In the dim cave, the battle had ceased, and no further action was taken. Only the young man still emitted a faint, dark-red, illusory flame to illuminate the gloom, standing amidst the chaotic debris.

He closed his eyes, sensing something.

Perhaps two minutes passed, or maybe three to five—during this precious time as the old island lord recovered his strength, the gradually calming, dark-blue water rippled again, and two feeble octopus tentacles reached out once more.

This made Hua Mi’s heart tighten once again.

Then, she witnessed a strange, bare-chested man break through the water’s surface and crawl out. This bizarre humanoid held a massive pearl in his hand, like a fantastic sea tribe offering a treasure, extending his hand—bearing the orb—toward the young man standing by the pool.

The treasure orb was embedded in a snapped metal handle.

……

Within the cave.

Yang Zicang, surrounded by flux-imbued radiance, looked at the broken metal bar, inlaid with the treasure orb, which Ka Bumu offered him.

He took it in his hand. It was not as heavy as steel; instead, it felt as light as wood. Perhaps even when it was whole, a woman of unremarkable muscular strength could easily carry it across mountains and rivers.

｛I have touched the broken ｛Tidal Tribe Pact｝.｝

….

{Do you wish to become one of us? }

….

A seductive voice emerged within his mind, transmitted through this pearl-like treasure.

A sudden impulse to agree surged within the young man’s heart, but the ethereal emptiness in his mind, like wind rustling through a forest, greatly diminished the influence of that seductive voice.

“W-What is this? ” He Yishu finally managed to get up, feeling as if all his internal organs had been rearranged, leaving him dizzy and nauseous.

“This must be the treasure the Ka Yunni family has hidden away for the past few decades. “

Yang Zicang infused time energy into it, and in an instant, streams of information flowed into the model on his chest.

｛I sense another entity vying for control of the ‘Tide Resonance Pact’.｝

“You two, leave now. As long as you stay here, the old chieftain will soon revive. No one can truly kill him. “

“I’ve already sensed that. “

The pearl was absorbing strands of diffused sea tide from the surrounding air, drawing them to its surface and guiding them within. Drops of watery residue dripped from its underside. It was merely siphoning the residual bloodline energy from this breath of the sea.

“I take it the old island lord cannot leave this place, can he?“

Ka Bomu nodded. “If we leave, we lose this restorative strength. We would be easily killed by guns and cannons. “

This confirmed Yang Zicang’s speculation. To fully control this relic, one needed to possess the corresponding bloodline. The missing bloodline faction here had already been taken away decades ago.

Sensing that the entity beneath the water was already showing signs of recovery, Yang Zicang decided it was time to leave.

“You should leave too, buddy. The ocean is vast; you’ll find a safe place. “

“Thank you, Fogfolk. “

Ka Bomu’s tentacles were healing rapidly, simply because he had touched this orb.

He Yishu struggled to stand, propping himself against the wall, his jacket already torn, “Can we get out? I think the rock blocking the door is huge. “

-｛Distributor February. Di’an anticipates the prelude to the glorious birth I am to conceive is about to unfold.｝

“This is simple enough. “

Silent Night had already sensed the switch. At that moment, a tiny ink-black vortex spiraled open in the darkness; the silver long spear thrust upward, flipping the pulled hand-brake back into place. A dull rumble echoed through every corner of the cave, and the sealed stone slab groaned and creaked as it reluctantly lifted upward.

Ka Bomu sank back into the water with a sigh; he had to seize this chance to escape as far as he could.

-｛Distributor May. Valkyrie, drawing on her vast experience, judges that the sublime Light born of this gestation may now be fit for sale.｝

-｛May. Valkyrie awaits my supply.｝

Yang Zicang helped He Yishu onto the flying carpet. While steering the flight, he glanced down at the gold pendant inlaid with four small emerald gems, resting against his chest.

｛I have invested 10N into the Golden Emerald.｝

｛I am cataloguing a newfound life path.｝

Within moments, a pinprick of silver-white light flickered to life deep within one of the small gemstones.

｛-Radiance: Tearing the veiling of the Secret Treasure’s concealment.｝

……

The peddler who had sold the information turned back toward the dock, the night as dark as water, with only a few scattered pedestrians.

But before he had even walked a kilometer, the peddler spotted two figures behind a cluster of trees, by the corner of a house, stubbing out their cigarettes and heading his way.

He swerved in another direction. After just a few steps, a figure reeking of alcohol, stumbling like a drunkard, came wobbling toward him from the opposite end of the road.

The man warily turned back toward the dock, and the pace of the three figures quickened in response. No longer hesitating, he yanked the goods box from around his neck, hurled it behind him, and sprinted swiftly toward the dock as if on wings.

“Get him! “

“Don’t let him escape! “

The drunk was sober now. Three agile silhouettes gave chase from both sides of the road. As they drew closer and closer, the peddler’s heart pounded violently. Frantically, he fumbled around his person for anything else he could throw to stall them.

His fingers found a small orb.

｛You may utilize “Trajectory Dispatch. “｝

The peddler felt his steps could be quicker, yet it was like strength locked away inside him, unable to break free—a stifling frustration.

｛You lack the catalyst to activate it.｝

｛But you can recall the Source of the Holy Spirit if you have seen a statue of the Holy One and perceived the trials etched into its form… and should you seek to emulate his spirit…｝

“The Holy statue? ” The man clutching the small ball gritted his teeth, his feet pounding the ground as if flying. “Who knew that thing had such an effect! “

There were countless sculptures across the world, and he had seen many—though he wasn’t sure if any were the Holy statues popular among the nobility. Seeking its protection and blessing was utterly out of the question.

The man, who had never touched a Holy statue, had already given up; then suddenly, a thought struck him. Back when he had left the mainland and traveled here in obscurity, abandoning his former name, he had sworn an oath before the statue of the founding leader.

Bang! A gunshot rang out in the darkness, and the man felt a sharp pain in his back.

In front of that statue, countless others like him had sworn their oaths.

“Ahhh… I pray… to Caius Tingle I… “

In a daze, he felt as if he had returned to that moment.

…I had truly wondered before: could I ever achieve what Caius Tingle I, the nation’s founder, had accomplished?…

｛You have gained the authority to use the “Secret Fruit “.｝

Pop! The small ball shattered in the man’s hand as he ran, clenching his fist with all his might.

Bang! Another gunshot sounded, this time alarmingly close; they had caught up. The peddler turned his head in despair, and it was as if, with a second pair of eyes, he saw the bullet’s trajectory as it cut through the air.

｛Units, Tens, Hundreds, Thousands…｝

“What— “

｛Schedule. Grid. Ten-thousand-rank.｝

Some sort of voice appeared, then was instantly forgotten; he couldn’t quite make out the exact word for that specific number.

Whoosh~ The peddler swerved, suddenly accelerating towards the other side. He even instinctively reached out his hand toward the bullet. A powerful intuition told him that he could do it…

The bullet, flying ahead of the three running men, abruptly twisted its trajectory and shot toward one man’s head.

Before the drunkard could react, his head jerked back and he collapsed to the ground, blood quickly streaming from the bullet hole in his forehead.

Splash!

Before the two pursuers in the darkness could even see clearly, the man who should have slowed down due to his gunshot wound suddenly burst forward and leaped into the seawater on the shore a hundred meters away.

In the distance, a few Fogfolk who hadn’t yet rested heard the commotion and began rushing over.

“Damn it, that bastard can use the Fogfolk’s ‘Secret Fruit.’ “

The two pursuers, not daring to have too much contact with the Fogfolk, quickly turned around and retreated. Only then did they notice that their fallen companion had been killed, shot right between the eyes.

……

Lange, spitting blood, fled to the outside of the island lord’s villa. Several members of the island’s guard had already rushed over.

“Captain, what happened to you? Where are the others? “

“Ran into some scumbag from the Major General’s side. As for Xiao Jie and the others… they’re not coming back. “

The sound of something smashing came from inside the villa, making Lange push past the few guards anxiously and rush in.

The study was a mess. Just as Lange reached the doorway, he felt the heavy atmosphere weighing down the entire room. He saw Ka. Yunni sitting slumped in a chair, head buried in his hands, clutching at his hair.

“Are you alright, Mr. Yunni? “

“It’s over. “

“What’s over? “

Ka. Yunni collapsed back into the chair, his eyes vacant as he stared at the ceiling. “That thing… it’s been lost. “

“Lost what? Wait, you couldn’t mean… ? No, how is that possible! “

Lange, bracing himself against the doorframe, couldn’t believe it was true. “What do we do now? Go after that Fogfolk? But… the Major’s men look like they’re already heading for the dock. “

The Island Lord’s eyes shifted from the ceiling to fixate on the man with blood at the corner of his mouth standing in the doorway.

Lange was covered head to toe in mud, a clear sign that his journey back hadn’t been peaceful.

“Getting your hands on anything that ends up in a Fogfolk’s pockets requires a much higher price. You need to face it. “

He tried to comfort his subordinate, a man who had never even laid eyes on the treasure.

Ka. Yunni rose silently and walked into the connected suite. As he walked, he shed his robe and pulled his formal suit off the hanger.

Lange’s head followed his movements.

“Don’t rest, Lange. You get the morning’s farewell banquet arranged. I’ll go sort out the family holdings transfer. “