Luke's sobering medicine was remarkably effective. Less than a minute after swallowing it, Sarah could already feel the alcohol fading from her system.
At that moment, however, she would have preferred to remain drunk.
At least then she might have forgotten her current embarrassment.
Slowly setting the glass back on the table, Sarah forcibly changed the subject.
"How long will she remain unconscious?"
Luke also pretended that nothing had happened.
"She'll probably sleep until dawn. What I'm curious about now is how you plan to locate the treasure."
Sarah had already begun searching the room.
"She must have hidden something that important in a secure location. That's why I deliberately arranged to meet her here. She considers this place safe, since it's where she secretly meets all her pretty boys."
Luke joined her in searching the room, silently feeling a moment of sympathy for the second-in-command named Juarez.
Marsili had clearly cheated on him countless times over the years.
Sarah was certain that Gangplank's treasure had been recorded somewhere.
The Serpent Isles were located in a peculiar region of the Guardian's Sea. Without an experienced helmsman or windfinder among the crew, getting lost at sea was inevitable.
Even with such people aboard, ships could still lose their bearings when they encountered fog, storms, or other severe weather.
Many years ago, some sailors worshiped other deities and prayed for the wind to guide them.
Most people, however, worshiped the Bearded Lady, Nagakabouros. They obtained navigation charms from her temples to guide their course.
There was also another method, drawing nautical charts.
When someone wanted to conceal something important somewhere on the sea, recording the location on a nautical chart was the best solution.
No matter how clearly a person remembered the location, those memories would be useless if they became lost at sea.
By recording the coordinates on a chart, they could locate the place quickly and ensure that it would never be forgotten.
There was still one problem, whether Marsili actually knew where the treasure was.
If she had followed Gangplank for so many years without ever learning where he hid his treasure, then Sarah would have no choice but to admit that she had misjudged her.
The two spent more than an hour thoroughly searching the entire deckhouse, but found no trace of a treasure map.
"Could it be somewhere else?"
Sarah sat down in a chair, her brows drawing together as she sank into thought.
It was also possible that Marsili had hidden the treasure map somewhere else. If that were the case, Sarah believed she could eventually coax the location out of her as long as she had enough time.
Unfortunately, time was what she lacked most.
She was short on both money and time. To deal with a vicious pirate like Gangplank, she needed to make sure that every step of her plan was sufficiently secure.
Just then, she saw Luke walking toward the unconscious Marsili on the bed.
"I already searched over there. There's nothing."
Sarah did not suspect Luke of harboring indecent thoughts toward Marsili while the woman was sleeping like a corpse.
They had spent several days together by now, so Sarah had developed at least some understanding of his character.
"Your method didn't work, so I'm going to try mine."
Luke answered as he sat beside the bed.
The perfume around Marsili's bed was even stronger, but he ignored it. He extended his slender fingers toward her forehead.
"Your method?"
Sarah looked confused, but stood and walked over.
"What are you planning to do?"
"I'm going to create a pleasant dream for her."
Luke smiled as thin strands of black magic flowed from his fingertips.
As his understanding of magic had deepened, he had also learned more about the two demonic powers within his body.
After all, demonic power was merely one of the countless forms of magical energy found throughout Runeterra.
In the past, he had not known how to use them and generally avoided bringing them out. Now that his understanding had improved, his control over them had become much stronger.
He had therefore begun attempting to study and analyze the fundamental powers he had stolen from the two demons.
Barring anything unexpected, he would have to coexist with them for quite some time.
Activating his demonic form enhanced Luke's overall strength, but the two demons' unique abilities were even more important.
Evelynn's Demon Shade granted invisibility, or at least an effect nearly indistinguishable from true invisibility. When combined with Stealth Arts, it became the perfect technique for launching surprise attacks.
Nocturne's ability, meanwhile, naturally involved manipulating dreams. It had once plunged an entire town into nightmares at the same time, continuously feeding upon the people's fear, and that had not even been the height of its power.
Luke could not accomplish anything on that scale, but he could manage it against one person.
"A pleasant dream?"
Sarah became even more confused. However, after seeing the dark energy flowing from Luke's fingertips, she quietly remained beside him.
She was not stupid and naturally understood what Luke meant.
As she watched, a thought suddenly occurred to her. Ever since meeting this man, she did not seem to have suffered another nightmare.
Her beautiful eyes quietly shifted toward Luke's profile, and Sarah became momentarily distracted.
Within Marsili's dream, she awoke on a luxurious bed and immediately saw handsome men lying all around her.
She froze.
There were all kinds of attractive men, cold and aloof ones, delicate ones, tall ones, ruggedly masculine ones. Everything she could possibly desire was there. One glance was enough to make her entire body burn with heat and her breathing accelerate.
This was exactly what she had always dreamed of!
It almost felt like an actual dream.
"Please, I'm exhausted. I can't go again..."
A slender, beautiful young man lying beside her spoke in a soft, delicate voice. His large, innocent eyes looked pitifully at her.
Marsili instantly became excited. The heat inside her doubled, and she nearly roared aloud.
Who cared whether it was a dream? She would enjoy herself first!
Even if it was only a dream, experiencing something like this would make dying worthwhile!
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of you!"
Marsili let out a lecherous laugh and pounced on him like a starving tiger.
"Marsili, I'm back!"
At that critical moment, a rough voice came from far outside.
Marsili instantly broke out in a cold sweat. It was as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over her burning desire.
Her wonderful dream had nearly transformed into a nightmare.
Having her pleasure interrupted at such a crucial moment also made her extremely irritated.
Looking at the beautiful young man trembling in her arms and the other handsome men who had also been frightened, she gave them a reassuring look.
"Don't be afraid. I'll be back to take care of all of you soon."
She quickly stood, casually threw on a garment, and went outside to welcome the lover she had long since grown tired of, Juarez.
Had he not been Gangplank's most trusted second-in-command, she would have discarded the rough-faced brute long ago.
He was not worthy of being compared to a single one of the handsome men lying on her bed.
"I haven't seen you in ages, and somehow you've gotten even prettier."
Juarez laughed heartily when he saw her and pulled her into his arms.
"You rogue, all you ever do is flatter me. You haven't even told me what gift you brought back."
Marsili nestled against his chest and complained coquettishly.
"Who says I didn't bring anything? What do you call this?"
Juarez immediately held up a glittering golden necklace embedded with gemstones.
Marsili's eyes lit up. She delightedly took the necklace and kissed Juarez on the cheek.
"Darling, I love you more than anyone!"
"Hahaha! Of course you do. Do you know who I am?"
Juarez laughed twice before continuing.
"Enough of that for now. The boss made a tremendous haul this time and brought back plenty of valuable goods. There isn't enough room on the island, so some of it needs to be stored away."
At those words, Marsili gave him a knowing smile.
"So we're going there again?"
"That's right. We can't do it without you this time. Let's prepare to leave."
Juarez nodded.
"I don't know why it has to be so urgent."
Marsili sighed and looked reluctantly toward the room where the handsome men were hidden. She comforted herself with the thought that she would return soon.
By this point, she had completely accepted her role within the dream.
She soon followed Juarez into another room. Then, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, she removed every piece of clothing she wore and turned her back toward him.
She grumbled unhappily, "I still don't know what you were thinking when you drew that thing on my body. What are you going to do if something happens to me one day?"
"How could anything possibly happen to you? Who in Bilgewater would dare offend you now? Offending you is the same as offending me, and offending me is the same as offending Gangplank.
"Unless someone has a death wish!"
Juarez laughed arrogantly and began tracing his fingers across Marsili's back.
The instant his rough, cold fingers touched her skin, Marsili trembled slightly.
Naturally, she did not notice that another pair of eyes was watching everything from above.
The dream was developing according to Marsili's subconscious. Luke had merely provided a little encouragement and guided it in the desired direction.
After reaching this point, however, Luke could no longer continue observing.
Marsili's subconscious began resisting him. This secret was apparently extremely important to her.
Even within a dream, she was unwilling to reveal too much.
Luke's understanding of dream manipulation was still shallow, so he withdrew from the dream.
Sarah, who had been watching him closely, immediately asked with concern, "Did you find anything?"
Luke nodded.
"I think so. In the dream, she mentioned that the thing was drawn on her body."
"On her body?"
Sarah was initially startled, but then her beautiful eyes lit up.
"Of course! Why didn't I think of that? Her own body would be the safest place."
She immediately understood.
Juarez was Gangplank's helmsman, yet he had apparently tattooed the location of such an important treasure onto his woman's body.
It was actually quite clever. As long as nothing happened to Marsili, the secret would remain safe. Even if something did happen to her, no one would suspect that the tattoos on her body were actually a treasure map.
Sarah stepped forward, intending to strip Marsili naked, but then stopped and asked, "Will doing this wake her up?"
Luke stood and turned his back to the bed.
"No. She's completely lost in that wonderful dream."
The sound of clothing being removed immediately came from behind him. A moment later, Sarah's disgusted yet restrained voice followed.
"Her entire backside is covered in tattoos. She even has them there. Which part marks the treasure's location?"
"How should I explain this? I didn't see that part. Marsili's subconscious deliberately avoided revealing it."
Luke also sank into thought as he recalled what he had witnessed.
"Are there any unusual lines among the tattoos?"
"Lines?"
Sarah carefully examined the back of Marsili's body.
A massive image covered it. The design consisted of several sea monsters tangled around one another, extending all the way down to the roots of her thighs and across her arms.
"Now that you mention it, these lines really do resemble the outline of a map..."
She examined the design repeatedly, gradually developing an idea.
"If these eyes represent islands, could this part be the Serpent Isles?"
The longer she looked, the more excited she became. Her understanding continued to deepen, and she felt as though she had grasped the crucial detail.
"No, I need to copy this entire design. We can't remain here much longer. We'll analyze the rest after we return."
Sarah immediately made her decision. She found paper and a pen inside the deckhouse, then began copying every tattoo across Marsili's back.
As the daughter of a master gunsmith, Sarah naturally possessed exceptional drafting skills. She made almost no mistakes and quickly reproduced the complete tattoo as a flat image on the paper.
Once she finished, she returned the pen and remaining paper to their original places. Then she dressed Marsili again and covered her with a blanket.
She also left behind a letter explaining her departure, using it to conceal the fact that she had taken a sheet of paper.
Afterward, she and Luke left the deckhouse.
Even after they departed, Sarah remained excited. A faint flush colored her cheeks as she happily slapped Luke on the back.
"You're full of surprises! I never expected you to have an ability like that hidden away. If we really find Gangplank's treasure this time, you'll receive the greatest share of the credit."
"Really, Captain? Besides receiving the greatest credit, will there be any other reward?"
Luke pretended to be delighted.
"Of course I'll give you a portion of the treasure."
Sarah smiled brightly. At the mention of treasure, her eyes shone like those of an obsessed little miser.
"That reward sounds a little ordinary to me."
Luke sighed.
"To me, money is nothing but a number. Money is the thing I'm least interested in."
That effortless rich-man flex immediately wiped the smile from Sarah's face.
She glared at the infuriating bastard and snorted irritably.
"Unfortunately, numbers are the only reward I can give you right now."
Luke sighed again.
"Fine. I suppose I'll reluctantly accept."
They had not even seen the shadow of the treasure yet, but they were already discussing how to divide it.
They were also enjoying the conversation quite a bit.
After returning, Sarah immediately summoned her trusted subordinates so they could examine and discuss the tattoo design together.
This was not her area of greatest expertise.
Rafen was an experienced sailor. He had previously served under another captain and had held positions such as helmsman and windfinder. People with that kind of experience were indispensable at sea. They gave a crew the confidence that they would not become lost on the open water.
An inexperienced captain who dared to sail out to sea alone was practically committing suicide.
Of course, exceptional personal strength could change matters.
In any case, Rafen quickly recognized the hidden meaning within the sea-monster tattoo.
He obtained fresh paper and a pen, then began redrawing it according to his own experience.
Before long, a complete nautical chart appeared on the paper.
"There's no mistake. This really is a nautical chart leading somewhere else."
After examining it, Rafen spoke with certainty.
Sarah's eyes brightened. She glanced at Luke, delight flashing across her face, before forcing herself to remain composed.
"There's no time to waste. Pack everything. We leave immediately!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Voices answered her command one after another.
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