Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

The small grove came into view; it was not very large. As previously mentioned, the grove was about the size of a typical market area. However, a wide, cleared road stretched ahead. Nearly all the approaching small boats were oar-powered, stopping at the periphery. Alka and the others also halted their boat there.

Alka then led Jason and the others toward the area.

Upon entering the grove, two guards in inconspicuous clothing and masks glanced at them, then paid them no further mind. They stepped onto wooden frames made of bamboo, which creaked underfoot as they proceeded inside. These wooden frames were built around the branches of the surrounding trees, and nearly every tree had a stall beside it.

There were not many people here. People coming and going generally kept a certain distance from each other. Despite the number of people present, the place felt remarkably silent, creating an eerie quiet.

They slowly wandered around the area, observing the trading methods of the people there. All transactions were conducted with hand signals. After a moment of careful observation, they realized that transactions were made in units of at least one Golden Sail.

”Is there anything you want to buy?” Alka whispered to the others. He himself was also browsing the stalls.

Suddenly, Simon squatted down and pointed at a blackened steel object on a stall, which was covered in dirt and showed signs of corrosion. The owner, dressed in a black robe that obscured his face, glanced briefly at Simon and then held up six fingers. Simon pondered for a moment, then pointed at several similar items nearby and made a circular gesture. He then gestured a ”two” followed by a ”three,” indicating the number twenty-three. The owner considered this, nodded, and handed a cloth bag to Simon. Simon took it, reached into his own pouch, placed twenty-three coins inside the bag, and handed it back to the owner. The owner hefted the bag, then made a ”go ahead” gesture. Simon silently collected the items he had purchased from the stall and continued following the group without a word.

Before long, the group had walked a full circle around the small market. Alka made eye contact with the others, and confirming they had nothing else to buy, he led them away.

They made their way back to the boat.

”Let’s set sail,” Alka said. ”There’s nothing worthwhile in such a small place.”

The boat slowly began to move, continuing on its journey.

”How was it in there?” Pororo asked.

Alka shook his head with some disdain. ”Honestly, it wasn’t great. Everything looked like stolen goods; there were hardly any materials in good condition.”

Many of the items they had seen earlier, especially pieces of equipment, bore traces of blood. The sellers hadn’t even bothered to wipe them clean. And as for the materials, their preservation methods were clearly inadequate. It was as if they were all there to fence stolen goods. Moreover, perhaps due to the nature of the place, the prices weren’t cheap either, so there was basically no need to buy any ordinary items.

”This region is too chaotic. Places like this where you can trade must be rare,” Simon remarked, and the items he had just bought appeared in his hand.

Jason looked at them curiously and asked, ”So, what did you buy?”

They looked like some kind of structural components.

”They’re semi-finished products that Church members often use as cores,” Simon explained. ”Probably stolen or looted. Although the quality isn’t great, they’ll do as consumables.”

Hearing this, the others nodded.

”There’s a boat following us,” Chadite suddenly announced.

It seemed someone had recognized them as unfamiliar faces.

However, before they could do anything, Chadite added, ”They’ve turned around and left.”

”Huh? They just left? I thought we were going to be robbed today,” Jason said, sounding a little disappointed.

”Speaking of which, how far are we from our destination? It’s been so many days already,” Juanlu asked, looking at Alka.

They had been sailing for about seven or eight days since leaving the pirate village.

A map appeared in Alka’s hand. He checked it, made a quick calculation, and said, ”The guidance is getting stronger. It shouldn’t be long now. A little further, and we should be there.”

Hearing Alka’s words, the others nodded.

「The next day.」

Night had given way to day, and it had already been light for seven or eight hours. Alka, who had been drowsing on the boat, suddenly jolted awake.

”We’re here! We’re here!”

The blessing bestowed upon him by the Flower Fairy had activated in an instant, startling him awake. There had been no warning signs; the intensity of his premonition hadn’t increased significantly, yet suddenly, they had arrived.

Upon hearing Alka’s words, Jason, who was steering, immediately halted the boat. Everyone quickly rose to their feet.

”Where is it?” Pororo asked, glancing around.

This place looked no different from most of the areas they had sailed through; there was nothing visibly special about it.

Alka closed his eyes, took a couple of steps on the boat, and then, at the bow, his eyes snapped open.

”This is it,” Alka declared. ”If we enter the Dream Realm from here, we should be able to reach the area where the Flower Fairy said the Treasure is hidden.”

Hearing this, Simon, who was sitting nearby, suddenly asked, ”So, we’ve arrived here. You enter the Dream Realm, get the Treasure, and then we go back. Is that all there is to it?”

”Mhm,” Alka confirmed.

”Is it really that simple?” Simon pressed. ”Isn’t that... too simple?”

Apart from traveling, they had done practically nothing else.

”It’s not that simple,” Chadite said, shaking his head from nearby. ”What the Flower Fairy requires is the ability to *enter* the Dream Realm from this specific place, not just to fall asleep here, dream, and then wake up. Those are two different concepts.”