Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

They overturned the longships that lay outside the village.

They gathered the scattered oars and placed them onto the longships.

These longships were then slowly pushed back to the village center.

By then, the pirates were gone from the plaza; only copious bloodstains remained, soaking into the bamboo boards below.

Grisly bits of flesh still clung between the bamboo crevices.

”Alright, get on the ships now.”

These people nodded, divided into three groups, and boarded the three longships.

A woman, perhaps in her early thirties, looked up at Alka and the others.

”Thank you, thank you. Thank you for your help, the Flower Fairy will surely bless you.”

Alka just smiled and nodded.

”Alright, hurry onto the ships, or we won’t make it through the Emerald Belt before dark.”

He then turned to the Puppet Girls nearby.

He selected two teams of Puppet Girls to accompany the rescued women and escort them to the Gray Vine Fortress.

Alka watched as the unfortunate captives boarded the ships and departed from the place that had become their nightmare.

”It’s over. Let’s go as well,” Alka said, turning to look at the people behind him.

They boarded the Swallow.

The Swallow slowly glided out of the village gate.

The water’s surface was littered with corpses, dyed a stark crimson.

Countless fish gathered in this place.

Today’s food was especially abundant compared to the past. This drew even more fish to the area than usual.

They rowed through the verdant waters, steadily heading in one direction.

Watching the village recede in the distance, Alka gently waved his hand. A card flew from his fingers, arcing through the air.

Moments later, the village was engulfed in roaring flames.

All sins and filth would vanish in the fire.

...

The starry curtain marked yet another different night.

On the Swallow, several illuminating stones hung.

Against the vast, calm surface of the marshy sea, the stones were strikingly conspicuous.

Drawing nearer, one could hear the whir of the propellers in the water.

Everyone was either on the main deck of the Swallow or on the housing of its rear thrusters.

Even Pororo was unwilling to stay any longer in these waters.

Suddenly, the ship jolted.

”Did we bump into something again?”

Alka leaned down, a helpless expression on his face, to peer into the water.

The ship’s lights pierced the murky water, illuminating the tangled vines below.

Again, a mass of seaweed-covered skeletons, tangled together, blocked their path.

A pink, cloud-like energy formed into a long rod. It prodded the skeletons, breaking them apart and snapping the vines entangling them, clearing the way for the ship to proceed.

The scattered skeletal fragments now drifted about, bobbing on the water’s surface.

”These bones again, they’re so annoying,” Pororo said irritably, watching the bones float on the surface.

The main reason Pororo had been reluctant to swim in these waters for the past few days was their sheer filthiness.

A dense network of vines intertwined beneath the surface, meaning the water was often barely more than a meter deep.

Even in such shallow water, they constantly encountered skeletal remains scattered about, which did little to improve their mood.

Sometimes, fresh corpses would drift by from unknown origins, along with partially devoured, rotting remains.

The patrol drone flying overhead signaled Simon, ”A ship is drifting past us.”

Simon relayed the message and flew into the sky, where he spotted a distant small boat with dim lights onboard.

Fortunately, the little boat was not heading towards them; rather, it was sailing forward, much like they were.

”No problem. Probably just others from this region,” Simon said, jumping back onto the ship.

However, it seemed things weren’t as simple as they thought. Before long, several more small boats of varying sizes appeared.

They were coming from different directions, all converging in this area.

”Why are there so many boats out at night?” Chadite asked, somewhat perplexed.

These boats showed no hostility, maintaining a considerable, safe distance from one another. It was difficult to make out anyone on board; only vague outlines of the vessels and their occupants were visible.

That must be the only reason, Alka thought.

Sure enough, they soon spotted what looked like a small grove of trees at the edge of their vision ahead.

The grove wasn’t large, but they could see it from a distance because of lights flickering within it.

The boats ahead of them had all stopped by or around the grove.

”Slow down.”

At Alka’s command, the propellers of the rear thrusters immediately stopped turning, emitting soft CLUNKING sounds.

The ship slowly drifted forward.

One, along with two team members, swiftly dived into the water and swam quickly toward the distant lights.

They weren’t sure what the place was for, so it was best not to approach rashly.

Before long, the slowly advancing Swallow received a message from One.

”She says it resembles a trading market.”

Upon hearing this, Alka frowned.

”A trading market... in a place like this, and at night?”

A bit like the black markets in some cities, he mused.

After a moment’s thought, Alka looked at the others, then gestured to Lucilia.

He then called over Chadite, Jason, and Simon.

”The four of us will go in and have a look. You guys wait outside.”

The four of them nodded.

Soon, the Swallow neared the small grove.