Chapter 29: Greed Blinds the Eyes

"We've arrived!"

Seeing the iconic peak, which stood tall and straight like a phallic symbol, Mu Rongxun confirmed it after checking the map.

"We've arrived?"

Upon hearing this, Aladdin couldn't muster any excitement; instead, he collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. Mu Rongxun, with his formidable constitution, felt nothing, but Aladdin was just an ordinary person. After wandering through the mountains for so long, he was already tired and hungry. As soon as he sat down, his stomach growled uncontrollably.

Hearing his stomach protesting, Mu Rongxun said nothing, but went off to catch a rabbit, started a fire, and roasted the meat. They had a hearty meal, which served as a much-needed rest.

Once full, Mu Rongxun began to look for the entrance to the treasury. According to the map, after finding that specific peak, the cave directly opposite it was the entrance. The two of them searched for a long time before finally finding their destination. However, they were stumped: the entrance was protected by a powerful magical barrier, and they couldn't get in at all.

It was then that Mu Rongxun realized the crucial piece of information he had forgotten to ask about: the incantation to open the door.

"I remember my father mentioning what was used to open the door."

Aladdin began to search his memories quickly. But Alibaba had passed away when Aladdin was very young, and everything he knew was merely hearsay. How could anyone really know the truth?

Mu Rongxun also began to rack his brain. Since his mental power had increased, his memory had improved significantly. He was now rapidly recalling the fairy tales he had heard as a child regarding Alibaba and the Forty Thieves. Because it had been so long, the information was fragmented, and it was difficult to piece everything together.

"Open Sesame?" he called out to the door.

The door didn't react at all. This wasn't surprising; "Open Sesame" was the incantation used by the Forty Thieves for their treasury. Since this was a place Alibaba had established himself, the incantation had to be different.

Mu Rongxun thought quickly. He remembered reading about this in a sequel to "Alibaba and the Forty Thieves." After Alibaba became wealthy from the treasures he stole from the forty thieves, his brother and sister-in-law became jealous. What happened after that? He couldn't quite remember. He only recalled that both of them were eventually killed by the furious forty thieves. And what about Alibaba? He had married a princess after acquiring wealth beyond measure. But now, his son was destitute, so his own fate couldn't have been much better. Perhaps, as the story went, his soul had been consumed by a demon due to his insatiable greed.

So, what was connected to him? Sesame, sesame... Mu Rongxun struggled to think, while Aladdin kept trying various incantations. Although it was just luck, he kept at it tirelessly.

What is connected to sesame? Mu Rongxun suddenly had a breakthrough.

"Open Watermelon!"

As the words left his lips, the earth began to shake, and the cave entrance swung wide open. It seemed that because it hadn't been moved in such a long time, the surroundings were unaccustomed to the sudden activity.

"Listen to me, you can only take one thing from inside. You are not allowed to take any more; otherwise, even if you are Alibaba's son, you will be hunted by the devil." Mu Rongxun stared into Aladdin's eyes, giving him a solemn warning. "Just take the magic lamp. With it, you can make a wish and have it move all the wealth here for you."

"Yes, yes!" Aladdin nodded repeatedly, his heart racing with excitement. He had finally made it here. After giving his word, he walked into the cave.

The passage was very long, but it was magnificent, as if it had been plated with gold dust. There were many niches in the walls containing night-luminescent pearls, which kept the passage brightly lit. After walking for a while, Aladdin encountered a door, but a massive creature was sleeping in front of it.

"Oh?"

Sensing an outsider, the figure made a sound like low thunder. "Finally, another outsider has entered!"

It stretched, and its entire body sat up. Aladdin then realized that it had no lower half—only a human-like upper torso—but even that upper torso was over a dozen meters tall, terrifyingly huge.

"I... I am Alibaba's son, Aladdin. Respected Mr. Monster, greetings!" Aladdin swallowed hard and introduced himself, fearing the creature might make a snack of him.

"Hmm..." The devil mused, staring at Aladdin with eyes like copper bells. "So, you are Alibaba's son. According to the pact with your father, you may take one item! You may enter, but remember, do not be greedy!"

It gave the warning earnestly. Just as it had done for the many contractors before, though none had ever listened, it issued the warning out of habit. Once done, it moved its massive body aside, allowing Aladdin to enter.

With the devil out of the way, the door it had been blocking was revealed, and the blinding light from within dazzled Aladdin's eyes. Mountains of gold and silver were not enough to describe what he saw before him. Inside was a vast cave. How big was it? Forgive Aladdin's limited education; he couldn't describe it accurately. He only saw three piles of gold dust in funnel shapes, five piles of gold coins, and five piles of various rare treasures. In the corners, all kinds of treasures and coins were scattered.

The entire cave was one color: gold. As a simple, naive youth, Aladdin had never seen such things before. He gave a cheer and dove into a pile of gold coins, ignoring the pain as he rolled around, grabbing handfuls of coins and tossing them into the air. He had always dreamed that one day he would find his father's treasure so he and his mother could live a life of plenty and never have to worry about being bullied again. But even in his wildest dreams, he had never imagined his father's wealth would be this vast.

And now, it was all before him.

It was a pity that he could only take one thing. He felt deeply resentful. It was his own property, yet that hateful devil would only let him take one item! He felt a grudge against the devil. However, thinking of what Mu Rongxun said—that the magic lamp could allow him to move everything—he became happy again. After rolling around in the gold coins for a while, he remembered his purpose and began to look for the lamp.

Actually, he didn't need to search, for the lamp was placed in a very conspicuous spot. Throughout the cave, treasures were piled like mountains, but there was a simple stone table with an ordinary kerosene lamp sitting upon it. Seeing it, Aladdin was overjoyed. He knew this was his target and rushed over to grab the lamp.

Just as he was about to leave, he glanced back at the gold and silver in the cave.

"It's all mine anyway, what does it matter if I grab a handful?"

Thinking this, almost as if possessed, he grabbed a handful of gold coins and stuffed them into his pocket. Then, he walked out as if nothing had happened, politely greeting the devil and shaking the lamp to indicate that he had only taken this one thing.

"Mr. Devil, I have made my choice."

"Hmm!" The devil’s voice sounded like rolling thunder, echoing through the passage.

Relieved, Aladdin turned and left. Great, the devil hadn't noticed he had taken more than one thing. But as he turned away, he didn't see the pity in the devil's eyes.

"Ignorant human, another one whose mind has been clouded by greed!"

A long time later, a sigh echoed through the chamber. The cave’s barrier closed once more, and after a tremor that shook the ground, the place was sealed again. But the devil's sigh could no longer be heard by Aladdin, who was already far away.

"I got it!" At the cave exit, Aladdin proudly shook the lamp at Mu Rongxun. Although he knew the lamp could give him everything, he didn't know how to use it, so he still had to listen to Mu Rongxun. Besides, the memory of Mu Rongxun cleanly dispatching those dwarves was still fresh in his mind; he dared not try any tricks.

"You only took one thing, right?" Mu Rongxun asked.

"Of course!" Aladdin replied proudly.

"Good luck to you." Mu Rongxun looked at him for a moment, said those meaningful words, and turned to leave.

Aladdin didn't understand his meaning but hurried to follow. "How do you use this lamp? What do you plan to use it for?" He was incredibly curious and desperate to move all the treasure the devil was guarding—it was his property, after all; why should the devil be watching it?

"There is a girl who wants to attend the prince's banquet, so I intend to help her," Mu Rongxun said bluntly.

"That's simple!" Aladdin looked at him in disbelief. "This is a chance to use a magic lamp! Going to a banquet is easy, isn't it? We have money now, so why not just buy her beautiful clothes, shoes, and jewelry, and dress her up? Then you wouldn't need to waste this wish! How about this: give up this chance, and I'll pay for everything, okay?"

He was truly unwilling to waste this precious chance to use the magic lamp.

"No need!" Mu Rongxun refused him without hesitation.