Reborn as the Last van Ambrose-Chapter 136: A Fate Worse Than Death

As Grim entered Bi’an’s chamber he found Suanni pacing anxiously.

"What happened?" Suanni demanded as the door sealed behind them. "We’ve been summoned to Ao Shun’s private audience chamber at dawn."

"We need to be careful with what we say," Grim advised. "Especially about what Lin showed me."

A sharp knock at the door stopped their conversation. The door dissolved to reveal Xu Wu, Ao Shun’s advisor, accompanied by four ice sentinels.

"Lord Ao Shun requires your immediate presence," he announced, his voice as cold as the walls around them. "There has been... an incident."

The corridors they traversed were different from any they’d seen before. The walls were a black colored ice. They path went downwards, and the further they went down, the darker the ice became.

"Where are we going?" Suanni asked.

"To the Treasury," Xu Wu replied without turning. "Where the North Sea’s most ancient artifacts are stored."

They passed through a series of security checkpoints, each guarded by increasingly formidable sentinels. At the final barrier stood two full-sized dragons, their scales a deep midnight blue.

Beyond this final checkpoint lay a massive circular chamber with a domed ceiling carved to resemble the night sky. The walls were lined with alcoves, each containing objects of clearly immense value.

At the center of the chamber stood Ao Shun, he stared at an empty pedestal. Lin stood nearby, her face pale, her eyes downcast.

"You have brought them," Ao Shun said without turning.

"As commanded, my lord," Xu Wu confirmed with a deep bow.

Ao Shun turned slowly, his eyes glowing with a cold fury that made the chamber’s temperature drop noticeably. Frost began forming on Grim’s eyelashes and the edges of his clothing.

"Do you know what this place is?" Ao Shun asked, his voice deceptively quiet.

"The Treasury," Bi’an answered cautiously. "Where the North Sea stores its most valuable possessions."

"Not possessions," Ao Shun corrected sharply. "Legacy. History. Power. Things that were never meant to leave these walls."

He gestured to the empty pedestal. "This held the North Sea Key. It cannot be destroyed. Cannot be duplicated. And until recently, could not be stolen."

He scanned each one of them before stopping and staring at Grim. "Yet it was stolen. By someone who accessed this chamber without authorization. Someone who knew exactly where to find it and how to disable the protections surrounding it."

"Father," Lin began, "I don’t believe—"

"Silence!" Ao Shun thundered, causing ripples to form in the ice beneath their feet. "You vouched for these visitors. Insisted they be treated as guests rather than intruders. And now the most sacred artifact under my protection has vanished." freёnovelkiss.com

"Lord Ao Shun," Grim said, stepping forward despite Bi’an’s warning glance, "we had no knowledge of this treasury’s existence until this moment. How could we possibly have stolen something from it?"

"The human speaks," Ao Shun said with cold disdain. "Tell me, descendant of Ambrose, did your ancestor’s journal not mention the keys? Did it not detail the treasures of the Sea Realms?"

Grim felt as if the floor had dropped away beneath him. How did Ao Shun know about the journal Lin had shown him?

"I’ve never read any such journal," he answered, carefully choosing his words.

"Lies," hissed Xu Wu. "My lord, the human was seen with the princess in her collection chamber. The very chamber where she keeps forbidden artifacts from the human realm."

Lin’s head snapped up. "You were spying on me?"

"I was protecting you," Xu Wu replied. "As I have always done, since your mother’s passing."

Ao Shun’s expression darkened further. "You showed him Caius Ambrose’s journal?"

"I did," Lin admitted, lifting her chin defiantly. "Because he deserves to know the truth about his lineage. About why Jiaolong targeted him specifically."

"And now the North Sea Key is missing," Ao Shun said flatly. "The timing is... remarkable."

"Father, you cannot truly believe they took it," Lin protested. "The treasury’s defenses—"

"Can be circumvented by one who has rare dragon blood," Ao Shun interrupted. His gaze shifted meaningfully between Lin and Grim.

"Lord Ao Shun," Suanni interjected. "May I suggest that jumping to conclusions serves none of our interests? If the key was truly stolen by Jiaolong—"

"Jiaolong?" Ao Shun’s eyes narrowed. "What makes you mention him specifically?"

"Because he already stole a key from the East Sea," Grim said. "And now it seems he’s taken a second one."

A heavy silence fell over the chamber.

"How do you know this is true?" Ao Shun demanded, his voice dangerously soft.

Before Grim could respond, Lin stepped forward. "I told him, father. I saw Jiaolong. I saw what he took."

"And you said nothing?" Ao Shun’s fury was now directed entirely at his daughter. "You knew a sacred artifact had been stolen and kept silent?"

"I wasn’t certain," Lin replied. "I thought... I hoped I was mistaken."

"Foolish child!" Ao Shun roared. "Do you understand what you’ve done? What Jiaolong could accomplish with both keys?"

"What exactly are these keys for?" Grim asked, trying to redirect some of Ao Shun’s anger away from Lin.

Ao Shun stared at him for a long moment before responding. "They were created from the Emperor’s crown after his sacrifice. Together, the four keys can open the Emperor’s Tomb—a place of immense power that was sealed to prevent misuse. Each Sea King was entrusted with one key, to ensure that the tomb could never be accessed without unanimous agreement from all rulers."

"Which is precisely why," Xu Wu added, "we believe your group has been working with Jiaolong all along."

"That’s absurd," Bi’an protested. "We came here seeking your help against Jiaolong, not to aid him."

"A convenient cover," Xu Wu countered. "Gaining the North Sea King’s trust while your accomplice steals what you need."

Ao Shun raised a hand, silencing the brewing argument. "Enough. The evidence speaks for itself. You will be detained in the Coral Prison until the truth can be determined."

"Father, please," Lin pleaded. "They are not responsible for this."

"You’ve been blinded by your fascination with humans," Ao Shun replied coldly. "Just as your mother was. I will not lose you to the same mistake."

He turned to the ice sentinels. "Take them to the prison. All of them."

"Lord Ao Shun," Grim said quickly as the sentinels moved forward, "imprisoning us won’t recover the key or stop Jiaolong. Let us help you instead."

"Help?" Ao Shun’s laugh was as brittle as breaking ice. "What help could a human and two baby dragons offer the Dragon King of the North Sea?"

"If we truly meant to steal these artifacts for Jiaolong, why would we still be here? We would have fled with the key already." Bi’an said.

Ao Shun paused, considering this logic.

"Furthermore," Suanni continued, "Jiaolong clearly orchestrated this theft to implicate us. He wants us imprisoned here while he continues his plans."

"An interesting theory," Xu Wu said skeptically. "But it does not explain how the key was stolen from a treasury that only the royal family and highest advisors can access."

"Unless," Grim suggested, meeting Xu Wu’s gaze steadily, "someone with that access is working with Jiaolong."

A shocked silence fell over the chamber. Even the ice sentinels seemed to tense at the accusation.

"You dare suggest treachery among my court?" Ao Shun’s voice was deadly quiet.

"I suggest that Jiaolong is cunning and persuasive," Grim replied carefully. "That he may have promised power or other rewards to someone who could help him acquire the keys."

Lin stepped forward. "Father, we should at least consider the possibility. It all seems designed to create conflict and distraction."

"And what would you propose instead?" Ao Shun asked, his anger now tempered with reluctant consideration.

"Let us help recover the key," Grim suggested. "If we succeed, it proves our innocence. If we fail or attempt to betray you, you can still punish us as you see fit."

"The human has diplomatic skills," Bi’an observed quietly to Suanni.

Ao Shun stared at them for a long moment.

"You will have three days. If the key is not recovered by then, you will face the full punishment for theft from the royal treasury. Eternal imprisonment in the Abyssal Ice."

"Thank you, Lord Ao Shun," Grim said. "We won’t disappoint you."

"See that you don’t," Ao Shun replied coldly. "Because the Abyssal Ice preserves your consciousness while you sit there and watch the world go by. It is a fate worse than death."

He turned to Lin. "You will remain in your chambers under guard. Your involvement in this matter ends now."

"Father—" Lin began to protest.

"That is my final word," Ao Shun interrupted. "Be grateful it is not worse."

As guards escorted Lin away, she managed to catch Grim’s eye briefly. Her expression held both warning and encouragement

"The key must be found quickly," Xu Wu said as Lin disappeared from view.

"We’ll need access to information," Grim said. "Records of who entered the treasury recently. Details of what happened before the theft was discovered."

"I will provide what is appropriate," Xu Wu replied stiffly. "Under supervision, of course."

As they left the treasury, following Xu Wu back toward the upper levels of the palace, Bi’an fell into step beside Grim.

"That was either very brave or very foolish," he murmured. "Ao Shun is not accustomed to humans suggesting how he should govern his realm."

"It worked, didn’t it?" Grim replied quietly. "We’re not in prison."

"Not yet," Suanni added from his other side. "But we’ve just made a promise we may not be able to keep. Finding a stolen key in a vast underwater palace within three days?"

"We don’t have to find it," Grim said. "We just need to prove who really took it."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Bi’an asked.

Grim glanced ahead to ensure Xu Wu was out of earshot. "By following Lin’s lead. Someone in Ao Shun’s court is working with Jiaolong—someone who had access to both the archives and the treasury."

"Xu Wu," Suanni suggested.