Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

"It seems this box isn't entirely useless. At least it made Jason mention the Three Spirals," Alka said with a smile, standing nearby. The box still possessed this basic ability. Even if this box wasn't very useful, it had elevated Jason to the Three Spirals. As long as Jason put in a bit of effort in Meditation during this period, he could stabilize his strength at this stage, even if he lost the Treasure.

As the vacuum disappeared and Magic Power filled the void, Jason, drenched in sweat, opened his eyes. His previously stiff expression finally showed a smile. "At least there's some gain."

Alka pointed to the blue and red intertwined egg nestled snugly against him. "Since a Treasure was specifically crafted for this egg, this egg should be remarkable. Or does it have some special function?"

Upon hearing Alka's question, everyone else also looked curious. Since the box wasn't worth worrying about, this egg must have some story. Otherwise, dedicating a Treasure to its protection would be an exaggeration.

Jason nodded slightly upon hearing this and gently detached the egg from himself.

"According to the information from the box, this egg was left behind a long, long time ago, and the box was specifically crafted by the egg's parents to protect their child.

"As for the process and reasons, I don't know. But the reason my Magic Power could be infused is because the box has a screening process.

"It eliminates unqualified protectors and selects a qualified one to open the box. The moment I opened the box, I formed a contract with this egg."

As he spoke, Jason's face involuntarily turned gloomy again. This kind of thing would be depressing for anyone. He had originally thought it was a Treasure he could happily control. It turned out it indeed was a Treasure, but an almost useless one. Being useless was one thing, but it had also brought a heap of trouble, forcing him into a contract with an unknown entity.

"A contract?"

Hearing this and seeing Jason's distressed expression, Alka frowned. "What kind of contract? Is it harmful to you?"

This was his concern. If finding the Treasure had put a teammate in danger, that would be counterproductive, and Alka knew he had to address it.

Jason looked at the slightly worried expressions of his companions and smiled, shaking his head. "It's okay, don't be so tense. The contract is fairly reasonable.

"I have to protect the egg within my power and help it grow to become its Warrior. When it hatches and grows, it will also provide feedback to me.

"It has its pros and cons, I suppose. The only thing is, it doesn't tell me what will hatch from it."

Upon hearing the contract's terms, the group nodded, relieved that there were no inequitable demands. The contract seemed relatively agreeable.

"But the contract mentions your strength will receive feedback as the egg's strength increases. This indicates the creature in the egg should be powerful," Alka remarked thoughtfully. If the creature in the egg wasn't from a powerful Race, the contract wouldn't have such a provision, as this clause clearly offers a benefit.

Hearing this, Jason nodded as well. He felt the same way, so although slightly dejected, he could accept it.

Thinking of this, he raised the egg in his hand. "I just wonder what kind of being will hatch from this?"

Chadite approached and patted his shoulder. "Congratulations, Jason."

Upon hearing Chadite's words, Jason turned to look at her, his eyes revealing confusion. "Congratulations on what?"

"Congratulations on becoming a dad! Hahaha..." Saying this, Chadite couldn't help but flash a mischievous smile.

Upon hearing this, the others couldn't help but smile too. Indeed, whatever hatched from this egg would likely be a little baby. Forming a contract with such a little one makes Jason akin to a dad, right? Perhaps that was how the contract had originated.

Listening to Chadite and watching everyone else smile, Jason couldn't help but turn to look at the egg in his hand, his expression growing odd. He's still young. How did it suddenly come to this? His expression involuntarily turned troubled.

After the teasing subsided, Alka crouched down to look at the metal box. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Jason, is this box useful to you? Or to your... baby?"

"It's no use. And don't call it my baby! I merely have a contractual relationship with it."

Hearing Jason's words, Alka dismissively waved his hand, clearly not listening, and instead started pondering on his own.

This box is merely an accessory for the egg. Its functionality is exceedingly singular, hardly qualifying as a Treasure. If the box were large enough to contain a person, its value would significantly increase. For instance, a person nearing death could be placed in this box to preserve their life. But the problem is, this box is too small. It was alright for carrying items, but carrying a person was evidently impossible; not even a small child could fit inside. Its interior space was exceedingly limited. From the outside, it appeared to be about 1 meter long and 0.5 meters wide, with a height of roughly 0.3 meters. But upon examining the interior volume, one would find that the box's thickness occupied nearly half of it. After all, this Treasure Chest was designed to protect the egg. As long as the egg could fit, the remaining space was dedicated to increasing its thickness to safeguard the egg. So naturally, it lacked substantial utility. No wonder it was significantly weaker compared to his Dream Catcher. Alka even doubted whether it could enable anyone to become a 'toucher.' Of course, that was an exaggeration, but he was certain the number of 'touchers' it could enable wouldn't be large—probably not even reaching 100. Moreover, the most crucial aspect was that, as a Treasure, it didn't benefit Jason at all, except for its inherent high Energy having forcefully advanced Jason to the Three Spirals.