Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Chapter 347: Chapter 199 Symbolism

Alka, a puzzled look on his face, frowned as he approached Chadite.

He stared at Number Two on Chadite’s shoulder.

At this moment, Number Two was clutching Chadite’s hair. Seeing Alka beside them, she turned her head to stare at him.

She tilted her head and smiled, not exhibiting the disdainful retreat she had shown when Jason approached.

”Why doesn’t she dislike Alka?” Jason couldn’t help but ask.

Julia glanced at him and said, ”Maybe Alka is her creator.”

Actually, that wasn’t the reason she wanted to give, Julia thought. After all, if the puppet was similar to Chadite, then there must be another reason.

Alka reached out his hand, and Number Two, seemingly understanding his intention, jumped directly onto it.

She behaved extremely cooperatively, fully displaying her enhanced spiritual nature.

”Don’t use Magic Power. Just relax and stand still while I examine you,” Alka said to Number Two on his hand.

Number Two nodded. ”Okay.”

The Hand of Precision materialized on Alka’s right hand, followed by a pair of glasses appearing in his grasp. The right eyepiece had additional, smaller lenses in front of it, apparently for magnification.

He put on the glasses and overlapped all the additional lenses in front of the right eyepiece.

Using the Hand of Precision, he began to meticulously examine her hair. A screen of Magic Power, like a scanner, swept back and forth across Number Two’s hair.

He wanted to determine two things: firstly, if there was actual hair inside her, and secondly, if this hair was producing any unusual effects.

This continued for a good twenty minutes. By the time Alka finally pushed the glasses up onto his forehead, sweat had beaded there.

He exhaled, then placed Number Two, who had been on his hand, onto the deck.

”How is it? Did your examination reveal anything?” Chadite asked curiously from the side.

Alka’s eyes were filled with bewilderment.

”Why? It really was the hair that caused the change, but why? It’s just hair! Just a few strands, not even enough to be considered a material!”

Muttering this, Alka sat down on the edge of the garden, propping his head in his hands, completely baffled.

”This isn’t scientific at all! It’s completely illogical!”

Listening to Alka’s perplexed words, Lucilia, who was sitting beside him, replied, ”You can’t necessarily say that. Haven’t many stories and records mentioned it? Plucking an enemy’s hair for Curses and the like. Perhaps hair holds a peculiar symbolism, even a connection to a person’s soul.”

Upon hearing Lucilia’s words, Alka turned to look at her. Now that she mentioned it, perhaps such a possibility truly existed, he thought. It wasn’t scientific, but it was very Magic, very much in line with mysticism.

After all, in magical mysticism, hair often possessed unique functions, carrying distinct representations and intentions.

And indeed, as Lucilia had said, some Curses could be initiated using hair, and these Curses were often related to the soul.

Otherwise, it was hard to explain why a mere few strands of hair could cause such a profound change in Number Two, and one that clearly biased her towards Chadite.

”In any case, it’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Chadite said with a smile, looking at Number Two now sitting on her lap.

Alka nodded. It was indeed an unexpected discovery. But as for whether it’s a good thing... I can’t be sure yet, he thought.

”Then, should we make one using my hair?” Jason asked expectantly from the side.

Before Alka could refuse, Lucilia stood up, hands on her hips, and declared, ”No way! My Puppet Legion must all be female! They must be Puppet Girls; that’s what makes them cool. No males!”

This was, after all, the Puppet Legion Lucilia had enhanced using Treasures, and the puppets showed no difference in strength regardless of gender.

An all-female Puppet Knight Order certainly looked more interesting.

Hearing this, Alka shrugged at Jason, indicating it wasn’t his decision to make. He was, after all, just the basic creator.

When Alka created puppets, he didn’t intentionally give them overtly male or female appearances.

Whether their appearance leaned towards female depended more on other factors, including the materials, Lucilia’s inspiration, and her ideas.

After all, the standard puppets already tended to resemble Lucilia in appearance, so it was a given they would be female.

”Alright,” Jason shrugged and said. He wasn’t insisting, merely making a suggestion because he thought it was an interesting idea.

”Then make one using my hair?” Julia smiled and said.

Lucilia nodded. ”No problem.”

However, Alka interjected, ”Not so fast. The materials are being consumed more quickly than I thought. We might have to wait until we reach the Endless Sea to create the next puppet.”

”Besides,” he added, ”I can’t be certain it’s truly a good thing. I need to observe Number Two carefully before I can draw any conclusions.”

Although Number Two’s transformation was genuinely delightful, whether it would ultimately bring benefits or harm could only be determined by time and more detailed observation.

Alka knew very little about such matters, so he was completely in the dark as to whether this symbolism was a good or bad omen.

After some thought, Alka turned to Lucilia and said, ”For now, let Number Two stay with Chadite. We need to see what specific effects arise. How does that sound?”

Lucilia had no objections to this and nodded. ”No problem.”

Then Alka looked at Chadite, awaiting her response.

Chadite turned to look at Number Two, who had just hopped back onto her shoulder, and nodded with a smile. She was, of course, more than willing.