CHAPTER 223: CHAPTER 157 NEW JOURNEY_3

"Huh? What?" Jason still hadn’t reacted.

Then he immediately shouted, "No, my cooking is terrible."

Alka ignored Jason’s shouting from behind and silently returned to the captain’s cabin.

Your cooking is terrible, but it’s still the only edible food on this ship.

Returning to the captain’s cabin, he sat down at the large wooden table.

Looking at the world map in his hand, Alka began to plan.

There is still a year until the time of convergence. This voyage, I conservatively estimate, will take half a year, no more than a year. The current crew on the ship are myself, Chadite, Pororo, Julia, Jason, and Lucilia. A total of 6 crew members. To be honest, the number is still too small, far too few. If there’s a chance this year, I should see if I can find any suitable recruits. See if I can get them to join the crew. However, finding suitable personnel isn’t easy. First, they must be a Toucher. Second, they must be capable. And third, they must be willing to leave the Homeland Sea, possibly never to return. Finding someone who meets all three conditions is quite difficult. The primary target should be a chef. This is crucial. But there’s no need to rush. It’s better to have no one than someone unsuitable, especially since our destination is the Endless Sea. Heading to the Endless Sea also offers more options. However, if I recruit in the Homeland Sea, going to the Endless Sea afterward might make things more intimate and familiar, since everyone would come from the same hometown.

Thinking about all this, Alka redirected his attention to the next item.

The current strength on the ship is: one at Three Spirals, which is myself. Three at Two Spirals, though Julia can still exert the strength of Three Spirals. According to her, once she becomes more accustomed to her current state, she should be able to officially recover her strength to the Three Spirals stage. And once we reach the Endless Sea, free from the Holy Mother’s restrictions, her strength will soar directly to Six Spirals. Jason is at One Spiral, but I already gave him the Meditation Method some time ago. It shouldn’t take long for him to also advance to Two Spirals.

The ship currently possesses two Treasures. One is the idle Treasure, the [Bloody Team Banner]. I actually think it’s quite good. But it doesn’t quite fit us; I hope my crew takes the elite path, not one reliant on numbers. Therefore, the effect this Treasure can exert is greatly diminished. To use it perfectly, at least 73 people are needed. The required number of people is too many. Right now, it’s meaningless even if given to a teammate, as it offers very limited personal enhancement. Its power is entirely derived from the contributions of others. I would need to find ordinary people and elevate them to Touchers to meet this condition. If this mission succeeds, I’ll need a Treasure of equivalent level to exchange for the [Mirror Surface]. I can consider putting this one in the exchange options.

As for Treasures with confirmed locations and information, only two remain. One is a Treasure that Sad hid when he was young, buried in volcanic lava. The other is from the Vastin Empire’s royal family. My current strength hasn’t reached Four Spirals yet, but with a Treasure, acquiring it shouldn’t be an issue.

The main issue was the royal bloodline. It wasn’t that Alka hadn’t inquired; rather, there was simply no information to be found. At this point, the trail to obtaining that Treasure went cold.

So, I’m inclined to trade this information with the Church for more valuable Magic Items to enhance the crew’s strength. Good Magic Items almost always need to be custom-made, and you need someone willing to make them. Moreover, this information would be more useful in the hands of the Church; as a major force, they are certainly more likely to find the Vastin Empire’s royal bloodline.

An ancient map appeared in his hand.

Looking at the golden point on this map, Alka thought, This golden point needs to be prioritized. Once I obtain the Treasure, I’ll compare it with the [Bloody Team Banner] and exchange the less useful one. The useful one can be given to a teammate. Surely it will be more useful than the [Bloody Team Banner], right?

While Alka was thinking, Chadite pushed the door open and came in. He was holding a stack of nautical charts in his hand.

Upon seeing Alka, he handed him the nautical charts. "These are the nautical charts you asked me to collect for the route, and I also included the surrounding areas. Please have a look."

Hearing this, Alka quickly took the nautical charts and began to inspect them one by one. On this voyage, they would pass through a total of three areas. Apart from the Blood Gold Alliance, there were two areas not yet explored. The reason Alka was so interested was that along this middle route, one area was marked with a golden Treasure. It was labeled as a ’small quantity’.

’Small quantity’ means at least one, so I’m particularly interested in seeing if there’s a chance to obtain it.

He picked up the chart for the area where he had previously seen a golden Treasure marked on the large world map. Hick’s Kingdom. This sea region was ruled by this nation. It was an area about the size of the Blood Gold Alliance. Passing through this sea region, you could reach the Extreme Cold Triangle Zone.

Akaza blinked and, indeed, saw a golden point of light.

However, the problem is that this golden point is in the sea, not on any island.

Seeing the position of the point of light, Alka sighed.

After all, this is an ocean world. Treasures sunk into the deep sea are countless; they even make up the majority. And these Treasures are, paradoxically, both the hardest and the easiest to obtain. Because the point marks exactly where the Treasure is, with no other elaborate deceptions. They are typically found on shipwrecks. But the problem is not knowing how deep these Treasures are sunk. If they’re too deep, the immense water pressure would be unbearable for us.

So, typically, when Alka saw such Treasures, he would ignore them outright.

However, a golden Treasure point is worth considering. When we pass by, I’ll have Chadite investigate it more thoroughly.

With this in mind, Alka started to review other nautical charts. Then, on another nautical chart, he found another golden point of light, this one located on a small island. He quickly began to compare its location with the world map.

This sea area is further south of the Extreme Cold Triangle Zone. Once the mission is complete, I could conveniently swing by and see if there’s a chance to acquire it.

Looking at this small island, the more Alka examined it, the more familiar it seemed, and he couldn’t help but frown.