Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Upon entering this emerald-green area, the surrounding environment grew colder and more damp.

The trees here grew in an unusually peculiar manner. Their trunks were extremely thin, resembling several thick vines spiraling upwards together. Clear indentations were visible on the trunks, with textures extending upwards in several distinct strands. Yet, their crowns were large and dense, and the branches between adjacent trees intertwined, connecting them. As a result, the canopy almost completely obscured the sky above.

It was nighttime, and upon entering this area, the stars were completely hidden from view.

Seeing this situation, Alka spoke up, ”Have them return. We’ll rest on the outskirts tonight and cross through tomorrow.”

After all, it only takes two or three hours to traverse this region; there’s no need to risk crossing it during the more dangerous nighttime hours. Nighttime was when all dangerous creatures were most active.

Hearing Alka’s words, Lucilia nodded. She recalled the Puppet Girl, who was out scouting the surroundings, through their internal network.

Having decided to rest here, they moored the Swallow to a large tree.

Simon took the Swallow’s rear propulsion unit, connected it between several trees, and then extended it. A simple shelter was thus completed.

Although slightly cramped, it was adequate, especially with the ship nearby and the Ocean Tier Three trio resting comfortably in the water, a more suitable environment for them.

After making these simple arrangements and assigning watch duty, everyone leaned against something and settled down to sleep for the night.

This forest, unlike other places at night, wasn’t entirely quiet; there was the faint chirping of insects and the subtle sounds of fish moving in the water.

The night deepened. Everything seemed quiet and peaceful.

Lucilia, having just awakened to take over the watch, was reading a book in her hand by the faint glow of a Lighting Stone. Beside her, several other Puppet Girls were vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

There’s movement. The thought suddenly flashed through Lucilia’s mind—a message from one of the Puppet Girls.

Upon receiving this message, Lucilia, outwardly unperturbed, continued to flip through her book. After about ten seconds, she slowly closed it and then extinguished the Lighting Stone.

The instant the stone went dark, her silhouette merged with the shadows and disappeared. Only the faint whisper of the breeze could be heard.

Lucilia had already reached the side of the Puppet Girl who had sent the warning. The disturbance the Puppet Girl had reported was below them.

Several dark figures, using the moonlight as cover, had grown cautious when the light was extinguished. They were now hiding quietly in the water, only their heads exposed above the surface.

Not human.

With her Dark Vision, Lucilia had already clearly identified these shadowy creatures. Although she couldn’t make out their skin color, the creatures resembled fishmen. However, they were quite small, perhaps only a meter tall including their legs, and their backs were hunched. This wasn’t due to cautious movement; they seemed to be naturally built that way.

Rockfishmen.

A moment later, Lucilia dredged up information about these fishmen from her memory.

Smooth, viscous skin. They were the smallest among the fishman race, with hunched backs and slender limbs. Their most distinctive features were their huge mouths, filled with two rows of sharp teeth, and the two large eyes atop their heads. These eyes were their only truly remarkable trait, granting them an exceptionally wide field of vision. In a race known for its significant and obvious sub-species variations, their visual range was among the best. But that was their only strength.

Even without her reconnaissance glasses, she could estimate their capabilities based on intuition, experience, and her knowledge.

These fishmen aren’t very strong. They definitely haven’t reached the Third Stage. A total of three.

They clutched spears that appeared to be crudely sharpened tree branches; the weapons looked exceptionally poor. They could hardly even be called weapons.

Still, given they were fishmen, Lucilia hesitated for a moment, deciding against a reckless attack. Instead, she instructed the Puppet Girls to maintain their vigilance, while her own figure disappeared among the tree branches.

She returned to the resting place within seconds and gently woke everyone. She gave Pororo a particular nudge.

”It’s a group of Rockfishmen.”

”Those pests?” Pororo’s expression soured slightly at the mention of Rockfishmen. Evidently, he wasn’t fond of this particular offshoot of fishmen, who, despite their vastly different size, belonged to the same race as him.

”Fine, I’ll go take a look.”

With that, Pororo slid into the seawater beside them. His massive form slipped into the water without causing the slightest disturbance or ripple. He moved swiftly underwater, like a silent Hunter.

Soon, he spotted the group of Rockfishmen, who were once again stealthily on the move.

Noticing there were only three, Pororo abandoned his stealth and abruptly burst from the water directly in front of them.

”What are you little runts trying to do?”

”AAH!” Pororo’s sudden appearance startled the Rockfishmen, and one of them shrieked. His two companions instantly clamped their hands over his mouth.

Then, they looked up at the enormous Pororo. Realizing he was also a fishman, they offered a nervous little smile, nodded, and then pointed towards Alka’s group.

”There... humans,” one stammered, pointing. ”Tasty... steal.”