Chapter 222 - 202: The Treasure Opens

Chapter 222: Chapter 202: The Treasure Opens

The swirling current kicked up waves that spread outward in layers. The once-quiet surface of the sea was suddenly wracked with surging billows.

The brilliant light of six stars spilled down from the sky, illuminating the dark sea surface and the rocky seabed below as if it were day.

"My heavens!"

Benduin’s jaw dropped in shock.

The scene before him was simply too bizarre.

The sea parting, the starlight responding—it was like something straight out of a fairy tale.

Even the most outlandish and coincidental tales of Adventurers didn’t describe scenes like this.

"What is this!"

Colson grabbed the railing in front of him and leaned forward with all his might, as if trying to get a clearer view of the incredible change before his eyes.

Vili’s brows were also knitted tightly, his pupils filled with disbelief.

’What’s happening? Could this be the entrance to the lost treasure of the Cold Lion Duchy?’

This was the first thought that popped into Vili’s head.

The strange Natural Energy, the location indicated by the Treasure Map from the Royal Family’s ruins, the mysterious six stars...

All these seemingly unrelated things were happening at once, right before him.

"Look! The rock layer on the seabed!"

Benduin suddenly shouted again, his voice trembling with excitement.

The rocky seabed, bathed in starlight and moonlight, suddenly began to tremble violently.

A CRACKLING sound echoed, as if an earthquake was happening under the sea.

The already restless sea surface, affected by the tremors from the seabed, instantly churned up waves several meters high. Some of the larger ones slammed directly against the ship’s hull, causing it to rock violently.

"Lord Baron!"

Budar had just sensed the changes outside the cabin and hurried onto the deck. He was about to ask Vili what was happening when he suddenly saw the bizarre scene before him.

Within the vortex, the seabed rock split apart amid the tremors. A pitch-black fissure slowly opened, revealing a winding, man-made staircase.

The staircase stretched far into the darkness, beyond the reach of the moonlight and starlight.

’This must be the entrance to the treasure!’

Vili was certain.

"Colson! Use your Ability and send the seabirds to scout ahead!"

Even at such a critical moment, Vili remained vigilant, not rushing in headfirst.

An entrance to a treasure that appeared with such a spectacle must surely hold no ordinary prize. Even so, Vili knew this was not the time to gamble with their lives.

"Yes!"

Colson answered at once.

Natural Energy overflowed from his body. With a wave of his hand, several more seabirds flew in from the distance.

Under Colson’s control, the seabirds quickly landed on his shoulders and arms.

A faint, fluorescent green thread of Energy, visible to the naked eye, emanated from Colson’s heart and connected to the bodies of the seabirds.

WHOOSH!

In an instant, the eyes of both Colson and the seabirds all turned an inky green.

Colson waved a hand, and the seabirds braved the turbulent sea, diving straight into the fissure in the rocky seabed.

’The Ability of a Silent...’

Even at this critical juncture, Vili couldn’t help but marvel at Colson’s Ability.

After advancing to a Two-Engraving Silent, Colson had gained several new ways to communicate with the creatures of nature and new methods for using Natural Energy. Although these techniques weren’t very destructive in a direct fight, their support capabilities were terrifyingly effective.

For instance, the technique Colson was demonstrating now was establishing a link with several seabirds to share their vision!

’What a frightening young man...’

Although Budar, who stood to the side, had never seen this Ability used before, he could guess its general function based on Vili’s earlier command.

He felt a certain awe toward Colson. After all, he had been on the receiving end of Colson’s terrifying methods when he first entered the waters of White Bear Town.

The sea surface continued to churn violently.

The green light in Colson’s eyes flickered slowly, looking exceptionally eerie under the starlight.

"It’s a long staircase!"

Colson said to the others as he shared the seabirds’ vision.

"It’s completely dark inside... No, wait, there’s light!"

Colson’s tone suddenly shifted, but he didn’t continue.

"Well, go on!"

Benduin moved closer to Colson and urged him on.

"There are glowing stones placed on both sides of the staircase..."

Colson continued, "There’s a stone door up ahead! But the seabirds don’t have enough strength to open it."

The green light in Colson’s eyes began to fade. The seabirds’ exploration was no longer necessary.

Soon, the seabirds flew out from the passage in the rocky seabed and scattered to the horizon.

"Lord Baron, what should we do?"

Colson, Benduin, and Budar all looked to Vili, waiting for him to make the final decision.

Vili didn’t answer right away, his eyes filled with contemplation.

He looked at the rocky passage within the vortex and saw that it was slowly closing.

The swirling seawater around it was also beginning to converge, and the waves on the surface were becoming smaller.

It wasn’t just Vili; the other three had also noticed this.

It seemed the opening of this underwater entrance to the treasure was temporary and wouldn’t stay open forever.

Vili knew this was no time to hesitate.

"Let’s go. We’re going in!"

Vili made his decision instantly.

Since it was a relic of the Royal Family, and the seabirds’ scouting had revealed no immediate danger, Vili felt it was a risk worth taking.

This legacy of the Cold Lion Kingdom’s Royal Family was surely left for its own descendants, so it couldn’t be so dangerous as to kill intruders on sight.

The only uncertainty was whether there was a mechanism inside to identify those without royal blood. If so, the danger would be much greater.

"Lord Baron!"

Colson suddenly shouted after hearing Vili’s decision.

"Why don’t you stay on the ship, and we’ll go in!"

Colson’s tone was filled with concern for Vili’s safety.

He knew very well that the Lord Baron placed great importance on this Royal Family treasure; otherwise, he wouldn’t have personally led this voyage to explore it.

Moreover, the way this royal legacy opened was incredibly mysterious, without any warning. If they missed this chance, there was no telling when it might open again.

Therefore, they couldn’t give up this opportunity. At the same time, however, no one knew what dangers lay inside. It was entirely possible that it was full of traps and that anyone who entered would never come out.

That being the case, it was better to ensure the Baron’s own safety first. After all, he had all of White Bear Town depending on him.

In Colson’s eyes, Vili’s safety was more important than his own life.

If not for Vili, Colson would still lack the means to unearth his Ability and would still be struggling to survive in that place where he was treated with contempt. It was Vili who had saved him from the darkness.

"I agree! Lord Baron, you should stay on the ship. We can go in by ourselves!"

Benduin immediately seconded the motion upon hearing Colson.

In Benduin’s heart, Vili was the one who guided him in his practice of Justice. To him, Vili represented a greater Justice.

As long as Vili was safe, as long as Vili lived, then that greater Justice would endure.

"Yes, I agree with Sir Colson’s point as well."

Budar, standing to the side, gritted his teeth and also made his decision.

It wasn’t that he was absolutely loyal to Vili. He just hoped that if he took this risk and ended up in danger, Vili would, for the sake of his contribution, ensure his family back in White Bear Town could survive.

"This..."

Their words made Vili hesitate for a moment.

In truth, faced with such an uncertain risk, he wasn’t sure what to do either.

Letting the three of them go down while he stayed on the ship seemed to be the best choice from a safety perspective.

"Lord Baron, you have to decide quickly!"

Benduin urged Vili, watching the entrance that was growing narrower and narrower.

Vili’s brows furrowed even tighter. After weighing the options, he finally said, "I’m going with you!"

This wasn’t Vili being hot-headed, insisting on experiencing the thrill of adventure.

He made this decision for two main reasons.

First, Budar, Benduin, and Colson were all his trusted subordinates. Two of them—Benduin and Colson—practically saw him as a spiritual icon, valuing his life more than their own.

The idea of letting them risk their lives for him while he reaped the rewards safely on the ship was something Vili rejected from the bottom of his heart.

Second, the Royal Family treasure of the Cold Lion Duchy was bound to contain Extraordinary legacies. And judging by the grand manner in which the entrance opened, the Extraordinary legacies within might be exceptionally rich.

The problem was, most extremely valuable Extraordinary legacies were triggered on the spot, giving no opportunity to be taken away.

So, if Vili wanted to gain the greatest reward, he had to take this risk.

"Lord Baron, you should really reconsider."

Budar looked at Vili with a grave expression.

Vili waved his hand dismissively and glanced at the soon-to-be-closed underwater passage. "Enough talk. Prepare to enter!"

Since the decision was made, there was no need to waste any more time.

Vili didn’t bother summoning the ordinary Pirates to scout the way. In such a short amount of time, those mortal Pirates would never be able to cross the nearly thousand-meter distance over the stormy sea.

Vili hesitated no longer. He leaped directly from the deck into the water.

As a Senior Knight, his Frost Fighting Spirit allowed him to walk on the water’s surface, forming a layer of short-lived ice crystals under his feet with every step.

Benduin, Budar, Colson, and the Speaker Senya under his control followed close behind. They leaped from the deck and used their own Extraordinary Abilities to quickly move across the water after Vili.

Finally, just as the vortex was about to dissipate and the entrance in the rock was about to close, Vili and the others entered the passage with the underwater staircase.