The four regrouped.
"Got the key." Natsuki raised the key in his hand without any hesitation. "We're going to the treasure room."
He looked at Hayasaka: "Hanamori, scout ahead."
You really don't treat me like an outsider!
Hayasaka's expression remained unchanged. She pulled down the Hamster Cloak's hood to cover her face—her concealment attribute increased dramatically:
"Leave it to me."
"..."
The operation continued.
The journey was thrilling but safe. They only encountered the ghost crewmate that the male player had become after death. Using the "throw bone to scout the way" method to lure him away, the group returned to the treasure room door.
Natsuki took out the three strange keys polished from coral and embedded them in the door's grooves. Then he pressed down on the center. The disc on the door immediately rotated, and the door quietly opened.
"Finally open." Kitagawa Marin breathed a quiet sigh of relief and muttered curiously: "I wonder what treasures are inside. Will there be crosses and holy water specifically for dealing with ghosts?"
Those things are for dealing with demons and vampires, not ghosts!
Natsuki narrowed his eyes and looked into the room. A prompt quickly appeared before him.
[You enter safely and successfully grasp the ghost captain's weakness]
"So there's no hidden danger behind the door."
Natsuki let out a quiet breath. Without further hesitation, he pushed the door open and entered.
The three girls followed closely.
The treasure room looked quite ordinary.
Like the other rooms on the ghost ship—sinister and dark, the air damp and cold, everywhere emanating an uncomfortable musty smell.
In the middle of the room sat several dilapidated chests.
"Those are the treasure chests?" Kitagawa Marin was quite disappointed. "I thought they'd be golden treasure chests."
Hey now—no need to bring game settings into reality. Gold is such a precious material—who would use it to make treasure chests?!
"I wonder what's inside the chests."
Hayasaka folded both arms across her chest, quite interested.
As a gamer girl, suddenly encountering a treasure chest scene from games naturally raised some expectations.
"We'll know once we open them."
Natsuki narrowed his eyes slightly. A prompt quickly appeared before him.
[After careful observation, you decide...]
To be safe, Natsuki still followed the prompt and stepped forward half a step, kicking out: "Mimic, I've already seen through your disguise!"
"..."
The wooden chest showed no movement.
The three girls all turned their faces, looking over with subtle expressions.
Natsuki's expression remained unchanged:
"Now we can confirm the treasure chest has no danger. Let's open it."
Safety first.
Not embarrassing.
"I'll open it."
Kitagawa Marin raised her right hand, volunteering herself.
The chest wasn't locked—it opened easily.
"Where's the promised treasure? Why is it all vases and plates?"
Kitagawa Marin was greatly disappointed.
Inside the opened treasure chest—no gold, silver, jewels, diamonds, or agate. Nothing of the sort.
"To be precise, it should be porcelain." Natsuki picked up a plate with light colors. "Ancient porcelain was very valuable. If you could bring these things out of the game, you'd immediately become a rich woman."
"Too bad I can't take them out."
The petite girl spoke quietly: "What are these?"
Natsuki turned to look. He saw a bag of black objects—who knew what they were. He picked it up and examined it carefully, pondering:
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be pepper?"
"Eh?" The petite girl looked up in surprise. "Isn't that a common seasoning from supermarkets?"
It's common now, yes—but not at all common in the Middle Ages. Pepper, cloves, and cinnamon weren't just food spices but important medicines. No matter what illness you had, you could grind a few grains of pepper and add them to medicine. They were especially popular with men—supposedly able to extend duration, reduce sensitivity, and make one's vigor soar!
Porcelain.
Silk.
Pepper spices.
Natsuki strongly suspected this ghost ship had plundered a cargo merchant vessel before sinking.
Hayasaka still maintained vigilance and didn't immediately approach. Only after confirming there was no danger did she come over to open chests together.
And then...
"Mmph—"
The spy maid's body suddenly tensed. She couldn't help but retreat half a step, bumping into Natsuki's arms.
Inside the treasure chest was clearly a fist-sized pale white heart.
What the hell?
Why would such an awful thing as a heart be placed in a treasure chest?!
"This coin... seems unusual."
Kitagawa Marin suddenly handed over a strangely shaped silver coin.
Natsuki reached out to take the silver coin. The game actually provided a prompt.
[Item: Mysterious Silver Coin]
[Usage: Toss]
[Attributes: This is a silver coin stained with the power of fate. Heads up—your fortune will receive an extra boost for a period of time. Tails up—for a period of time, you will be plagued by bad luck]
[Can it be taken out of the dungeon?]
[Yes]
"It can actually be taken out?"
Natsuki raised his brows in surprise.
This was the first time he'd encountered an item in the game that could be taken out. Was this the hidden benefit of cracking the treasure room mechanism?
"Eh eh?" Kitagawa Marin's eyes suddenly widened. Turning around, she handed over an orange. "Natsuki, this orange can also be taken out."
Natsuki took the orange. The game likewise provided an explanation.
[Item: A Miraculous Orange]
[Origin: The Not-Too-Hot Caribbean]
[Effect: Scurvy Treatment]
[Note: As everyone knows, scurvy was a terrifying demon that ravaged the Age of Exploration worldwide, once making people's faces change color at its mention—until someone discovered that small oranges could cure scurvy. This is an orange possessing miraculous power. After consuming it, you can remove all negative status effects]
[Can it be taken out of the dungeon?]
[Yes]
Another item that could be taken out of the game.
"Um..." The petite girl handed over a pearl. "This thing also seems to be takeable out of the game."
[Item: Mermaid Tear Pearl]
[In ancient times, merfolk wept pearls to the moon. A trace of lunar power can be extracted from it, with a chance to strengthen items or skills]
[Can it be taken out of the dungeon?]
[Yes]
Compared to treasures like porcelain, silk, gold, and jewels—things that could be taken out of the game were the real treasures.
Kitagawa Marin planted her right hand on her hip, her voice crisp: "Take them, take them—take them all."
Bang.
A dull impact sound suddenly rang out behind the group.
Natsuki turned to look and discovered it was a giant tentacle covered in suckers slapping down on the floor.
Only then did the group discover an inconspicuous transparent small fish tank in the corner—inside was a small gray-white octopus.
At this moment.
As the octopus crawled out of the tank, its tentacles and body suddenly grew at an incredible speed, rapidly transforming into a giant octopus... This was clearly the tentacle monster herself!
A prompt appeared before Natsuki's eyes.
[Name: Paul the Octopus]
[Species: Sea Monster]
[Note: I really want to drill into something]
Having a monster guarding the treasure room is perfectly normal, right?