Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Chapter 100: Chapter 99: The Untrodden Island

Meniyex, the Deputy of Love, was a devout follower of the Holy Mother, wielding a sharp blade to safeguard the Holy Mother’s sacred faith in the mortal world. When encountering evildoers, her blade would pierce their chests, and the Holy Light would sear their hearts, purifying them with its sacred radiance. She would use her blade to send the enemies’ sinful souls to the Holy Mother’s Chapel of Confession.

”Oh, sinful souls! You shall be cleansed of your sins there until you return to purity.”

When meeting the helpless, she would pierce their palms with her sharp blade. The sick would become healthy. The suffering would find happiness. The hungry would be fed. Mothers and children would receive blessings.

...

Flipping through the Holy Mother Scripture, Alka was reading the Chapter on Meniyex, the Deputy of Love, and her compassion.

The religious undertones are too strong, he thought, but I might be able to glean some of the Sword of Love’s potential abilities from this Chapter. After all, truth can be stranger than fiction, and this sword not only truly exists but is also our target.

”It is said that unbelievers who wield the Sword of Love will be burned by the Holy Flame. Only those who worship the Holy Mother will be protected and blessed when wielding it,” Chadite remarked casually, watching Alka flip through the Holy Scripture and read the recorded deeds.

Unbelievers, Alka thought. Upon hearing Chadite’s words, he instantly thought not of others, but of himself. I don’t even know if I count as a follower of the Holy Mother. My soul is from the Otherworld, from modern society. My faith... well, let’s just say it depends on whether the entity I’m supposed to worship is useful and offers any benefits. If it’s truly efficacious, then there’s no harm in believing. If Chadite and the others knew about my pragmatic approach to faith, they’d label me a heretic at the very least.

Thinking this, Alka resolved he would absolutely not touch that sword. It would be mortifying if I actually got burned. Imagine being incinerated by the Sword of Love while surrounded by devout followers of the Holy Mother—it’s too ridiculous.

Just then, a crisp bell chimed from outside, signaling their imminent arrival.

”Looks like we’re about there. Let’s go out,” Jason said, putting down what he was holding. He opened the wooden door first and stepped out, with the others following closely behind. They were fully armed, their weapons and equipment already donned.

Stepping onto the deck, they were met with a pitch-black environment. Then, the thick clouds above parted slightly, allowing a few rays of light to filter down. Such an occurrence was rare, especially in a place like this. Aided by the faint light, they looked straight ahead and saw a huge object floating on the sea’s surface in the distance.

”This island is quite big!” Chadite exclaimed in surprise, gazing at it. The map had only marked the island’s location, without illustrating its size relative to other islands.

Their vessel, the Sea Fist, was sailing directly towards the port this island had once possessed. The dilapidated ruins of the port buildings hinted at its former prosperity. Several boats still floated there, though they were long decayed; their mere ability to remain afloat was a miracle. From the size and remaining features of these wrecked vessels, one could glimpse the glory they held a hundred years prior. Only such exceptionally crafted ships could have endured to this day without sinking. The seawater here, it was known, was far more corrosive than elsewhere. The fact that these ships had floated on this sea for centuries without succumbing was a testament to their robust construction.

The Sea Fist slowly came to a stop at a remaining berth. Alka used the Mirror, once again assembling it into a searchlight to illuminate the area below. The parted clouds had already closed, and the light vanished back into the darkness. The beam from the Mirror-searchlight scanned the area below, finding a suitable spot.

Andre leaped directly from the bow, the others following, with Alka, controlling the light, being the last to jump. Everyone took out a Lighting Stone, secured in a net bag and hung at their waist, to illuminate their immediate surroundings.

Andre surveyed the area, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, but his palms were already lightly clenched. ”This island should be untouched,” he said. ”There might be a considerable number of undead remaining. Be careful.”

Alka directed the searchlight beam into the distance. The area consisted mostly of port warehouses, all of which had crumbled and collapsed; nothing intact remained. Led by Andre, the group slowly advanced.

Leaving the port area with the aid of the light, they reached the city area behind it, only to be confronted by vast stretches of ruins. There were significantly more buildings here than on the islands they had previously visited; the difference was comparable to that between a village and a city. It was difficult to find any intact structures. While a few were relatively well-preserved, most had fallen into ruin, with various plants sprouting from the debris, entwining stones and remnants of buildings.

As they advanced and the searchlight beam swept forward, six or seven skeletons visibly began to rise slowly from the ground. A ghostly green Soul Fire ignited within their skulls, strikingly conspicuous in the darkness. Gripping various weapons—wooden sticks, iron rods, and even bone clubs of indeterminate origin—they shuffled towards the group, their steps so unsteady they looked as if they might fall apart at any moment.

Andre quickened his pace and was the first to engage them. He reached out, his hand open, and easily gripped the skull of the nearest skeleton. With a slight squeeze—Alka didn’t even see a glimmer of Magic Power—the skull, along with the ghostly green Soul Fire within, was crushed. The skeleton’s body below the neck immediately collapsed, its bones scattering as if their connections had been severed.

The remaining skeletons, unperturbed and thoughtless, continued their slow advance towards Alka’s group. Several silk threads shot out, passing through the skeletons’ hollow eye sockets and striking the Soul Fire within. The flames wavered and then extinguished as if snuffed out by a breeze, and these skeletons too collapsed into piles of bones.

The men intentionally left one skeleton for Chadite, allowing her to test its strength and get a measure of them. Considering the likely number of skeletons on the island, understanding their capabilities would help them conserve energy and use their strength more effectively. Alka and the others had already encountered similar undead on the previous island.

Chadite dispatched the remaining one with a powerful whip kick that shattered its entire body—a display of brutal elegance.

As they pressed on, more skeletons crawled up from the ground. These creatures, with their unimpressive weapons and less-than-menacing appearances, were hardly a threat. Even ordinary adults, or teenagers who could overcome their fear, could easily defeat them. The group began to systematically crush the skeletons that swarmed them, like relentless bone-shattering machines. In a short time, they had cleared out all the surrounding undead.

More skeletons approached from the distance, possibly drawn by their light sources. However, after this wave was dealt with, no more immediately surrounded them. Yet, as they continued to advance, skeletons lying dormant in various places were disturbed by their passage and rose to attack.

”So annoying! It never ends,” Jason grumbled, casually swatting a nearby skeleton’s skull away. Their progress was significantly hampered by these unending waves of undead. This island must have never been explored before; otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many skeletons. He found himself somewhat nostalgic for the previous island, which had been largely cleared of undead by others, leaving very few to deal with.

Hearing Jason’s grumbling, Alka punched the skull of a skeleton in front of him to pieces. He then squatted down and pulled something from between the skeleton’s arm bones. He had noticed it because, to his eyes, the object was enveloped in a white outline, indicating it was a valuable item—a treasure.

It was a ring, wedged in a gap between bones. Perhaps because it was stuck there, it was well-preserved. A circle of unique Crystal Stones was set into it. Both its craftsmanship and style were exquisite, clearly valuable at first glance.

”This ring is worth at least one Golden Sail,” Chadite remarked from the side, observing Alka’s find. She had some skill in appraising such items.

”Is that so? Then these skeletons are quite valuable,” Alka joked. He then kicked another approaching skeleton to the ground and stomped hard, crushing its skull. With that skeleton eliminated, they finally had a brief moment of quiet.

Andre surveyed the vast city ruins. Searching for our target together would be a waste of time and manpower, he mused. After some thought, he announced, ”Let’s pair up. Everyone split up to find the church. Signal if you encounter danger.”

The group nodded, divided into three pairs, and set off to explore in different directions. Alka and Chadite headed to the right. According to the map, their target was in that direction, though it was located towards the middle or rear of the island, and they were currently only at the city’s edge. There are two blue points in this direction, Alka noted, which was why he chose this path. If these blue points aren’t hidden, I don’t mind collecting them along the way.

After walking a few steps, Alka looked at a nearby building and said, ”This building looks quite solid and covers a large area. It must be filled with valuables.”

Chadite glanced up. ”Let’s make a note of it for now. We can come back to loot it after we’ve achieved our main objective.”

Alka nodded in agreement. There is indeed a white point inside, though I don’t know its exact value. No need to rush, he thought.

They continued onward. Alka kept an eye on the map, noticing they were getting closer to the location of a blue point. Soon, he spotted a blue outline flickering inside a half-collapsed building not far ahead. It was plainly visible, with no attempt at concealment.

Sure enough, Alka mused, in a city destroyed so suddenly, wealth is practically lying everywhere. This can’t even be called treasure hunting; it’s more like scavenging.

Alka walked towards the ruins. He directed the concentrated beam of his searchlight to illuminate the area around the blue outline. The object was an oil lamp, hanging on a wall inside the collapsed structure. It had been clearly exposed due to the collapse of the outer wall.