At night, in the camp nestled in the dense forest, everyone went about their business.
Alka took his map and examined the icons and movements on it. He highlighted the small red cross.
This was the mark representing the cultist of the Nafas family.
Alka marked his route almost every day or two.
"Who... are you?"
Narvi, sitting in the corner, suddenly asked, looking at the group.
He was genuinely curious. When Jason first approached him, he had assumed Alka and the others were just ordinary treasure hunters, with only a modicum of strength at best.
However, reality was completely different. From the moment he boarded the ship, everything became magical, especially regarding Alka and the others' strength.
As someone temporarily sailing with him, it was hard for him not to be aware of the information Alka and the others had revealed.
For example, everyone on the ship possessed a treasure. This was the first time he'd discovered a small treasure-hunting group with every member possessing a treasure.
He had never heard of the other groups. Besides, Alka, the leader, had three treasures.
During the battle against the demon a few days ago, Alka had even revealed one, one of which was at the level of a [Scepter].
Is this really just a fourth-stage individual?
He seriously suspected that Alka and his crew came from powerful families.
Perhaps even more powerful than the once-mighty Nafas family at their peak.
At least, as far as he could remember, even the Nafas family wouldn't casually bestow treasures upon younger members of the family, but rather upon those who deserved them.
"I am the Shark Merman of the Home Sea," Pororo suddenly replied.
As his voice rang out, the entire scene fell silent.
"Why are you looking at me? Isn't that right?"
"Then I'm just an ordinary person from the Home Sea," Jason agreed with a smile.
"Haha, I'm..."
The atmosphere suddenly became cheerful.
Narvi shook his head helplessly. Whenever this happened, he would dismiss his doubts.
Because the people on this ship always suddenly became nonsensical for no apparent reason.
This sometimes made him feel a little envious.
Alka walked over with a smile and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, they're just like that."
Hearing Alka's comfort, Narvi felt even more helpless.
Because Alka had just said he was an alien.
Although he didn't immediately understand what the word "alien" meant, he could hear the obvious teasing in it.
Even the team leader could sometimes be funny and nonsensical.
The people under his command could understand. "You should know that we're just an ordinary treasure-hunting group, called the Compass Eye."
After hearing this, Narvi looked at everyone, shook his head, and said, "Your team is very unique: the shark-man, the mermaid, and Miss Matlisa. Sorry, I don't know what race you belong to."
He then pointed at the others: "A beautiful, intelligent crystal dragon. A bunch of little puppet girls, and all of you are very unique and recognizable."
"And you're so powerful. You also said that you've been on many treasure hunts and adventures. Why aren't you well-known at all? It shouldn't be like that?"
Narvi asked, very puzzled.
Hearing this...
Everyone, not just Alka, frowned slightly.
Alka sat beside him, put the map away, and looked at him, asking, "Why do you find it strange that someone so powerful isn't well-known?"
The specific abilities of a treasure are relatively hidden. If you over-publicize your exploits, it's very likely that the enemy will discern your abilities from them.
Each treasure has different abilities.
Some might even possess powerful, first-sight kill abilities. If the enemy knew about them, their effectiveness would be greatly reduced.
Of course, some people would deliberately adjust details in rumors to mislead the enemy.
However, Alka and his companions generally concealed their whereabouts during their treasure hunt.
And honestly, because of Alka's abilities, most of the treasures they found were
almost unknown to the vast majority of people, and there might not even be legends left behind.
Those well-known treasures with legends and details attracted the attention and pursuit of many people.
It's also a treasure most people would seek. Under such circumstances, whoever obtains the ultimate treasure will naturally become famous.
At Alka's question, Narvi's hands appeared with book after book.
"These are the biographies of teams and individuals I've collected since I was a child. There are quite a few. Many of them are still active at sea."
Everyone came over, each picking up a book and examining it.
Each one was different.
"Paloto's Sea Journey"
"The Journey of the Golden Pointer"
"The White and Black Treasure Hunting Group"
...
They were all travelogues of various kinds. Alka flipped through them, and they all recorded the events of famous teams or individuals.
This revealed the writing style of some people; it was truly incomprehensible.
Some were quite interesting.
After roughly flipping through the books, Alka sat in silence, frowning.
It was strange, so strange.
He had always known about these travelogues and biographies; he had seen them for sale on other islands before.
But he hadn't expected that almost all the well-known teams and individuals were selling them. That was quite strange.
At first, he thought it was just a few people who had this hobby, which was normal. After all, when sailing on the sea, a voyage log was the best biography.
From these records, it was clear that some people's writing skills were truly poor.
It was clearly not a hobby.
"Why do all these well-known teams write these personal biographies?" Lilyi asked, puzzled, flipping through them.
From these biographies, even they could analyze the strength of some people and the potential for their treasures.
Perhaps it was Alka's influence, or perhaps it was simply the nature of the people, but at least they had always valued secrecy.
While they wouldn't go out of their way to conceal it, they definitely wouldn't actively publicize it. To them, that seemed too strange.
Hearing this, Narvi looked at everyone: "Isn't that the norm? Even famous people come up with something like this. What's so strange about that?"
In his eyes, Alka and his treasure-hunting group seemed like a strange anomaly, which was why he was perplexed.
Alka and his group had gathered from the Four Gods Sea; none of them had come from the Infinite Sea.
For those who grew up in the Infinite Sea, there were naturally some different perspectives.
There was a generation gap.
"What can I gain from this?" Jason asked, puzzled.
"What?" This question actually made Narvi feel a little confused.
"Fame?"
Other than that, Narvi really didn't know what else this thing could bring.
Fame? Alka pondered.
"Okay, enough of this, let's get down to business."
Alka said, laying out the map.
"We returned to the Zehai this time for a purpose. Although the chaos here has somewhat impacted our goal, we must still complete it."
Everyone nodded and sat down.
"First, the treasure of the Nafas family. We now possess the bloodline of this family. We hold the key to the final lock on the treasure vault." He glanced at Narvi.
He pointed at the occupied area in the back of the map.
"But the problem is, this area has already fallen. We must be careful to obtain the treasure there."
Alka didn't specify the location of the treasure on the map, but everyone present, except Narvi, knew it.
The treasure is near the edge of the life and death zone, which was the first area to fall and is likely now used as a transportation route for troops.
This is definitely the most dangerous area, because going there now would be like going deep behind enemy lines.
At this thought, everyone's expressions became troubled.
But there was another goal, which Alka didn't explicitly state. He planned to wait until he had actually obtained the family treasure before making plans to go there to retrieve it.
That was the treasure left behind by the mermaid Master of Nature at the border of life and death.
That was also the goal they must obtain.
The border of life and death was no place they could enter and exit at will. Their actions would be like walking into a trap, like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth.
It was too dangerous.
"Do you have any ideas?" Alka asked, looking up at the crowd.
Lily looked at the map, pondered for a moment, and said, "How about we two go scout and see if there's a safer route?
It's such a large area; even these undead can't possibly occupy it all, right?"
"We can also help the Church and the Flower Fairies, helping them to hold off these monsters, or even push them back.
Or perhaps we can wait for the Flower Fairies to fully recover, during which time we can hunt those demons," Simon suggested.
Everyone discussed the matter, but most of the suggestions were based on the two different opinions given by the two previous people, expanding upon them.
The team's intentions were divided into two:
Go out first and see if there's a safe route.
Advance steadily and help the Church and the Flower Fairies. Either wait for the Church to push through, or wait for the Flower Fairies to recover and then slaughter them.
Considering these two opinions, Alka said, "Forget it, let's not rush. Tomorrow I'll go to the Land of Fragrance to learn about the current situation in the Land of All Spirits. We'll make plans then."
They only had a general understanding of the overall situation. They didn't know much about the specific threats.
As the hub of the Land of All Spirits and the most heavily guarded area, the Land of Fragrance should be the hub for all intelligence.
Hearing Alka's words, everyone nodded.
They each rested, awaiting dawn.
…
The curtain was pulled back.
Sunlight streamed in.
After a morning discussion, Alka and the others decided that Alkashadeti, Jason, and the other two would go to the Land of Fragrance.
There was no point in having too many people.
Besides, all three were followers of the Virgin Mary, and their relationship with the Flower Fairy Church would be better.
Riding the Flying Swallow, the three of them headed towards the Land of Fragrant Flowers.
They hadn't sailed far when they encountered a patrol of knights, naturally, they were riding Crawler Fish.
One Stage 3 knight led four Stage 2 knights, fully armed; they must be elite.
Alka observed the knights.
"Who are you? This is strictly forbidden. If you are not absolutely necessary, please turn around and leave!"
The Stage 3 captain raised his trident.
The meaning was clear.
At this moment, a soldier behind him gently patted his captain and whispered something in his ear.
Alka and the others watched and waited.
Clearly, the fully armed knight behind them might know them.
After all, they were well-known in the Land of Fragrant Flowers and among the soldiers who had fought there.
The knight squad formed an arc, half-encircling them, and slowly approached them.
"Is this Lord Alka?"
"It's us."
Hearing Alka's response, the soldier who had just spoken to his captain leaned forward slightly to look at Alka and said.
"Can you prove it? These are special times, please forgive me."
Hearing this, Alka nodded, slightly revealing the blessing mark on his forehead.
The soldiers immediately sensed the aura of the flower fairy, a scent they would never forget.
"Lord Alka, please continue on. We apologize for our duty and cannot take you further." The soldier said, stepping back a few steps.
The knight captain, the leader, nodded to Alka and the others, then reached out and gently pressed the bow of the ship.
A simple mark floated above.
Alka and his companions nodded, bid farewell to the knights, and continued on their way.
Along the way, they encountered numerous patrolling knights, some of whom would approach to check upon seeing the mark on Alka's bow.
Some of them recognized Alka and his companions, and Alka kept his mark visible at all times to avoid any trouble.
After passing through numerous checkpoints, they finally arrived at the port where they had previously stopped in the Land of Fragrant Flowers.
"Lord Alka? I didn't expect you to come," the guard said with a smile, looking at Alka and his companions. He then secured their boat alongside.
"If you wish to enter, you must undergo inspection. I beg your pardon," the guard said apologetically.
Alka nodded, not refusing.
"An inspection" was actually a scan of the three of them with some kind of magical equipment. After confirming that there were no problems, he nodded to them.
At this moment, the Land of Fragrance was completely encircled by a massive, thick wall of emerald green vines.
The wall lacked any gates.
As they were inspected, the guards gestured, and the vines on the wall began to spread and move.
A doorway appeared, allowing the three to enter.
The walls were densely packed with flower cannons. Beyond that, knights, guards, and archers came and went.
Alka saw many third- and even fourth-stage captains patrolling the walls.
They could almost be called elite troops.
"What a hassle," Jason sighed.
This journey had been truly troublesome, with every interrogation, questioning, and inspection going on.
The knights and guards conducting the inspections were all devotees of the Flower Fairy, so they were meticulous.
While it was a hassle, it was a good thing at this point. As they entered, they saw Gilliana standing beside them.
"Welcome! I didn't expect you to come here during such a dangerous time."
Gilliana looked at Alka and frowned in surprise. "How did you do it? You seem to have gotten stronger again?"
Hearing this, Alka simply smiled and didn't explain further.
"I don't know why you're here at this time, but first
"Come with me, let's go to the barracks. This isn't the place to talk."
Hearing Gilliana's words, the three nodded and followed her across the street toward the barracks.
As they crossed the street, they looked around. Most of the shops were closed. Although there were still residents walking around, they generally had serious expressions.
They appeared to be in a hurry.
Most of these residents wore protective gear, such as rattan armor and leather armor. They also carried weapons of various sizes, though they didn't necessarily know how to use them.
They arrived at the barracks and saw this. The place was practically packed with new recruits.
Some wounded soldiers had been brought back and appeared to have received treatment.
Passing by a field, they saw many wounded soldiers undergoing rehabilitation training.
Alka observed.
It seemed the fighting here had been truly brutal. Many of the wounded had become disabled, yet they were still undergoing rehabilitation training, trying to return to the battlefield.
He went to a small room near the center of the barracks.
It seemed to be a reception room.
"Sit down. What would you like to drink?"
Hearing this, Jason sat down and said bluntly, "Let's have that flower tea from last time. I think it's quite delicious."
Alka and the others also sat down and nodded.
Gilliana smiled and quickly came over with three cups of tea. She placed them in front of everyone and sat down beside them.
"Tell me, why are you here at this time? Do you really want to help us?" "
Hearing Jilin's slightly teasing tone, the three of them all smiled.
They had been comrades in arms during their previous activities here, conducting patrols together and arresting many cultists and internal spies.
So, they could basically be considered close friends.