Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Chapter 241: Chapter 163: Strength in Numbers_3

”Some people are responsible and diligent, just like you. Others are careless and perfunctory, as if they’re merely on vacation,” the old man said, attempting to ease the group’s wariness. ”After all, we’ve lived here for 800 years, and countless Church Staff have come to investigate during that time. Some are tight-lipped, while others don’t mind casually revealing some of what they know to the island’s residents. Over time, these islanders have learned a few things about why the surrounding environment has changed so drastically. The information they possess is almost no different from what Alka and his companions know.”

The old man in front of them continued, as if speaking to himself, ”You know, according to our ancestors’ records, more than 800 years ago this place was a wonderfully mild, spring-like region. The grain produced here could be sold to several neighboring countries.

”Legend has it that the Holy Mother bestowed Her grace upon us, and indeed, we faithfully worship the Holy Mother.”

The information provided by the Church did state that the island’s residents were followers of the Holy Mother, so there was no need to be overly cautious. Simply revealing that they were Church Staff should suffice.

”’Don’t look at me like that. I was a member of the Church when I was young,’ he said, revealing a tattoo on his withered right arm.”

Chadite examined the tattoo, then turned to whisper in Alka’s ear, ”It’s the mark of a solitary missionary of the Church. He’s genuinely from the Church.”

The old man continued, ”So I know this area very well; in my younger days, I joined a team assigned to this mission and came here to investigate.” As he reached this point, he slowly opened his somewhat cloudy eyes, fixed his gaze on Alka, and continued, ”So, the source making this place cold is inside the ice mountain, right?”

His voice carried a slight tremor, yet it was remarkably firm.

Alka nodded. He no longer hid anything, because, as the old man had said, there was indeed nothing left to conceal. The information the old man possessed was nearly identical to what Alka knew.

”’Good, good, good,’ the old man exclaimed, forcefully using his cane to push himself up, the surprise and excitement in his voice palpable. ’So, we initially thought it was on Icecap Island, but it’s actually here? What’s your name?’”

Upon hearing the old man’s words, Alka couldn’t help but nod; it seemed the old man had indeed undertaken this mission in his youth. The Church’s information also suggested Icecap Island. Although this area was called the Extreme Cold Triangle Zone, Icecap Island, at the apex of the triangle, was considered the most central point. By normal logic, and considering Icecap Island’s colder conditions compared to other islands, any sensible person would have thought the same.

”Just call me Alka.”

”Alright, Alka, I will have my tribe members cooperate with you.” With that, he eagerly used his cane to limp back the way he had come. The young man immediately moved to support him.

Before long, a large group of tribal residents, clad in various furs and animal skins, arrived. One robust man looked at Alka and said, ”Are you Alka? The High Priest told us to listen to you.”

Alka noted the various digging tools in the hands of the tribal residents; they had even brought their own. He nodded and began to assign tasks, organizing them to excavate into the ice mountain.

「...」

The digging operation was in full swing. Even with the help of these tribal residents, digging completely through would likely take at least ten days to half a month. The deeper they went, the more extraordinarily hard the ice became, forcing them to slow their pace.

When they encountered particularly stubborn ice, Alka would use flames to melt indentations, creating purchase points to help them dig more efficiently and conserve their strength.

Their ship had already left the Extreme Cold Triangle Zone when the digging commenced. Onboard, Jason and Pororo were preparing to visit some outlying supply islands to purchase food and more tools. The extreme hardness of the ice caused the tribal residents’ tools to wear down quickly. Moreover, food on the island was scarce, and Alka couldn’t let them work for him on empty stomachs.

As time passed, they finally managed to dig 600 meters inward. According to Chadite’s readings, another 160 meters or so would bring them to the area above the chasm.

However, they encountered a problem here. The hardness of the ice reached an incredibly exaggerated level. No matter what the residents did, they could at most chip off small fragments from the ice surface. It seemed the ice even regenerated faster than they could chip away at it.

”’Your work here is done,’ Alka said, taking a Gold Coin Bag from his pocket and handing it to the stout man before him. ’These supplies and tools are gifts to you. We’ll handle the rest.’”

Seeing this, the stout man looked troubled and scratched the back of his head. ”But we didn’t manage to dig all the way in for you,” he said, feeling apologetic. Alka’s group had given them new tools, plentiful food, and even money, yet they hadn’t completed the task.

Seeing the honest demeanor of these strong men, Alka smiled, patted the stout man’s shoulder, and said, ”It’s alright. Leave the rest to us. You can tell the High Priest just that.”

The stout man nodded and said with some reluctance, ”Alright. You are a truly generous person. I wish you success in all your endeavors. May the Holy Mother bless you.” He then crossed his arms over his chest in a gesture of respect.

Alka nodded, reciprocating the gesture, ”May the Holy Mother bless you as well.”

Watching the tribal residents depart, Alka turned back to look at the tunnel in the middle of the ice mountain. He said to Chadite beside him, ”Let’s go in and try. It’s up to us now.”

With that, he and Chadite headed into the tunnel, while Pororo remained outside to wait. He was too large, and they couldn’t afford to spend a significant amount of time widening the tunnel upwards merely for his sake. So, despite his great strength, he could only remain outside to stand guard and wait.