Coldsnap: The Billionaire Alpha's Fated Pregnant Princess (GL)
Chapter 130 - Treasures Galore

Chapter 130: Chapter 130 - Treasures Galore

A rounded log lying on the edge nearby was almost perfectly placed to protect the rope from any grinding along the sharp shale. I tossed the remaining length loosely over the edge, across this piece of relatively smooth wood, and it sailed down.

> No cursing, a good start. <

The initial descent went smoothly. I controlled my speed with ease, as this body’s balance and reflexes made what could have been a treacherous descent feel almost routine. Modifying my interior with a partial shift also made me more than strong enough to hang by a single hand if needed.

But halfway down, my foot braced on the wall hit a patch of loose shale that gave way without warning. Slinging me sideways as it crumbled... sharp rock edges scored across my cheek before I managed to arrest the swing.

"Damn it!"

I gasped when I got my feet back against the solid parts of the wall. Touching my cheek where blood welled from the scratches, I could feel Vrika at work already. The minor wounds began to close and push away contaminants with the familiar tingle of accelerated healing.

The rest of the way down I was much more cautious, my confidence in old abilities tempered. This was a reminder that even enhanced abilities couldn’t completely eliminate risk.

> A scratch that I won’t even have thanks to you by the time I get back to the top is a small price. Thank you. <

By the time I reached the ground and traveled the distance to the twisted oak, the scratches on my cheek had already stopped itching. The base of the roots provided natural shelter where someone could hide supplies.

But of course, he didn’t make it so easy. Following the journal’s directions, I measured paces from distinctive root formations to locate the buried cache. He really liked burying things - no wonder his shovel was worn out!

My folding shovel that I’d carried in the backpack made quick work of the loose soil. Within minutes, I struck metal - another weatherproofed ammo crate. Which is when a thought occurred to me...

"Do you think...? Hm? Want to bet?"

Vrika whimpered its refusal and I reached out my hand, swiping away enough dirt from metal to place a palm on it. With the almost instinctual flex of will, the glowing hand stayed blue and suddenly the small hole was... a lot bigger.

The crate was now missing from the earth and occupying the Stash’s lilac square - proving that dirt cover, at least, didn’t count as being a problem... as long as I could touch the object I wanted to store.

> Wow. You should have bet me. I really thought this would fail... such a shame! Who knows what you could have gotten me to do? <

I’m surprisingly honorable when it comes to such things. My wolf sends impressions of letting myself be marked... by that Alpha.... willingly. So, I grimace rather uncomfortably as I repack the shovel and stalk back toward the rope.

"...That’s just taking it too far. Can you not just be satisfied with making me send her a photo or something?"

The ascent proved easier than expected. Hand over hand, the climb up the rope felt less strenuous than it ever did in my old body and I reached the top without the exhaustion that likely would have plagued a pure human climber.

Raising up the rope from the bottom, I coil it in a loop as I walk toward the container. Summoning the new crate inside... I notice how clean it is. And pushing on it shows me how heavy it was. Glad I didn’t need to carry it.

"What did he hide all the way down here like this? So much weight. And he refused to make notes about the contents like he did for some of the others."

It was obvious why when I unsealed the lid. Precious metals were arranged inside, probably his life savings. Sleeves of gold coins, stamped silver bars, and according to a ledger on the underside of the lid... small platinum ingots.

Each piece was labeled with dates and weights in more meticulous handwriting than usual, but still his. Not like it was for another note inside, which was clearly a different individual’s handwriting... less formal and clipped to some device.

[ Hey, GreyVictor. Crypto cold storage wallets like I promised. Instructions are inside the case. This stuff is going to be worth something someday. Don’t lose them for me, you hear? - JP]

Tucked between the precious metals were several of these small electronic devices - black rectangles about the size of ’playing card’ decks. I had no idea what cryptocurrency was, but if this ’JP’ person thought they’d be valuable, they were worth looking into.

"Later. I’m really happy. Vrika, I don’t know much about this world yet, but this has all got to be a small fortune, right?"

Obviously, my wolf had no idea either. But I was suddenly filled with energy! With three caches down, each one revealing more about the hunter’s preparations and past connections... which I didn’t really care about... I was more than halfway through the Task for today!

"Two more to go. Next stop: the pond cache. Ah, I’m so happy. Can you believe it! Gold coins. Gold coins."

I repeated the word over and over, even after I raised my hand and pulled the shipping container into nowhere.

⧖ ☾ ❄ ☽ ⧖

The pond appeared past a break in the trees after a brisk run. Its dark surface reflected the sky that was growing overcast like a black glass mirror. Quite larger than I’d expected from the hunter’s description of a ’small pond’.

Perhaps fifty feet across at its widest point, with cattails and sedge grass along the shallow edges. I plopped the container nearby and consulted the journal one more time, reading his cramped handwriting.

[Large diameter PVC, both ends sealed and painted to match pond stones. Submerged it in the basin so it appears as a natural rock formation.]

"Of course it does. Because nothing can ever be sitting conveniently on the side of the pond looking like a rock. It has to be where I need to get wet."

Dark shapes barely visible beneath the murky surface could have been many such rocks, logs, or the cache itself. Sediment had been stirred up by the rain last night or maybe creatures underneath, probably fish...

Making visibility even worse in the water. I wouldn’t be able to see much even if I opened my eyes down there. I’d have to do this all by feel rather than sight.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.