Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer
Chapter 68: The Way Home

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: The Way Home

6:00 PM.

Andre returned to the ship on time.

Everyone else had already boarded.

Andre placed a cage on the table. Inside was a live Golden Horn Hammer.

It was identical to the specimen Alka had seen before, tapping at the wooden cage with its large horns.

A Rune was carved onto the cage—not subtly, but in plain sight.

Alka recognized this Rune, having seen it not long ago.

It was the [calm] Rune, used to soothe emotions.

"Vanessa, you’ll be in charge of this bug. Make sure to keep it alive," Andre said to Vanessa, who was nearby.

Though not fond of bugs, Vanessa still nodded, grabbed the handle on top of the cage, and prepared to take it to the infirmary.

They would be sailing for nearly a month, after all; who knew if the bug would survive that long.

Andre also handed her a small booklet from his coat—a care manual for the Golden Horn Hammer.

"Alright, set sail!"

With Andre’s command, the sails dropped with a SWOOSH, and with a series of CREAKS, the rudder was hauled up. The ship slowly moved out of the berth.

As the sails adjusted and billowed, the bow cut through the waves, heading into the distance.

Bobby then said, "We need to go to Hidden Island first to purchase the materials necessary for their studies."

Hearing Bobby’s words, Andre looked at Alka and Jason, then nodded.

"It’s on the way. Chadite, you take the helm."

Hearing his father’s words, Chadite nodded and stepped out.

Taking the helm meant this island wasn’t on the Spell Ship’s automated navigation route, so it couldn’t sail there automatically and required manual control.

Bobby then led Alka down to the lower decks, as Alka wanted to learn Rune engraving.

Almost all crafting professions required mastering this skill. Bobby was an expert in this field, a true Engraver.

Alka needed to craft his own Spell Cards for combat.

"Engraving Runes doesn’t necessarily require you to learn the Spells yourself," Bobby explained as they walked. "However, if you do, it becomes easier to engrave them, and their power can be more fully utilized."

"Your learning speed for Spells is very fast. While sailing, there’s plenty of free time, which is perfect for learning the Runes you wish to engrave."

"Simply learning them doesn’t require excessive mastery, so it won’t take too much time or effort."

"The Resonance Method indeed makes learning Spells quick," Lucilia, still on Alka’s back, listened to Bobby’s words and added. "Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut to fully mastering them."

The so-called Resonance Method was the technique Alka had used when learning the [Sound Bird] Spell earlier.

"I haven’t seen the Spell you’ve comprehended before," Bobby said, pushing open the door to his workshop. "But the Runes you’ve comprehended show good potential. I hope you can develop them further, but ultimately, it’s your choice."

At this, Lucilia, still on Alka’s back, said, "You must deeply master the Spells you’ve comprehended. Every Spell comprehended through a [Treasure] is a source and generally holds great potential."

Hearing this, Alka nodded. He did indeed want to delve deeper into the [Mirror] Spell.

It was clear, however, that Lucilia possessed far more knowledge than Bobby and most others on the ship.

"Alright, let’s start engraving Spells now. We’ll begin with the [Sound Bird] Spell you’ve already learned."

「...」

Sailing on the sea could be inevitably tedious.

No matter how large the vessel, it still seemed insignificant compared to islands and land.

The unchanging seascape bred monotony.

In such circumstances, Alka spent almost all his time training and learning.

His shallow understanding of the outside world desperately needed to be filled with knowledge.

He was even learning some of the more common languages from Lucilia.

"What did you do when you were alive?" Alka asked softly, sitting in a corner of the ship’s lower deck library and listening to Lucilia’s explanation. "You seem exceptionally knowledgeable."

Hearing Alka’s somewhat complimentary words, Lucilia smiled.

"I was a librarian at the Holy Tree Grand Library, of course. I spent almost half my life there. Only by absorbing knowledge could I feel alive."

Alka gained a general understanding of Lucilia’s circumstances when she was alive.

A congenital disability had made ocean voyages nearly impossible for her.

Her family was of the Toucher lineage and possessed multiple [Treasures], yet she too could not become a Toucher.

Thankfully, her family’s circumstances were good, and they had placed her in a very safe and pleasant position.

Her congenital disability meant she could only rely on reading to pass the time.

Hearing this, Alka simply smiled gently. Looking at Lucilia sitting beside him, he said, "Although you couldn’t sail when you were alive, perhaps now I can show you the world in detail."

Near the library entrance, Liboka couldn’t help but glance towards Alka’s corner, listening to the occasional murmurs emanating from there.

Oddball.

Then again, most long-term Treasure Hunters at sea weren’t exactly normal.

Before long, Alka finished his studies and went up to the open deck, heading towards the helm.

Chadite was currently at the helm, controlling the sailboat and steering towards a nearby island.

"This island isn’t on the nautical charts," Chadite explained from beside him. "Touchers in this sea area generally conduct trades here."

Alka nodded.

This small island served as the sole trading post for Touchers across these several sea regions for necessary goods.

Although the sea was vast and islands were numerous, the number of Touchers was limited.

Thus, even across such a vast expanse of ocean, this single trading point was sufficient.

As the island drew nearer, Alka spotted several other sailboats in the vicinity.

These sailboats all shared a common trait: they were large, mostly around the size of the Sea Fist, or even larger.

Moreover, each ship’s paintwork and appearance were rather flamboyant and clearly distinctive.

He spotted a huge, three-masted ship at least forty meters long in the distance. Its sails were black, emblazoned with a skull pierced by a Sharp Sword.

A Pirate Ship? Alka thought, looking at Chadite with some confusion.

"Most major pirates are Touchers, after all," Chadite said. "This is also a decent place for them to sell stolen goods, so encountering Pirate Ships isn’t surprising."

"They wouldn’t dare attack others recklessly around this island. It’s not easy for Touchers to have such a safe trading point, and no one wants to break the rules here."

Understanding this explanation, Alka nodded.