Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Foul-smelling blood rained down.

Pororo swiftly waved his hand. A semicircular, water-blue shield flew into the sky, completely blocking the downpour.

The shooting tendrils intertwined, transforming into three drill-like objects that plunged toward the seabed.

Ahead, the sea surface boiled furiously, as if some enormous creature struggled beneath the waves. Only a faint scent of blood wafted from the water.

"Continue, Chadite."

The ship resumed its voyage.

This Sea Monster was merely a warm-up before reaching their destination. Of course, without Julia, it might have been a disadvantageous battle.

Finally, they arrived at the capital island of the Vastin Empire. They gazed at the ruins scattered across it and the wreckage of various ships washed ashore around the port and its surrounding waters.

The damage to the outer ruins was visibly not due to the passage of time; it was evidently the result of war. Alka also noticed numerous pieces of construction equipment in the port, though these machines had long since decayed. Many skeletal remains were also scattered around the port. These had likely been cleared by Church Staff who had previously visited the island.

Alka and the others maneuvered their ship through the gaps between the wreckage, pushing it onto the sandy shore.

All around were heaps of massive shipwrecks and fragments of skeletons, piled everywhere. Various weapons—decayed swords prominent among them—were visible on the ground and sandy areas.

No vegetation existed on the island. There were no vines or moss, only a vast, barren expanse.

Even Dark Vision seemed somewhat affected in such a place. Normally, Dark Vision allowed one to see as clearly in darkness as if it were daytime. But now, it was as if dusk had fallen, rendering distant surroundings slightly blurred and dim.

Alka turned to Chadite and said, "Chadite, take the lead. The goal is for you to draw a more detailed map of this island."

Chadite nodded, moved to the front, and began leading the group across the island.

They passed through the port, carefully stepping over the scattered skeletons underfoot and navigating around various collapsed structures. These buildings still bore charred marks, and even the ruins that appeared intact had been severed. The direction of the breaks was entirely consistent; structures collapsed once they reached a certain height.

It seemed the Energy released during the cataclysm had been incredibly powerful, destroying buildings within a wide radius, much like a shockwave from a blade.

The ground was littered with various relics of war, indicating that the Vastin Empire had indeed faced a life-or-death crisis.

The decisions made in such times were understandable, though not necessarily agreeable. The Meiniche Alliance must have thought victory was within their grasp, only to be dragged down with their enemy. Such is war.

After passing through the port, they hadn't gone more than a few hundred meters before encountering a massive wall, at least ten meters high. It appeared the Energy eruption had originated from atop this city wall, as all buildings within the city that surpassed its height were destroyed.

Ahead, a massive breach scarred the wall—likely the point where the Meiniche Alliance's troops had broken through.

They walked through the breach. Only the area immediately around it bore traces of direct combat; the buildings deeper inside had collapsed due to the shockwave. No soldiers' remains were present, only shattered skeletons.

As they entered, the clattering of bones echoed from all around. It appeared the Church Staff hadn't been able to completely clear the area—understandably so, given the countless number of people who must have lived here.

"These skeletons are stronger than the ones outside, but not by much," Alka remarked after destroying several in their path.

Perhaps the stronger Dark Energy here has affected their strength.

They advanced, clearing out stray skeletons while maintaining vigilance and deliberately avoiding entry into any buildings. Based on their experiences over the past six months, Evil Spirits generally confined their activities to building interiors, rarely venturing out of their rooms or structures. Encounters with Evil Spirits were improbable on open streets or in the wilderness. Only the power of Evil Spirits posed a potential threat to them.

They focused on protecting Chadite, allowing him to continuously conduct detailed surveys of the surrounding island environment. They circumnavigated the central area of the colossal city, where the Imperial Palace stood with a portion of its height neatly sheared off, without venturing a single step inside.

This place was undoubtedly a major hub; who knew what horrors might emerge to confront them if they entered.

Their primary goal this time was to map the island, evading all other potential dangers whenever possible.

Thus, aside from encountering skeletons, they safely circled the island, gaining a general understanding of its entirety.

「Returning to the port.」

Chadite still held a map, though it was covered in stains and showed signs of damage. However, he claimed it could be restored from its current state. This map had been obtained from a skeleton whose location suggested it belonged to one of the invaders. Crafted from some kind of leather, the map had preserved relatively well. The linguistic markings on it indicated it might very well be a map of the Meiniche Alliance's capital. If properly restored, they wouldn't need to explore the other side of the island and could potentially acquire two maps with this one find.