Thief's Space!

"You were only there for one month and already succeeded in our plan this quickly?" Inquired Eve suspiciously while narrowing her lovely eyes.

The plan that was supposed to take at least one year to set in motion was completed in a month. This was simply unbelievable for Eva.

Ace ignored her query gaze and hastily asked, "Just tell me this: when Rylan planted this mask on your face, did the contract vanish after he dripped your blood on it in his left hand?"

If this were true, Ace would have succeeded in his quest to free Eva, but if not, he would have to go back to Grant's family again.

"Yes! It was like he was using some secret skill. He took this mask and item slave contract out of thin air. But why are you asking this out of the blue?" Eva was confused.

"Hahaha. Then this means I succeeded! It seemed luck was with me this time." Ace laughed delightfully.

He has to thank the System. If not for it, he would've never found out about this space ring's existence and even alerted the Grant family after infiltrating their treasury.

Eva scrutinized Ace but didn't see any bag or other stuff on him, except that he was perspiring profusely, and his face was a little pale.

'He's empty-hand. Did he hit his head?' Eva worriedly thought about her 'team leader' and said with a hint of anxiety in her eyes, "But you didn't have any bag of holding. Where is the item slave contract?"

Ace breathed heavily, but a broad smile was on his face, "Hehehe. I'll tell you after we clean the Kelby family treasury. It has already been fifteen minutes since I stole Rylan's ring. He should've already started searching for me. We didn't have time to waste. Where's the treasury? I'll be right back, and then we'll leave this city."

Ace's grinned mysteriously and wanted to surprise her after completing the System's mission.

Eve looked at Ace's pale face with concern, but his eyes were full of vitality, so she trusted him and told him where the treasury was located.

The Kelby family territory wasn't as big as Grant's family. They only have one main mansion and two other districts under their control, so it wasn't hard for Ace to remember all the details.

"Don't alarm the head of the Kelby family. He's at the peak of Qi Gates realm!" Eva warned Ace.

"Don't worry. Even Rylan couldn't find me. What that old guy can do?" Ace snorted and vanished in the direction that Eva conveyed to him.

The main mansion of the Kelby family was big and always protected by the family's elders. It was where the main family lived.

Ace was hiding behind a tree and observing the big mansion of the Kelby family.

He didn't see anyone guarding the gates of the mansion, but he could sense two powerful experts hidden nearby with his soul sense.

'Hmm? They are weaker than the elder who was hosting the Grant family meeting. it seems they're at the 4th gate of Qi Gates.' Ace quickly guessed their cultivation base by comparing them with Ezekiel.

Ace didn't have much time to waste because he knew if Rylan didn't find him in the Grant family territory, he would ask for help from the Kelby family, and at that time, they would also become alert. He has to do it quickly and without anyone noticing it.

He simultaneously used stealth and silent steps with his True and False eyes to see hidden traps and notice those two experts' sudden movements.

Ace enters the mansion through the hidden passage Eva told him about without alerting those two experts.

The mansion was quite large, and there wasn't anyone except the attendants and the main family.

Ace remembered and followed Eva's instructions and went towards a white pillar that was beside the stairs. When he got closer to the pillar, a panel popped out that he hadn't seen for a while, and he heard the System's voice,

=====

[Target in range!] 

[Did the Host want to scan the target?] 

{Cost: 10 Thief Points}

=====

Ace snorted and ignored the System. Since he already knows everything about the treasury, what is the point of wasting the thief points?

He activated true and false eyes and saw a strange mechanism on the pillar. It was like Billy's shop but more advanced.

Like before, he saw mysterious gray lines and a dark hole between them. He quickly activated the treasure opening hand in the second form, 'two fingers as key,' and arranged his metallic fingers on the hole.

The hole vibrated a little, and his finger started to sink into it. With a light 'shhe' sound, the illusionary array was disabled, and the pillar showed a hidden door.

Ace activated his heavenly sense and confirmed there was no one behind this door. This door was not some simple door because Ace could see complex gray lines on it, and it would not be open by simple means.

After all, the whole treasury of the Kelby family was behind this door. This array on the door was not an Illusionary Array. Instead, it was a Lock Array.

After finding the lock array's dark hole position, Ace closed his eyes and began using1 the third form of treasure-opening hands, 'Pattern Key.'

Ace's three fingers started to turn silvery, and a strange symbolic pattern surfaced on them. He placed his silvery finger on the locking array 'flaws' or dark holes.

With a bit of vibration, his finger sank, and a light 'papp' sound rang, which meant the door was opened.

Ace quickly opened the door and saw an underground passage.

He went in after confirming with his heavenly sense that there was no one. With silent steps, he reached the end of the pathway in seconds.

At the end of the pathway, he saw a silver color door that was probably made of some special metal, and the treasures were unmistakably behind this silver door!

'The treasury of the Kelby family!' Ace's heart raced as he was filled with excitement.

Ace used the true and false eyes; this time, he saw two little dark holes in the silver door array. He now has some idea that the more powerful or flawless the array is, the more black holes there would be to unlock as well.

Now, he has to use the fourth form of the treasure opening skill, 'Lock-Eraser Key.'

Ace commenced operating the skill with both of his hands. His palms turned silvery, and two mysterious golden symbols started to form in the center of his palms. The golden symbol looked like a spike with tiny needles around it. 

Ace has practiced this skill the most after pick-pocket and is a little away from mastering the fifth and final form.

He placed both palms on the dark holes, and the moment it happened, the silver door trembled a little, and the dark holes mysteriously started to spin.

Ace felt the golden symbol start to absorb his Heavenly-Qi wildly, and his face started to turn paler. 

The 'locking array' on the silver door crack opened after twenty seconds.

Ace was panting and perspiring profoundly because he was drained after using the fourth form, 'Lock-Eraser Key,' together with his eyes' skill. Furthermore, he was continuously using Soul Qi form this evening, which burdened his mind and body greatly.

'I should be able to escape with my remaining Qi.' Ace thought feebly as he gradually opened the silver door.

A strong medicinal aroma entered his nose when the silver door opened, and Ace felt his mind become a little clear. He immediately knew there were large numbers of alchemy pills in here, and high-quality ones at that.

As Ace entered the treasury, his eyes brightened with glittering lights. He saw rows of shining weapons and shelves of colorful pill bottles.

But he didn't have much time left to appraise all of this. He looked excitedly at the blue ring on his finger and asked the System, "System, tell me, how can I use this storage ring?" 

Ace hasn't brought anything with him since he had this storage ring. He was thrilled about using this legendary storage ring.

"[If a Storage Space Treasures has an owner, it is also bound by the owner's 'Qi Mark.' Until the owner dies or removes the 'QI Mark' of their own volition, no one can see inside or use the storage space treasures. The System has already deducted 1 TP on its own since the Host seems to be in a hurry!]"

The System answered, but this time, its voice wasn't emotionless; a hint of playfulness was mixed within.

But Ace didn't notice it because he was dumbfounded and started to panic after hearing that he couldn't use the storage ring without killing Rylan. After getting his hands on the space ring in excitement, he didn't even bring a bag.

Now, how the hell was he supposed to bring all these treasures out? IN HIS HAND?!!

"[A free suggestion for the host, check the notification panel.]"

System's voice rang in his head, but it was emotionless and cold like always this time.

Ace snapped out of it by system voice and finally remembered that he had received some notification when he stole the storage ring, but he was in a hurry to escape and didn't pay much attention to it.

Now that the System pointed it out, he remembered it and quickly opened the notification panel.

=====

[Notification Panel]

[Pick Pocket succeeded!]

{Host Steals}

{Lowest-Grade Storage Space Treasure: 1},

{Lowest-Grade Pills (White-Ranked pills): 393},

{Low-Grade Pills (Green-Ranked pills):102}.

{Middle-level Low-Grade Pills (Blue-Ranked pills): 3},

{Lowest-Grade Weapons (1-Star): 44},

{Low-Grade Weapons (2-Star): 8}

{Middle-level Low-Grade Weapon (3-Stars):1},

{Techniques and skills of Lowest-Level (Mortal-Level): 4 Techniques, 9 Skills},

{Techniques and skills of Low-Level (Warrior-Level): 2 Techniques, 4 Skills},

{Ruby Coins: 12.4 Million},

{Qi-Stones Trash-Grade (Low-Level): 98,762},

{Low-Grade Slave Contracts (2-Stars): 3}

{Medicinal Herbs and Metal Ores of Low-Grade (Green-Ranked, 2-Stars): 87 Herbs, 52 Metal Ores},

[Rewards: 653 Thief Points]

[Thief Points: 703]

=====

Ace didn't dare to believe what he just saw!

He rubbed his eyes to check again, but that huge list was still there. That huge amount of TP was still there as well.

He forgot that he was currently standing inside the treasury of the Kelby family as ecstasy filled his heart, and he laughed like a looney.

"I'm Rich! That old guy hid his wealth well. He even has these Pill, weapons, techniques, and even currency of upper-level lands. Where the hell did he get this from?" Ace muttered joyously, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

Ace wasn't a brat of the outer region anymore. He had read an old book about kingdoms and knew they used Qi-Stones as currency. He also knows these Warrior-level skills and techniques were monopolized by them. If they discover that Grant's family has so many of them, they would probably annihilate the whole River Flower City down to the last chicken in fury.

'That bastard surely robbed someone from a Kingdom, or he found this ring somewhere.' He thought grimly, and his guess was extremely accurate.

Many years ago, Rylan found a gravely wounded expert from a Kingdom.

Rylan was about to help him when he noticed him using the storage ring from afar. He was quite knowledgeable and read about these legendary storage treasures in his family's secret records.

Upper-level lands managed these space treasures just like skills. But one can get a storage ring if they have connections and Qi-Stones.

Rylan took advantage of the situation, killed that man, and took the storage ring and all of his belongings. Rylan even burned his body to ashes and left no trace behind so that no one could trace it back to him.

That's why Rylan was so panicked when the storage ring vanished. He thought someone from that expert's Kingdom had tracked him down and wanted to avenge that person's death.

But when he discovered it was a little thievish boy from the wastelands, he sighed with relief and started searching for Ace before someone could figure out his biggest secret.

Ace calmed down and noticed another message below this big list.

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[Congratulation! The special conditions have been satisfied!]

[Host has a storage space treasure and more than 500 TP!]

[Now Host can unlock System's new function!]

[System Function: Thief's Space (10 Cubic Meters)]

=====