A stack of maps, varying in size, was piled on the table.
As these maps were brought out, the others remained relatively quiet, sitting silently by without much interference.
Now, it was ti for Captain Alka to think alone.
Typically, after studying the maps, Alka would identify a target and then make a decision. Years of working closely together had made them intimately familiar with Alka's habits.
Alka looked at the pile of maps that had been pushed over to him and picked up the first one from the top to examine.
Strictly speaking, this first item couldn't be considered a map. It was a simple, yet clearly annotated, chart of an island chain. This island chain chart looked very clear and easy to understand, with all sorts of information marked on it. It clearly detailed the approximate range for each island in the chain: when it would appear and at what distance. There was a gear insignia in the upper right corner of this chart. It was obviously a chart issued by the Holy Machine Church—ticulous, accurate, and with clear data. It was comndable.
Beneath this chart was a stack of various maps, each related to one of the islands in that chain.
"The Gemini island chain comprises a total of six linked islands, two of which are relatively important," Chadite explained. "They produce so significant resources, and their resident populations are also larger. Of the remaining four islands, two have so residents and are mainly used for grain production. The last two islands are deserted, one large and one small."
After giving this brief overview, Chadite quietly waited for Alka to review the maps.
Alka looked at these maps. Every island actually has a map; this collection is remarkably complete, he thought. Moreover, the level of detail in these island maps shows they've been updated. There are even different versions of the sa island's map, so from different ti periods—except for those two deserted islands. This makes things much simpler.
Alka first picked up the map of Gemini Island, the main island in the chain, blinking as he began to examine it carefully. Gemini Island was the largest in the chain. However, its map surprisingly only showed three white dots, almost all located at the island's periphery. This indicates they're likely just so valuable items buried on the beaches or sunk in the shallow waters offshore, Alka mused. They might be worth a few Silver Coins, or possibly a fortune. Still, I didn't expect this island to be so clean. I thought Gemini Island, having been developed to this extent, would be picked clean, but not so clean that only three white dots remain.
He reached out and tapped them. They all indicated Ordinary Treasures, aning Alka had no specific information about them.
With so regret, he placed the map aside and began to look at the other maps.
He then examined the maps for the two more populated resource islands. These two islands were situated on opposite sides of the chain, each controlled by a different Church. Alka blinked, examining them. There weren't many white dots, but there were one or two blue dots. He reached out to tap these as well.
This ti, however, it's interesting, he thought. One white dot and one blue dot actually revealed the nas of the treasures. This ans I might know a little bit about them. However, it's almost certain this information has no bearing on our actual target.
Then he looked at the remaining four maps. They were similarly interwoven with white and blue dots, and most did not reveal the nas of any treasures. The few treasures that were identified only revealed their nas and a minuscule amount of information.
This suggests I probably only know insignificant details about these treasures, Alka considered. Perhaps this knowledge was pieced together from various unrelated bits of information. For instance, I might know a place na or a family na connected to them, but that's it. But the crucial information I'm looking for about our target is completely absent. The only thing I can be certain of is that this family definitely had a hidden Treasure Vault. I just don't know where it is. But it's also possible the Treasure Vault was on one of these islands in the chain and has already been found by others. It's not impossible we're a step too late. After all, it's been over fifty years. When this family was destroyed, countless people must have set their sights on this treasure. Or, the Treasure Vault isn't on any of these islands at all, but was hidden by the family in a more secretive location. A family that powerful... it's definitely possible they had their own secrets.
Besides, Alka and his crew knew little about the deeper secrets of the Endless Sea.
Looking at the maps, Alka felt a bit despondent. He gathered them up, stacked them neatly, and tossed them into his Space Ring.
"Looks like there wasn't much to be gained this ti?" Chadite asked from across the table, observing Alka's expression.
Alka nodded. "Not much. I didn't sense the aura of any particularly valuable treasure in the locations these maps represent."
"That's a sha," Jason said, leaning back in his chair. He didn't seem overly disappointed, however.
That's just how treasure hunting goes. After all, they had only made a tentative inquiry. The information they possessed wasn't necessarily more than what others knew; it might even be less. This was mainly because they hadn't invested much effort into it yet. Cutting their losses early was also a good thing. This was perhaps where Alka's ability provided the greatest value—at least, that's how they saw it. In actual treasure hunting, a significant portion of ti and effort often amounted to nothing.
"Don't be hasty. I have a very interesting map here," Chadite said with a smile.
Hearing this, everyone present turned to look at her.
She then retrieved a ticulously crafted map, about a ter wide, from her Space Ring.
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