Everyone held a small meeting in the makeshift conference room, briefly discussing their respective intelligence and current objectives.
After exchanging information in their specially constructed room, they returned to their rooms to rest.
Arka returned to his room. Instead of falling asleep immediately, he sat at his desk.
A large number of maps appeared in his hands.
Each map was sealed and neatly arranged.
You could even see the specific map number in the paper tucked away in the upper right corner of each map.
A small piece of paper hanging next to the map showed the treasures found on that map.
These were Arka's records of the islands he had visited and his findings there.
They came with his navigation manual.
He picked up the island in the area he was currently in and
tapped on the orange light.
[Hochalmera's Star]
[Difficulty: Extermination of Abomination (Levels 4-5)]
[Popularity: 1]
[Treasure Information: In the ancient land of flowers, the remains of Hochalmera of the Morning Star.
160 meters underwater, that is where Hochalmera and those who dared to offend our God perished together, and where he was buried.
The hatred of his slain enemies has formed a hatred here. They utterly hate the one who brought them death.
Here, they block out external perception and hunt down any living creature that enters their range, seeking to keep their enemies with them forever.
They will be eternally tormented by them, unable even to reach the afterlife.
Her soul, tormented beyond measure, has completely sealed itself off, seeking only one final encounter with God.
Visit this location with an object imbued with the aura of a Flower Fairy. Hochalmera's remaining spirit will help you suppress these abominations.
Otherwise, you'll face these abominations at their full power, possessing deadly techniques that strike directly at the soul.
When you eliminate the abominations and restore her to peace, she will grant you her own power. Holding an object imbued with the aura of a Flower Fairy will grant you even more. Guide her to the Flower Fairy, and you'll gain Perfection.
Look at the treasure information on it.
Instantly Perfection.
Obtaining this treasure is incredibly simple and straightforward.
Monsters are surrounding the treasure. If you can defeat them, you'll directly obtain the treasure.
However, these monsters are only at the fifth level. Their danger lies in their attacks, which strike directly at the soul.
All attacks targeting the soul are almost exclusively of the most advanced caliber.
It's rare for anyone to possess soul defense techniques, so soul attacks are the most difficult to master.
And soul attacks are often fatal.
Isn't that a coincidence? Isn't it!
Looking at the information above, a smile broke out on Alka's face.
Alka wasn't confident in anything else, but he was incredibly confident in his soul.
The strength of his soul and spirit far surpassed his own strength, and the intensity of his soul was also extraordinary.
Add to that his status as the Dream King and descendant of a god.
His soul wasn't even on par with a god, but at least in ancient times, it would have been on the same level as a naturally divine creature.
Unless the soul attack was powerful enough, even capable of soul-piercing, it would be difficult to inflict serious damage on him.
Abominations like these used soul attacks, and accordingly, they were also very vulnerable to attacks from the soul.
The difficulty level dropped immediately by one level.
Combined with the blessing from the Flower Fairy he had just received on his forehead,
He believed this mark was absolutely enough to awaken this man's dormant soul and help him suppress these monsters.
"Blocking outside perception, is this why, even though the treasure is so close to the Land of Fragrance, no one has come to claim the body?"
Alka asked, looking at this field on the treasure information.
He had already been very puzzled when he saw the information at the ceremony.
After all, the difficulty of obtaining this treasure is actually quite low for these powerful individuals.
One only needs to be at the fifth stage of strength; anyone above that can perfectly obtain it.
And the Great Gardener's strength is definitely at the sixth stage or even higher.
Obtaining this treasure would be a piece of cake for him.
Then why was such a dangerous place placed dozens of kilometers away from the Land of Fragrance?
Not to mention where the body of the God's Agent lay.
It turned out that those enemies, unwilling to rest in peace, had blocked their perception of her corpse's location until their death, leaving her body here.
Thinking about it carefully.
How incredibly vicious.
The deity she believed in and worshipped felled just dozens of kilometers away from her.
She had remained there for tens of thousands of years.
I couldn't think about it, I couldn't think about it.
Alka himself was getting angry just thinking about it.
He regrouped.
If he took a risky approach, he could actually go down alone and obtain the treasure right now.
As long as he was willing to use his trump card, his chances of obtaining it were not low.
After all, he could directly unleash the power of the fifth stage, albeit at a cost and with considerable trouble.
But with the level of blessing he had been discovered to possess, awakening Hochalmera's remaining soul would help.
He might actually be able to get it.
‐‐The other option is to play it safe.
‐‐Wait until his strength truly breaks through to the fourth stage. Then, he'll be able to easily unleash the powerful strength of the fourth stage.
‐‐Jumping two levels from the third stage to the fifth stage comes at a heavy price and has side effects.
‐‐However, if it's just a slight improvement from the fourth stage to the fourth stage perfection, the cost won't be so great.
‐‐Besides, these monsters are simply made up of hatred and remnant souls.
‐‐To put it bluntly, they might be naturally restrained by Alka.
‐‐After thinking for a while, Alka decided on option 2.
‐‐He wasn't in a hurry and nothing important was happening, so why risk his life for this?
‐‐He just needed to proceed steadily, step by step.
‐‐And there was a crucial point.
That is, with his current strength, the disconnect between him and his dream world is already severe. If he were to accidentally suffer an attack targeting his soul,
While his soul might not be seriously injured, is there a possibility that the already unstable connection would be severed?
Although Alka would still be alive, his reality and dream world would be separated.
His real body would collapse like a corpse, devoid of soul.
This was not what Alka wanted; he had always been trying to avoid it.
If he reached the fourth stage, the connection would instantly stabilize.
He would also become even stronger.
To put it bluntly, the treasure came from the thank-you gift he received after rescuing Hochalmera.
According to the above explanation, with Alka's current conditions, he could definitely guide her to meet the Flower Fairy.
Perfect, this treasure was practically a sure thing.
All he needed was to raise his power to the fourth stage.
After deciding on their course of action, Alka put the map away.
He calmed himself and looked at the two maps placed below.
One was a map of the Emerald Fortress and its surroundings.
Their primary target was the Nafas family's treasure.
This item was also something they were determined to obtain. While it wouldn't necessarily enhance their strength, it would certainly enhance their wealth.
As a treasure-hunting group, they were now inexplicably short of money, a profound shame.
Jason had even been reduced to borrowing money to survive.
Next were the maps of the Isle of Trials and Vastvar.
These two islands held two other Scepter-level treasures.
Both were already perfect, requiring them to meet the requirements to obtain them.
"Come to think of it, the orange treasure before me is surprisingly the easiest to obtain among items of its level.
The first to discover it is the hardest to obtain, and the last to discover it is readily available."
Alka couldn't help but grumble.
It perfectly illustrates a truth Alka had long understood.
Items deliberately buried or hidden are the hardest to obtain.
Conversely, valuable items left behind by accidental deaths are the easiest to find.
Because it's very likely you'll find it buried in the dirt right at your feet, so you can dig and get it.
It's commonly known as picking up treasure.
Back in the Home Sea, Alka had done this more than once.
Though the items weren't expensive, the joy of finding money was undeniable.
Take this [Scepter]-level treasure, for example.
It's so simple and straightforward: just kill the monster and you'll get it, no other weird conditions.
Like Vastva and the Trial Island.
Not only do they require strength, but they also have various other requirements.
The Trial Island also increases in difficulty based on your strength.
Thinking of this, Alka looked at the map with the two orange beams of light.
The Trial Island remained the same as before.
However, when Alka clicked on the orange beam of light on Vastva,
the information changed.
The treasure information, already perfect, unexpectedly included additional information.
[Heart of Vastva]
[Difficulty: Four-point Power (Three Stages)]
[Popularity: 126,000]
[Treasure Information: The city-state of Vastva, an ancient city, worships the Four-point, the ancient god of mystery, also known as Change...
… Gathering the treasures of the four great temples will automatically grant one-point power. Within the Council, scatter the treasures into the hands of each statue, chant Vastva, and obtain the hidden treasure.
The original method of unlocking the treasure is no longer usable due to special circumstances. You need to obtain other treasures associated with spring, summer, and autumn, and gain a trace of divine power. Use this power to simulate one-fourth of that power within the Council disc to unlock the treasure.
Summer clue: Baraz.
Spring clue: Mermaid Relic. ](Perfect)
Two more sentences were added, directly stating to Alka that information on the treasures representing the summer and spring seasons had been obtained.
Summer clue: Baraz. What's the connection to Baraz?
Alka pondered.
Baraz... his treasure seems to be related to fire.
Alka suddenly realized this. Although they had rarely seen Baraz attack, each time he did, it was an attack composed of various flames.
So they had long known that Baraz's treasure was related to fire. I thought back to what I saw today.
‐‐The symbol of summer includes fire.
‐‐So, are the so-called symbols so broad?
‐‐And the clue to spring is the mermaid's relic, a blue magical item.
‐‐There's nothing unusual about it.
‐‐If I had to say there's a connection, then it's basically the treasure the mermaid left behind.
‐‐She hid the treasure at the border of life and death.
‐‐So, could this treasure be the symbol of spring?
‐‐Arka couldn't help but recall the message Julia had mentioned about the mermaid's legacy.
‐‐The Life Master went to the border of life and death because he wanted to change this distorted environment.
‐‐If he's committed to changing the environment, then it's very likely that the treasure is closely related to spring.
‐‐When I saw the symbols of the four seasons today...
Alka's first thought was to find the Flower Fairy and ask her for help in obtaining the treasure symbolizing spring.
After all, it was highly likely that the Flower Fairy possessed a treasure related to spring.
Unexpectedly, he'd obtained additional information here.
Now, only Autumn remained.
But Alka had long had his eye on Autumn.
It could even be said that it was the first treasure he had a clear target for.
If there was one person or thing he knew that was most strongly associated with Autumn, it would undoubtedly be the Mother Church.
The Mother Church's teachings embody the concept of a bountiful harvest.
Autumn's symbolism is highly correlated with a bountiful harvest.
His initial thought was to seek help from the Mother Church.
Baraz would definitely seek him out when he returned, after all, there was an enemy there.
Now, the border between life and death, represented by the treasure represented by the mermaid, had to be visited.
Things were piling up. Alka couldn't help but think.
He felt inexplicably busy.
However, the danger of the border between life and death was obvious to all, so he could leave it for last.
It would be best to get the orange treasure, otherwise Alka would be unsure.
Even just at the border, it was dangerous enough.
The question now was, should he complete the commission given by the Flower Fairy first?
While they had information about the cult member of the Nafas family, it wasn't enough to help them find him.
The Flower Fairy's commission was said to be less dangerous.
It was just a bit far away, so the journey would take some time.
Thinking, Alka came to a conclusion.
He put the maps back in their pocket ring.
Looking at the pocket ring, it was already filled with most of his daily necessities.
"I'll have to buy myself a bigger ring after I get the Nafas family's treasure."
Alka said, and fell asleep on his bed.
...
The next day.
The curtain of the sky had just been torn apart.
But Alka and his companions had come in from outside.
After waking up, they headed to the church's location in the night.
They inquired about the giant tree's habitat and the safest routes forward.
Alka decided to first obtain the Flower Fairy's commission while waiting for his strength to improve.
This was the easiest thing to do at this stage.
After all, if it were truly dangerous, the Flower Fairy wouldn't come to him personally to entrust him with the task.
Few people could meet such conditions.
If his life was truly in danger, the Flower Fairy would definitely tell him, unless she intended to take his life.
But that clearly wasn't the case. After getting some information about the giant tree's habitat and a map showing how to get there, they returned.
It was just lunchtime, and they were enjoying their meal in the main hall.
Although it was a little strange to have lunch so soon after dawn, this was the Infinite Ocean.
The nights lasted the same length as the days.
So there wasn't much to worry about.
While they were eating, Lucelia suddenly said, "Someone's coming."
While they were staying in the inn, it wasn't unusual for someone to come over, but the flower forest they were in was at the very back of the inn. There were no other flower rooms nearby.
The fact that Lucelia mentioned this meant the person was definitely heading straight for them.
"Who is it?"
"A young girl in armor with floral patterns on it."
These were the messages relayed by the puppet girl on guard outside.
Hearing this, Jason said, "That's most likely someone from the military camp, probably a Flower Knight."
As he spoke, a knock was heard at the door.
"I'll go open it."
Jason finished his meal in a few mouthfuls and went to the door, opening it.
Standing outside was none other than a Flower Knight. Jason was familiar with her, having previously exchanged glances with her while searching for intelligence.
"Liya, why are you here? What's going on?"
Looking at Jason, the Flower Knight, named Liya, nodded and said, "Captain Gilliana wants to see you."
"Now?"
"Yes, but there's no rush."
Jason nodded. Since his meal was finished, he turned to look at the dining table inside.
Alka looked at Juanlu and Simon at the table.
The two shrugged helplessly, finished their food, and followed Jason out.
"What could it be?" Lucilia asked curiously.
Hearing this, Sofia smiled: "I guess they want our help."
Hearing this, Alka also smiled.
...
Led by the Flower Knight Leah, Jason and the other two quickly arrived at the military camp.
In the largest greenhouse, they saw Gilliana, who had been waiting for them for a long time.
"You're here," Gilliana said with a smile as she watched them enter.
"Why did you call us here so urgently? Is there something going on?" Jason asked, somewhat puzzled, and sat down at the table next to them.
Gilliana nodded, looked at Jason, and asked, "Are you ready to leave for the Giant Tree's Roost?"
Jason nodded. Alka and the others had already raised this question during dinner.
They were indeed planning to go there.
"The Bloom Festival is in two days. Aren't you going to wait until after the festival?"
Jason shook his head.
While they were curious, they didn't want to wait here for several days just for the festival.
Besides, the festival wouldn't last just a day or two.
Besides, they still had to prepare supplies, so they couldn't move so quickly.
But he didn't say this out loud.
"Well, the main thing is, I have a new commission that I need your help with."
"What commission?"
"Help us maintain order here during the Bloom Festival. You know, we don't have many people right now."
Hearing this, Jason nodded in understanding.
"No problem, we'll go next."
"Hmm?" Gilliana asked, puzzled.
"Don't you want to go back and ask your captain?"
"No need. I'm sure he'll agree. After all, we're friends, right?"
"Yes, we are."
Jason couldn't say that Alka had told him that when they came out, they would agree if they were allowed to cooperate in defense.