Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Shark Bite (Request for Continued Reading)

Treasure Vault No. 1 construction site.

Inside the Treasure Vault at that moment.

A tall, exceptionally muscular bald man stood in front of a golden stone slab. His bald head, completely devoid of hair, was tattooed with a giant shark, its jaws wide open. His slightly glazed eyes stared motionlessly at the golden stone slab before him.

Just then, the distinct sound of footsteps echoed from behind him.

An ordinary human male, but dressed in exceptionally extravagant and flashy clothes, trod flamboyantly on the ground in boots resembling clown shoes. He approached the burly man from behind, gently adjusted the brim of his flamboyant hat, turning it twice. A bizarre and exaggerated smile spread across his face.

”Yo, Captain, are you standing here because you’ve found what you’re looking for?”

His voice, much like his attire, was melodramatic and fluctuated in pitch.

The burly man, still facing the stone slab, asked without turning his head, ”Nivek, do you know why the Fortes Clan declined?”

Hearing his captain’s question, Nivek swayed his hips. His eyes suddenly widened as he shot out his right hand, index finger extended, a look of delighted realization on his face.

”Oh, I remember now! It’s said a terrible scandal was exposed, and then they were ostracized and eliminated.”

The burly man nodded, a hint of a sinister smile creeping onto his previously expressionless face.

”Yes. Who would have thought that a respectable merchant noble family was actually a dagger in the hands of some powerful figure? When this matter came to light, they were naturally abandoned and eliminated.”

Nivek tapped his head with his index finger, a puzzled expression on his face. ”But what does that have to do with us?”

”Of course, it does. In Sad’s twelve Treasure Vaults, do you know what the most important thing he hid is?”

”Treasure?”

”No. Scandals involving his enemies.”

Then, changing the subject, he turned around and asked, ”Is Andre’s Treasure Hunting Team on the Island now?”

”Yes, Captain. All their key members have been sighted on the Island.”

”Annoying uninvited guests, are they? Let’s have them make their exit first.”

”Er... Captain, technically speaking, *we’re* the uninvited guests.”

Meeting his captain’s gaze, Nivek made a zipping gesture across his lips and obediently shut his mouth.

***

”I’ve already looked into it. The ’Biting Sharks’ have arrived. Their target is the same as ours: Sad’s Treasure Vault,” Andre said from inside the house.

”Welt, the captain of the Biting Sharks, is said to have discovered two small Treasure Vaults in the past?” Jason asked Andre, a hint of question in his tone.

Hearing this, Andre nodded.

”That’s right. He’s reportedly been relentlessly pursuing Sad’s Treasure Vault.”

”Given their methods, it looks like our future actions won’t go so smoothly,” Chadite said, stroking his cheek with one hand, a touch of annoyance in his voice.

Alka didn’t understand their exchange and couldn’t interject, so he simply sat quietly to the side, absorbing what information he could from their words.

He had learned about the Biting Sharks’ methods from Chadite.

They operated with no regard for rules. Robbery, murder, kidnapping—as long as they weren’t caught and there was no evidence, they did as they pleased. In some places, even evidence didn’t matter. They were more like a violent gang.

However, the seas were full of such people. The only difference between them and pirates was that the Biting Sharks still had *some* restraints.

After they chatted for a while, Andre turned to look at Alka.

”Let me think... how to assign you some work.”

Alka had joined at a rather inopportune moment. They had already been active on the Island for a considerable time and had finished gathering all necessary intelligence. Now, only the task of sifting through it remained. Once the intelligence was organized and clues were found, the tedious work of locating the Treasure Vault would begin. None of this held much practical significance for Alka at his current stage.

Moreover, tasks requiring core members were clearly unsuitable for Alka, who had not yet become a ”Toucher.”

”You have two choices. First, you can learn from Jason how to sort intelligence and find the connections within it. Or, you can choose to go to the city, or anywhere else you’re interested in, to gather some information. It might not be useful, but it’s a rare opportunity.”

Hearing Andre’s options, Alka lowered his head and thought for a moment.

”I’ll choose the second option. I want to familiarize myself with this Island first.”

Andre nodded. ”No problem. You looked over the intelligence we’ve gathered yesterday, right? Just collect information following the general leads in there.”

”Any interesting information will do, you know! Just boldly record it. Even if it’s not useful now, it might come in handy someday,” Chadite added, winking at Alka from the side.

Hearing this, Alka smiled faintly and nodded.

After chatting for a little longer, they each went to rest. Only Jason remained, miserably poring over the intelligence, trying to sort out the useful bits.

「The next morning.」

Alka, dressed neatly, stood at the doorway of the house. He looked at Jason, who was sprawled over the table, fast asleep and snoring softly.

Treasure hunting doesn’t seem to be an easy job after all.

”Planning to head into the city for a look around?” Chadite’s voice came from inside.

Alka, still at the door, nodded. ”Yes, I want to get familiar with the work first.”

”Wait a moment.” With that, Chadite returned to his room. He came out holding a small, crystal disc.

”Take this. That way, we can find you if anything unexpected happens.”

Alka took the crystal wafer, which was about the size of his thumb, and nodded. Then, he bid farewell to Chadite.

He walked towards the city along a country path. The path led him around to the back of the city, and he entered through a rear gate.

Upon entering the city, Alka found it much worse than he had imagined.

The area was filled with low, somewhat dilapidated residences. Some of the wooden rooftops on these stone houses were shattered. Various stalls were scattered haphazardly on either side of the street.

The residents here were mostly farmers dressed in plain linen clothes, looking very poor and simple.

Alka’s relatively neat attire made him stand out starkly against his surroundings. As a result, people avoided looking at him directly, instinctively moving aside to clear a path for him.

He passed through the chaotic crowd. A low city wall, about four meters high, stretched across the area. He continued along the main road further into the city.

This low city wall wasn’t heavily guarded; only two guards stood at the main gate. They scrutinized Alka from head to toe, weapons in hand, then nodded for him to pass.

”People who are not properly dressed cannot enter,” one of the guards declared, raising his spear and gesturing towards a poorly dressed commoner behind Alka.

So that’s how it is.

He passed through the rather heavy stone gate. The scene before him opened up dramatically.

Alka stood rooted to the spot. An unidentifiable emotion surged within him. What does this city wall separate? he wondered. It’s just a wall, yet the difference is worlds apart.