The sudden attack caught everyone present off guard for a moment.
Jason's ice bullet struck none other than the Chamber of Commerce member who had just spoken.
The two of them were completely unfamiliar with each other, and almost no one was able to react.
The man himself hadn't anticipated the sudden attack, and he froze in place as he watched the incoming ice bullet.
However, Balazs's strength was evident; even with Jason's sudden attack, he managed to react at the last possible moment.
A fiery shield erupted in mid-air, blocking the ice bullet.
"What are you doing?" Balazs asked, staring at Jason.
The flames in his hand transformed into a slender blade, which he raised and pointed directly at Jason.
The Chamber of Commerce members behind him also drew their weapons and gathered together.
Then, watching Alka frown, he slowly retreated, protecting his fellow guild members.
Beware of a sudden attack from Alka and the others.
Without waiting for Alka and the others to ask, Jason shouted, "That person is suspicious. He just exuded strong malice."
Seeing his surprise attack fail, Jason revealed the reason for his sudden attack without hiding anything.
As a crystal dragon, Urulius possessed psychic powers. From birth, they could sense any malicious intent to ensure the safety of their young.
Baraz turned to look at his team members, frowning at him.
He had just experienced betrayal, and the sting of betrayal was still raw.
Even if he had eliminated the traitor from his team, he couldn't guarantee he was truly in the clear.
So when he heard someone in his team was suspicious, he didn't refute him for a moment, but instead became suspicious.
"Don't believe him, Guild Master! How could I be a traitor? I was just... scared by that murloc," the man hurriedly explained.
The sudden change made his lie so poorly executed.
Pororo turned to look at the crowd, trying to see where the murloc was.
Then he saw everyone looking at him.
"Huh? Me?"
He pointed at himself, confused, a distinct frown forming on his shark's head.
He was renowned for his handsomeness within the mermaid tribe. Did he have any sense at all?
Wasn't this an obvious lie?
"Xadaiti!"
Alka said nothing more, softly calling out Sofia's name.
Instantly, a [Ring of Light] appeared on Sofia's forehead, and his speed rapidly increased, transforming into a beam of light.
He bypassed the obstructing wall of fire and arrived next to the man, launching a beam of light whip kick.
Everyone felt a flash of light before their eyes.
The man was caught off guard and sent flying backward, slamming heavily into a nearby tree trunk.
Branches and leaves fell from the tree, covering him.
Only his wailing could be heard.
This time...
Balazs simply frowned, staring at the man who had collapsed under the tree stump.
"Feba, why?"
The excuse was too blunt, and Balazs knew him well enough.
The panic in his eyes, no matter how well hidden, made him, who had recently become sensitive, suspicious.
"Why, of course..."
The man named Faba had a bitter expression, clearly having a difficult time, and seemed about to say something.
However, a card exploded beside him, sending out five water chains that completely bound his limbs and waist.
"Knock him out."
Alka wasn't in the habit of listening carefully to his enemies; who knew if he had any remorse?
To be on the safe side, it was better to knock him out and search him. We could question him later.
Sofia disappeared, and when he reappeared, he had already kicked Faba backwards through the air, spinning him twice before crashing to the ground.
A cloud of mud and sand stirred up.
He had already collapsed to the ground, eyes rolling back, completely unconscious.
The five water chains were still firmly bound to him.
Balazs walked over with a frown on his face. The other members of the Chamber of Commerce following him had already tightened their grips on their weapons, maintaining a state of alert.
This time, they weren't just on guard against Alka and the others, but also against their companions.
They were equally exhausted by the traitor.
"The space is unstable! Be careful!" Julia suddenly sensed the change in her surroundings and shouted.
Although she didn't understand what he meant, Balazs still paused for a moment.
Sofia leaped back, transforming into a beam of light and returning to the group.
Now, right next to Pheba's body,
A narrow, dimensional crack appeared. A pair of broad hands, clad in gray-black leather gloves, emerged from the crack and fiercely opened it.
With a strange creaking sound,
The space expanded, transforming into a door.
The figure within also emerged.
This man stood a full two meters tall, his physique exceptionally robust, standing there like a thick marble pillar.
His massive size didn't make him appear obese, but rather intimidating.
His face was adorned with tiny scars, and he stared sternly at the crowd.
His grayish-yellow eyes pierced the crowd like needles.
He wore what looked like a military uniform, with a metal medal adorning his chest.
A gleaming red cross star on his chest betrayed his status.
He slowly emerged from the portal, his hands clasped behind his back, facing the wary crowd with complete indifference.
More people continued to pour out of the portal.
The portal closed completely only after ten silent soldiers, also in military uniform, stood behind him.
At this moment, Balazs's expression completely changed, his eyes wide with shock.
"K-General Kriel."
His mind was in a state of chaos, a myriad of incomprehensible thoughts flooding through his mind.
Alka and the others, who were slightly behind him, looked at the man in front of them and the soldiers behind him.
The power emanating from this general was terrifying. Alka's Dream Catcher was frantically sending danger signals.
He was definitely someone they couldn't afford to offend.
General Kriel glanced at Faba at his feet and nudged his head with his toe, finding that he had merely fainted and raised his hand to shake.
Two soldiers behind him immediately stepped forward and carried Faba to the back.
Then General Kriel turned his attention to Balazs, who had spoken.
"Mr. Balazs, I'm sorry to meet you in this situation."
The voice was serious yet polite.
It just didn't seem to match his serious expression.
Baraz watched him, his expression gradually calming. Arkainen noticed a hint of despair creeping into his face.
He frowned and asked in confusion, "So it was you? You were the one who had those people deliberately suppress me and cause trouble for my guild?"
"A little trick."
Hearing the general nod in acknowledgement, Baraz's doubts were finally resolved.
No wonder, even after uncovering the traitor, he still found the business practices targeting him inexplicable.
So that's how it was.
But he still felt puzzled: "Why? I'm just a small ocean merchant. Compared to someone like you, I'm nothing."
He couldn't understand why General Kriel would target him. The two men were vastly different in strength, influence, and status.
It was like a wealthy man suddenly going out of his way to target a nearby beggar. Of course, the beggar would be confused.
Alka and the others standing behind him kept their brows furrowed in nervous alert as the two exchanged words.
Though they couldn't quite understand what they were saying, they could roughly understand that the culprit behind Baraz's business troubles, and his urgent need for cash to turn things around, was the man before them, known as the General.
Judging from his attire, his strength, and Baraz's unusually respectful attitude, it was clear that this man must hold a special position on Southern Cross Island.
As for the reason for targeting him, Alka had probably guessed it.
They'd chased him all the way here, so what else could they be after? They probably wanted to visit this island, or perhaps they wanted the half of the map in his hand.
"If you want the map, just tell me, and I'll give it to you."
If the financial crisis caused by the targeting hadn't occurred to him, he wouldn't have considered coming to this island to search for treasure to tide him over.
Plus, with his general's status, he only needed to ask, and he'd be more than happy to hand over his half-skin map.
He even had the audacity to rush up and tell it.
He believed the general would understand.
So what was the point in going to such lengths?
"You're probably responsible for Kovali's connection to that pirate. Both fragments are yours if you want them."
Besides the two fragments, which he couldn't find, what else could General Kriel worry about?
But there was no need to bother.
Facing Baraz's question, the general remained serious, his face expressionless.
"You're calm, that's good."
"It's simple. This isn't something I can do, but someone else needs to do it."
Looking at the general, he seemed ready to continue.
Alka interrupted immediately, "Since this is your personal vendetta, as outsiders, it seems inappropriate for us to be here.
Don't worry, I will forget everything that happened here, and we will leave the Broken Islands immediately." He felt he might be silenced if he listened any further, so he had to interrupt.
Hearing Alka's words, General Kriel turned to look at Alka and the others.
"Your appearance surprised me. I've been observing your actions on the island, and I need your assistance here."
He spoke without considering Alka and the others' opinions.
"It's just some treasure, the treasure of a scumbag pirate. Why are you going to all this trouble?"
Baraz, determined to know the truth even if he died, continued to question.
The general lowered his head slightly and looked at him. "You have a strong thirst for knowledge, but it's clear you don't understand this treasure."
Then, not bothering to explain, he looked at Alka and the others and said, "My friends, if you don't mind, could you please do me a favor? Once I get what I want, I'll let you go."
Alka hadn't noticed when a pair of glasses had appeared on his face.
Just as he'd imagined.
The general's readings had already surpassed the third stage, and the ten soldiers behind him had each reached the third stage.
According to their previous calculations, anyone above the third stage required the mastery of at least one treasure.
With such strength before them, they had virtually no chance of success.
Resistance would only lead to failure, and they would be forced to help them.
It was just a treasure.
Alka didn't want to let his companions on the ship lose their lives over such a treasure. "I hope you'll keep your promise."
With no other choice, he agreed.
General Kriel nodded, then waved his hand. The soldiers behind him formed a semicircle, surrounding the retreat route.
The general pointed to the village ruins before him.
"Then I'll leave it to you professionals. We'll provide security for you."
Haha, security.
"By the way, get that little one in my shadow out, or I can't guarantee anything."
He said quietly.
Alka quickly called out the puppet girl hidden in his shadow.
Several shadows flashed by, and several assassin-like puppet girls emerged from his shadow.
The last puppet girl to fall was grabbed by him.
Seeing this action, Alka and his companions instantly felt the urge to attack, their hands ready to draw weapons.
The general gently raised his hand.
"Don't worry, I'm just curious." He glanced at the doll girl struggling to escape, then opened his hand and released her.
"So it's just a toy, really. Well made." He realized these doll girls were manufactured, not some naturally occurring species.
This left him slightly disappointed. Alka and the others walked toward the abandoned village, the soldiers slowly following.
Balazs, who had come to Alka and the others, said, "Sorry, I didn't know..." Alka shook his head, signaling him to stop.
To say that this was all Balazs' fault was clearly wrong.
It was simply that Alka and the others had inadvertently stumbled into the plans of a powerful local figure.
Furthermore, he had eliminated one of their pawns and obtained something important.
Naturally, he had become someone else's pawn.
They're both pawns, what's there to apologize for?
"What's this general doing on the island?" Alka asked from the side.
He was curious, and he also needed to understand his enemy.
Baraz glanced at the sky and sighed helplessly.
"He's the ruler of the port town, and I've heard his strength has reached perfection at the fourth stage, and he's currently advancing towards the fifth stage."
"He's also the King's brother and a general of the Empire. He's also known as the 'Invisible Hand.' It's said that his attacks are invisible."
Listening to General Kriel's story, Alka pondered his attack methods.
Alka couldn't help but think of the pirate group they'd fought on the island before.
The pirate captain's attack method was also invisible.
It seems he learned it from him.
Are there any spells derived from treasures?
"What should we do now?" Sofia asked, walking beside him.
"We're definitely outmatched. We just hope he keeps his promise."
Alka said helplessly.
Looking at the crude map in his hand, he decided to take his time.
After all, treasure hunting is no easy task.
Buy a little more time to think of a better solution.
He hadn't considered trusting his life to someone else's promise.
You hadn't considered actually helping him; he was now contemplating how to escape.
As long as they could get back to the ship, there would be no problem.
After all, as long as they sailed straight ahead, away from the Broken Island Chain, as
The generals of Southern Cross Island were unlikely to catch up.
And with the speed of the Voice of Dawn, and the marine life on board accelerating it, it was highly unlikely any ship could catch up.
But the precondition for all this was how to escape?
The enemy consisted of ten Stage Three cultivators, and one Perfected Stage Four cultivator.
A Perfected Stage Four cultivator would likely have seventy or eighty spirals, and control a treasure.
That was far beyond their reach.
After hearing Alka's answer, the others stopped asking questions, as they understood what Alka meant.
Besides, the enemy was right behind them, and they had good ears, so their conversation couldn't be hidden.
Damn, what bad luck! It's just a Holy Grail-level treasure, so what?
Alka could only curse silently in his heart.
Will there be any problems with this treasure?
Then he led everyone around the village, looking here, digging there, and even digging holes.
Treasure, it wouldn't be surprising if it were buried in a hole.
Alka had also checked where the golden light was.
Just as the treasure information indicated, they truly found nothing.
Even when Sofia used the silver ripple to probe downward, he found no holes or anything like that.
Clearly, the treasure had been deliberately hidden somewhere unexpected.
Looking at the slightly dated house, Alka turned his attention elsewhere.
"Let's dig down from here and see if there's anything buried there."
Alka came to a tree again, looking at the group.
Of course, there was nothing under the tree.
But the tree's presence here was a very conspicuous sign. If you were looking for treasure, you'd usually find it there.
The digging was slow, and Pororo even broke his shovel from time to time.
Finally, the general had no choice but to send two soldiers to help.
They continued like this until nightfall.
The entire village was littered with pits.
But nothing was found.
The soldiers behind General Kriel rekindled the bonfire, and the unconscious Faba regained consciousness.
He seemed to be talking to the general, occasionally glancing in Alka's direction.
Jason, who was watching the scene from the bonfire, said to Alka, who was staring at the flames thoughtfully, "It looks like he's reporting on our situation. If we keep dragging it out like this, it might not be easy."
Alka looked up.
Of course, he knew this stalling wouldn't last much longer.
He was simply using the time to think about a way to escape.
The general walked over and sat by the fire, watching the silent Alka and his companions.
He looked at the mud and sand covering their bodies.
"My time is limited. If I don't achieve the results I want in the next day and night, I may have to break my promise."
"After all, useless people don't deserve respect."
His eyes were sharp, and an invisible pressure pressed down on Alka and his companions.
It left Alka and his companions motionless.
It was a show of force.
Feeling the pressure, Alka sighed inwardly. This strength was clearly greater than he had imagined.
It took only a moment to control them all.
So, this was what the invisible force meant.
Whether challenging him head-on or fleeing, there was no chance of success.
We had to find a method with a higher chance of success, preferably one that could hold him back.
This way, Alka could escape quickly through the Mirror of Travel.
He pondered everyone's treasures and how to coordinate them.
Even with this in mind, Alka nodded and said, "I have an idea for today, but I need more information."
"After all, we've only just arrived here. Discovering this island is already our limit. We need more information about the treasure."