Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Chapter 550: Chapter 266 Prisoner_3

It’s just a Treasure, Alka thought. He didn’t want his companions on the ship to lose their lives over such a Treasure.

”I hope you keep your promise.”

Having no other option, he had to agree.

General Kriel nodded, then waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him formed a semicircle, cutting off their retreat. The General pointed to the village ruins before them.

”Leave this to the professionals. We will provide security for you.”

Heh, security work, Alka scoffed internally.

”By the way, bring out the little one from my shadow, or I can’t guarantee anything,” the General calmly said.

Alka quickly called out the Puppet Girl hidden in his shadow. Several shadows flashed, and a few assassin-type Puppet Girls instantly detached from his shadow. The General grabbed the last Puppet Girl as she emerged.

Seeing this, Alka and his companions instantly felt the urge to act, everyone reaching for their weapons.

The General raised his hand slightly. ”Don’t be hasty. I’m just a bit curious.”

After glancing at the Puppet Girl struggling to escape his grasp, he released her.

”Turns out it’s just a toy. Well-made.”

He could see that these Puppet Girls were creations, not a naturally existing Race. This left him slightly disappointed.

Alka and the others walked toward the abandoned village, with the soldiers slowly following them.

Balazs walked next to Alka and said, ”Sorry, I didn’t know...”

Alka shook his head, signaling him not to say more.

It was clearly incorrect to say the issue was entirely Balazs’s fault. Alka and his group had accidentally stumbled into the plans of a powerful local figure. Not to mention, Alka had eliminated one of their key pawns and obtained something important. Naturally, he too had become a pawn in someone else’s game. Since we’re both pawns, what’s the point of apologizing? Alka thought.

”What’s this General doing on the Island?” Alka asked. He was curious and felt the need to understand his enemy better.

Balazs looked at the sky and sighed helplessly. ”He’s the overseer of the port town. It’s said that he’s reached Perfection in the Fourth Stage and is currently advancing to the Fifth Stage. He is the King’s own brother and an Empire General. He’s also known as the ’Invisible Hand,’ and it’s said no one can see his attacks.”

As Alka listened to the description of General Kriel and considered his attack methods, he involuntarily recalled the Pirate Gang they had battled on the Island before. That Pirate Captain had also used an invisible attack method. It seems he learned it from this General. Are there Spells derived from Treasures?

”What do we do now?” Chadite asked, walking beside him.

”We definitely can’t beat them. We can only hope he keeps his promise,” Alka said helplessly.

Looking at the rudimentary map in his hand, he decided to stall. After all, treasure hunting is inherently a challenging task. I need to delay as much as possible and think of a good plan. He never intended to entrust his life to someone else’s promises. I don’t really plan to help him, he thought, already contemplating how to escape.

As long as they could return to the ship, there would be no problem. Once they sailed away from the Broken Island Chain, it was unlikely that a General of Southern Cross Island could pursue them effectively. Moreover, with the speed of the Sound of Dawn, further accelerated by the sea-dwelling Races on board, it would be almost impossible for any ship to catch them.

But the prerequisite for all of this is, how do we escape? The enemy consists of ten Third Stage individuals and one at Fourth Stage Perfection. Fourth Stage Perfection... that could mean seventy or eighty Spirals, and he also controls a Treasure. This is a force we couldn’t afford to provoke right now.

Upon hearing Alka’s answer, the others asked no more questions. They roughly understood what he meant. Besides, with the enemy right behind them—and they weren’t deaf—it was impossible to conceal their conversation.

Damn, what rotten luck! It’s merely a Holy Grail Level Treasure. Is it really worth all this? Alka silently cursed in his heart. Could there be some problem with this Treasure?

Then, Alka led the group to wander throughout the village, looking here, checking there, and even starting to dig holes. A Treasure buried in a hole isn’t surprising, after all.

Alka had also previously checked the spot indicated by the Treasure Information. Just as the Treasure Information indicated, nothing was discovered there. Even when Chadite used her silver ripple ability to probe underground, no pits or cavities were found. Clearly, this Treasure was deliberately hidden in an unexpected place.

Looking at the somewhat dilapidated houses, Alka had to turn his attention elsewhere.

”Dig down from here and see if there’s anything buried,” Alka once again approached a tree and said to the others.

There’s certainly nothing under this tree, Alka knew. But a tree growing here is a noticeable marker. If one were looking for Treasure, it would usually be buried in such a spot.

The digging was deliberately slow, with Pororo even managing to break his shovel occasionally. Eventually, the General had no choice but to dispatch two of his soldiers to assist.

They deliberately dragged out the work until nightfall, leaving the whole village pockmarked with holes. Yet, they found nothing.

The soldiers behind General Kriel rekindled the campfire, and Feiba, who had been knocked unconscious, finally awoke. He seemed to be saying something to the General, occasionally glancing in Alka’s group’s direction.

Jason, who was by the campfire, watched this scene. He said to Alka, who was staring into the flames and pondering, ”Looks like he’s reporting our situation. Continuing to stall like this might not be easy.”

Alka looked up. Of course, I know I can’t delay for long, he thought. He was merely using the time to contemplate an escape plan.

The General approached and sat by the fire, looking at the silent group, noting the mud and sand staining their clothes.

”My time is limited. If I don’t get what I want by the next day and night, I may break my promise. After all, trash doesn’t deserve respect.”

His sharp gaze and an invisible pressure weighed down on Alka and his companions. This pressure rendered Alka and his companions immobile.

This is a show of force, a warning, Alka realized. Feeling the pressure, he sighed helplessly internally. His strength is evidently higher than I anticipated. In just an instant, he could control us all. So that’s what his ’invisible power’ means. Neither challenging him head-on nor attempting to escape directly offers any chance of success. I must devise a plan with a higher chance of success, preferably one that can stall him. That way, I can quickly escape through the Mirror of Passage.

He began considering everyone’s Treasures and how they might coordinate their abilities.

Despite these thoughts, Alka nodded and said, ”I’ve already had some ideas today, but I need more information. After all, we’ve only just arrived. Discovering this Island was already the extent of our abilities. We need more information about this Treasure.”