Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Chapter 87: Chapter 87 Realm of Pitch Darkness Guard Island

”How do you usually Meditate?” Lucilia couldn’t help but ask.

She had been by Alka’s side for some time. Ever since Alka became a Touched, she had barely sensed any growth in the essence of his internal Magic Power. Although it was increasing, the rate was so slow as to be almost negligible. This was completely different from what she knew and had seen during her lifetime. The significant discrepancy puzzled her.

”Although I wasn’t a Touched when I was alive, I was from a Touched family, so I’ve seen many examples. Generally, after becoming a Touched, one can typically increase their Magic Power to One Spiral within two to five months.”

”About a year after reaching One Spiral, they can advance to Two Spirals. Beyond that, it all depends on talent.”

”So fast?” Alka couldn’t help but ask in surprise. That speed was astonishing, somewhat beyond his current comprehension.

Take Chadite, for example. She had been a Touched for four years, having become one before reaching adulthood. But she only reached One Spiral a year ago, meaning it took her three years. He had heard Andre was close to reaching Two Spirals, but Andre had been a Touched for about ten years. Yet, according to Lucilia, reaching Two Spirals within two years was possible. How could Alka not be surprised?

”So, tell me, how do you Meditate?”

Hearing this question, Alka stated directly, ”I control the Magic Power within me, guiding it to circulate slowly along the Magic Circuits in my body. As it moves, it draws a trace of external Magic Power into my body, gradually strengthening me.”

”Hmm... and then?”

”And then?” Alka looked puzzled. ”There’s nothing else after that.”

”Just like that?” Lucilia’s expression was one of disbelief.

”Yes.”

”No wonder. No wonder your Meditation efficiency is so low.” Lucilia finally understood. She turned her head and said, somewhat excitedly, ”Quick, go to sleep. I’ll teach you in the Dream Realm.”

With that, she dived directly into the Mirror of Alka’s necklace.

Hearing this, Alka felt a flicker of anticipation. Lucilia, hailing from an ancient family, might possess knowledge he lacked. He immediately lay down on the bed, forcing himself to fall asleep.

Before long, the sound of soft breathing could be heard.

Alka opened his eyes and found himself in his room once more, only this time, it was pitch black outside.

Lucilia sat beside the bed. ”Alka, lend me a little Magic Power, quickly.”

Alka nodded, extending his hand. A small amount of external Magic Power flowed into the Mirror Surface resting against his chest.

Empowered by the Magic Power, Lucilia raised her hands. Specks of light appeared in the Dream Realm, and then a thin booklet materialized in her grasp. She handed the booklet to Alka.

”In the Dream Realm, I can expend a bit of Magic Power to replicate things I’ve seen and know from my memory.”

Alka took it and looked. The text was in White Crocodile Language, a script inherently secretive.

”It’s a good thing I persisted in learning this language from you; otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to understand this now,” Alka replied with a smile, then focused his full attention on the information recorded in the booklet.

The booklet was very thin and didn’t contain much information, which indicated that the Meditation Method wasn’t overly complex.

After reading it, Alka gained a general understanding.

Firstly, the so-called Meditation was still inextricably linked to Spells. The rapid improvement came from a special Spell called ’Meditation.’ It was a Y-shaped Spell. After memorizing and learning it, it caused the internal Magic Power to condense and its efficacy to activate during circulation within the body.

The circulation of Magic Power within the body needed to be stable. If it was too fast, it could lead to instability and self-injury, potentially even damaging the Magic Circuits and causing a permanent loss of one’s strength. Therefore, for their own safety and future prospects, most people kept their Magic Power circulation at a relatively stable speed. This Spell, however, acted as a stabilizer, enabling one to rapidly circulate Magic Power within the body to achieve swift strength enhancement.

So that’s how it is.

Simple, yet highly practical. It was a Spell that could be learned without materials, and indeed, no materials for it could be found.

Following the instructions in the booklet, Alka closed his eyes and began to learn the Spell. Without materials, there was naturally no accelerated path to learning it.

It took him nearly half a day.

Alka finally succeeded in learning the Spell.

He had already awakened from the dream. Outside, it was nearing dawn, with a faint glow about to illuminate the darkness.

”How is it? Have you learned it?” Sensing Alka awaken, Lucilia emerged from the Magic Mirror.

Alka nodded. He had not only learned it but had also just briefly used the Spell to begin Meditation. With the stability provided by the Spell, the speed of his strength enhancement became extremely rapid. He could freely increase the circulation speed up to the threshold that the Spell could maintain stability, without fear of injuring himself.

”But using this Meditation Method, the Meditation time in a single day can’t be too long, right?” This type of Meditation was incredibly draining mentally and also quickly led to physical fatigue.

”Of course. It’s best to Meditate for just one hour a day. After all, you can’t have it both ways,” Lucilia said, rolling her eyes at Alka’s words. ”During sea voyages, you’ll have a lot of pent-up energy and much idle time. This Meditation Method can also help dissipate that excess energy.”

Upon hearing this, Alka nodded in agreement. Thinking about it that way, it certainly seems true. Just spending an hour Meditating before bed could effectively expend mental and physical energy, ensuring a good night’s sleep.

While the sky was not yet fully bright, Alka took another short nap to restore his energy.

「...」

When Alka woke up again, it was to the sound of knocking from outside.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

”Alka, are you awake? We’re about to reach our destination! Don’t miss it, hurry, hurry, hurry!”

”Okay, I’ll be right there.” Hearing Jason’s voice outside, Alka got out of bed, washed up, dressed, and then pushed open the door and went out.

When he reached the deck, Jason and Chadite were already waiting for him.

Alka looked into the distance. A fairly large island lay there. The surrounding sea teemed with ships of all sizes. Their paint jobs and various insignias suggested they were not ordinary merchant vessels.

”Why are there so many ships?” Alka couldn’t help but ask curiously.

Hearing his question, Jason turned and replied, ”This is the last stop before heading to the Realm of Pitch Darkness. Anyone who wants to seek treasure in the Realm of Pitch Darkness basically gathers here.”

”So, naturally, countless merchants come here to sell their goods. Sea voyages require a lot of supplies.”

At this moment, Chadite pointed into the distance. ”Alka, look over there.”

The two looked intently. At the edge of their vision, the sky seemed to be shrouded by heavy, dark clouds, a pitch-black expanse. The entire horizon in that direction was like this.

”That must be the outermost border of the Realm of Pitch Darkness. Even from this far away, it looks a bit eerie,” Jason couldn’t help but remark from the side. After all, even from such a distance, it gave the impression of oppressive dark clouds pressing down.

As they were talking, Andre and the others also arrived on deck.

They could now clearly see the island’s port. The port area had been developed into a veritable city, with various buildings sprawling before them. The massive port had countless berths, with ships of all sizes constantly coming and going. These ships flew diverse flags, but their very appearance made it clear that these sailboats were specially constructed.

Using his Magic Power vision, Alka even saw many sailboats suffused with a magical glow, indicating they were Spell Ships.

They anchored their ship further out, waiting for quite a while before an empty berth became available, then steered the ship in.

”I’m not going ashore. I don’t like running around,” Gami said from the side, then steered his mechanical vehicle back into the ship’s cabin.

Andre didn’t insist. After all, for Gami to go ashore, he couldn’t use such an eye-catching vehicle; he would have to use his child-like body to walk around, which was probably inconvenient for him.

Alka had just jumped off the ship when he saw several non-human individuals not far away. They were likely fishmen, though Alka couldn’t identify their specific type by appearance alone. Speaking of which, this was the first time Alka had seen non-human Races other than Sang Kaka.

”The Blood Gold Alliance and the Holy Mother Church are purely human powers, and their territories are very stable and safe. Non-human Races wouldn’t casually venture into such places,” Chadite said, following Alka’s gaze. She knew Alka had limited knowledge of the outside world, so she often provided him with explanations.

Alka nodded. He had previously seen a place called ’Merfolk Bay’ on a map. That was likely where these fishmen Races congregated.

”This island is called Guard Island, though the people here might prefer to call it the Southeast Corner,” Andre explained as they walked.

”Why is that?” Alka turned his head, asking curiously.

”Because the two important supply islands one must pass before entering the Realm of Pitch Darkness are located at the southeast and northwest corners of this sea region.”

That made sense.

By now, the group had reached the port district. Countless dockworkers were busy hauling all sorts of cargo, creating a very bustling scene. To be honest, this place is more like a huge commercial trading hub.

”So many people want to go to the Realm of Pitch Darkness to find treasure?” Alka couldn’t help but ask, surprised. The number of people coming and going on this island far exceeded his expectations; it was the liveliest place he had ever visited. These people were here either to do business or to venture into the Realm of Pitch Darkness. Clearly, most were here to seek treasure and wealth.

”I didn’t expect there would be so many people either,” Chadite remarked, equally surprised.

Andre, walking ahead, heard their conversation and said, ”The Meiniche Alliance, which was destroyed, was arguably one of the wealthiest nations of its time. They discovered new sea routes, amassed enormous wealth, and eventually, with merchants at the forefront, established this vast Alliance. The wealth left behind by such a formidable power naturally holds significant allure.”

”Unfortunately, these people, filled with passion and blinded by the lure of wealth, won’t survive long in the Realm of Pitch Darkness.”

After saying this, Andre led the group into the city.

Shops and street vendors were everywhere. Within eyeshot alone, there were several weapon shops and various blacksmiths. There were also numerous stalls selling medicines, food, various nautical equipment, and survival gear—all related to the supplies needed for treasure hunting.

For a moment, those in the group who had never been to such a place felt a surge of excitement.