“This way, I don’t have to worry about how to take these mechanical warriors away. A single mechanical warrior that can move freely and be commanded at will is worth more than ten magic lightsabers! The only question is, which rich tycoon can actually afford the gold coins?”

　　Adam Bennett leisurely went to activate the second mechanical warrior, but a small mishap occurred. Aside from the recall and release commands, this rather high-profile mechanical warrior refused to respond to any of his orders. Adam Bennett angrily kicked it a few times, then remembered to check its data, and was quite annoyed to see that its energy level was already close to zero.

　　There were forty-eight mechanical warriors stored in this warehouse. Of these, forty-two had either run out of energy due to age or suffered some degree of damage, making them completely inoperable. But even so, the spoils of Adam Bennett’s adventure were enough to make him as wealthy as a nation. No matter which country he escaped to, he could live a life of considerable luxury.

　　He tested some of the functions of the six mechanical warriors that could still move, and then put all the mechanical warriors away. Although the energy of these six was also about to hit rock bottom, it should be enough to support short-term activity. What Adam Bennett intended to use them for was self-evident.

　　The sleeveless leather armor stored in the bronze chest was probably a spare for a squad commander. It was quite warm to wear, so Adam Bennett had no intention of taking it off. After confirming that there was nothing else of value in this storeroom, Adam Bennett carefully exited. The fate of that previous adventuring team served as a constant reminder not to make mistakes—after all, it would be a shame to lose his life here after gaining such a rich reward.

　　Without life, nothing else has any value. This is one of Adam Bennett’s life mottos.

　　Passing through the long corridor again, he returned to the hall from before. Looking at the zombies he had slain, Adam Bennett couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: “If you’d had just a bit more luck, you could have gotten the same reward as me. Although I would never share it with you, I’m willing to pray that you rest in peace underground, and may your eternal sleep never be disturbed.”

　　Earlier, focused on searching for treasure, Adam Bennett hadn’t paid attention to these corpses—dead for many years and reanimated by necromancy. But now, in a good mood, he couldn’t help but carefully examine these people who had fallen into eternal slumber.

　　Although many years had passed, the weapons and some equipment of these adventurers were still usable. Many of them even carried gold coins. You have to know, Adam Bennett had escaped from the imperial capital with almost no money. Even though those mechanical warriors were worth a fortune, until he could sell them, Adam Bennett would still be penniless for quite some time. These finds brought much comfort to the young man’s heart.

　　Especially since among these adventurers, there was even a mage. Mages are an extremely rare profession on the Ice Continent—many commoners may never see one in their entire lives. Prosperous families would go to great lengths to associate themselves with a mage, to show they weren’t just nouveau riche. In some countries, to show respect for mages, the law even states that nobles without fiefs must salute a mage.

　　Even though this is little more than a glorified eye-roll, it still shows how respected mages are.

　　On the body of the deceased mage, Adam Bennett found a magic notebook and two magic gems. As for the magic staff, since it had already been broken in two, the kind-hearted young man decided to let it continue to accompany its old master.

　　The Lundak family also had close ties with a great mage named Hugh Miller. Because mages live much longer than ordinary people, a family might have close relations with the same mage for several generations, with the mage often serving as godfather to the family’s children. Thus, the mysterious great mage Hugh Miller also became Adam Bennett’s godfather.

　　When he was a child, every time the great mage Hugh Miller visited, Adam Bennett would beg him to teach the most powerful magic. But the great mage Hugh Miller would always smile and say, “You’re a smart child, but you have no magical talent at all. Even if you followed me for decades, you’d only ever be a magic apprentice! You’ll never become a true mage.”

　　Even so, from this great mage who only visited the Lundak family every few years, Adam Bennett still learned some basic magical knowledge, and even managed to coax out the simplest method for training fire magic. At the time, Adam Bennett had earnestly promised to work ten times harder than anyone else. But after seven or eight years of effort, all he could do was perform a harmless little firework trick to amuse girls—still far from the level of a qualified magic apprentice.

　　When he grew up, he understood why the great mage Hugh Miller never took him as an apprentice, and gradually gave up on this fruitless pursuit.