Jason and Chadite watched as Alka stared at the map, contemplating, occasionally picking up reference materials to review.
Chadite rested her head on her hands, which were flat on the table, swinging her body left and right out of boredom.
"Jason, could he have stumbled upon so information we don’t know about?"
Hearing Chadite’s words, Jason also propped his head on one hand, running his fingers through the hair near his ear. "It’s possible. Although I’ve only spent a short ti with him and we only collaborated unexpectedly that one ti, Alka is indeed very perceptive."
Jason couldn’t help recalling how Alka had easily discovered him when he was trying to hide. After obtaining the manor’s map, Alka had keenly noticed discrepancies between the blueprint and the actual estate, and thus found the hidden chamber.
Chadite, who had heard Jason recount the treasure hunt, couldn’t help but be intrigued. Could Alka really discover sothing?
However, what Alka was thinking at that mont was completely unrelated to their speculations.
How can I reasonably find out the location of Vault Number Three? Alka pondered how he could learn this information naturally, without appearing abrupt. As he thought and researched, a plan slowly took shape in his mind.
Once he finished thinking, Alka lifted his head. He saw the two of them staring at him intently, but their unfocused eyes clearly indicated they were dazing off, so he tapped the table lightly with his hand.
Chadite snapped back to reality and smiled, her crimson eyes filled with curiosity. She asked Alka, "So, do you have any understanding of the current situation?"
"I have so understanding, but I don’t have any leads yet," Alka replied.
Chadite nodded at Alka’s answer without disappointnt, as this was to be expected.
Alka looked at the two and asked, "So, what should we do now?"
He was getting a bit impatient; having spent almost a week on the ship, he felt sufficiently rested.
Upon hearing this, Jason stood up and stretched lazily. "I still need to sort through all this information and contact those ladies in town." He sighed, then, feeling worn out, slumped back onto the stool.
Watching Jason, Chadite chuckled and, caressing her cheek, said, "I’ve completed my tasks, so it’s fine for to rest now."
Then, she turned to Alka to explain, "My main job is as a Cartographer: to observe the island’s conditions in greater detail and map them out."
Hearing this, Alka couldn’t help but look at the map in front of him, which he hadn’t paid much attention to earlier. The map was indeed very detailed; even the steep and rugged terrain was illustrated vividly.
At this, Alka raised his head and looked at the beautiful young woman before him. A glint of excitent flashed in his eyes.
What a valuable asset!
He imdiately said, "I have a few ideas. I was wondering if you could take to see the Treasure Vault you found earlier?"
Hearing this, Chadite smiled, walked over, took a gold-rimd straw hat from the nearby coat rack, and went to the door.
Turning her head towards Alka, she said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go."
Alka nodded and quickly followed.
"Thank you."
"You’re being too formal. We’re a team now, you know? Helping you is helping myself."
Hearing Chadite’s words, Alka rely smiled.
The two of them left the wooden cabin, passed through the village, and started walking along the path ahead. Vast, flat fields stretched out around them, planted with various crops Alka wasn’t familiar with. After all, Golden Wheat Island primarily had Golden Wheat and so simple, common vegetables. Each island had its own specialties.
The two walked leisurely along the country path, heading forward under the sunshine.
A group of children in simple linen clothes ran over from a distance, laughing and playing.
"Don’t run about too much, now! Be careful not to fall," Chadite cautioned them.
The children waved and grinned at her. "Big Sister Chadite, do you want to co play?" one of them called out.
Chadite patted the head of the little boy who had spoken. "I have things to do, so you all go play by yourselves."
Just then, a little girl handed Chadite a wildflower she was holding.
Chadite took it and tucked it into her straw hat. With a radiant smile, she squatted down and asked the little girl, "How about this? Does it look good?"
The little girl nodded emphatically. "Yes, it looks really pretty!"
"Hee hee, it’s because your flower is pretty," Chadite said with a laugh, gently patting the girl’s cheek. "Alright, off you go and play now."
With that, the group of children cheerfully scampered off.
Alka followed behind Chadite. He noticed her pace, initially leisurely, had beco sowhat brisk. As she walked, her calves would kick up slightly, as if she were skipping. She held the brim of her straw hat with both hands, twirling it playfully.
"HMM-HMM-HMM~ HMM-HMM-HMM~"
Hearing her soft humming, Alka couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth curve into a slight smile.
After walking for a while, Alka suddenly asked, "Could you tell more about that Treasure Vault in detail?"
Hearing Alka’s voice, Chadite turned to face him, continuing to walk backward. "No problem."
Then she turned forward again and answered, her steps light and quick, "Actually, we learned about that Treasure Vault two years ago. However, the information we had back then was so limited that we didn’t intentionally seek it out. It was only later, after we unintentionally gathered more information, that we ca to this island."
"About a year ago, we officially started looking for that Treasure Vault. During that ti, we were constantly searching for information about Sad, including details about his life."
"Finally, six months ago, we successfully found that Treasure Vault. The Treasures inside were mostly paintings and ornants. However, even though it was a small Treasure Vault, after selling off the wealth from it, we gained nearly 60 Golden Sails."
When she spoke of the acquired wealth, Chadite’s voice couldn’t help but rise a notch. Even now, she was still sowhat amazed by the fortune they had obtained.
Sixty Golden Sails?
This amount of wealth was beyond Alka’s comprehension; he had almost no concept of such a sum. He only knew that the single Golden Sail he possessed, if managed well, would be enough to support him for the latter half of his life.
Co to think of it, how much was Hawls’ rchant ship worth? It seed to be 8 Golden Sails. That was considered a small to dium-sized rchant ship. If well-maintained, it could support a family for two generations. Barring any accidents, that ship could definitely ensure a comfortable life for three generations.
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