Indeed, Qian Ye heard a faint sound from behind the door, the sound of chitin scraping against the ground. He suppressed all his aura and waited silently for a moment, estimating that there was a fairly spacious area inside, with at least ten spider demons moving about.
Qian Ye quietly took out several grenades from Anduya’s space and, with a forceful pull, opened the door and threw the grenades in.
As soon as the door opened, a wave of rancid air hit him. A quick glance confirmed Qian Ye’s suspicions—it was a hall styled like a cavern, a typical gathering place for spider demons, with a higher ceiling and more expansive walls.
Several spider demons stood, lay, or slowly crawled around. As the door moved, a few reacted swiftly, their limbs scraping, and charged towards the entrance. But Qian Ye quickly shut and held the door firmly.
A series of heavy impacts sounded on the metal door.
Qian Ye’s face turned pale; the combined force of so many spider demons was almost equivalent to a small siege engine. Fortunately, the explosions of the original force grenades soon followed, accompanied by screams, roars, and scurrying, while the pounding on the door gradually subsided.
Qian Ye opened the door again to find the hall in chaos. More than half of the spider demons lay on the ground, barely alive, and those still moving were mostly injured. The grenades had been thrown at an angle covering the entire space, and the solid walls left no room for the spider demons to dodge, trapping them in the blast radius.
With the Dongyue in hand, Qian Ye rushed in, quickly circling the hall and slaying all the spider demons. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
At this point, he noticed that all the spider demons in the hall were female. Given the central location, they were likely Poto’s concubines and maids. However, Poto’s tastes were clearly unique, as these female spider demons all had arachnid bodies, some even lacking humanoid upper halves, quite different from the dark world’s preference for human-like forms.
There seemed to be no significant forces in the residential area, as the explosions only drew out a few servant spiders, which Qian Ye easily dispatched. Beyond the hall was Poto’s bedroom.
The bedroom was a vast space, nearly a hundred meters in diameter and over ten meters high. The floor and walls were covered with thick webs, but important decorations, such as weapons, portraits, and spider sculptures, were carefully kept clear of the webs.
At the end of the hall, there was a raised platform, layered with countless animal skins intertwined with spider webs, likely Poto’s bed. Amidst the skins and webs, something glittered. Qian Ye approached and found gems and black crystals scattered carelessly, along with a few rare minerals.
While the gems, minerals, and black crystals were not military achievements, they were valuable. However, the stench emanating from the bed was overwhelming, almost blinding Qian Ye.
Forcing himself to endure, Qian Ye held his breath, leaped onto Poto’s bed, and with the Dongyue, swiftly sliced through the skins and webs. With deft movements, he sent the gems and black crystals flying into a bag he carried.
Qian Ye’s speed surpassed even his earlier combat with Gulema, highlighting the bed’s repulsiveness. After clearing Poto’s bedroom, he quickly retreated, only then daring to take a deep breath. The weight of the bag, estimated to be worth at least ten thousand gold coins, lifted his spirits.
Poto’s treasury was easy to find, perhaps because no one had ever penetrated the viscount’s bedroom. The door was located on the east side, concealed by a tapestry. However, the ten-meter-tall iron gate was hard to miss.
Qian Ye used the Dongyue to tear down the tapestry and spider webs, revealing two massive iron doors made of a metal stronger than human alloy steel. Each door weighed tens of tons, making their weight the best protection. Poto had not set up any steam mechanisms, so it would require several strong spider demons to open the doors.
Unable to push the doors, Qian Ye had another method. With the Dongyue, he struck the door, creating a deep mark. Several more strikes later, the door finally gave way. Widening the gap, he squeezed through.
The treasury was vast, with four rooms, each dozens of meters across, containing weapons, armor, minerals, and materials. Yet, after a thorough search, Qian Ye was disappointed.
The treasury was filled with items, but all were oversized for spider demons, making most too large to fit into Anduya’s mysterious space.
Moreover, spider demon weapons and armor, unlike those of the Blood Race or the Dark Descendants, were crude and heavy, using inferior materials. For example, Poto’s giant axe was hundreds of times heavier than a Blood Viscount’s sword, requiring much cheaper materials.
Thus, Qian Ye could only take a few items. The minerals and raw materials were piled to the ceiling, but they were mostly red copper and unrefined black crystals.
In the materials section, the smelted metal ingots were of low quality, unsuitable for his use.
After searching, Qian Ye found some black titanium and mithril ore, enough to make a few bullets, and some high-purity black and blood crystals. From Poto’s collection, he selected two Level 5 Blood Race pistols and a Level 4 longsword—his total loot.
“Not a total waste,” Qian Ye consoled himself. His haul was comparable to raiding two ordinary viscount castles, but given Poto’s rank, disappointment lingered.
Suddenly, Qian Ye sensed something amiss, a fleeting feeling that vanished quickly.
Certain it was not a hidden threat, Qian Ye thought it might be something out of place. Using his True Sight, he scanned the treasury and found a corner with unusual spatial energy. Among the clutter, a faint trace of void energy swirled!
This was almost impossible, as void energy should not exist without external influence, and any that leaked in would quickly transform into dark energy.
Qian Ye rummaged through the pile, finding a variety of items, including wood, ores, and strange objects. It seemed Poto did not know what to do with them, so they were all dumped here.
He found the source of the void energy: an unremarkable iron box. Made of common iron, the box was rusted and locked, likely untouched for years.
Holding the box, Qian Ye examined it, confirming no traps, and pried it open. Inside, a finger-sized black crystal, smoother and rounder than usual, caught his eye.
In his True Sight, the crystal’s center emitted thin threads of void energy, which quickly dissipated into the environment.
Sensing the void energy, Qian Ye realized the crystal’s secret. Finding an original force bullet box, he packed the torn box and the strange crystal into Anduya’s space, feeling his efforts were not in vain.
Qian Ye quickly searched the rest of Poto’s residence, retreating to the circular plaza used as an elevator. Having spent considerable time in the Black Nest, he hesitated whether to leave. Suddenly, he felt an unusual heat from the ventilation shafts.
Most spider demon facilities were larger than human structures, and the vents were no exception. Peering down, Qian Ye saw a cloud of red vapor, indicating molten lava below—the incubation chamber.
This was a stroke of luck, as the human servant who guided him had no knowledge of this critical area. Qian Ye cut through the plaza, but at the incubation chamber, he encountered fierce resistance. Over a hundred guards, far more than in Poto’s residence, defended the area.
After a bloody battle, Qian Ye successfully entered the incubation chamber. The guards’ presence confirmed its importance. This was his first time in a top-tier viscount’s incubation chamber, and the sight that greeted him was truly awe-inspiring.
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