Upon hearing Alka's words, the general gave Alka a deep look, then turned.
He looked at the traitor, Faba.
Faba nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, they know very little about this treasure. I heard that this island was actually a matter of speculation."
Hearing this, Alka and the others couldn't help but look at him.
"Well, if that's the case."
Judging from the general's expression, he really didn't want to say it, but he had no choice.
"Clarian, the pirate from 20 years ago, the owner of this skin." He waved the human skin map in his hand.
Naturally, Alka and Balazs had given it to him voluntarily.
"According to family lineage, he can actually be considered my cousin."
Upon hearing this, the eyes of those around the fire widened slightly, especially Balazs and the members of the Chamber of Commerce who had come with him.
The expressions of the Chamber of Commerce members immediately turned gloomy and bitter.
Clearly, this news wasn't what they were meant to hear.
Anyone with a reasonable degree of wit could see that after hearing this, life would be awful.
"A pirate relative, and a scumbag at that. He even killed his own blood relatives. Surprising, right?" A rare hint of disgust crossed his serious expression.
He then looked around the island and said, "This island is called the Exile Island, so naturally, some members of the royal family were exiled. Why were they exiled?
Of course, it was because of disgusting political infighting. Among them were young Clarian, his parents, and, of course, his sister.
As well as some members of their clan."
"Originally, he was a pirate around here, unnoticed. But he killed my sister, the king's sister, claiming it was out for revenge.
But we also learned that he was a remnant of a former pirate, killed during the siege by a crew member's betrayal."
"But apparently, we didn't wipe out all the pirates on their ship. Some managed to escape, and he seemed to have anticipated this and buried his treasure."
"That treasure isn't some unknown item, but a legacy of their family, supposedly lost. Now, it seems it's simply hidden."
After saying this, he turned and looked at the crowd.
"Okay, the story's over. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"
From the beginning, a scribbled map lay before Alka.
Even as he listened, he stared at it thoughtfully.
As if analyzing the activated information.
That was essentially correct.
And the information about the golden light had indeed expanded.
[Treasure Information: Treasure hidden by a pirate named Kylian. This is his life's work, but it's also ill-gotten gains, stained with the blood and souls of innocents.
The [Holy Grail]-level treasure, [Terror Twins], is hidden here.
The space in the Broken Sea is weak. The civilization that existed here ten thousand years ago mastered the power of space, and the treasure was hidden within this hidden space.]
So that's how it is! Who would have thought? Vastva's superimposed space is incredibly stable. The superimposed space of the island's ruins has persisted for tens of thousands of years.
Since this is Vastva technology, Alka and the others must know a lot.
In an instant, everything clicked.
They'd been in Vastva for so long, and it wasn't just a simple treasure hunt.
Unless this pirate had cracked the overlapping space technology, the key to unlocking it must be a secret code, even capable of telepathic commands.
Even Alka and the others hadn't completely cracked this technology.
So the main question now was what exactly was the secret code?
Thinking for a moment, Alka asked, "Can I know their family name, or the names of their parents and sister?"
Hearing this, General Kriel narrowed his eyes and looked at Alka.
"It seems you have a clue."
"Their family name is Vasavs, his sister's name is Linate, and his parents' names are..."
After listening to the general's story, Alka nodded.
Finally, within his field of vision, the treasure's information expanded to the final piece.
[Treasure Information: Treasure hidden by a pirate named Kylian. This is his last...
The Broken Sea's spatial dimension is weak. The civilization that existed there ten thousand years ago mastered the power of space, and the treasure was hidden within this hidden space.
The entry password is "Linate Wassavs"] (Perfect)
So he used her sister's name as the password?
Thinking about it, it makes sense. After all, he killed the king's sister, claiming it was revenge.
Then Alka put the map away, looked at the general, and nodded.
"Your information is very useful. I'm starting to get a clue.
If you don't mind... how about letting me wander around this abandoned village?"
Listening to Alka's words, the general gave him a deep look and then nodded.
"I hope you're sensible enough."
He simply warned him, then ignored him.
The huge disparity in strength gave him enough confidence.
Arka gave Shadaiti and the others a reassuring look, then walked off to the side. Their campsite was in the village square.
Two soldiers followed Alka on either side.
Arka made no comment.
He searched the ruined huts of the village, as if genuinely searching for clues.
He even marked everything, writing and drawing in his notebook with a look of intense concentration.
Even an expert, let alone an outsider, couldn't spot the flaw.
However, Alka's true treasure-hunting methods were clearly beyond the comprehension of even the most experienced.
The general hadn't followed, and indeed, only the two soldiers were behind him.
Clouds obscured some of the starlight in the sky. Aka took out his lantern and let it float nearby to illuminate the area.
The two soldiers, who had already placed their hands on their weapons, silently lowered their hands.
Aka didn't care, but smiled.
He continued to wander the village with the two soldiers.
He even appeared once outside the square so General Kriel could see him.
He was also making final arrangements.
He didn't think the general would let them go. This man possessed the power to absolutely suppress them.
Seriousness meant ruthlessness. Look at the soldiers who had followed him; they were silent and taciturn.
Plus, they had just heard some news that was clearly not friendly to the royal family.
Furthermore, the general had made it clear upon arriving on the island that this security had a hidden secret.
And he couldn't go there in person, so he devised these strategies.
Sigh.
The chances of survival were even lower.
But he wasn't completely helpless. He had a good idea; he just needed to look it over carefully.
At least the method he had in mind seemed promising.
Finally, he searched for something inside the house where the golden light had appeared.
He adjusted his glasses.
He slightly moved the lantern in front of him, as if examining something.
A dark cloud drifted across the sky.
The surroundings were completely dark.
When tiny specks of starlight once again shone through the damaged windows of the dilapidated house, Alka also raised the lantern.
"There are still a few rooms left. I hope you don't mind," Alka said with a smile.
The two soldiers ignored him and simply followed him.
In boredom, Alka walked towards the last few empty houses.
After a short while, they finished their inspection and returned to the square.
Seeing Alka's return, everyone around the fire looked at him.
There seemed to be a hint of inquiry in his calm eyes.
They hoped Alka had brought back good news.
"..."
"I hope you bring back good news."
General Kriel looked at him quietly.
Alka smiled and nodded. "Of course, I did find an important clue. It's very likely where the treasure is buried."
"Shall we go now?" Alka asked.
General Kriel looked at him, then shook his head.
"Although time is short, I'm not in a rush. You're all tired. Get a good night's rest and go tomorrow."
Alka's expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded.
Everyone sat by the fire, eating simple rations. Soon, they settled in groups of three or four to rest.
Arka and Shadaiti leaned against each other, covered by a blanket. Lusilia lay in Arka's arms, though only her head was visible, seemingly sound asleep.
Aside from the sound of waves and insects, the only sound was the crackling of the fire before them.
A silence fell all around.
"Four soldiers are missing. Two of them are the ones who followed you. They're checking the route you just took."
Lucilia's voice echoed within his soul. Lusilia in his arms had long since become a mere doll.
"It's okay, don't worry. I didn't leave anything along the way. They won't be able to tell."
Then, through his soul, Arka told Lusilia of his plan. Lucilia also used the skin between Alka and Shadaiti to enter Shadaiti's soul space.
She then recounted Alka's plan to her.
This was the only way to get the three of them to work together.
Jason and the others nearby, while unaware of Alka's specific plan, knew he would take action tomorrow.
They simply needed to remain vigilant and do what they had to do.
"I'm going to sleep now. See if I can get any information from my dreams."
Alka said to himself before falling into a deep sleep.
As he sank into his dream bubble, he immediately noticed something was amiss.
His bubble seemed to be under constant attack.
Who was it? How dare they?
Since Alka had become more familiar with his dreams, he had noticed that the area around his dream bubble had inexplicably been imbued with some of his aura.
This caused the creatures in his dreams to rarely approach his bubble. Even if they didn't know who the dream's owner was, being near made them feel a little uncomfortable.
So, Alka was very surprised when his dream bubble was attacked.
Just as he was about to fly out, he bumped into the membrane.
A crisp sound was heard.
A strange pain emanated from his dream, causing Alka to clutch his forehead.
He had never expected the membrane to suddenly harden, so he flew so fast.
"What's going on?" Alka exclaimed in surprise. He could clearly control his dream bubble.
Why was his dream bubble blocking him, trapping him inside?
He reached out to probe the bubble's membrane. He had indeed passed through it, but it was now covered by a more solid layer.
This couldn't be the product of his bubble; something else was encasing it.
This solid layer blocked him, preventing him from leaving his dream bubble.
Alka could sense that the bubble was completely cracked.
As he sensed his bubble was under attack, some of his dream energy began to leak out.
Sitting in the middle of the bubble, Alka frowned.
He could feel his bubble being breached, but no further damage had been done.
The attacker had simply opened a small hole in the dream bubble, and the dream energy within, like a tiny drain in a pool, slowly flowed out.
This flow wouldn't wake the dreamer, as the damage was minimal.
However, if this continued until awakening, the consequences would be far more serious.
Although the instantaneous destruction of the bubble would instantly drain a significant amount of dream energy and awaken the dreamer, it would also cause the bubble to vanish.
So, the energy lost was not significant, if calculated carefully. This constant drain of energy would leave the person slightly exhausted upon waking, as if they hadn't rested enough.
The energy loss was even greater.
If one lived in such a place for a long time, their spirit would deteriorate until it affected their physical body.
So, what was wrong with the dream they were in?
There must be a gigantic dream creature outside, one that understood the importance of steady progress and didn't wantonly destroy things. It couldn't be a shadow creature.
Physical creatures couldn't harm the dream bubble, not even the giant mist python on Southern Cross Island.
That left only the light and shadow creatures.
Arka wondered what this dream creature looked like. He couldn't leave his dream bubble.
Apparently, after falling asleep, he had landed within the prey range of an unknown monster.
Unable to leave, there was no way he could get any information or intelligence.
Helpless, Alka maintained the existence of the dream bubble, swapping his real body with his dream double.
A sudden sense of fear returned.
"It's a good thing it was just a dream."
If he had rashly swapped his dream double, his real body would have sunk into the dream.
And it just so happened that there was a powerful monster in this dream. Without the protection of the dream bubble, his real body would have been attacked in the dream as well.
Luckily, he fell asleep.
He could control the dream bubble to maintain it, swapping it, and keeping his own growth inside.
Although this would constantly drain his dream energy and make him mentally exhausted,
compared to the damage to his real body, this loss was completely acceptable.
In the outside world, Alka opened his eyes.
Lusilia, who had been residing in Alka's soul, was forced out and returned to her own body.
Regarding the surroundings, Lusilia's soul, once back in her body, made no movement, except to turn over and glance at Alka.
The night slowly slipped away.
The general kept his eyes closed, turning the hourglass he used to measure time.
Only when the hourglass swayed slightly did the general open his eyes.
The curtain of the sky parted.
The bright sun and blue sky suddenly appeared in the sky.
Everyone had already woken up.
"Since it's daybreak, let's go. Lead the way," the general said, standing up and looking at Alka.
Alka nodded and led the group towards the golden light, with the others following behind.
General He led his men to form a semicircle behind them to prevent them from acting irrationally.
"The treasure is hidden here," Alka said, pointing to the room where the golden light lay.
Due to the large number of people, he left two soldiers outside, and Alka also left some puppet girls outside.
"According to my theory, this must have been the home where Kylian lived."
Hearing Alka's words, General Kriel looked around the house.
Then, as if he saw something, he said, "Your theory is correct. This is very likely where they lived."
He seemed to see something resembling a family emblem or a symbol.
He turned to look at Alka.
"So, where in this room could the treasure be hidden? I remember you searched here yesterday."
Alka had also searched this area yesterday, digging up some of the surrounding mud.
Traces were still scattered around.
He had also examined the floorboards of the room, but found no mezzanine.
Hearing this, Alka smiled and said, "It's simple. He couldn't have simply hidden the treasure where it could be reached."
"After all, he couldn't guarantee that his former residence wouldn't be discovered, right? Hiding it here would be foolish."
Alka looked at the general and suddenly asked, "What do you know about the Broken Isle?"
"A dangerous island," the general replied simply.
"It is indeed a dangerous island, filled with ferocious beasts, dangerous dimensional rifts, and ruins that can be inexplicably activated."
Because Vastvar was very fond of using secret codes as switches for various things.
"Okay, enough nonsense. What I want to see is the treasure."
Alka nodded. "Of course, I'm just telling you why I found it.
After all, I'm a treasure hunter, right? It would be a shame if no one shared my journey."
Then he clapped his hands.
"Linate Wassavs."
As Alka whispered, the surrounding magic power rapidly increased.
This familiar feeling immediately revealed the treasure's location to Jason and the others.
As the magic power increased, the general seemed to have noticed something, and a shield immediately appeared around him.
However, it wasn't an attack.
The wave swept across quickly.
Everyone in the room vanished in an instant.
Only those within the room vanished. The two soldiers guarding the door and the puppet girls outside were left behind.
The moment they vanished, the puppet girls left behind scattered.
‐‐As if they had known about this situation beforehand, as if they had rehearsed it.
‐‐In an instant, they vanished.
‐‐The two soldiers immediately tried to give chase, but the disappearance of the people behind them forced them to stop.
‐‐For a moment, they were at a loss as to what to do.
‐‐While they were pondering, the puppet girls disappeared.
‐‐Faced with this situation, the two men looked around and had no choice but to stop where they were.
‐‐They could only search the room.