Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Chapter 58: Chapter 58 Holy Mother Church

The ship slowly entered the waters of the Holy Mother Church. Although this entire sea region was under the control of the Holy Mother Church, it was much smaller compared to that of the Blood Gold Alliance, only about a quarter of its size. Within this sphere of influence, all the islands revered the Holy Mother.

It’s somewhat strange, Alka thought. The Treasure Hunting Team is essentially a group under the Holy Mother Church, yet no one has tried to spread their faith to me? Logically, the members who boarded the ship should all be followers of the Holy Mother. After all, there are quite a few churches of the Holy Mother even within the Blood Gold Alliance. For example, Tulan Island, where I first went, had a Holy Mother church. The Blood Gold Alliance doesn’t prohibit faith in the Holy Mother, which indicates it’s viewed positively, at least.

Alka stood by the ship’s rail, looking at a small island not far away. There were no large ships sailing around the island, only a few small fishing boats visible in the distance. It probably isn’t an important island, he thought.

”Why are we going to this island?” Alka asked Jason, who was similarly leaning against the ship’s side, enjoying the sea breeze.

”We are, on paper, a private Treasure Hunting Team, so of course, we can’t just sail openly to the Holy Mother Cathedral,” Jason explained. ”We have to dock the ship here. Understand?”

Alka nodded; this part was easy enough to grasp.

”So, we need to switch to another ship to go to the Holy Mother Cathedral?”

Jason nodded.

The ship slowly sailed into the port and docked at a berth. Alka looked at the small island’s port; it could just barely accommodate their three-masted sailing ship. It really doesn’t seem like an important island, he mused. Still, being able to dock in a port at all is pretty good.

Everyone gathered on deck.

Andre looked at the crew and said, ”Does anyone want to come with us this time?”

His question was met with a distinct lack of interest from everyone. Seeing this, Andre could only say with a sigh of resignation, ”Alright then. You all wait for us on this island.”

With that, he glanced at Alka and Jason, giving a slight nod.

The team disbanded.

The pair followed Andre off the ship.

Ahead lay a very ordinary port town, perhaps only slightly better than the one on Golden Wheat Island. Andre led the two of them through the town and into a church at its rear.

Alka looked up. This was his first time seeing a church of the Holy Mother. The building was constructed from a grayish-white stone, giving it a somber appearance, almost like a white wall cast in shadow. Even with the sun high in the sky, the midday light falling upon the church failed to lend it any brilliant luster. The church featured an arched, slender, pointed dome, intricately adorned with dense patterns and finely carved statues. Its walls were entirely covered in carvings of floral and plant motifs, along with vast depictions of wheat sheaves.

The group walked directly inside.

A carpet the color of dark earth ran down the central aisle, flanked by rows upon rows of seats. At the front stood a statue: a vaguely female figure cradling an infant, a child at her feet, and a sheaf of wheat clutched in her hand.

? This statue... Alka couldn’t help but turn to look at Andre beside him. Andre stood with his arms crossed over his chest, praying devoutly. That prayer gesture... Alka was now certain. The so-called Holy Mother is actually the Stone Mother! It must be a different title for the same Divine; it’s quite normal for a Divine to have multiple titles. It demonstrates the breadth of the Divine’s power.

At this, Alka also crossed his arms over his chest and began to pray.

Thinking about it this way, doesn’t that mean Home Island, blessed by the Stone Mother, is equivalent to a Land of Divine Grace? No wonder no one tried to proselytize to me. It’s because I come from the biggest ’den’ of believers, born under the Stone Mother’s protection. So, I’ve always been an officially recognized member!

Alka prayed with a clear conscience. After all, She is a true Divine, and since I was born under Her protection, believing in Her certainly isn’t a loss. Not to mention, this faith is practically ingrained in me.

After their brief prayer, an elderly man dressed as a Priest approached them. He wore a brownish-yellow robe embroidered with patterns resembling wheat sheaves. He crossed his arms before Andre, and the two men nodded to each other in greeting.

”Andre,” the Priest said, ”your message has been received. The ship will arrive in an hour. Head to the Hidden Port and prepare.” As he spoke, he turned to look at Alka and Jason standing nearby. He glanced at Jason, smiled faintly, and nodded. Then, looking at Alka, he couldn’t resist reaching out to pat him on the head. ”Good child.” The expression in his eyes was like that of a man looking at his own grandson.

This affectionate gesture from the Priest made Alka stiffen slightly. He could only manage a polite smile and a nod. Crossing his arms, he said, ”May the Stone Mother bless you.”

The Priest’s smile broadened. ”Alright, you three go on ahead.”

Andre gave Alka a thumbs-up and then led him and Jason towards the back of the Church.

Before Alka could ask, Andre explained, ”The Holy Mother is indeed the Stone Mother. The title ’Holy Mother’ is just more convenient for proselytizing. Our kind of clandestine Treasure Hunting Team actually has very specific, limited tasks.”

”Mainly, we assist the Church in finding more artifacts related to the Stone Mother, as well as information about possible Treasures.”

”So that’s how it is,” Alka nodded in understanding.

Andre added, ”Parker could once have been considered my superior, I suppose.”

So that’s why! Alka realized. No wonder Parker was so at ease entrusting me to Andre’s Treasure Hunting Team. And Andre and the others, they’ve been so trusting of me from the very beginning. For instance, right after I joined, they shared almost all their secret information and ongoing activities with me without much reservation, as if I were inherently one of them. At the time, I found it a bit strange, thinking it was just their custom or the group’s atmosphere. Turns out, I really was one of them all along.

Lost in thought, Alka followed Andre and Jason. They took a path behind the Church that led through a tunnel, clearly chiseled through the mountain, and into a large cave. Judging by the cave’s height, it could easily accommodate a sailboat the size of the *Sea Fist*. As they walked further in, they indeed saw a makeshift port ahead. This was a hidden harbor, concealed within the cliffs surrounding the island. Perhaps the Church out front was built specifically for this Hidden Port, Alka mused.

The three of them found a bench to the side and sat down to wait, chatting occasionally to pass the time.

Before long, Alka spotted a ship on the distant sea, sailing directly towards the cave where they waited. Soon, the entire vessel came into view as it slowly sailed into the cavern.

Alka looked up at the ship. Its figurehead was a statue of a heavily armored Knight holding a longsword. The ship’s hull was painted in a mixture of gold and milky white, exuding a distinct, sacred aura. The sails were pure white, emblazoned with an emblem: a pair of simply drawn, crossed arms, encircled by two wheat sheaves. This must be the Church’s symbol, Alka thought.