Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Chapter 547: Chapter 265 Border Island_3

Moreover, from the places they passed and not far beyond, they could see rocky edges around the Island, indicating the arable land wouldn’t be very extensive.

Alka dispersed most of the Puppet Girls, allowing them to freely search for places of interest on the Island. He sent them to see if they could discover any interesting traces and report back later.

Only One and her assassin squad remained.

After a while, they saw the abandoned village.

”This Island feels a bit off; we should be cautious,” Julia spoke suddenly as she walked.

Upon hearing this, they immediately stopped and looked at Julia.

That was clearly not a reassuring statement.

”I sense that there’s nothing majorly wrong around here, but it still feels strange. I have an indescribable intuition.”

Seeing Julia’s slightly serious face, everyone nodded.

They wouldn’t underestimate such intuition. It was also a significant form of perception.

Balazs also turned his head to his subordinates, saying, ”Did you hear that? All of you, stay alert!”

”Honestly, I actually feel quite comfortable on the Island. It’s like my body has become much lighter,” Alka suddenly said.

From the moment he set foot on the Island, he had felt it was somewhat different. After landing, his body felt unusually light and relaxed. It was like the refreshing sensation of waking up well-rested after a period of exhaustion.

Matilda slithered closer on her serpentine tail and reached out to touch Alka. She examined Alka’s body.

”Your body shows no anomalies. Are you sure it’s not just your imagination?”

Alka shook his head. ”It shouldn’t be my imagination. I even feel my Magic Power has become easier to control.”

This was a clear improvement. Mere imagination or hallucinations wouldn’t bring about such changes.

Julia closed her eyes. Her legs instantly transformed into a fish tail, and swirling currents of water lifted her. Transforming into her true form would enhance her perception, especially when combined with the Spell ritual she was now performing. This would allow her to accurately discern if there was truly a problem with the Island.

She slightly raised her hands, and an invisible ripple spread outwards.

The sudden change startled Balazs.

”Mer... Merfolk?”

Hearing the surprise in Balazs’s voice, Alka turned to look at him.

”You’ve never seen one?”

That’s unlikely.

”I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never actually seen one. I didn’t expect Miss Julia to be a Merfolk,” Balazs said, his voice still laced with astonishment.

”Is that so?” Alka didn’t press further.

After all, he hadn’t seen any Merfolk on Southern Cross Island, nor many fishmen for that matter. The Endless Sea was indeed too vast.

At this moment, Julia was investigating the surrounding environment more carefully. A short while later, she opened her eyes, a hint of confusion in them, but she still shook her head.

”The surrounding Magic Power seems unchanged. Although I can confirm there’s something strange about this place, I can’t pinpoint what it is.”

For a Merfolk who considered protecting the environment her duty, her powerful environmental perception—both innate and honed through training—had never failed her before. But now, it had.

Alka’s brows furrowed. He was already considering whether to abandon this expedition. If Julia could sense that the environment was amiss but couldn’t pinpoint the source of the problem, then there was definitely a major issue. Julia’s environmental perception was no joke; it far surpassed theirs. Moreover, and very importantly, this perception stemmed from her body’s Race lineage and had been further enhanced by the Divine.

Alka took out a copy of the simplified line map. He pointed at the golden light, looking at the treasure’s Difficulty.

[Difficulty: Seeker]

Indeed, there was no indication of required strength. If the treasure was on this Island and the Island posed a danger, the Difficulty would definitely reflect that. It had never been wrong before. The one time it had seemed to err, it wasn’t an issue with the Difficulty marking itself, but rather due to external, man-made interference. This meant that if they were simply searching for the treasure, they shouldn’t trigger any danger.

He handed the map to Chadite. ”Can you be sure it’s really this Island?”

After all, the lines were a bit crude, but it was undeniably a map.

Chadite also understood the seriousness of the situation. She carefully compared it again, cross-referencing with the scans of the surroundings she had been continuously conducting. She nodded.

”There’s no mistake.”

Their exchange left Balazs and the men he had brought completely dumbfounded. They understood each word individually, but when strung together, the meaning eluded them. They could only stand by in confusion, listening to the conversation without being able to contribute.

Seeing that the group seemed to have finished their discussion, Balazs cautiously asked from the side, ”Is this Island very dangerous?”

As a merchant, although he possessed an adventurous spirit, he still cherished his life.

”Hmm, there are issues, but we don’t know what they are. For now, it doesn’t seem dangerous.”

”That’s good.”

At this point, one of the men accompanying Balazs looked around and asked, ”Could there really be that pirate treasure here? It’s so desolate.” His tone was clearly skeptical.

”If not, what would I be doing here?” Balazs retorted, turning to glare at the crewman.

Alka just smiled and said calmly, ”Don’t worry. We’re the Treasure Hunting Team; our judgment isn’t easily mistaken.”

He then looked at the map, then at the abandoned village before them. His attention focused on where the golden marker on the map should be.

”Buji!”

”What?”

Jason’s expression suddenly changed dramatically. He raised his gloved left hand, and an Ice Bullet shot out.

”What are you doing?”