Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Possession of the Soul

”Alka, let me take over. You can go rest.”

Alka sat atop the lookout tower, unsure of how much time had passed, too lazy to even check his pocket watch anymore. In the darkness, the perception of time ebbed and flowed, dictated entirely by the task at hand.

Hearing Chadite’s voice, Alka stood up and glanced below. ”Alright, I’m coming down now,” he said, then slid down the rope.

Once down, he couldn’t help but ask, ”What happened earlier? I saw Hammer being carried inside from up there.” After speaking, he shook his head and glanced at the door of the nearby medical room.

”Hammer was subjected to the erosion of darkness, and his mind was affected,” Chadite explained. ”He’s much better now and is resting.”

Hearing this, Alka, who had originally intended to check on Hammer in the medical room, stopped in his tracks.

It’s better not to disturb him, after all.

With this thought, Alka pushed open the door to the captain’s cabin and walked in. The core team members were all present. Sang Kaka, Vanessa, and Gami were playing cards, while Andre and Jason were examining something on the table.

Their knowledge was limited, so there wasn’t any more data for them to analyze. They would have to wait until they reached their destination to explore further.

Noticing Alka enter, Andre looked up, rubbed his brow, and said, ”We should be about two days away from our destination. Make sure to be prepared.”

Alka walked over, sat on a nearby chair, and nodded. He casually picked up a book from a nearby shelf and began to peruse it.

Apart from the sounds of their card game, the captain’s cabin was silent. Those reading didn’t find the noise from the game bothersome; instead, they rather welcomed such sounds. Sailing on the open sea was inherently boring. But sailing on a pitch-black sea was more than just boring—the darkness and silence were enough to drive one mad.

DING DING DING!

At that moment, the sound of a bell ringing came from the deck outside. Upon hearing this, everyone immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed out without hesitation. The moment Alka dashed out, he drew the Locking Device from his thigh, a card appearing in his other hand as he instantly assumed a battle stance.

”Stop!”

The instant they were outside, Andre keenly sensed why the bell had been rung.

”Gami, kill the lights!”

Hearing Andre’s order, Gami, who hadn’t yet realized what was amiss, unhesitatingly obeyed. The Lighting Stones on the ship extinguished instantly. In an instant, the ship was plunged into darkness.

But the darkness was not empty. Instead, it revealed to everyone the reason for Andre’s alarm. On the distant sea surface, a faint, eerie glow was slowly moving. It was a dilapidated ship, emanating a faint white light, with mist drifting from it as it sailed. Its sails were tattered, and even the mizzenmast was broken off. Dents and large holes were visible in the ship’s hull. It was clearly a derelict, ruined ship.

”It’s a Ghost Spirit Ship,” Andre whispered. ”Stay quiet and let it pass. Don’t disturb them.”

Hearing Andre’s hushed voice, everyone held their breath, trying not to make the slightest sound. Up in the lookout tower, Chadite, seeing the actions of those below, also huddled down, only his head visible as he observed quietly.

They silently watched the distant Ghost Spirit Ship sail past to their starboard side. Fortunately, its course wasn’t directly towards them, though it would pass dangerously close. At its closest, it was less than 500 meters away. On the open sea, this was hardly a safe distance, especially considering neither vessel was ordinary. With their keen eyesight, they could even discern ghostly figures moving about on the ship’s deck. Skeletal creatures clung to the sails, hauling on the rigging as if they were human.

”@&%=...”

What was that sound? Alka furrowed his brow and looked around, as if trying to identify the source of the noise. However, the strange sound echoed in his ears once more. Who’s singing?

Alka heard singing. It was in an unknown language, softly sung, ethereal yet stirring, and it seemed to penetrate deep within him. It felt as if it were piercing straight into his soul. As the sound continued, the singing grew increasingly unsettling, causing Alka to frown deeply. His mind grew weary.

”Darkness is gathering around you! Alka, wake up!”

Hearing Lucilia’s voice beside his ear, Alka quickly shook his head. Instantly, the singing weakened. Alka instinctively opened his mouth to ask Lucilia a question, but then he remembered Andre and the others nearby and quickly shut it. The initially faint singing began to grow stronger again.

”Close your eyes. Channel your Magic Power into the Mirror.”

Hearing Lucilia’s voice, Alka slowly channeled his Magic Power into the Mirror. Subsequently, he felt Lucilia seize the opportunity to fly out and, for an instant, superimpose herself onto him. It felt as if she had entered his very body, delving deep into his spirit. However, as Lucilia vanished, Alka distinctly felt the singing disappear. The unsettling whispers vanished before Alka could react, and his slightly dazed mind cleared, returning to normal.

Lucilia’s voice resonated directly in his mind, ”So this is what a boy’s body feels like? How strange.”

Alka could feel an additional presence within his body—as if it were in his very flesh and blood, yet also within his soul.

How strange, how bizarre. Don’t go exploring inside my body!

The thought surfaced in his mind and was immediately picked up by Lucilia.

”Hehe, sorry,” Lucilia giggled in his mind. ”This is my first time doing this too.” After saying that, she settled quietly beside Alka’s soul. ”Alka, why does your soul look a little different from your physical appearance? And what are these small specks of light around it?”

Hearing Lucilia’s words, Alka gained some insight into his soul’s condition. Speaking of which, he had only recently noticed it himself from frequently looking in the mirror: his current appearance had subtly changed, shifting towards how he used to look. This brought him a measure of comfort when he looked in the mirror, though he mostly dismissed it as an illusion. However, it was just a subtle shift, not a significant change. Those who knew Alka could still recognize him; they would likely just think he had matured or attribute it to the natural changes of aging.

After hearing Lucilia’s words, a thought occurred to Alka.

So, my body is changing to resemble my soul, and my soul is changing to resemble my body. They’re influencing each other. It’s just as Lucilia said before: the body affects the soul, and the soul affects the body. Those specks of light must be traces left by the original soul.

Alka didn’t fully understand it, merely making simple deductions based on the information he had.

”Besides, Alka, your soul is so resilient! Much more so than mine.” As she spoke, Lucilia couldn’t resist reaching out to touch Alka’s soul’s arm.

Alka sucked in a sharp breath and instinctively rubbed his left arm.

”What’s wrong?” Jason, who was beside him, asked, having heard Alka’s sudden intake of breath.

”Nothing,” Alka replied with a slight, forced smile, enduring the strange sensation.

”Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to,” Lucilia said, realizing her touch to his soul had caused a physical reaction.

It’s fine, it wasn’t painful, just a very strange sensation. Maybe I’m too sensitive, Alka thought.

”That’s good,” Lucilia replied in his mind.

The moment Lucilia had touched his soul, Alka had felt an intense jolt.

The soul is so much more sensitive than the physical body. Can sensations in the soul reflect outwardly too? Alka couldn’t help but wonder.

With Lucilia now residing within his soul, Alka no longer heard the increasingly grating song from the darkness.

”Why would a soul as resilient as Alka’s still be affected by this?” Lucilia’s voice continued in his mind. ”The darkness gathering around you is much denser than around your companions.” As a spirit, Lucilia could perceive things much more clearly and in greater detail than Alka and the others, who were human. In her perception, whenever they were completely enveloped in darkness, the shadows around Alka would surge towards him like a tsunami. Yet, for his companions, the darkness showed little inclination to approach them.

Could it be that a stronger soul, paradoxically, attracts more darkness? Alka mused.

”It’s possible,” Lucilia affirmed. ”Strength can help resist harm, but it can also attract unwanted attention.”

Considering the sheer amount of darkness, Alka should theoretically have been corrupted by it already, suffering issues similar to Hammer’s. But Alka had only heard some singing—the most Basic symptoms—and the severity of the corruption he experienced was on a completely different level compared to the darkness he attracted.

Their silent exchange didn’t last long. As the Ghost Spirit Ship receded into the distance, the Lighting Stones on their vessel flared back to life.

”The darkness has receded,” Lucilia announced. As she spoke, she disengaged from Alka’s body and returned to the necklace.

”It seems this journey is far more dangerous than I anticipated,” Andre said, his voice heavy. He was frowning deeply.

Alka, standing beside him, asked, ”What was that ship all about?”

”According to Church records, the Shadow of Darkness possesses abilities related to death. When it fully manifested, countless lives across two nations perished,” Andre explained. ”These departed souls all transformed into Spiritual Bodies, drifting in these waters and becoming the primary source of danger here. However, they are rarely seen in the outer areas. Records indicate that the epicenter of the outbreak and its immediate vicinity suffered the highest mortality rate; further out, casualties were minimal. This kind of Ghost Spirit Ship is a monstrous amalgamation, formed when entire crews were instantly killed by a surge of that power, their death energies and Spiritual Bodies fusing with their vessels.”

At this, Gami interjected, ”Captain, they shouldn’t be called monsters. They are still human, merely bound by that power.” As everyone’s attention turned to him, Gami explained, ”The Church has dedicated research groups that have entered the Realm of Pitch Darkness many times. Many souls within still retain memories and emotions from their lives. They are simply trapped by that power. The most severely affected are completely consumed by darkness, unable to escape or find true death. They are just... pitiable souls, that’s all.”

Andre sighed. ”My apologies... I haven’t been back to the Great Cathedral in a long time, so my information is outdated.”

A somber mood fell over the group as they gazed in the direction the Ghost Spirit Ship had disappeared.

”Don’t be disheartened,” Gami offered, trying to console them. ”Many in the Church are dedicated to finding ways to alleviate the suffering of these souls.”

What progress had been made, however, remained unknown. After all, this was the result of an extraordinary power unleashed by a Scepter-level Treasure, through a special ritual that culminated in its own destruction. Such power wasn’t easily dispelled.

The ship swayed once more as it continued its journey through the oppressive darkness.