Eternal Thief

With no further delay, Ace quickly opened the white box…

'Hmm?' Ace frowned a little. 'It's locked?' 

Ace promptly used soul-shattering eyes and could finally see a tiny lock array on the top edge of the white rectangular wooden box. In a hurry, he didn't notice this lock array. 

This was his second time seeing an array this small. The first naturally being the alarming array which gave him away and, as a result, confrontation with Nāgas! 

'The rune crafters here are much advanced, and they had much richer history and knowledge than the entire human race combined. Well, I should pay a 'visit' to the 'Life Demon Association' branch in Ocean Demon City in the future,' Ace mused with a thievish grin on his face. 

Life Demon Association was a recognized organization by the Almighty Demon Empire. This association was only for the life professional cultivator, like alchemy, rune crafting, and smithery. 

If any demon wanted to be acknowledged or hired by any power, they had to pass Life Demon Association Tests and then gain the association badge of a respected profession. 

Life Demon Association branches can be found in any duke rank or above rank cities all over the mighty demon continent while their main headquarters were in the royal zone. 

That's why Ace wanted to 'visit' these branches and 'acquired' the demon race's knowledge about runes. However, he knew he can't just target them as he did with Pill Flame Organization because this association was in a completely different realm than theirs. 

He could just tell after seeing the delicate yet powerful arrays created by those rune crafters of the Life Demon Association and even fell prey to one of their traps for the first time in his life. So, he won't underestimate their branches' security. After all, this was probably the biggest, richest, and most respected organization of the Mighty Demon Continent! 

Who knows just how many connections those alchemists or rune crafters had and if he offended them too soon, he knew many powerhouses will come after him in mass just to hunt him down and curry favor with Life Demon Association. 

Ace quickly put this thought to the side for the time being and used the treasure-opening hands technique to unlock this nine-star array lock, which was quite luxurious for a mere wooden box. 

But he knew this white wood was precious and, with this lock array, this was equal to a high-quality container. He definitely wanted to keep it. 

Ace finally opened the box with glowing eyes and saw what was inside… 

'A scroll?' Ace's eyes narrowed as he felt some disappointment when he thought he fought for a mere scroll! 

Nonetheless, he took the golden scroll in his hand which was twenty inches long, and he felt it was quite soft and smooth, just like jade, and cold to the touch. 

He carefully opened it with anticipation. 

'What the…?' 

Ace was dumbfounded when the scroll was finally opened because it was completely… empty!

It was just like an empty 20 X 30 inches white golden layer from inside and there wasn't any blemish on it, as if this scroll was just newly made with a beast hide. The other side of this scroll was a pure golden color and as 'clear' as the inside.

Ace's expression turned ugly. 'Did that guy put a dummy instead of the real thing?' He couldn't help but think this way. 

But whiffled his head because no one would be gusty enough to court something a demon king wants. Even if that demon wanted to take this treasure for himself, he simply didn't need to report this to his superiors in the first place. 

Even if this was a dummy, then he could've just directly handed over the original to those Nāgas instead of making them chase him and causing their deaths. 

Furthermore, Ace himself felt the shop owner's fearful emotion at that time, and when he accidentally triggered the alarm, that guy nearly went senseless with fear and desperation. 

Ace knows these kinds of emotions can't be fake and that demon didn't even know about someone was observing him in the first place, so he simply didn't need to fake anything while being alone. 

That's why Ace was sure he stole the real thing, or this could only mean that guy was probably the biggest con artist in this world, and he naturally earned his 'pier' respect. But it was highly unlikely as well. 

Ace even used his eye skill, but his scroll remained just as empty as before. He looked at the open white box again and his eyes dilated when he saw there was an outline of a small little compartment on the box surface. 

It wasn't locked though and Ace easily open, and he found a folded yellowish old letter!

Ace quickly pick it up and find this letter was also made of special material, but time clearly left its mark on it, and it was rather old. 

He opened it carefully and saw strange tiny writing, which was clearly not in the demon race language, nor it was from the human language which he knows. But it wasn't any problem for him since he can easily understand his new language because of his ancient god language, 

He read, 

"Dear Fated One, whoever is reading this letter, please read this carefully! 

"This Golden Scroll is called Myriad Live Compass Map. I obtained it from the… sky! Yes, Sky damn it, I know it sounds ludicrous, but it's absolutely true!

"One day I was strolling on my beloved donkey's back and this shit scroll fell on my face… you do not know how much it hurt, and I cursed the sky for hours and even try to destroy this scroll in anger.

"But then I found out it can't be destroyed no matter how much power or what method I use. This naturally arouses my interest and after some experiments, I finally activate it! 

"Then she told me her name was Myriad Live Compass Map! Yes, this fucking piece of paper talk, motherfucker! I nearly peed a little in palpitation… but ahem, it isn't important though..."

Dark lines started to appear on Ace's forehead when he read to his point and the author of this letter was probably a retard, nevertheless, he continued to read, 

"… What is important is she or this Myriad Compass Live Map told me, as long as I sacrifice my lifespan, this Myriad Compass Map will spontaneously turn into a treasure map…"

Ace's brows creased, reading this point. 

"… After I spend one hundred years of my lifespan, a map emerged magically on this blank piece of cloth. It was the map of the fifty miles radius area around me while me being the center spot. 

"This thing was truly magical. Not only did it create an accurate map of the surroundings, but it was like a living map! Yes, a living fucking map! It can show you every change or movement happening around the created area while also showing where are you heading or moving around. As for how… you'll know if you used it.

"The actual function of this map is; this will show a single and most important treasure around the created area with the lifespan. After you acquire the treasure indicated in Myriad Live Compass Map, it will spontaneously reset, and you have to feed it with more lifespan to create another treasure map, or it will reset on its own after 100 Days. 

"However, don't sway by these heavenly benefits and functions because once you become its owner it'll constantly feed on your lifespan without your knowledge!

"First you won't notice it but as you use it constantly, you'll start to notice just like me and the most hateful thing is you can't stop it nor can replenish your eaten vitality by this life-sucker with any pill or any heavenly treasures!

"Sigh… nevertheless, despite this deadly shortcoming, it still helped me many times while providing me with many heavenly opportunities which changed my entire life.

"In spite that it is still a sweet addicting poison which will eventually take your life and I found it in the hard way when I want to live peacefully, but there wasn't any lifespan left for me to live… 

"Sigh… I didn't want this thing to be left to my son because I don't want him to feel what I feel. That's why this is in your hand right now. I left this letter as a warning for whoever found this Myriad Live Compass Map. 

"Now it's your choice to become its host or throw it away or hide it, but it can't be destroyed no matter what, nor can it be unbound once bond...

"Just a last fair warning, in my final years of life I sense… this thing is evil through and through!" 

Ace inhale sharply when he read the last line, his heart turn cold as he looked at the golden scroll in his lap with uncertainty and with a hint of trepidation!