Klein was dressed in a suit and dark trench coat, just like yesterday.
Odis's clothing was more casual and looser, and because today's exploration might involve combat, she was wearing an arm guard on her right arm.
[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: Taiwan Novel Network → 𝙩𝙬𝙠𝙖𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢]
That was an "extraordinary armor" made by Odis using "alchemy glasses" and the carapace of a "black spider." In addition to its excellent defensive capabilities, it also "hidden" a sharp, long leg of a "black spider" inside, which could deliver a direct physical attack on targets within two meters.
The "black spider's" long legs were sharper than the sharpest swords and also had a corrosive effect, making it a "superb piece of protective gear" that Odis was very satisfied with.
Odis and Klein had fought together the night before, so there was no awkwardness or unease between them. After a brief chat, Odis grabbed Klein's shoulder and summoned the "Illusory Gate".
After a "journey" of more than twenty seconds, the two arrived at the place they had agreed upon with Alger, the "Hanged Man".
That's Longtail Island in the southern part of the Raging Sea. It's quite far from the Roseside Islands, and the entire area is relatively open with few islands. Moreover, there are many "dangerous waters" around it.
Therefore, even hundreds of years after the Age of Exploration, this sea area was not fully developed.
It took Alger quite a bit of effort to find this place.
Nagao Island is a small colonial island whose specialties are rubber and iron ore.
However, due to its remote location, there was only one city, slightly larger than the town, at the port. Such a place was a paradise for pirates, and perhaps the city was built on the basis of a pirate gathering place.
Suddenly, a "phantom gate" appeared on the beach. Odis and Klein walked out of it and saw a middle-aged man with deep features, a rugged appearance, and dark blue hair not far away.
He is Alger, codenamed "The Hanged Man," and the captain of the "Blue Avenger."
None of the three made any disguises, since Odis was already wanted, so there was no need for disguises.
Klein never used his real face, nor did he need to disguise himself.
Alger, having already met with "The Hermit" and "The World" before, felt there was no need to disguise himself.
For a long time before this, Alger was unaware that he had ever met "The Hermit" until he saw Odis's bounty. Only then did he realize that the person who killed "Blood General" and the intelligence officer Old Quinn that day was actually "Mysterious General" and "The Hermit"!
The three of them looked at each other for two or three seconds, and then Odis smiled and said, "There are no ladies among the three of us, so there's no need for us to look at each other like this."
Klein glanced helplessly at "The Hermit." He felt that since setting sail, the guy had become increasingly unrestrained, or rather, his words and actions were becoming more and more like those of a real pirate.
Then Odis took out five "flight scrolls" and handed them to Klein: "I have the 'flight spell,' and the 'Hanged Man' also has the 'wind-riding spell.' It seems that only you can't fly."
"Here you go. It will give you the ability to fly, and each flight will last for 30 minutes."
"I think if we search by flying, we should be able to find clues much faster."
Klein looked at the scroll in his hand: "Thank you."
Five scrolls would allow you to fly for 150 minutes! That's obviously longer than a normal "flight scroll".
In his view, such scrolls are very valuable, since being able to fly allows one to avoid many attacks and gives them more room to fight.
The fact that the "Hermit" sent out five at once made Klein wonder if the "Scroll Professor" always gave away such good things.
As for Odis, he had stockpiled three boxes of the most versatile "flying scrolls"! He casually gave a few away to others, not really caring.
After roughly determining the location of Whale Island, Odis opened the "Illusory Gate" again, leading Klein and Alger into the Spirit Realm.
After a few seconds of spiritual travel, they arrived at the beach of a small island.
But instead of immediately embarking on the exploration, they made final preparations.
Odis asked the Hanged Man, "What exactly was the last word of the great pirate Daken Dedeline, one of the clues you obtained?"
Alger recited: "All my wealth has been placed in the eyes of whales; my kin in the future, let them revitalize our people..."
He paused for a moment and said, "The main clue to the treasure is in the first sentence. The remaining sentences are more like a 'political testament,' recounting how powerful the Elven race was in the past and slandering the 'Lord of Storms.'"
"I looked at many nautical charts, searched for clues at many gatherings, and asked many pirates before finally finding this whale island."
"The reason it's called that is because the shape of the whole island looks a bit like a whale."
"At the same time, I did some research and found that there are still legends about Deakin Dedir circulating among the indigenous tribes on some of the surrounding islands, so I basically concluded that this is where the treasure is buried."
"After I came here some time ago, I found some relics with elven-style patterns in the jungle, which further confirmed my guess."
Odis and Klein both nodded slightly. Alger's search process was quite reasonable. Hearing these clues, they also felt that there was indeed a high probability that the treasure was on this island.
Alger added, "This exploration is being conducted under the witness of Mr. Fool. If there are any disputes during the search, Mr. Fool will make the final decision."
Odis laughed and said, "To ease your worries, we can first talk about how to divide the spoils."
Alger breathed a slight sigh of relief. He knew very well that the two people in front of him were both Sequence 5, and if they got into a fight over the spoils, he would be the most vulnerable to being attacked by the other two.
Odis added, "'The Hanged Man' has conducted preliminary investigations, and I suggest that whenever we encounter any extraordinary properties of 'Ocean Singer' or corresponding materials, we should give them to 'The Hanged Man' first."
The stern-faced Klein hummed in agreement.
Alger breathed a sigh of relief, secretly grateful to the "Hermit," because he would most likely obtain the extraordinary characteristics of the "Sailor" pathway during this exploration.
He would very much like to possess the extraordinary qualities of the "Ocean Singer".
"As for the other spoils, if none of the three of us makes a significant contribution, each of us will receive one-third," Odis continued.
"If anyone really needs a particular item, they can obtain it by giving up other loot or by supplying other people with gold pounds."
Alger immediately replied, "I agree."
"I agree," Klein added, "If there is any dispute, let Mr. Fool decide."
Odis thought to himself: You're judging yourself? You're trying to take sides.
However, he couldn't say anything, so he could only express his agreement.
Then Odis asked, "Where is that strange stone located approximately?"
"Probably in..." Alger pointed in a direction, but just as he finished speaking, the three of them sensed something and looked towards the sea together.
Just then, a colossal object emerged from the seabed, and with a whoosh, the seawater parted, revealing a giant ship on the ocean.
The entire ship was covered in a layer of metal, with only thin pipes extending from the top, like the eyes of a snail.
Even though Odis and the other two were often exposed to strange events, they were still taken aback by the sudden appearance of this giant ship.
Odis immediately drew the "Staff of Gus" and infused it with spiritual energy.
The staff head emitted a dazzling starlight, quickly forming a veil of starlight that covered the three figures. Then the three figures disappeared, and the veil of starlight disappeared as well.
At this moment, on the sea surface, amidst the constantly sliding water, the upper part of the strange black ship suddenly split apart, blooming like a flower, revealing multiple cannons and raising three masts to form a wide deck.
Odis explained in a low voice, "This 'witchcraft' can't hide loud noises or strong smells, but as long as you don't shout or eat garlic, it usually won't be detected."
Of course, if you encounter a "vampire" with a nose even more sensitive than a dog's, that's a different story.
The three quickly calmed down. Odis was surprised because the "Argo" also had a diving function, and after the initial surprise, she felt it was nothing.
Klein recalled his years as a keyboard warrior and the submarine pictures he had seen, and felt that the scene before him was not beyond his comprehension.
Alger, recalling some intelligence he had previously obtained, learned that Rune had now built ships that were said to be able to sail underwater, and quickly calmed down.
On the distant sea, the giant ship began to approach Whale Island.
Odis recalled the vast amount of intelligence he had handled and quickly realized who the owner of the ship in front of him was. He whispered, "'Vice Admiral' Hal Constantine."
He had received intelligence from an intelligence exchange meeting that this "lieutenant general" owned two very important ships, both capable of diving.
Alger also recalled the intelligence he knew: "I had also heard that the 'Deep Sea Admiral' ship could dive, I didn't expect it to be true."
He paused and then said, "It is said that the 'Deep Sea Admiral' has the blood of a sea monster."
"He mainly operates in the 'Misty Sea,' so how did he suddenly appear here?"
Klein repeated the other person's name: "Hal Constantine?"
The surname was very familiar to him, and he was eager to ask if "Vice Admiral of the Deep Sea" had a moving castle.
"Perhaps they're also after the treasure," Odis analyzed.
Alger asked, "What should we do now?"
Odis laughed and said, "Let's explore our own. If we encounter each other, you'll have the traits you need for advancement."
"Oh, based on my analysis of some intelligence, 'Vice Admiral Deep Sea' is most likely a 'Ocean Singer'."
Alger paused for a moment, a forced smile flashing across his rugged face. His two companions on this expedition were a "pirate admiral" and a "mad adventurer."
Such formidable strength was something he was suddenly finding hard to adjust to.
"However, we can't explore by flying like we planned before," Odis said. "Theoretically speaking, the 'Pirate General' probably has some kind of background. I don't know anything about the 'Deep Sea Admiral's' background. Have you heard of him?"
Seeing his two companions shake their heads one after the other, Odis added, "So we still need to be careful and try not to attract their attention."
Ideally, you should obtain useful clues first and find the treasure first.
So after seeing the "Deep Sea Admiral" lower the small boat, the three entered the rainforest and immediately began their operation.
Their biggest advantage now is that they are in the shadows and have already landed.
Since the "Deep Sea Admiral" came with a pirate crew, he must have had a group of subordinates who landed with him, and it would take them a long time to complete the landing process.
Once inside the rainforest, Alger led the way: "That strange rock is to our east, and we're heading to the west of Whale Island now."
"When I came here last time, I saw that place from the air. There was a pool of water that was quite large. If you think of Whale Island as a whale, that pool would be on the head of the whale, and you could think of it as the eye."
In his last words, Deakin DeDil began by saying, "I have put all my wealth into the eyes of whales."
Alger wanted to check the pool first, in case the treasure was submerged, then there would be no need to seek help from the "Hermit" and the "World".
But then he encountered that strange rock and realized that there seemed to be a strange power on the island that made him feel very dangerous.
The three of them walked briskly forward for more than half an hour.
They were all extraordinary beings in the "middle sequence," and although they were traversing the rainforest, they moved very quickly.
Alger, who was leading the way, was a former "navigator" and had a strong ability to orient himself even on land, so he would never get lost.
After Odis was promoted to "astrologer", his spiritual ability to distinguish directions also improved greatly. Even during the day when the stars were not visible, Odis could quickly determine the direction by looking at the sky.
Klein is even less likely to get lost. One of the most useful abilities of the "Diviner" is "Wand Divination." After advancing to Sequence 5, his spirituality will guide him to quickly approach his goal.
But these three people went the wrong way and ended up in front of the boulder that Alger had mentioned.
The boulder was irregularly shaped and looked like an ordinary rock.
However, there were no plants within a radius of about fifty meters around it.
In the tropical jungle, such a space with little vegetation looks very out of place.
Moreover, after seeing the stone, Odis and the others felt that it was very special, but they couldn't quite put their finger on what made it special.
If you look closely, you can indeed see the anomaly: the sand around the stone is suspended, as if it is not bound by gravity.
The three remained in the jungle, with no intention of going out to investigate.
Odis suggested, "Let's go back!"
It is a very strange thing that a Sequence 6 who once worked as a "navigator" and two highly spiritual Sequence 5s have gone astray and come in the opposite direction!
When it comes to this kind of situation, all three of them are seasoned veterans and won't easily step forward to investigate.
So the three of them immediately headed in opposite directions. This time, in order not to get the direction wrong, they not only used their spiritual sense to determine the direction, but also climbed to the treetops after walking for a while to look around and determine their direction and location.
After walking for more than twenty minutes, the boulder reappeared in front of the three of them.
The three exchanged glances, and Odis whispered, "It seems that if we want to find the treasure, we can't get around this stone."
So he began to carefully examine the stone in front of him, and it was indeed just an ordinary stone.
Odis picked up a small twig from the ground and threw it toward the stone. Suddenly, the stone seemed to be startled, and the sand around it fell to the ground.
After the branch fell to the ground, an eerie silence seemed to fall over the surroundings; the birdsong and the sound of the wind seemed to vanish instantly.
About four or five seconds later, the sand near the rocks, as well as the branch that Odis had thrown out, slowly floated up again.
Odis frowned and looked at his two companions.
Alger and Klein were also puzzled, not understanding why they were floating.
Odis whispered, "This reminds me of the abilities of the 'Criminal' pathway Sequence 8 'Fallen Angel.' They seem to be able to manipulate gravity, making their targets feel several times the normal gravity, as if they could be crushed by that immense force at any moment."
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Alger pondered for a moment before asking, "But the power this stone displays seems to be the opposite?"
Odis hummed in agreement: "Somewhat similar."
Then he asked, "How did you leave last time?"
Alger replied, "It flew away from here, and during its flight, it seemed to be attracted by this rock, and it veered off course several times."
Odis stared at the rock and sighed, "Could it cause a 'navigator' to lose his sense of direction?"
Alger laughed heartily, "It is indeed quite embarrassing to say."
Klein, who had been silent until now, suddenly said, "Should we shoot the rock and see how it reacts?"
"The likely reaction is that the bullet also levitated." Odis looked around. "Let's find an animal nearby and throw it around the rocks to see what happens."
Klein had just thought of this as well, and even considered that he could simply control an animal's "spirit thread" to turn it into his puppet, and then let it explore that rock.
But he felt it was dangerous to do that, because then his "spiritual thread" would also have to get close to the rock.
The three began searching the surrounding area for any animals, but they discovered that the jungle was deathly silent, as if all the animals had vanished.
Just then, their spiritual senses detected someone approaching; it must be "Vice Admiral of the Deep Sea" leading his men.
Odis concealed the three of them once more, quietly watching the jungle not far away.
Sure enough, a dozen or so people walked quickly from the jungle a dozen seconds later. The leader was about 1.9 meters tall, but he did not have the characteristics of a Fusak person.
Odis must be "Vice Admiral" Hal Constantine. He thought to himself: No wonder everyone says that "Vice Admiral" has the blood of a sea monster. Apart from the Fusak people, very few people have such a height.
However, Odis noticed that although the "Deep Sea Admiral" was a bit tall, he was generally thin and didn't seem to be of sea monster lineage.
He had heard that sea monsters were not only tall and strong, but also looked simple-minded. The "Deep Sea Admiral" in front of Odis was probably someone who had undergone a "genetic mutation" or awakened a "hidden gene."
This situation is similar to a person who is 1.9 meters tall suddenly appearing in an area where the average height is 1.7 meters.
Upon reaching the flat land, Hal Constantine gestured for his men to stop.
Vice Admiral Hal observed the rocks in front of him, looked around at the surroundings, and paused briefly in the direction of Odis and the others.
As a Sequence 5 Hal, his spirituality should have been able to sense Odis and the others, but such "sense" would not affect Hal's subjective judgment, so his gaze only paused for a moment and he did not notice anyone there.
Hal then gave orders to his subordinates. Odis and the other two could not hear the specific orders, but through the open space, they could see that the "Deep Sea Admiral's" men opened several drawstring sacks.
Several people reached in, and each of them pulled out a fat rat.
Then they threw the rats at the rocks like grenades.
"Squeak squeak squeak~"
Amid the mice's shrieks, they drew closer and closer to the rocks. Driven by their biological instincts, they were terrified of the rocks before them and fled back as soon as they landed.
But during this escape, they grew larger and larger, almost instantly becoming the size of a cheetah, and their faces became ferocious and terrifying.
They ran faster than cheetahs, charging straight towards the "Deep Sea Admiral" and his crew.
"Vice Admiral Hal" shouted the order: "Fire!"
However, many of his crew members were so frightened by these "big rats" that their hands trembled, and the gunshots were sparse, only managing to shoot down two "big rats".
With a wave of its hand, "Deep Sea Admiral" unleashed a hurricane mixed with blue wind blades, which swept towards the "giant rats." These rats, as large as cheetahs, were instantly cut up and dismembered.
Odis and his two companions glanced at each other and realized that the "Deep Sea Admiral's" target was this rock, and that they had come prepared.
So they continued to observe.
As the "Deep Sea Admiral" loudly reprimanded his subordinates, the corpses and blood of the "giant rats" suddenly floated up slowly, creating a bizarre and bloody scene.
After resting for about ten seconds, Hal's men took the drawstring sacks again and threw a few more rats at the rocks.
They still ran back screaming, and quickly grew larger, only this time they were only the size of a medium-sized dog.
Thump thump thump~
The admiral's reprimand had an effect; his men opened fire and killed the rats one after another.
Then came the third and fourth time rats were thrown, and the mutated rats became smaller and smaller.
At this point, Odis and the others also guessed that this rock could cause creatures that approached it to mutate, but the effect of this mutation was limited. As long as some animals were used to consume the effect of the mutation, they could approach the rock for a certain period of time.
By the sixth time the rats were thrown out, those that ran back had grown to their normal size.
At this moment, the corpses that had been floating all fell to the ground, and the open space around the rocks seemed to be normal.
"Deep Sea Admiral" Hal kicked a crew member into the flat area. Seeing that the crew member had not mutated, he led his team to quickly approach the rock.
Upon reaching the rocks, they took out the hammers and chisels they had prepared beforehand and began hammering at the rocks.
Meanwhile, some pirates took out bombs, preparing to plant them after hammering out a certain dent.
Just then, Odis noticed that the flat ground suddenly bulged up, as if something was moving underneath.
"Deep Sea Admiral" and others also sensed the danger. Some pirates continued hammering the rocks, while others took out their weapons to stand guard.
Suddenly, a pair of large jaws emerged from the ground and snapped shut, crushing both legs of a pirate.
Amid the pirates' screams, a "sea centipede" as thick as a bucket crawled out from the ground, its slippery, wart-like legs looking ferocious and terrifying.
One of the "arsonist" subordinates of "Vice Admiral Deep Sea" immediately summoned fire crows to burn and bombard the giant "sea centipede".
At this moment, a viper the size of a python, covered in brightly colored scales, crawled over and joined the attack on the "Deep Sea Admiral's" subordinates.
Hal continued to send his men to deal with the giant viper, while he stayed by the rock, attacking it with "hurricane" and "lightning" at different times.
However, the rock was very hard, and Hal's attacks were obviously not very effective.
But the number of monsters protecting the rocks is increasing. A crab the size of a train carriage has appeared, as well as a monster with a bird's head, a human body, and covered in feathers.
As more and more of "Vice Admiral Deep Sea's" subordinates went to deal with the monsters, the hammering of the stone had to be temporarily stopped.
Just then, a black mosquito, even bigger than an ostrich, flew in. It looked incredibly old, flapping its enormous wings, with its proboscis and six legs drooping.
Upon reaching flat ground, the black mosquito suddenly spread its six legs, causing the crew of "Deep Sea Admiral" to abruptly stop, as if under immense pressure, struggling to resist so as not to be overwhelmed.
Odis and the other two exchanged glances. This was very similar to what Odis had just described: the ability of Sequence 8 "Fallen Angel" from the "Demon" pathway.
At this moment, "Vice Admiral Deep Sea" decisively abandoned its attack on the rock, and a bolt of lightning struck, hitting the black mosquito directly.
The black mosquito's compound eyes twitched slightly, and a transparent shield appeared on its head. This shield seemed to have no substance, looking like a thin film, but it blocked the lightning.
At the same time, the bird-headed, human-bodied monster suddenly charged at Hal. When it took its first step, it seemed to be a normal attack, but when it took its second step, the force of its impact was enormous, even creating a deep crater in the ground.
By the third step, it had gathered an astonishing amount of power, and its forward speed made a sound as it rubbed against the air.
Although it was just a bird-headed, human-bodied monster, Hal felt as if a giant rhinoceros was charging towards him.
Hal immediately took flight to dodge, but the bird-headed, human-bodied monster also took flight and continued to charge towards Hal.
The "Deep Sea Admiral" summoned a "hurricane" to block the monster, but the bird-headed, human-bodied monster's strength did not diminish, as if it wanted to smash a hole in the "hurricane".
However, the wind blades hidden in the hurricane cut wounds on the monster's body, forcing the bird-headed, human-bodied monster to dodge.
Hal shouted the order: "Retreat!"
Then he suddenly began to sing: "Her beauty shook my peace, swiftly and fiercely piercing my heart..."
The singing was gentle and melodious, like a young man praising his beloved girl.
The monsters were suddenly filled with a sense of bliss.
"Vice Admiral Deep Sea" sang as he led his crew to retreat.
Odis and Klein watched all this calmly, only Alger couldn't help but frown: "'Ocean Singer' is really going to sing?"
Odis glanced at Alger, then remembered that Mr. Hanged Man's singing was rather unpleasant.
Just as Hal and his group were about to leave the flat area, the jungle shook, and two more monsters rushed in—two giant morning glory worms.
Two morning glory worms swayed wildly at the crew members who were attacking them. Suddenly, the two crew members screamed and their bodies swelled up rapidly, transforming into two humanoid monsters in no time.
At this moment, after Hal finished singing a song, the monsters they had previously rid themselves of also awoke one after another.
Odis drew the "Staff of Gus": "Give them a hand."
He didn't know what the rock was, but anything that could cause biological mutations couldn't be a good thing.
Next, Odis poured "star sand" into the staff, and the crystal at the top of the staff immediately emitted a dazzling light. A chilling wind that made even spirits tremble blew by, and the dazed eyes of the dozens of "big rats" that had just been killed suddenly started to move.
They stiffly stood up and charged at the two morning glory worms, entangled in them with impacts and bites.
Hal looked in the direction of Odis and the other two. The moment Odis used her spiritual power, the figures of the three appeared.
Before that, Alger had quickly covered his face.
If he were seen with "The Mysterious Admiral" and Gehrman Sparrow, it would be difficult to explain to the church.
After Hal and his crew were able to evacuate, Odis and his two companions also distanced themselves from the flat area.
Just as the three were about to enter the spirit world, they heard "Admiral Deep Sea" shout in a very penetrating voice: "'Admiral of Mysteries,' let's talk."
Odis looked at his two companions questioningly, and Klein pondered for a moment before saying, "At least we should find out what that rock is."
Odis smiled and said, "That's what I think too."
Although Alger was somewhat reluctant, he couldn't just leave since both Sequence 5s had said so.
So he adjusted the mask around his face and followed "The Hermit" and "The World" to meet "Vice Admiral of the Deep Sea".