Chapter 166 Frost Nova_3
Until Julia was frozen into an ice sculpture.
Just as everyone was unsure what to do, the ice sculpture cracked open, and Julia opened her eyes.
At this moment, Julia's pupils had turned an icy blue, a shade slightly deeper than before, and were now ringed with white, resembling blocks of ice. Notably, Julia's skin had become exceptionally pale, almost white, and even reflected the sunlight.
She slowly exhaled. A chill followed her breath, instantly condensing into Frost in the air.
"This Treasure's ability is to control cold," Julia explained. "It can cause the surrounding temperature to drop rapidly, plunging the area into extreme cold. Falling snow can then create a blizzard."
Then, another layer of Frost formed on the surface of her skin. "It can coat one's own body, or even others, in a layer of Frost. This protects them from harm and can effectively resist flames, ice, and even streams of water."
So, it's not about directly creating ice, but about lowering the surrounding temperature? Alka mused. The temperature drop must be the core ability, creating the Coldness. Controlling snow and Frost are likely secondary functions.
Julia then gave a simple explanation that matched Alka's speculations. This fit the characteristics of a Holy Grail Level Treasure. The ability didn't seem strong at first, but as one mastered it and became more familiar with the Treasure, its powerful side could be revealed.
Having activated the Treasure and understood its abilities, Julia guided the Gemstone into Chadite's hand. Although she could accept her Magic Power shifting towards the Frost Attribute, she didn't want this transformation to be too extreme. A slight shift would enhance her ability to use Ice Blade, but too much of a change would negatively impact her use of other Spells; the trade-off wasn't worth it. There was a delicate balance to maintain, one she had to carefully control.
Knowing the Treasure's ability and satisfying everyone's curiosity, Alka sat beside the ship's helm, lost in thought. Chadite currently had her hand on the helm, guiding the ship by swaying it left and right.
"Where do we go next? To that place you mentioned before?" Chadite asked.
Alka, roused from his thoughts by Chadite's words, looked up and nodded.
"Yes, let's go there. There's an old, buried Treasure there. It would be a shame not to try and obtain it, especially since we'll be leaving here soon."
Chadite, who already knew of this, wasn't surprised. She simply nodded and began to steer the ship, controlling its course. Just because she wasn't surprised didn't mean the others weren't.
"Ha!" An astonished voice came from nearby.
Alka turned his head and saw Jason staring at him with a surprised expression. Pororo and Julia, standing nearby, also looked equally astonished.
"What are you all surprised about? Haven't I told you before?" Alka asked.
"Did you mention it before?" Jason replied.
Alright, Alka thought. It seems I really haven't mentioned it. But that's fine; it's not too late to talk about it now.
He spread out his palm, and an ancient map appeared in his hand; in his left hand, another regional map materialized.
Alka picked up the ancient map and said, "Jason, I'm not sure if you still remember Sad. Do you recall Holy Armor Island, where we went? I mentioned I was going Treasure hunting then."
Upon hearing Alka's words, Jason thought for a moment and nodded; it seemed vaguely familiar, but nearly a year had passed—who could remember that clearly? After all, it wasn't a particularly important event, so it wouldn't have left a lasting impression.
"That time," Alka continued, "I found what Sad had buried in his youth. Besides this map, there was one of his journals, that book titled 'Land of Dreams', and a Compass that points to this map."
"He originally wanted to use this map to find the Treasures related to it, but for some reason, he never got the chance, so he hid it with his journal."
"Previously, when I asked Chadite to look for maps, she found a location that resembled this island. We confirmed it should be the same place, located even further south of the Extreme Cold Triangle Zone."
After Alka's explanation, everyone nodded in understanding. So that was how it was.
Even so, Jason couldn't help but walk over and pat Alka vigorously on the shoulder. "You, my friend, are the very embodiment of Treasure hunting!"
Treasures that others might go an entire lifetime without seeing seemed almost commonplace to their group now. Since entering the Realm of Pitch Darkness, they had already seen and touched three Treasures. Two they had discovered themselves, one was a trophy from a previous encounter, and all three were currently on their ship. And now, they were heading towards a fourth.
In that instant, Treasures, which had once seemed like mythical legends, now felt almost ordinary, leaving them somewhat disoriented.
To this, Alka just smiled, stood up, and patted Jason's shoulder. He spoke with an air of seniority, "Jason, my friend, you should get used to this. They're just Treasures, after all." As he spoke, Alka extended his right hand, opened his palm, and then clenched it into a fist, as if such things were easily within his grasp.
Hearing this, Jason glanced at him helplessly. "Alright, alright, I know you're incredible," Jason said, "but that monstrous Treasure-hunting sense of yours is truly enviable." He said this as he held up the Frost Nova in his hand. "Where should I put this?"
This is a Treasure; I have to find a good place for it, Jason thought. I can't just keep holding it or stuff it into a cloth bag. That would be too insulting to the Treasure.
Alka, ever prepared, directly produced a Treasure Chest. He had never doubted his ability to obtain this Treasure.