NOVEL NEXT Chapter 173 Task Delivery
They were about to return to the Great Cathedral.
Alka stood on the bow, a smile gracing his lips as he watched the black dot appear on the distant horizon.
It hasn't been easy, but we're finally returning, he murmured.
"Yeah, this trip took over half a year. There are only a few months left until the convergence."
Hearing this, Alka couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
The Music Ship should be completed too, he thought. I'm quite eager.
The crew watched the distant black dot, chatting leisurely.
"Jason? Where's Jason?" Alka suddenly remembered something and shouted.
"Coming, coming!" Jason emerged from his room, an egg stuck to his back.
Everyone was already used to this sight.
The egg was almost always stuck to Jason, giving him the air of a doting parent even though it hadn't hatched yet.
It seemed Jason had also acquired a wealth of information on caring for the egg, as he frequently concocted strange liquids to wipe it down.
Sometimes, he could be seen sunbathing atop the crow's nest on the main mast, the egg perched on his head, absorbing sunlight.
Seeing Jason rush out, Alka scrutinized him from head to toe. "Are you ready? Haven't you stabilized your strength at Three Spirals yet?"
They were about to go ashore and start making deliveries, yet just a few days ago, Jason still hadn't fully stabilized his strength at Three Spirals.
It seemed the energy from that particular Treasure Box was indeed quite weak, causing Alka to misjudge the extent of the improvement it provided. Compared to regular Treasures, it certainly had its shortcomings, even in its most basic functions.
Hearing Alka's question, Jason made a reassuring gesture and smiled. "Don't worry, I completely stabilized yesterday."
Hearing this, Alka felt relieved and nodded. "That's good."
They gazed at the approaching Great Cathedral.
Many ships were coming and going, most of them belonging to pilgrims.
Chadite came to Alka's side, nudging him slightly with his elbow.
When Alka turned to look, Chadite tilted his head, gesturing towards Juanlu, who stood at the bow, gazing ahead.
"We're about to go ashore. When do you plan to talk to him?"
Hearing this, Alka looked towards Juanlu.
It really is time, Alka thought.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Juanlu, are you planning to disembark here?"
Hearing Alka's words, Juanlu turned his head and nodded.
"No problem. You can drop me off at the Great Cathedral. It's a good place to resupply and find a suitable ship."
"What do you think of our team?"
Hearing Alka's question, Juanlu didn't immediately understand the reason behind it, but he answered sincerely nonetheless.
"You're all very impressive, truly. Together, you could easily form a major power."
He meant that Alka and the others controlled enough Treasures to form a large power with considerable ease.
He had never seen so many powerful individuals gathered in one place, let alone within such a small team.
"So, what's your take on treasure hunting? Do you find the process interesting?"
Hearing Alka's question, a look of keen interest spread across Juanlu's face.
"Of course, incredibly interesting! If my dream weren't to become a top chef, I might have become a Treasure Hunter."
At this, a hint of excitement touched Juanlu's face.
After all, just half a month ago, they had completed a small treasure-hunting expedition.
Of course, 'small' was only relative to Alka and his team.
This time, although they had only found a blue-grade Treasure, they had harvested valuables worth 300 Golden Sails and a Magic Weapon.
And it had been a very interesting hunt; the Treasure was cleverly hidden and protected by traps.
It was a very typical kind of hidden Treasure.
This experience fully piqued Juanlu's interest in treasure hunting, especially when he received a share of the spoils.
While those few dozen Golden Sails might not have been much to Alka and his crew, for Juanlu, it was a considerable fortune.
In fact, it could be considered a fortune anywhere.
"You've probably heard us talking before. There's a much broader world beyond the Homeland Sea. Our Homeland Sea is merely the tip of the iceberg."
Hearing Alka's words, Juanlu's expression didn't change much, but internally, panic began to set in.
Why is he telling me this now? Juanlu wondered, a chill running down his spine. Does he plan to silence me?
Juanlu had sailed for a long time but had hardly heard any information about the outside world. Yet, here with Alka and his team, he had learned about it in considerable detail.
This implied that the information must be highly secretive, yet they had so openly shared it with him, a relative stranger.
It's hard not to jump to the worst conclusions, he thought.
Is this the showdown?
"That's our destination," Alka said. "What do you think? Are you interested in the world beyond?"
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Juanlu was momentarily bewildered. But now that things had reached this point, he began to sense that Alka and the team didn't intend to harm him.
If he wasn't mistaken, if he hadn't misinterpreted their intentions, the group before him seemed to want to recruit him.
But why me? Juanlu couldn't understand. My strength is only One Spiral.
Previously, he'd thought his strength was decent enough, but compared to Alka and his team, it was clearly insufficient.
Besides, I'm already over thirty, past my prime for significant growth.