Without a doubt, the person hiding behind the rock was the woman who had just used [Treasure Vault of the Twelve Bandits].
Earlier, she had been intimidated by Law and immediately fled. After some time, she felt unwilling to give up, so she stealthily made her way back.
To her surprise, the relief stone gate, which even her [Treasure Vault of the Twelve Bandits] couldn't open, had been unlocked. She guessed it must have been done by the young man and woman from before.
Shocked, she lingered by the relief stone gate for a long time but ultimately didn't dare to venture inside. Instead, she hid behind a rock to observe quietly.
After waiting patiently for nearly an hour, she finally saw the pair emerge from below… along with an eerie black cat.
'They didn't bring anything out? Could there really be nothing inside?'
The woman thought she was well-hidden, unaware that she had been spotted the moment they came out.
Seeing Law and Biscuit come out empty-handed, she found it hard to believe.
This was the legendary Stargie's tomb. Even in a fallen kingdom, royal burials were never lacking in grandeur.
At the very least, there should have been plenty of burial artifacts. Failing that, even the remains of the queen herself would be worth a fortune.
Yet these two had taken nothing. She wondered if they just not interested in money.
The woman's mind raced as she cautiously peeked out again toward the relief stone gate.
"Huh?"
Just moments ago, the young man, woman, and the black cat had been standing by the relief stone gate. But now, only the woman and the cat remained.
Her thoughts froze for a second before a calm voice spoke up from behind her.
"Hey, what's the point of hiding?"
"Holy-!"
Startled, the woman jerked forward, stumbling several steps before whirling around, already brandishing her cleaver.
"Do you enjoy scaring people like that?!" She shouted while waving her cleaver angrily.
Law stared at her and said calmly, "If you'd shown even a hint of killing intent toward us, you wouldn't be standing here talking right now. Understood?"
As he spoke, a faint Aura emanated from him, chilling the air and making her shiver.
Law's meaning was clear… had she harbored even the slightest hostile thought, Law might have struck her down from behind.
Some gaps were as vast as those between humans and ants.
The woman immediately sheathed her cleaver. This time, she didn't run or put on a tough act. Instead, she stood there obediently, like a well-behaved child.
Seeing her sudden change in demeanor, Law shook his head slightly and withdrew his Aura, "What's your name?"
"Feng Xiaoyu." She replied.
'A very Chinese-sounding name…' This was Law's first thought.
"Your Nen Ability is [Treasure Vault of the Twelve Bandits], right?" Law asked.
Xiaoyu's eyes flickered. Normally, Nen Abilities weren't something one revealed casually. But faced with this intimidating man's question, she wondered if she should try to deceive him.
Her thoughts raced like lightning before she settled on the safest choice.
Though she hadn't experienced much of life or met many people, she could tell Law was a principled individual. After all, he had only startled her earlier without restraining her.
"Yes, it's a Nen Ability specialized for unlocking things."
Xiaoyu replied. She was about to elaborate when Law cut in, "Did you get the inspiration from the book, [Treasure Vault of the Twelve Bandits]?"
"Huh? You know that book too?" Xiaoyu looked genuinely surprised.
"I've had the pleasure of reading it." Law replied casually.
The Treasure Vault of the Twelve Bandits was actually a children's book published 120 years ago. It had been quite popular at the time, but its fame lasted only five years before being overshadowed by other trending fairy tales. Over time, it faded into obscurity.
Nowadays, old copies still existed. While anyone determined enough could find one, its diminished popularity meant few bothered to look.
Xiaoyu was shocked that someone as young as Law had read it.
Her great-grandfather had been a thief who loved telling her stories from that book when she was little. Growing up under his influence had not only shaped her life's path but also inspired her Nen Ability.
"My Nen Ability was indeed inspired by that book." Xiaoyu confirmed.
"Twelve keyholes represent the highest difficulty?" Law asked.
"Mhm." she nodded.
"So you can't unlock the highest difficulty?" Law casually poked at Xiaoyu's sore spot.
Xiaoyu's body tilted slightly. If this guy weren't so dangerous, she would've fired back with a machine-gun barrage of words.
"Yes!"
She replied reluctantly.
"Then what's the point of this ability?" Law muttered to himself.
"Hey! Even if you're talking to yourself, could you at least respect me a little and say it in a voice I can't hear?!" Xiaoyu complained.
Law curled his lips and said, "Give me your phone number."
"Huh?" Xiaoyu blinked, some faulty nerve in her brain short-circuiting as she blurted out, "Are you trying to hit on me?"
The moment the words left her mouth, not only did Law freeze, but Xiaoyu herself wanted to slap her own face.
Law didn't respond. Instead, he silently glanced at Xiaoyu's distinctive, thick eyebrows.
Noticing his gaze, Xiaoyu gritted her teeth. Those eyebrows were her biggest insecurity, but she couldn't lash out… she could only swallow her anger.
"There's something I want to ask." Law said, dropping the phone number topic.
Xiaoyu took a deep breath and said forcefully, "Go on!"
"What method do you use to unlock the keyholes? Can an outsider help?"
Xiaoyu hesitated, "It's a puzzle ring. As for whether someone else can help, I've never tried."
Law nodded slightly in understanding. "If it's convenient, why not demonstrate it now?"
Xiaoyu clenched her teeth. "There's no suitable test subject here. I've never tried placing a keyhole on a person before. Unless… you're volunteering?"
Luo chuckled and said seriously, "Definitely not."
"..." Xiaoyu's face stiffened. Seeing Law's slightly mischievous smile, she realized something bad was coming.
"Since it's your Nen Ability, you should know how it works, right? Just test it on yourself. You can set the lowest difficulty… just one keyhole." Law said with a smile.
'The situation's against me!'
Xiaoyu screamed internally but obediently placed a single keyhole on her clothes, right over her abdomen… a standard-looking keyhole, dark and hollow.
At the same time, a simple puzzle ring materialized in her hand.
"The basic unlocking method is always a puzzle ring, but sometimes it's something… more extreme. Stuff I can't solve." She handed the ring to Law.
He took it, examining the bronze-colored puzzle ring with interest.
Then, in just a few moves, he unlocked it.
With a crisp click, the two rings separated.
At the same time, Xiaoyu's clothes made a ripping sound… the keyhole rapidly expanded, and in an instant, her clothes disappeared.
"Purple. Red."
Law's eyes flickered over her exposed undergarments before he muttered, "Huh. Doesn't really match."
Xiaoyu felt a sudden chill. She looked down, then slowly raised her head to stare at Law, her entire body frozen.
"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect you to have such a nice figure."
Biscuit, standing nearby, clicked her tongue in appreciation.
For a moment, Xiaoyu's mouth hung open… before she finally let out a scream.