Chapter 221 - 201: The Stirring Stars

Chapter 221: Chapter 201: The Stirring Stars

"Everyone, proceed in your previously assigned groups! If you find any suspected entrances to hidden spaces or any other anomalies, report them immediately! Anyone who discovers a useful clue will receive a huge cash reward!"

Budar didn’t waste any words, getting straight to the point.

Under Budar’s command, the Pirates split into their teams and headed off to explore the lush island.

"This is difficult work, Colson."

Vili and the other Extraordinaries remained standing, while Colson sat down cross-legged on the spot.

Establishing a mental link with so many seabirds at once was taking its toll on Colson.

"It’s my duty, Lord Baron."

Colson replied to Vili.

"I’m going to search for the entrance to the treasure as well."

Seeing how earnest Colson was, Benduin also wanted to prove his worth to the Lord Baron. Or to put it another way, he wanted to be more proactive in his pursuit of courageous Justice.

He requested Vili’s permission, then headed into the evergreen forest with his long, heavy Iron Spear.

"Lord Baron, perhaps you should return to the ship’s cabin and rest. I’m more than enough to keep watch here."

Budar suggested, seeing Vili pacing restlessly.

Vili waved his hand dismissively.

In fact, if he didn’t need to wait here for reports from the search parties, Vili would have gone to find the treasure’s location himself.

As time passed, the sun climbed higher in the sky.

The sky had only just begun to brighten when they first reached the island, but now it was nearly noon.

The Pirates exploring the island were still hard at work, showing no signs of needing a break. They were accustomed to a two-meal-a-day routine. After living a dangerous life on the high seas, this level of exertion was nothing to them.

Over the course of the morning, they found a few spots that looked like potential entrances to the treasure, but after Vili inspected them himself, they all turned out to be false leads.

During this time, the seabirds Colson was controlling on the other two islands returned several times, but the result was always the same: they hadn’t found any useful information.

"Lord Baron, you should eat something."

Budar brought some simple food from the ship.

Vili took a slice of white bread and ate a small portion of it.

As for Colson and the Speaker, Senya, they didn’t eat.

Senya remained by Colson’s side, never straying far, like a dedicated guard.

"Quickly, get back to the ship!"

In the distance, three Pirates from a search party came staggering toward the ship.

One of them was unsteady on his feet, his entire body twitching uncontrollably as if every muscle was spasming.

The two Pirates flanking him supported his weight while gripping his arms to keep his violent trembling in check.

"What happened?"

Budar was alarmed when he saw the Pirate’s condition.

Vili and Colson also turned to look.

"Boss, this guy seems to be showing the strange emotional and behavioral signs you warned us about."

One of the men supporting him answered Budar urgently.

"Be more specific."

Vili stepped forward at that moment, his expression growing serious.

The Pirate glanced at Vili with a hint of fear in his eyes, but he answered respectfully.

"Yes, Lord Baron. A little while ago, while we were searching the island, this guy suddenly said he had a headache. At first, we thought he was just trying to slack off, so we ignored him." The Pirate paused to recall the details before continuing. "But after a bit, he said he felt weak all over. When we checked on him then, we saw his face was pale and his forehead was beaded with sweat."

"That’s when we remembered what the boss said—if we noticed any of our comrades acting strangely, we should return to the ship immediately. So we stopped our search and started bringing him back. On the way, though, he suddenly turned violent, even trying to bite and claw at us."

As he spoke, the Pirate pointed to the scratch marks on his neck. "See?"

"But that state didn’t last long. It seemed like his strength gave out quickly. So, we managed to subdue him and brought him the rest of the way."

The Pirate recounted the events as thoroughly as he could.

Colson stepped forward as well.

He frowned, extended his palm, and a stream of Natural Energy flowed into the body of the twitching Pirate.

The Pirate was drenched in sweat, his face ashen.

After a moment, Colson stopped and turned to the others. "Take him back to the ship."

"Yes, sir."

Following Colson’s command, the two Pirates struggled to carry their afflicted comrade back to the ship.

"It’s interference from the ambient Natural Energy."

Colson turned to Vili and said grimly.

’So it’s true. As the Natural Energy intensifies, it’s starting to affect the human body...’

Vili nodded slowly, rubbing his chin as he sank into thought.

After a long moment, Vili issued another order to Budar. "Relay this command: any searchers who feel unwell, or who have been searching for more than three hours, must return to the ship to rest."

"Yes, sir."

Budar acknowledged the order and found the two Pirates who were about to head back out. He told them to pass the new command along.

Time passed, and before they knew it, the sun had dipped below the horizon.

Over the course of the afternoon, several more searchers fell ill with the same strange symptoms. This wasn’t limited to Vili’s island; it was also happening on the islands to the south and southwest.

For now, however, there was no solution to this problem.

As daylight faded, visibility for the search became poor.

Budar had no choice but to order a halt to the search until the next day.

A full day of searching, and they had made no progress whatsoever.

Vili had expected that with over one hundred and fifty men searching a relatively small island, they should have quickly found a clue to the treasure’s entrance. Reality, however, proved his assumption wrong.

’Could there be a problem with the map Teacher Olay gave me?’

The moon was high in the sky. Vili stood on deck, gazing at the distant sea as he pondered.

’But if the map is wrong, how do I explain the strange Natural Energy in this area? Is it a coincidence?’

Vili shook his head, muttering to himself, "No, if this is a coincidence, it’s too much of one..."

"But where... where could the real entrance to the legacy treasure be..."

He knew finding the legacy of the Cold Lion Duchy’s Royal Family wouldn’t be easy, but the sheer complexity of the search and the unpredictable environment made Vili feel like he was losing control of the situation.

"Lord Baron."

Just then, Benduin, who wasn’t the least bit sleepy, came up from below deck and joined Vili.

"When I was a boy, I used to read books about Adventurers and dream of becoming one myself, sailing the seas in search of treasure. It’s incredible to think that dream is coming true."

Benduin said with a smile, leaning against the railing.

"You’ll feel even more satisfied if we actually find the treasure."

Seeing Benduin’s enthusiasm, Vili stopped dwelling on the day’s fruitless search and chatted with him.

If this expedition truly ended in failure, without finding the entrance to the legacy treasure, Vili wouldn’t be too disheartened. After all, he hadn’t suffered any major losses on this voyage.

"The stars seem really bright tonight..."

Benduin suddenly looked up, his voice filled with awe. Even having lived his whole life in White Bear Town with its clear skies, he had never seen a night so brilliant.

Vili hadn’t been paying attention, but hearing Benduin’s words, he tilted his head back as well.

The stars were just as Benduin described: dazzlingly bright and countless. In particular, six stars directly overhead shone like miniature moons.

"Hmm?"

Vili was marveling at the strange beauty of nature when he suddenly felt that the six stars overhead had just moved.

Vili narrowed his eyes slightly. ’It must be my imagination,’ he thought.

’How could stars hanging in the sky possibly move?’

But when Vili stared intently again, he saw it happen once more.

For an instant, the six stars seemed to flare with light, then shifted their position ever so slightly.

Their previously irregular formation now seemed to be shifting to encircle the moon.

"Lord Baron, did you see that? The stars above us... I think they... moved?"

Benduin rubbed his eyes vigorously and looked at Vili in confusion.

’So it’s true!’

A jolt went through Vili.

’It wasn’t my imagination.’

"Lord Baron!"

Before Vili could respond to Benduin, Colson came running up from below deck with the Speaker, Senya, in tow.

"I sense a subtle current of Natural Energy, fluctuating in an orderly pattern!"

Colson’s eyes were wide, his expression still holding a trace of shock.

"And that Energy... it seems to be coming from..."

Colson tilted his head back.

"The night sky!"

The moment Colson spoke, the light from the six stars in the sky intensified dramatically.

They moved slowly but visibly, arranging themselves in a perfect circle around the moon.

WHOOSH!

At the same time, the once-calm sea began to churn with violent waves.

Even the ship moored by the shore was tossed about, pushed by the surging waves.

"Look! What’s that!"

Benduin suddenly shouted.

Vili and Colson, who had been staring at the sky, snapped their gazes toward the sea.

Directly beneath the six stars, a slowly churning whirlpool was rapidly expanding.

Soon, a circular hole nearly a hundred meters in diameter appeared on the surface of the sea.

The water was pushed away for dozens of meters, as if in a vacuum, revealing the rocky seabed below.