A new journey

The Sea Moth once again sailed into the Storm Wall. The dark sea was still chaotic and turbulent, but the area around the Sea Moth, where Hannah was, remained unaffected.

But this chaos, ironically, also means safety.

Soon... they crossed over to this sea area known as the "Sea of Death" and arrived at the Pure Ruins.

Once back in the Outer Sea, Li Nian stood inside the cabin, hands on her hips, through the panoramic glass.

"Hey, I've also achieved an accomplishment by completely traversing the 'Storm Wall' —albeit in the opposite direction, Middle Sea and heading towards the Outer Sea."

As she spoke, Li Nian made a gesture as if she were holding an achievement trophy, and then made a "ding" sound to herself, as if imitating the unlocking of an achievement.

"I should have lured you here sooner, then you could have gone through the positive route."

Chen Le said with a smile.

Lin Yu remarked with a sigh, "If the 'Death game' really had an 'achievement' system, that wouldn't be bad."

Although each [Instance] completion results in an "evaluation," similar to an "achievement," this "Death game" does not have a long-term achievement system.

If so, it would definitely be beneficial for Lin Yu —after all, while the "Death game" is dangerous, it's not stingy either.

If there's an achievement system, there will definitely be corresponding rewards.

Having another way to obtain "rewards" is definitely something Lin Yu would be happy to see—after all, his ability to obtain "rewards" is slightly stronger than that of other "Player".

The more rewards Lin Yu can obtain, the greater his advantage becomes compared to other "Player".

"Boss Fang Qing really does have this," Chen Le said in a low voice, "She added an 'achievement system' to her mod..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu complained again, "Our Boss is indeed too well-rounded. I should have asked her to add one for me too."

The three chatted idly inside the Sea Moth, appearing somewhat relaxed after crossing the "Storm Wall".

After all...

With the "Storm Wall" preventing the experts inside from pursuing them for the time being, and having obtained the "Sea Beast Blood," they have the confidence to retreat at any time. In addition, having already acquired the three "Nine Treasures of Pure Void," they can consider their mission complete...

Therefore, they now have a relaxed feeling, as if they are truly on vacation.

Certainly...

The Outer Sea of Pure Ruins remains the same deep and tranquil scene, with the same monotonous ocean and the occasional strange Ocean creatures swimming by, nothing particularly interesting.

In the distance, there were occasional bursts of firelight, suggesting that a small-scale battle had broken out somewhere... but Lin Yu couldn't possibly take the Sea Moth to join in on such a commotion.

"So... where might the next Nine Treasures be? Do you have any clues, Brother Le?"

Lin Yu, piloting the Sea Moth, looked at Chen Le and asked.

"I'm actually not really sure either," Chen Le said, fiddling with the three new items in his hand, and looking at Li Nian. "How about... we let 'A Nian' give it a try?"

Lin Yu looked at Li Nian with some curiosity. "Her?"

Li Nian pointed to herself with even more curiosity. "Me?"

Chen Le nodded. "That's right, A Nian... aren't you good at stealing? So you should have a way of sensing where valuable items are hidden, right?"

"Look, Qu Meng Meng's name is 'Mountaineer,' so she can find easy mountains to climb; Xiao Yun is 'Embalmer,' so she can find many corpses... You're called 'Master Thief,' so you should be able to find what you want to steal, right?"

Chen Le asked seriously.

Lin Yu and Li Nian initially thought this guy had some brilliant ideas, but after hearing Chen Le's words, they were both speechless.

"So, according to you, where can Old Zhou find a suitable cell? And if Uncle Zhuo goes to the Movie Theater, there must be a Comedy playing, right?"

Li Nian said irritably.

Lin Yu wasn't as aggressive as Li Nian; he simply said in a low voice, "Brother Le, you're called 'Fishing Man,' can you always find where there are fish when you go fishing?"

Chen Le was alright after hearing Li Nian's words, but Lin Yu's words really made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

He forced a smile, "Well... I can find it nine times out of ten. Uh, sometimes when I don't catch anything, it's not that the fishing spot is wrong, or that there aren't any fish. It's just... how should I put it? You two young girls don't fish, so you wouldn't understand. Fishing is really about feeling and luck. Sometimes it's a bit of a mystery, you know?"

Hearing Chen Le say this, Lin Yu felt like he was about to collapse from exhaustion.

"Since none of us have a clue, shall we go and explore the Sea Demons's territory? Although Sea Eye Venerable isn't here, besides him, I know some Sea Demons appraisers and collectors. These guys should be knowledgeable; they might know some legends or secrets."

As Lin Yu spoke, Li Nian naturally had no objections.

But Chen Le was still unwilling to give up. "How about... Li Nian, you take these three items and smell them, see if you can use your sense of familiarity to find the approximate location of the other treasures?"

As Chen Le spoke, he tossed a Dagger, curved like a snake, to Li Nian.

Li Nian caught the Dagger's hilt with a precise single hand in mid-air and said irritably, "Get lost! Do you think I'm some kind of hunting dog? I've already told you I don't have that kind of ability!"

Lin Yu said, "I do know someone who has this kind of ability."

Chen Le looked at Lin Yu: "Who is it, 'Zhu Ming'?"

"The 'Marauders' of the 'Diviner'."

Lin Yu said calmly.

Li Nian paused for a moment, then thought seriously, "Then, Sister Zhu Ming... should we negotiate with the 'Marauders'?"

"Definitely not," Chen Le said, looking at Lin Yu and re-examining the Nine Treasures in his hands. "The Marauders would never want us to have another 'Tier 4.' She's joking." He added, "If only we could get [Naga's Guidance] first—each of the Nine Treasures has a different function. [Naga's Guidance] is specifically for 'Treasure Hunt and exploration,' and it's said to resonate with the other eight treasures—although it can't pinpoint the exact location, it can reveal the general direction."

Lin Yu thought for a moment and said, "How about we find a way to get rid of Li Hua first? I can find out his location through the 'Director'."

"Let's skip it," said Li Hua, the "Gambler." Although Li Hua's overall strength wasn't particularly outstanding, he was, after all, an important figure in "Order," and taking action against him would be tantamount to declaring war on "Order." Secondly... the Boss said that if you really push the "Gambler" to the Desperate Plight, he'll be very difficult to deal with.

As Chen Le spoke, he recalled Fang Qing's words, "In the Boss's opinion... Li Hua's combat experience and resilience are exceptionally outstanding among the 'Player.' The more dangerous the situation, the more difficult it is to deal with someone like him."

"Moreover, Li Hua's ability mechanism is quite extraordinary, belonging to the type with an extremely high ceiling—in a life-or-death situation, if he really gets lucky, anyone who comes would probably be severely injured."

"So... if possible, let's save [Naga's Guidance] and [Echoes of Mu Continent] for last."

As Chen Le spoke earnestly, Li Nian interjected, "Actually, we don't necessarily have to push the 'Gambler' to the Desperate Plight... As long as he takes me with him, we might be able to steal that thing from the 'Gambler' without him noticing!"

"Of course... I also agree to deal with [Naga's Guidance] last," Li Nian said, twirling and playing with the snake-shaped Dagger in her hand. "After all, even if we don't push 'Gambler' to the Desperate Plight, as a 'target of theft,' 'Gambler' Li Hua is indeed a very troublesome guy."

"After all... while Qianhuan isn't good at stealing, his escape skills are top-notch—yet he still frequently gets beaten up by Li Hua in Sea City. You can imagine how formidable Li Hua's counter-surveillance and perception abilities are..."

As she spoke, the snake-shaped Dagger spun faster and faster at her fingertips. Watching the afterimage on her hand, Li Nian suddenly realized something.

"... Wait a minute, let's put Li Hua's matter aside for now, I suddenly remembered something!"

As Li Nian spoke, Lin Yu and Chen Le both looked at Li Nian.

"A Nian, what's going on?"

Chen Le asked.

Li Nian pointed at the snake-shaped Dagger in her hand, and as she spun it, the originally pale gold gemstone, studded with green striped gems, formed a glittering circle.

"I've seen this color scheme somewhere before."

"You've seen it?"

Li Nian nodded. "Yes—at the border between the Siren' and Merfolk's territories, inside the ruins of a Lost Kingdom the Mu Continent, covered by [Azure Sea Sky Dome], there's an idle machine inside, with a pale gold shell inlaid with green gems—a piece of that machine's core is missing, and now that I think about it..."

Chen Le realized what was happening. "You saw the legendary instrument that was originally paired with these Nine Treasures? And the one that matched this Dagger?"

Li Nian nodded. "I'm not entirely sure... but it's very likely."

"This is absolutely crucial..."

Chen Le murmured.

Lin Yu said, "But... what you need are the 'Nine Treasures' themselves, not the matching instruments. Even if we find one of the instruments, what use would it be?"

"No, it's useful... because if we reactivate that instrument, it will reveal the location of the other instruments and the Nine Treasures," Chen Le said earnestly. "Because according to legend... whoever reassembles the Nine Treasures and returns them to their original places will inherit the legacy of the Lost Kingdom of the Mu Continent —and in this process, these instruments and treasures scattered in various places still maintain a mysterious connection."

"But I... don't think it's just a legend."

Li Nian added from the side, "That's right, Sister Zhu Ming... Moreover, restoring the instrument itself can also yield a large amount of ancient inherited knowledge!"

"In other words, using this treasure to activate that ancient facility would be entirely beneficial, and quite advantageous indeed!"