheus hadn't expected it to fall into Sirzechs's hands.
Or that Sirzechs would give it to him.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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