Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Inquiries revealed that the ship had very few people aboard, less than ten. It was likely a Treasure Hunting Team called Compass Eye. Judging from its structure and brand-new condition, the ship very likely had close ties to the Holy Mother Church. This information, too, seemed to have been deliberately spread by its crew.

Upon hearing this, the female captain nodded. Thinking this way, the credibility of this information is indeed quite high, she mused. There's no other way; this is the impression the Church has given the world. If it concerned other intelligence, it might very well be false. However, when it's information related to ordinary people, the natural environment, and major disasters, most people would choose to believe it. Having understood this, she simply ordered, "Choose forty-two… no, select thirty-two from the ordinary people on board for the 'touching ceremony,' and dismiss the rest. Remember to give them generous compensation; after all, they've been with us for so long."

Upon hearing the captain's command, the crew beside her all nodded in agreement.

"Yes."

Besides those who heeded the advice, there were many who did not. Perhaps to them, it mattered little whether the ordinary people on their ships lived or died, as they were considered mere cannon fodder.

"Your Highness, the credibility of this information is very high. Are you really not going to react?"

On a ship of the Tulip Empire, the 13th Prince, leader of this particular team, listened to the knight's report from behind him and irritably waved his hand.

"I won't hear it, I won't hear it! This news is all false. The people on my ships are my treasured assets; they are all brave warriors. How could I just send them away? Enough, don't mention this again!"

"But…" The knight wanted to say more, but his companion beside him pulled him firmly away, and they excused themselves.

The 13th Prince wiped the frivolous expression from his face. He stood up and looked at the distant sea, his expression turning serious.

The Tulip Empire's fleet had three ships in total: the flagship was over fifty meters long, and the two escort ships alongside it were each over forty meters.

Ordinary people constituted the vast majority on these ships. If they were all sent back, many onboard operations would become difficult to maintain.

Moreover, he had brought so many ordinary people precisely because he never expected them to survive with him for long.

As long as they can serve their purpose, nothing else matters, he reasoned.

Such occurrences were common.

...

Aboard the Dawn Sound, Alka sat beside the large table in the captain's room. The cards in his hand danced, flipping left and right, sometimes vanishing, sometimes spinning in the air.

Beside him, young Lucilia sat at the round table, writing. From the look of her papers, she was engrossed in creating an illustrated guide, a task she approached with great passion.

Melodious singing drifted in from the deck outside the captain's room.

Chadite also sat nearby, sketching a chart of the surrounding waters. It might not prove useful, but recording it wouldn't be an issue.

At this point, the door to the captain's room opened.

Among those present, only Alka, who looked somewhat idle, raised his eyelids slightly to see who had entered.

It was Jason, who walked in with a cheerful expression.

Seeing his expression, Alka tossed the cards into the air and asked him, "Encountered something good? You're smiling so brightly."

Jason nodded, raised his hand to catch the airborne cards, then pulled out the chair next to Alka and sat down. Handing the cards to Alka, he said, "I don't know why, but over the past two days, more and more teams have become willing to dismiss their ordinary members. This is somewhat good news."

Oh? Alka was somewhat surprised. Just a few days ago, when we first spread the news, hardly anyone believed it. Teams willing to dismiss their ordinary members were scarce, mostly those with few ordinary people to begin with—the kind who figured listening wouldn't cost them anything. So we once thought these groups wouldn't actually dismiss the ordinary people on their ships.

"Why have they suddenly become willing to send away the ordinary people on their ships these past few days?" Alka couldn't help but ask curiously.

Hearing this question, Jason smiled, leaned forward, rested his arms on the table, and said, "Because several well-known teams believed our message and acted on it. With them setting an example, the number of those following suit is naturally increasing. Even on many ships whose leaders were unwilling to dismiss ordinary people, many of those common folk have started to leave, some even slipping away secretly. Now, most people believe this news is authentic."

"The Hand of Burning Blood was the first, followed by the well-known female captain of the Skullcrushers Knight Order."

"Female captain?" Alka asked, his attention immediately diverted.

Jason nodded. Seeming to know Alka wasn't too familiar with this, he began, "It's said this Knight Order was self-established, primarily focused on fighting pirates across various seas. Most of its members are people who have been harmed by pirates. In that vast region to the northeast, they have an excellent reputation. So, when they also took such action, the credibility of our message soared."

Alka nodded in understanding. It was indeed so. After all, their own Fame was practically non-existent. If one were to ask what they'd accomplished, the most famous event might be their battle with the Prayer for the Dead Pirate Gang. The problem was, from an external, objective viewpoint, that incident was merely seen as a battle between a Pirate Gang and a Church ship.