Chapter 994: Chapter 494: Archive Tower_2
What appeared before his eyes was a tall and extremely peculiar building.
Its main structure was a stone tower that appeared to be at least six stories high.
In terms of height alone, it was already enough to make the building stand out among the surrounding houses.
Its unique architectural style further ensured that it would capture the attention of every passerby at first glance.
Unlike the extravagant or understated styles of the homes of the nearby nobles, Aurie’s stone house could only be described as peculiar.
The entire structure was built from gray-white granite, with bricks of various sizes—some large enough to require two people to encircle, others small enough to barely fit into a doorway. Although they seemed to be randomly stacked, in reality, each piece of granite had been meticulously measured and cut, fitting tightly together and creating an indescribable aesthetic of chaos giving way to order.
The base of the tower was nearly one-third wider than the top, making the entire building resemble a stone stalagmite born of the earth.
The walls featured many windows, each one differing in size and style. Sturdy glass windows, covering almost half a wall, were adorned with intricate geometric patterns, exquisite window mullions, vine intertwining around them, featuring Elf-style oak outer windows, Dwarf-crafted windows made of steel and crystal—each window was entirely distinct in style, structure, and material. Yet, their artful arrangement prevented any sense of disarray, instead inviting closer inspection of the window types on the building.
"I designed this house myself years ago,"
Aurie said with a smile, guiding Xia Nan through the small garden in front of the house.
"Back then, I liked a lot of things and wanted to incorporate a little bit of everything."
"Looking back now, such a combination of elements should result in a failed and ugly product, but the finished effect turned out quite well."
"Hmm, the credit mostly goes to the craftsmen though. If you ever plan to settle in Suo Yu Bay and plan your own building, I can introduce you to them."
For Xia Nan, at least for now, the visit to Suo Yu Bay was just a transitional phase in his long career. He didn’t plan to stay there long-term, especially since his funds were limited and he had no plans to purchase real estate in the near future.
However, meeting more people, especially highly skilled craftsmen, was always beneficial. He made a mental note, thinking he might have the chance to contact them one day.
The tower’s main door was a dark brown, heavy double oak door, about three meters tall, wide enough to allow two people to ride through side by side when open.
Aurie and Xia Nan stepped through the door, with Ellison leading them in.
What met their eyes first was a hall that could only be described as grand.
It seemed as if the floors above and below had been merged, extending from the ground to the ceiling, making it two and a half stories high in a regular building.
Almost every wall was embedded with cabinets, row after row, layer upon layer, made of copper, iron, wood... the sheer number and variety of different styled wall cabinets were almost beyond description.
To some extent, if visitors like Xia Nan arrived, their attention would not focus on the type and origin of these cabinets, but rather on the numerous rare collectibles displayed on the shelves in various ways.
From a massive collection of books rivaling a library to a display of alchemical potion glass bottles more spectacular than those on the shelves of an alchemist’s shop; from layer upon layer of beautiful paintings, reminiscent of fish scales overlapping each other, to carpets embroidered with intricate and lavish patterns.
There was a massive clock that operated silently, only occasionally producing a crisp sound, a bronze statue with indistinct facial features and indistinguishable gender or race, a twisted dead tree made of wind chimes, iron wire, flags, and dried wreaths, and a magnificent chandelier made of shells, glass beads, porcelain plates, and metal parts.
Stand bases, carpeted pads, broken stone columns with carved patterns, ivory wrapped in silk...
Xia Nan even spotted a complete Displacement Beast specimen on the northern wall.
He had no idea how it was preserved, but the dead Displacement Beast still retained its fierce and violent posture, its sharp white teeth glinting with light, tight muscles beneath its black fur frozen in a state of expansion, and its branching tail behind it, raised and spread like tentacles in a dynamic pose.
The numerous collections and overly dense arrangement almost made it impossible for Xia Nan to decide where to go, if not for the wide and bright pathway from the door to the staircase.
Compared to Aurie’s own elegant and decent attire, the decor of his house was an absolute display of maximalism, showcasing all the visible collections before the eyes, overwhelming yet so captivating that a single glance made one dizzy, as if each corner harbored a unique and rare item.
"Sorry, the house might be slightly messy,"
Aurie apologized, being aware that his style of interior decoration was starkly different from the noble mansions in the White Cliff District, realizing that ordinary people might find it hard to adjust, as he led Xia Nan towards the staircase.
"No, I find it quite interesting."
Not just polite words.
Although Xia Nan himself favored a simple, straightforward style in both his overall equipment appearance and daily life, prioritizing practicality,
if a room could be complex and comprehensive enough to amaze even him—and if the displayed items all held a certain value—he instead found it curious and interesting without any negative thoughts or feelings.
If given the opportunity later, Xia Nan even wanted to carefully observe the various collections housed in the Half Elf’s ground floor hall, as a way to broaden his own perspective.
Following Aurie up the stairs onto the corridor of the second floor, stepping on the cashmere carpet embroidered with golden patterns, they arrived at a small room.
Similarly filled with lots of Half Elf’s collections, but unlike the ones downstairs which overlapped and were messily placed on shelves, the items in the small room each enjoyed their exclusive cabinet stand.
A tarnished crown exhibiting a dark silver hue, a shape not belonging to any known Kingdom on the current continent, formed by three intertwined metal bands, lay quietly on a soft velvet cushion.
The surface was covered with cracks, as if barely applying force would cause it to break completely, with the inner circle engraved with a small ancient Elf Language phrase that appeared blurred: [To the bearer of the throne, betrayals follow like shadows].
"This crown is at least three thousand years old, older than the origins of many Divines,"
Aurie explained to Xia Nan beside him.
"It probably belonged to a king of some ancient Kingdom, but as to where exactly, I haven’t gathered relevant information yet."
Three thousand years!?
Under normal circumstances, Xia Nan didn’t believe that such creations could be preserved intact to this day.
But after all, he was in a mystical world with supernatural powers, perhaps some waterproof and rustproof magic was involved, so he chose not to dwell on it, observing it as an artifact of the Otherworld instead.
Next to it in the glass cabinet, there was something smaller.
—a tarot card.
Its material was unknown, slightly transparent, thinner than human skin, yet giving an impression of being more flexible than steel.
The pattern on its face was blurry, with only a glimpse of a tower struck by lightning, and a sun gradually rising behind looming storm clouds faintly discernible.
"This is said to be a relic left behind when the God of Gambling walked the mortal realm. It is believed that if one holds this tarot card after death, the Divine will personally escort them to His Divine Country."
If what Aurie said was true, Xia Nan couldn’t imagine what astronomical price this tarot card would fetch on the market.
Redirecting his gaze from the tarot card, he moved on, approaching the next cabinet stand.
His eyes fell upon it, yet even before he could scrutinize it closely, in the next second, so concentrated was his attention that it triggered the appearance of semi-transparent characters representing the attribute panel before him.
