# 1204
Chapter 1205: City Lord
It seems these really are the descendants of the blacksmithing families that Gilgamesh left behind in the King's Treasury all those years ago.
In other words, the ancient kingdom of Uruk still had one bloodline that didn't perish entirely?
While Lin Qiye was lost in thought, the group had pushed the wooden cart to the center of a spacious plaza, where an elderly man in a gray robe, holding a cane, was already waiting for them.
"City Lord!!"
The leading big man waved excitedly.
"You're finally back..." The City Lord glanced at the wine barrels loaded on their cart, and a smile creased his wrinkled face. "Looks like today's haul was good."
"A full 60 kilograms, City Lord! Enough for the whole city to drink for days!"
"Well done. Have each person collect two more bags of rice later."
"Thank you, City Lord!"
The big man thanked him profusely, then walked past Lin Qiye with a grin, patting him on the shoulder.
"I say, Old Six, why aren't you the least bit happy?"
Lin Qiye's mouth twitched. He forced a smile onto his face.
"Don't push him too hard... Old Six, we're going to drink a celebratory toast. Do you want to come?"
Lin Qiye果断 shook his head. "I'm not going."
"Then we'll be on our way."
The big men didn't insist, draping their arms over each other's shoulders and walking off laughing, leaving Lin Qiye alone in the plaza.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, the elderly City Lord suddenly spoke:
"Old Six, wait a moment."
Lin Qiye's eyes narrowed. He stopped in his tracks.
"What's the matter, City Lord?" He turned and asked.
The City Lord leaned on his cane and waved his hand gently. Someone behind him stepped forward, holding a wooden box, and opened it in front of Lin Qiye.
Inside the box rested a deep blue crystal orb.
"This is..."
"Old Six, you've come of age now. According to our Wu City customs, each household is required to receive a divine artifact for maintenance and preservation, passed down through generations... This crystal was originally in your parents' keeping. Since they met with an accident and you're now capable of maintaining it independently, it's yours from now on."
The City Lord walked up to him and spoke with deep feeling.
Lin Qiye stood stunned for a long moment before finally coming to his senses. He accepted the wooden box containing the crystal orb.
"Yes, City Lord." Lin Qiye replied.
The City Lord patted his shoulder and turned to leave.
Lin Qiye held the wooden box in his arms, standing alone in the center of the plaza, still somewhat dazed.
After coming of age, each household receives a divine artifact to maintain... How could this story sound so far-fetched?
It was like hearing that people in some city could each adopt a giant panda after coming of age. Impressive, but hard to believe.
Regardless, there was no reason to refuse a divine artifact that had been thrust into his hands. Lin Qiye tucked the wooden box away and quickly departed, extending his spiritual power to explore this ancient and mysterious city.
The city wasn't large. Lin Qiye estimated the population within the walls was fewer than three hundred people, but each family had many children, so roughly there were over thirty households in the city.
In other words, this city alone concealed over thirty divine artifacts?
Then what about the entire Treasury?
Had Gilgamesh's treasures reached such a terrifying scale?
But thinking more carefully, it wasn't entirely unreasonable. Divine artifacts too had their hierarchies. From entering this treasury until now, Lin Qiye hadn't seen anything particularly impressive.
Boots that ran faster the faster you chased them. Spears and birds that flew around looking for fun. A wine pitcher that enjoyed watching people sing and dance, containing endless wine... Although called divine artifacts, they weren't in the same league as Lin Qiye's Ame-no-Murakumo or the [God Slayer] in Yuzuri Takishiro's hands.
Of course, this didn't mean there were no decent divine artifacts within Wu City.
CLANG——!!
In a smithy on the street, a sturdy man with his torso bare was gripping a small black hammer, earnestly striking the sword blank beneath him.
Each time his hammer fell, a ferocious bolt of lightning would streak across the sky, terrifying aura rolling through the streets, pressing down even on Lin Qiye.
The man swinging the hammer was merely mortal flesh. The strange phenomena in the sky were purely the power of that hammer.
Not only that—at the end of the street, an elderly woman, holding a green bell, gently shook it at the pile of dead branches and leaves in a courtyard. A gust of wind materialized out of thin air, blowing all the refuse up into the clouds and landing it in the desert.
A farmer with a sickle. A girl wearing bracelets. A young man playing a bagpipe... Within the ordinary and simple daily life, divine artifact powers were everywhere.
Here, divine artifacts were no longer lofty beings to be revered, but part of daily life for the people of this city.
Lin Qiye's spiritual power constantly monitored the streets around him, and from the passing pedestrians, he also gleaned some intelligence.
Everything stored in Wu City were currently controllable, harmless divine artifacts.
Beyond the city walls lay the domain of uncontrollable divine artifacts. By "uncontrollable," it didn't mean they were overly dangerous—rather, after developing spiritual sentience, these artifacts simply didn't wish to dwell within the city walls. Examples included the mischievous and noisy wine pitcher, and the boots and the bird.
Of course, beyond the walls also lay some overly dangerous divine artifacts, but such existences were completely beyond the reach of the people within Wu City.
Regrettably, Lin Qiye listened intently for a long time but found no news about the [Star Coins].
After strolling through the city, he found a relatively quiet tavern and sat down.
This city concealed far too many divine artifacts. It wasn't just him—if a Human Apex-level expert came here and looked down on the locals, they'd probably suffer a huge setback.
To find the [Star Coins], he needed to use strategy, not force...
Just as Lin Qiye was carefully calculating, a thunderous crash suddenly rang out from the sky, followed immediately by the ground beneath everyone's feet trembling violently!
"Hm?"
Lin Qiye seemed to sense something. He looked up at the sky.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and a smile curved his lips.
"It seems the fools who are about to take a tumble are coming..."
...
Mist.
Above the churning sea, two figures stood at high altitude, looking down at the Wang Gui swimming below, joy flickering across their faces.
"We found it... It's really here!" Number 04 murmured.
Number 03 swept his gaze across the Wang Gui beneath his feet, then turned to look at the twenty-odd agents draped in black cloaks behind him.
"Did you all hear clearly what I told you? Either bring out the King's Treasury within three days, or... you'll be tortured to death by the poison seeds I've planted in you, your divine souls completely destroyed."
The twenty-odd god agents lowered their heads, silently clenching their fists, their eyes filled with unwillingness.
Number 03 and Number 04 exchanged a glance. The next moment, terrifying waves of divine pressure crashed down from the heavens like two meteors!!