Chapter 312

The Vault was located on the floor above the boss room—which she had previously and incorrectly assumed to have been the top. To get there, they climbed a rickety ladder which had blended into the background during her appraisal of the battlefield.

Plopped down on the floor of the next room was a huge metal vault large enough to walk inside, about twelve feet by twelve feet. The key slid into the keyhole, and a large mechanism engaged when Natalie turned. After spinning the handle, she pulled the door open and peeked in.

Despite the dramatics of being stored away inside a solid metal vault the size of a small room, only a single wooden chest sat inside—and not even all that large of a chest. Natalie’s enthusiasm wasn’t dampened, because the size of loot hardly affected its value. Besides, some dungeon containers played fast and loose with the laws of spatial continuity; large things could fit inside small spaces.

They checked for traps. Finding none, Natalie popped the wooden chest open.

Unenchanted Tokens of Eros filled the box to the brim. She whistled in appreciation.

“That’s a lot of coins.”

“Six hundred? A thousand? Maybe more.” Elida peered at the pink-purple metal with a gleam in her eye. “That would’ve made this trip worth it alone. And there’s more. What’s the potion? And the necklace?”

Indeed, a hefty payload of Tokens of Eros had been all but expected, but their reward didn’t end there. A vial of purple liquid and a necklace lay atop the treasure. Perhaps there were more trinkets buried inside the coins, though Natalie didn’t get her hopes up.

To her side, Vanetta made a choking noise as, presumably, she read the item’s description, which set her expectations for what she was about to see.

Necklace of Gender Transformation

When worn, transforms the wearer’s body into that of the opposite gender. Binds upon use.

Natalie’s eyebrows shot up. That—was an interesting item. It wasn’t gear, with no associated stat bonuses or even combat applications. It was something anyone could wear. No level minimum, no seeming cooldown or other requirements. Which made it valuable.

But still, it wasn’t as strange as she’d expected, based on the choking noise Vanetta had made.

Which meant the other object must be the culprit. Her eyes slid to the potion.

Potion of Temporary Breast Enlargement—

Of course. Natalie sighed before inspecting the item again.

Potion of Temporary Breast Enlargement

Consume in tiny quantities to produce significant, but temporary changes to the drinker’s breast size.

Yeah. That would do it. She risked a glance at her teammates. They were staring at her, a mixture of blank and incredulous expressions. At least with her old team, they were used to the weird loot. Here, she was getting the same strange looks back when this ordeal had started.

“It’ll sell well, at least,” Natalie said dryly.

Elida recovered first, maybe because she saw the truth in Natalie’s statement.

“The trinket especially. It physically swaps a person’s gender? Not even an illusion, but truly?” She shook her head in amazement. “Perhaps such a thing is possible with other magical means, but if so, I haven’t heard of them. Relatively straightforward requirement, too; just need to wear it. It’ll sell incredibly well. We should fight with Tenet for an exemption to find a buyer through a private party rather than the Exchange.”

“That’s possible?”

Elida shrugged. “It’s worth trying. Such an item would be wasted through traditional channels—unless similar effects are easier to produce than I assume. I’m sure the right buyer would pay wonderfully for an item like that. It’s a shame it’s bind-on-use.” Her attention swiveled back to the vial of purple liquid. “The potion, though,” she said, amused. “That’s a stranger one.”

“Am I reading this right?” Clementine asked—or rather, squeaked. “Breast enlargement? As in, it makes your boobs bigger?”

“So it seems.”

“Why?”

Such was the question Natalie asked herself constantly, these days.

“Shall I remind you what floor you’re on?” Elida said, rolling her eyes—as if she hadn’t also been gawking at the absurd item. “It’s perfectly thematic. It’ll also fetch an excellent price. This is a great haul.” She pursed her lips. “Unless, as I said, similar alchemical or magical solutions are more common than I assume. Naturally, I’m no expert on the topic. Perhaps Natalie knows more?”