Paul nodded at the treasurer's words before he started looking around.
He walked between rows of shelves filled with objects, unable to decide on any of them.
The main reason for his hesitation was that he didn't want to waste the chance presented to him by choosing useless things.
-No wonder this man can't figure out most of these things.
The reincarnation soul said inside his mind after a few minutes of looking at the artifacts.
-Most of these things come from the upper realms, so there is little to no information about them down here.
It added.
-Then could you advise me on what I should choose?
Paul asked, hoping that with the soul's help, he would find something that he could use.
At the same time, he wondered why the emperor would reward him with items that were useless for most people.
-It's most likely due to the information that you want to go to the higher worlds.
The soul suggested an answer to his question.
-As for finding something useful, try your search magic.
Paul did as he was told, and to his surprise, he felt three items resonate with his mana.
-What are you doing?
The treasurer asked, in surprise, sensing what Paul did.
-Saving some time, it would take at least an hour to just walk around and see every item here.
Paul explained, then went straight to the first of the items that resonated with his mana.
The first two items were right next to each other, and they turned out to be braces.
One was made of silver or something very similar to silver with a tiger engraved on it, and sapphires embedded as the tiger's eyes.
The second one was made from some sort of black metal Paul didn't recognize, and it had a dragon engraved on it with rubies embedded in its eyes.
-How did these get here?
The reincarnation soul asked, shock evident in its voice.
-You recognize these bracers?
Paul asked, also a bit surprised, since he had never heard the reincarnation soul's surprised voice before.
-These bracers belonged to me a long time ago. I never expected to find them in the mortal realm.
The last time I saw them was in the twelfth world.
The soul explained.
-Then should I take them back?
Paul asked.
He could take two items, meaning he could take both bracers.
-Not yet, first see the other item that resonated with your mana.
Not wasting any time, Paul went to see what the other item was.
Unfortunately, the aura emanating from the items in the room distorted his search magic, not allowing him to see what the items were.
The third item that resonated with him turned out to be a scroll.
It didn't look special in any way, other than having an aura of its own.
Paul took it and looked at it from all angles, not understanding why it would react to his mana.
-This has to be some kind of joke.
The reincarnation soul said as soon as Paul took a look at the seal on the scroll.
-Do you know what it is?
Paul asked in his mind.
-Duh, it was mine when I was still alive.
The soul answered.
-What is this scroll?
-It would take a while to explain, but if you want to get anything useful from here, then I suggest taking this scroll and the silver bracer from before.
The soul said.
-What about the other bracer?
Paul asked.
-You don't need to worry about it for now.
-Alright.
Paul agreed.
In his experience, the reincarnation soul never did anything that would not benefit him, so he didn't even hesitate.
-I'll take this scroll and the silver bracer I saw back there.
He finally said out loud.
-Young man, are you sure?
I have tried to open this scroll for a few years before I gave up.
As for the bracer, I was unable to determine if it even has any abilities, since it reflected any attempt to probe it that I could think of.
The treasurer said, seeing that the young man decided on items of an unknown value or usefulness.
-That's fine, I like a challenge.
Paul smiled at the man.
-In the worst-case scenario, I might have to wait until I ascend to the upper realms to figure out how they work, but that's fine.
He added.
-As you wish.
The treasurer said, not trying to change his mind anymore.
Paul picked up the bracer and just to be sure, he took a closer look at both of them before leaving the black bracer behind.
With that, they left the third-level treasury and went to the first level to pick up Natalie and Xiao Han.
-Did you pick your item yet?
Paul asked, seeing both of them standing and discussing something.
-I did, but I'm not sure if they count as one item or as two items.
Natalie turned to him with a wooden box in her hands.
Inside the box were two fans.
-Oh, you have a great eye, young lady.
These two fan-daggers are a set, and they do count as one item, along with the box they are in.
The treasurer said when he took a look at the items she held.
-I heard that there is some secret to the box itself, but sadly, I was never able to find out what it was.
What I know about this fan set is that it was made using stage nine spirit beast materials, so in theory, they should be able to stop almost any arrow.
Additionally, their blades are also made from a stage nine spirit beast's claws, so they are razor sharp and very hard to damage.
Lastly, these two fans can be connected to form a small shield.
The treasurer said and took the two fans before demonstrating how to connect them.
The shield was small, but it looked durable, and the blades on its edges allowed it to be used as a weapon.
-If that's the case, then I'll take them.
The girl said, disconnecting and folding the fans back before placing them in the box.
As they were leaving the treasury, a guard approached them with three pouches on a tray.
Each pouch had a label with the amount of money inside.
-Please verify the amounts inside.
The treasurer said.
Paul, Natalie, and Xiao Han took their pouches and established connections with them, since they were spatial devices.
The moment they looked inside, each of them saw thousands of crystal coins.
-Everything is inside.
Paul said after looking for a moment at the small fortune he was rewarded with.
The other two nodded after confirming the contents of their pouches.
-Then please sign here.
The official gave them each a sheet of paper, which was a form confirming that they received their rewards.
For most people, it was a needless bureaucracy, but for the treasurer and the treasury guards, it was proof that they had done their duty and everything was in order.
In the end, their stations were important, and they were responsible for precious items and more money than most people would see in their entire lives, and they could not afford to be careless, since their heads were on the line.
After signing the forms, the trio was escorted back to the palace entrance by the same guards who brought them there.