Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

The smell of blood in this place could only be coming from their ship. Except for them, there were no other living beings around. The undead didn't bleed. So much time had passed that not even a decomposed corpse remained here.

The already impatient group grew even more anxious. This was a very bad omen.

Alka directly controlled the Mirror, once again taking out the lantern. Their light combined and condensed into a beam that shot into the distance, striking the Sea Fist docked at the port.

The position of the Sea Fist had clearly shifted somewhat from where they had left it. What made them most anxious were the nearby wooden planks, which had previously been there. The sailboats not far from them, once floating on the sea, were now sinking towards the seabed, only their tattered sterns visible.

As the light shone, the color of the seawater around the Sea Fist looked peculiar; it no longer seemed to be the usual pitch-black hue.

Seeing this, Andre stomped his foot. A depression appeared in the earth beneath him, and he launched himself forward like a cannonball. Jason and Vanessa followed closely, while Alka carried the weakened Chadite on his back, hurrying forward.

Andre was the first to leap onto the ship. By the time Alka arrived, the beam of light already illuminated a turbid liquid staining the seawater... it was blood. Very fresh blood.

The pitch-black seawater began to bubble, and a figure emerged from the depths. It was none other than Sang Kaka, who had been guarding the ship. He slowly walked from the sea toward the shore. As he came ashore, Alka finally saw that he was holding a giant shark's tail in one hand.

The shark's tail was a full two meters wide, covered with wounds from which blood was still flowing. As Sang Kaka dragged it, an entire shark, seven to eight meters long, was hauled onto the shore.

Andre jumped off the ship again and strode over. His expression had already returned to calm.

Sang Kaka was covered in blood, but he acted as if nothing was wrong. He opened his left hand, and with a faint flicker of light, a stream of clear spring water began to spurt out continuously. Raising his left hand above his head, the spring water flowed down, cleansing his body. His raised left hand was like a sprinkler.

The clear spring water washed away the bloodstains from his body, much to the relief of Alka and the others. As the liquid rinsed him clean, they could see there were no wounds on Sang Kaka's body.

Andre, standing beside him, showed no signs of worry; he was well aware of Sang Kaka's strength. When he had jumped onto the ship earlier, he had also checked on Hammer and the others; they were in no danger.

Sang Kaka flashed a bright smile, revealing his mouthful of sharp teeth. He reached out and touched his long, sharp nose.

"This damned Sea Beast! Truly overestimating itself. The meat of these Sea Beasts from the Realm of Pitch Darkness stinks. Such a waste of effort!" he said, looking somewhat angry again, and kicked the shark beside him. At his kick, the shark twitched twice.

Gami stepped forward to inspect the shark and, right in front of everyone, began to dissect it with his four tentacles. While dissecting, he explained, "This shark's skin is quite tough. It could be made into a piece of leather armor that's comfortable to wear and might even offer some defense. The dorsal fin and tail are quite sharp. But the blood and this meat... they're filled with dark power, but it's too impure." He shook his head as he said this.

At this, Alka couldn't help but lean in to observe the giant shark. The shark's fatal wound appeared to be the huge, bloody hole in its head; its body also bore some claw marks and bite wounds.

Looking at Sang Kaka's sharp teeth and his pointed, long nose, Alka thought, Even though I've never seen him in action, his strength must be considerable. After all, Chadite said Sang Kaka is the strongest in the exploration group, aside from her father. In the water, her father might even be killed by Sang Kaka—a truly formidable ocean killer.

Since everything was fine, everyone boarded the Sea Fist. Chadite slid off Alka's back, greeted everyone, and then walked into her room alone. She really needed a good rest.

Not long after, Gami came up, his tentacles dragging a pile of materials. He then walked into the cabin.

"Set sail!"

At Andre's command, the sails dropped, and Andre walked to the helm to begin steering. He then said to the few people still on deck, "I'll slow down a bit first. We'll head to the island where Alka and the others were before and perform the Soul Crossing Ceremony for the young woman. Then, we'll leave the Realm of Pitch Darkness at the fastest speed."

Everyone nodded and then returned to their rooms for a brief rest, awaiting the ship's arrival. Alka also returned to his room. He fell directly onto the bed and was fast asleep within seconds of closing his eyes.

The rocking motion ceased, and Alka felt the ship stop. He forced his heavy eyelids open. Being forcibly awakened from a Deep Sleep always left one feeling wretched.

"Alka, we've arrived!" Jason's knocking came from outside the door.

Alka immediately sat up. He hadn't even taken off his shoes while sleeping, and his legs had been hanging off the side of the bed. He stood up, picked up the somewhat dirty clothes beside him, and put them on.

He pushed open the wooden door and walked out. He saw Chadite leaning against the ship's railing. Her complexion had improved considerably. When she saw Alka, she smiled and waved.

Gami was still beside Chadite, holding his head with both hands and rubbing it repeatedly. Hissing sounds of pain escaped his lips.

Alka pretended not to see this, simply smiling and greeting Chadite.

Andre came over, the metal box still on his back. It seemed the box would remain with him until the Sword of Love was delivered to the Church.

That's understandable, Alka thought. After all, this item is precious enough to be considered a Treasure. Having the strongest person on board personally guard it is naturally the safest option.

"Let's go, everyone," Andre said before immediately jumping down, the box still on his back.

The others followed closely. In truth, they didn't all need to go; sending one of Alka, Jason, or Vanessa would have sufficed. However, none of them had ever witnessed a Soul Crossing Ceremony and couldn't resist the urge to observe.

Even Chadite, who hadn't fully recovered, joined them. Such an opportunity was indeed rare.

They passed through the ruins, reached the island's central city, and then navigated the city's shattered roads to the hillside beyond. On the way, they didn't encounter a single skeleton.

They moved quickly and soon arrived at the manor they had visited before.

"The original owner of this place must have been quite wealthy," Chadite couldn't help but remark, looking around. Even though the manor had lain in ruins for hundreds of years, its former splendor was still discernible.

Then they arrived at the open gate. Alka, leading the way, took the group straight to the tunnel they had discovered earlier. The blue dot still glowed on the map.

"She's emitting fluctuations again, more intensely this time," Lucilia's voice transmitted into Alka's mind through the Mirror.

Alka was already standing above the tunnel. He turned to the others and asked, "She's just down here. The tunnel inside is very narrow; will it affect the ceremony?"

Just as his words fell, a faint tremor ran through the ground, followed by stronger vibrations. Alka immediately leaped back two steps. The others also grew slightly wary.

With the vibration, the earth covering the tunnel entrance peeled back like a carpet, sending dust swirling into the air. The tunnel below was revealed, and Jasmine's soul flew out, appearing somewhat out of breath. A faint, eerie green smoke was now emanating from the back of Jasmine's Soul Body. However, her Soul Body itself was still within the normal, pale white range.

She looked at Alka, then at the unfamiliar faces of those who had come with him. She asked anxiously, "Did you bring the Archbishop? No, that's not right... the Sword of Love, it's the Sword of Love!"

Her expression was dazed and anxious, but she forced herself to calm down, her demeanor becoming slightly more composed. "Quickly! I feel the darkness here encroaching on me! I can hardly hold on! I don't want to fall into darkness! I don't want to become an Evil Spirit!"

As she spoke, her expression became dazed again, and a hint of malice even flickered across her face. The green mist behind her seemed to thicken.

"I also want... a little bit of blood, blood..."

Seeing this, Alka turned to look at Andre. Andre had already placed his hand behind his back. The metal box on Andre's back opened, layer by layer, and the hilt of a sword slowly emerged.

Andre grasped the hilt and drew the blade. A layer of faint flame immediately enveloped it. As Andre swung the flaming sword, the fire swept around in a circle, instantly dispersing the eerie green mist behind Jasmine. It vanished without a trace.

This mist didn't react as it had during their battle with the Archbishop's Evil Spirits, where it would cause an attached soul to burn. Jasmine's dazed, malevolent expression instantly vanished, replaced by her normal look. A clear expression of relief washed over her face.

"Thank you, thank you all. I feel as though the Holy Mother is embracing me."

"That's merely an illusion. Now, bring out your skeletal remains and place them before you," Andre said, stepping forward expressionlessly.

Jasmine looked at the Sword of Love in Andre's hand and nodded. With a wave of her hands, the earth in the tunnel below parted, and an unseen force dragged out a skeleton, depositing it in front of her.

Gazing at the skeleton, Andre held the Sword of Love with its tip pointing down at the bones. He raised his head, staring at the floating Jasmine before him, and asked, "Do you have anything else you wish to say?"

Hearing this, Jasmine looked at Alka and his companions and nodded to them. "Thank you all. In the Treasure Chest below are some of the Magic Items I once used. I hope they can aid you."

With that, her gaze lingered on Alka. "Thank you for finding me. I've prepared a gift for you; I hope you'll accept it."

Alka nodded in acknowledgment. This so-called gift probably isn't for me, though, he thought.

Jasmine folded her hands before her chest and closed her eyes.

"May the Holy Mother bless you all."

Seeing this, Andre knew she had said all she wanted to say and was ready. He stepped forward, the tip of the sword now resting firmly against the skeleton.