The Boy

Liana blinked several times trying to remember if she had seen him before. Although she rarely went out, she was sure that no one with such appearance lived on the island. "Who are you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the boy put his hands on his hips. "You was about to touch me with your filthy hands."

"That's impossible." Liana had never heard of an artifact that could be self-conscious. Even the most powerful artifacts were only a tool without a thought.

"Believe what you want," the boy said. "Just leave me alone."

After that, the boy disappeared. Liana looked at the empty spot and turned at the unassuming marble. She raised her hand, considering if she should poke it. If that boy was a manifestation of an artifact then he would be a very powerful artifact. It wouldn't be wise to provoke him. However, there were still dire questions she wanted to ask.

"Well, who do we have here?" a warm voice startled Liana from her dilemma.

A gentle-looking man entered the chamber. He was wearing the caretaker uniform—a white high neck shirt coupled with a sleeveless robe, a black pants.

"I never expected that I would see you here," Davyn said. He was one of the caretakers of the Sanctum. He usually resided in the library. It seemed that his duty also covered this hidden archive.

Liana gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry…"

Davyn waved his hand. "Oh, no need. You are the heir after all. Naturally, you can access this place. Still do be careful when you read any of the books here. Some of them are rather fragile."

Liana pushed down her curiosity about the boy and instead asked, "What's this place?"

"The chamber of artifacts of course. These artifacts are the treasures of the cultivation world."

"Oh, are they very powerful?" Liana asked. Powerful enough that it can form a conscience?

"They are one of a kind. Most of them are crafted by Yulan the Saint."

Liana glanced at the marble. If it was crafted by Yulan then it was not impossible for it to develop a conscience. Her desire to speak to the boy rose to an even greater height.

"To be honest," Davyn said, "I shouldn't enter here either. I saw the door open and my curiosity brought me here. Help me and don't tell Brianna okay? I don't want to be under her dreaded scolding."

Liana said, "Of course, but you should also not tell anyone else about my presence here."

Davyn smiled. "As you wish."

The door closed as soon as Liana stepped outside the chamber. She didn't stumble across anyone on her way back. Although her intention to go to the archive was to satisfy her curiosity so that she could sleep. Liana felt more awake than before. A conscious artifact that could converse and have higher thought. She searched through her collection and picked up the ancient history. She flipped to the section talking about Saint Yulan.

In the book, it said, 'Saint Yulan. She was one of the most well-known cultivators in history. Even after more than a thousand years after her passing, her name is still often mentioned in the cultivation world. The artifacts she created are always a source of competition. They are so valuable that one cannot simply buy them. Cultivators often use them as a token of trust or use them to trade with other miraculous object such as herbs, pills, or cultivation methods. Some young cultivators often have a ridiculous dream of finding one of Yulan's artifacts. One persistent rumor is that the masterpiece of Yulan has not been found. It is said that it is one of a kind artifact. One could say that it is a divine weapon. A weapon so powerful, with one strike it can split the continent into two. Of course, there is no proof that such artifact existed….'

Liana closed the book, her heart beating so fast she was afraid it would burst. A divine weapon…. Could it be?

Liana could barely get any sleep that night. When the sun barely rose from the horizon, Liana contacted Nea. She painted the seal onto a piece of sealing paper and folded it into a shape of a crane. She whispered her message to it. The paper crane began to fly and headed towards Nea's house. Liana barely had the time to drink her tea before Nea barged in. Usually, those who were summoned would be given a one-time token to be able to enter the Sanctum. However, Liana had stuffed a permanent token to Nea not long after they became friends.

"Something exciting happened?" Nea asked as she shut the door.

"I went to the archive last night." Liana ignored Nea's 'I told you so' look. "Truthfully, it is not exactly a secret. I just never visited the place, Brianna told me years ago-"

"Yeah, yeah, so what's the cause that made you call me so early in the morning?"

Liana glared at her interruption. "… There is an artifact chamber there. I saw a boy."

"Okay?"

"He's an artifact."

Nea's eyes widened.

"And I think he may be the so-called 'divine artifact' crafted by Saint Yulan."