Oceanic Secret Treasure

After the sound of the bubble bursting, Evan found himself back on the deck, kneeling on the ground, his chest heaving as he breathed rapidly. It took him a while to recover from the suffocating feeling he had just experienced.

He shook his head and stood up, realizing that only a moment had passed. The sailors beside him, who were cleaning up the mess, hadn't noticed anything unusual about him.

"Plop!"

Evan sat down on the deck, his mind swirling with bizarre ramblings, the information that had been inexplicably transmitted to him when he touched the statue.

"Extraordinary Path: Shipwreck Wailer (Cost: Never being able to set foot on land again)."

"Level 1: Water Ghost. Ritual: 1. Personally sink at least one hundred humans representing the side of order into the sea..."

"Level 2: Ship-Bound Spirit. Ritual: 1. Personally command the sinking of at least three ships representing the side of order, sacrificing all crew members..."

"Level 3: Shipwreck Wailer. Ritual: ..."

"Oceanic Secret Treasure: Shipwreck Lament. For every ship of the side of order sunk, your own ship will receive a bonus, the percentage of the bonus determined by the strength of the enemy ship destroyed."

A few minutes later, Evan had digested the information in his head and understood why One-Eyed Beck had openly attacked the warship, not caring at all about provoking the navy.

If he were an ordinary person who had never been exposed to extraordinary power, Evan admitted that he would not be able to resist the temptation of this Oceanic Secret Treasure.

After all, without qualifications or effort, as long as one could fulfill the ritual it required, one could successfully transform into a powerful extraordinary being, as if a pie had fallen from the sky!

But Evan, who was already at the peak of an Apprentice Knight and had Gell Uncle protecting him in the navy with a bright future, couldn't stand this strange path that could very likely turn him into a monster.

Just one look at One-Eyed Beck, who had already transformed into a Level 2 "Ship-Bound Spirit," with his inhuman appearance, made Evan feel numb all over, let alone becoming like that himself!

"Unless I'm crazy..."

Perhaps at the cost of never being able to go ashore, one could gain considerable strength, but "power is a temporary thing, handsomeness is for life!"

Evan deeply agreed with this famous saying.

Most importantly, this path was incomplete, only reaching Level 3 at most, which paled in comparison to the Knight's path, which could directly reach Level 4.

Although he wondered why this thing that should belong to One-Eyed Beck was in the witch doctor's hands, Evan didn't dwell on it. He just didn't dare to touch the strange statue again, found a wooden box, stuffed it with straw, and packed it in.

Looking back, the sailors on both ships had already cleaned up the battlefield. Not a single pirate prisoner was left, and almost no pirates at sea would surrender.

Because although the countries of the continent had different levels of maritime development, their attitudes towards pirates were consistent, well, at least their public attitudes were consistent under the pressure of the Church.

As long as it could be proven that they were pirates or had engaged in pirate activities, they would be hanged directly without trial (of course, those with legal privateering licenses were excluded).

In Evan's view, it was no different from financial oligarchs occupying a monopoly position and cracking down on competitors.

There was nothing for him to do, so Evan simply sat down and waited for Gell to return.

Gurgle... gurgle...

From the moment he entered the water with One-Eyed Beck, the seawater under the ship seemed to be boiling, making muffled sounds from time to time and bursting into huge splashes.

But Evan was full of confidence in Gell Uncle, especially after learning about the "Shipwreck Wailer" extraordinary path from the stone statue, he knew that this was a path that could only unleash its full power in cooperation with one's own ship.

The Silver Wing had arrived in time. Although One-Eyed Beck had met the unlocking conditions, his pirate ship had not yet been sacrificed and transformed. Relying solely on his own strength, he could never be a match for Gell Uncle, who was at the peak of an Apprentice Knight.

The battle ended even faster than Evan had imagined!

It only took the time for Evan to deal with that strange stone statue.

The roaring sound from underwater was already becoming more urgent, mixed with the screams and roars of various aquatic creatures, but after a very short period of time, everything fell silent.

"Bang!"

A humanoid creature with twisted limbs and in tatters burst out of the water, slamming heavily onto the deck next to Evan like a rag, making a loud noise.

Then another figure followed closely behind, landing very lightly.

Seeing Evan and the wooden box beside him, Gell asked with interest, "Little Evan, is this your collection of spoils?"

Gell's tone was very relaxed, and it seemed that the trouble One-Eyed Beck had caused him earlier was nothing. As he spoke, billowing white steam rose from his body, and his soaked military uniform instantly returned to dryness.

"Respected Captain, you'd better take a look at this. I think this thing should be handled properly." Evan didn't share Gell's ease; he almost stumbled on this ghostly thing, and he was eager to throw this hot potato away.

Of course, it would be even better if he could take a bite after the potato cooled down.

Fortunately, he had someone to rely on! He was fully qualified to take a bite.

Gell knew that Evan was not the kind of reckless young man, and his expression became serious upon hearing this.

"Everyone, hand over the collected spoils to the first mate for statistics, and then stand by!"

"Aye, sir!"

After turning around and instructing the Silver Wing crew members who had gathered around to scavenge the spoils themselves, Gell personally picked up the wooden box and walked into the lower deck of the pirate ship.

Something that Evan treated so solemnly was obviously not suitable for research on the exposed deck.

Evan followed closely behind.

In the cabin.

Watching Gell easily release his hand from the stone statue, Evan breathed a sigh of relief, once again feeling the gap between himself and a true extraordinary level. The strange stone statue that almost made him stumble was like a docile house dog in Gell's hands.

"It really is an Oceanic Secret Treasure!" Gell, who was always serious, couldn't help but reveal a look of joy when he opened his eyes.

Although it had serious flaws, an Oceanic Secret Treasure was still an Oceanic Secret Treasure, and its value was immeasurable. As for the extraordinary path that Evan had carefully considered, Gell discarded it like worn-out shoes, not even giving it a glance.

"Uncle Gell, I also received the information it transmitted before, but what exactly is an Oceanic Secret Treasure?" With no outsiders present, Evan reverted to his private address, without being coy, and directly asked his doubts.

Gell first glared at Evan. Only after personally touching it did he realize the abnormality of this thing. No wonder Evan had reminded him to be careful before. He was a little scared and said:

"Don't touch such weird things in the future, let me handle them. This is not a simple Oceanic Secret Treasure; there is actually an evil spirit dwelling inside.

If you hadn't been able to escape the illusion of the evil spirit in time, you might have drowned directly. You were lucky this time, but can you be lucky every time?"

"Evil spirit?"

Only then did Evan truly realize the danger he had been in. If Data Vision hadn't been monitoring his physical and mental condition at all times, he would have been in trouble this time.

He also knew that Gell was doing it for his own good, and repeatedly assured him that he would not rashly touch strange things next time.

"Although it wasn't directly exposed, its existence still cannot deceive a true extraordinary person."

Seeing that Evan's attitude was good, Gell's expression softened, and he began to tell him about the legend of the Oceanic Secret Treasure.

"According to legend..."