Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Chapter 89: Chapter 89 Sea Monster

The Sea Fist sailed on the surface of the sea.

Before them lay a world of darkness, the sky shrouded in dense, heavy, pitch-black clouds, with not a single ray of sunlight penetrating through. Behind them, however, was a world of light, where the sun hung high, pouring out its bright brilliance. The curved dividing line between them split the world equally into day and night.

The stunning spectacle made the few people who had come onto the deck stand dumbfounded, as if they had arrived at the divide between sun and moon. This sight, like a divine miracle, shook their souls.

”Quite amazing, isn’t it?”

Hearing Andre say this as he stepped out, they couldn’t help but nod.

As the ship crossed the dividing line, it entered the Realm of Pitch Darkness completely. The light behind them began to recede slowly into the distance. However, this area was not yet completely dark, as some light could still penetrate.

Once inside, however, Alka clearly felt the ship’s speed begin to slow.

”The sailing speed has slowed down?”

Hearing Alka’s words, Andre nodded. ”The sea breeze here is weaker. Below, the seawater still settles with dark forces. Though scattered, these forces drag the ship, causing it to slow.”

Upon hearing this, Alka couldn’t help but look towards the sea surface. Even with the light from outside, it still looked as pitch-black and terrifying as the gaping mouth of a devouring Abyss.

As the ship fully entered the darkness, the surroundings turned so black one couldn’t see their hand in front of their face; only the bright line far behind them remained visible. Lanterns, long since hung on the ship’s sides and masts, now glowed with white light. The light came from Lighting Stones placed inside them earlier.

According to Andre, weak flames would have difficulty illuminating this darkness. Hence, expensive Lighting Stones were used as consumables. These stones were said to be the primary expense of exploring the Realm of Pitch Darkness. A small, palm-sized stone could radiate enough light to dispel the surrounding darkness.

Alka could even see the Spells carved on the sails, the ship’s side, and the deck faintly shimmering. This probably indicated the ship was exerting some unknown effect.

”This place is so scary!” Lucilia, who had been hiding in Alka’s mirror necklace, suddenly emerged and clung to his back as she spoke. ”The air here is filled with strange forces, which seem to have some kind of contaminating effect on spirits like us.”

Feeling the surrounding darkness, Lucilia spoke again before returning to Alka’s necklace. But her voice still echoed from within. ”I won’t come out until you leave the Realm of Pitch Darkness. This darkness seems to corrode the soul and drag it towards becoming an Evil Spirit.”

Alka just nodded. This wasn’t a good place to talk to himself.

At this time, Gami drove his machine beside Alka, using several tentacles to examine various Runes on the ship.

”What are these Runes for?” Alka couldn’t help but ask curiously.

Without looking up, Gami continued his work but answered, ”These are protective Runes from the Holy Mother Church, carrying meanings of guarding, protection, and blessing. They’re typically used in nurseries to safeguard infants’ healthy growth. Here, they protect this vessel, preventing the darkness from affecting the members on board.”

Alka nodded. This must be why Andre advised against leaving the ship casually.

Just then, Sang Kaka, whose towering figure was a rare sight on deck, walked over and sat down, resting his hands on the ship’s railings. Due to his immense height, he would have had to bend completely to touch the ship’s edge otherwise. Sitting there, he was as tall as the others were when standing.

”Honestly, I kind of hate coming to this place,” he complained to them.

”Why do you say that?” Jason asked curiously.

Hearing this question, Alka slapped his forehead. ”Dummy, the seawater contains dark forces.”

”Oh, oh!” Jason exclaimed, suddenly realizing. ”I just remembered that!”

For Sang Kaka, a merman who loved swimming, being unable to swim for a long time was indeed quite unbearable.

”Sigh, I’m going to rest now.” After speaking, Sang Kaka walked down to the cabins dejectedly, intending to enter his room through a proper entrance for once. Previously, he would just jump directly from the ship into the water.

Watching him descend into the cabin, Alka suddenly remembered something. ”Wait, isn’t his room supposed to connect to the sea below? Won’t there be a problem?”

Nearby, Gami, who was maintaining the ship’s Spells, replied, ”Don’t worry. The first thing I did when I came aboard was to install a filtering device for him. It excludes the dark forces and allows regular seawater to flow into his room.”

Hearing this, Alka finally nodded in relief.

The vast expanse of the sea, the slow sailing speed, and the pitch-black journey meant there were fewer things to do. One could only imagine how boring the subsequent voyage would be.

It was only the second day.

In the captain’s room, the few people sifting through documents were already finding it unbearable. Especially Chadite, who was naturally more active, was already lying powerlessly on the table, her mouth pouting and making strange noises.

”If you have nothing to do, go clean the deck. Stop making weird noises here,” Andre said, looking at his daughter.

”No way! This isn’t just some ordinary ship, and it’s even more boring outside.” The deck was pitch-black, and with no one around, it would definitely be more boring.

Speaking of boredom, although the people at the table examining and documenting materials seemed to be working, their robotic actions and vacant gazes betrayed them.

Thinking for a moment, Alka produced a deck of cards. Although poker cards existed in this world, the gameplay generally involved comparing card values and was strongly related to gambling. The fun factor wasn’t very high.

”Let me teach you a new way to play poker,” Alka offered.

”Sure, sure!” Chadite, who had been so bored she was practically blowing bubbles, immediately sat up straight, her face alight with joy. As for whether it was fun or not, she didn’t care at all. She just wanted to pass the excruciatingly boring time.

Alka first explained the game rules to Chadite and Jason. The three of them played a round to demonstrate to everyone else. Within an hour or two, everyone had become completely proficient. Before long, the game was in full swing.

”Haha, king bomb! You don’t have any more cards, do you? Huh? No more cards? My turn!” Jason laughed heartily, the paper strips stuck to his face fluttering as he gloated. Finally winning a round gave him a feeling of triumph.

Everyone else had only one or two paper strips stuck to their faces, but Jason was covered in them by comparison. He tore off a paper strip and firmly stuck it to Andre’s forehead, then pressed another onto Vanessa’s brow, looking as if he wished he could embed them into their skulls.

”Jason finally won a round! That wasn’t easy,” Chadite teased from the side.

Only Alka, being much more proficient than the others, had won multiple times and thus only had two paper strips on his face; he watched everyone with a smile. He had taught them how to play ’Fight the Landlord’ from his past life. The combination of their boredom, the novelty of the game, and its more engaging gameplay quickly made everyone fall in love with this new form of entertainment. Finally, they had a better way to pass the tedious time on the ship.

After spending a few hours in the room, Alka felt a bit stiff. ”I’m going out for some fresh air,” he announced, standing up. He pushed open the wooden door and stepped onto the deck.

He looked out at the completely pitch-black world. Only the faint sound of the waves could be heard. The blackness outside, unlit by moonlight, was like ink spilled across the entire world. If this weren’t a Spell Ship, capable of automatically avoiding submerged reefs, sailing in such a place would be incredibly dangerous. For ordinary people hoping to strike it rich here, danger lurked everywhere. But for prepared individuals, those who had some experience with such phenomena, the danger was greatly diminished.

Alka walked to the ship’s railing, enjoying the sea breeze that swept through the darkness. He stretched lazily.

After a moment, Alka suddenly frowned. He smelled a faint fishy scent in the air.

”Danger!” Lucilia’s voice suddenly cried out from Alka’s necklace.

Hearing this, Alka rolled backward without hesitation. Just as he completed a few rolls, a slender tentacle whipped out from the darkness. However, it didn’t strike the deck directly but smashed against a thin, white light Shield. With the impact, Alka saw that the tentacle was covered in suckers, resembling that of an octopus or squid.

This attack startled everyone on the ship. Andre, Jason, and the others quickly rushed out from the captain’s cabin. The paper strips still stuck to their faces fluttered in the wind, making their serious expressions look somewhat comical.

”It’s a Sea Monster! Gami!” Andre shouted.

Hearing Andre, Gami waved his hand without hesitation, controlling the two Vibrating Stone Cannons on the lower artillery deck to fire. However, the surrounding area was too dark, and the cannonballs clearly missed their target.

This Sea Monster was also very clever. It showed no intention of coming closer, merely launching sneak attacks with its tentacles from time to time. Yet, the protective Shield’s Energy was visibly weakening, its light dimming.

”I can’t see it! It’s too dark!” Gami exclaimed.

Hearing this, Andre produced a monocular telescope and tossed it to Gami. Gami caught it and quickly placed it to his eye. Finally, through the monocular, he could see clearly into the darkness.