Bai Ye followed her inside, and his eyes immediately lit up.
Literally. Searchlights shone upon objects made of precious metals, reflecting a dazzling brilliance that illuminated the entire treasury.
"Interesting. No wonder the Catgirl Loli Fan Club rose to prominence in the fourth version. So they got their hands on this treasure..."
Looking over the gold, gemstones, jewelry, lavish decorations, sculptural artworks, and paintings that filled the treasury, Bai Ye muttered quietly.
In his previous life, it had been a small guild called the Catgirl Loli Fan Club that discovered this treasure. They undertook an extremely long chain quest, one so tedious and drawn-out that they even had to travel back and forth between different cities in Ursus.
During that time, some guild Players believed it was a waste of time and ultimately left the guild. But in the end, the cat-eared gentlemen's efforts were rewarded, and they obtained a trove of treasure.
Although they revealed part of the quest process and the treasure's final location, they never disclosed just how much treasure there actually was.
Now, Bai Ye was finally fortunate enough to witness this treasure for himself.
Clearly, the amount before him was more than enough to turn a small guild into an exceptionally powerful elite guild. No wonder Cloud Sky Bright's Head had complained to Bai Ye in his previous life that his guild had suddenly gotten its ass kicked by the Catgirl Loli Fan Club in ranked matches.
Incidentally, "Head" was a member of The Revelry Tea Party, and was himself the president of a large guild.
"Skadi, help me sort out the treasure. We need to empty this place."
As he spoke, Bai Ye began taking boxes out.
"Mm, you surprised me." Skadi was surprised by Bai Ye's attitude upon seeing the treasure. She had seen plenty of bounty hunters go mad at the sight of vast riches.
At such moments, the ugliness of human nature erupted with extraordinary intensity and clarity.
"It's just treasure." Bai Ye was naturally affected by it too, but he was only astonished by the sheer quantity. Beyond that, he remained fairly calm.
"If there's anything you like, take some for yourself." Bai Ye casually stepped over piles of coins and walked to a golden cabinet. In one of its drawers, he found a necklace strung with pearls.
"Do you like this?"
Bai Ye handed the necklace to Skadi.
Skadi froze for a moment. From that necklace, she once again sensed the atmosphere of her homeland.
"This... is for me?" The girl's eyes fixed on the necklace in Bai Ye's hand. She could recognize the craftsmanship of the deep sea. Perhaps it was not very expensive back home, but on land, it was priceless.
To her, it was precious as well.
"Of course." Bai Ye nodded and passed it to her. "I couldn't have gotten in here without your help. You're entitled to a share of the treasure too."
"Just this is enough." Skadi pressed her lips together and carefully took the necklace from Bai Ye's hand.
"If the second captain were here, perhaps she could tell more stories about this necklace... What a pity..." Skadi's gaze toward Bai Ye grew increasingly gentle.
Bai Ye got chills from the orca girl's stare. He waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. You deserve more."
"No, this is very important to me." Skadi smiled softly.
At that moment, she seemed to have returned to her homeland once more.
My Friend from the Deep Sea
"It was probably brought to land by Sargosians from the sea. They called themselves islanders and carried some Sargos technology, along with small keepsakes."
Bai Ye speculated as he sorted through the treasure.
"Then why did it end up here?" Skadi had studied maps of Terra's landmass. The frozen tundra in northwestern Ursus was far from Iberia.
Standing still, Bai Ye recalled fragments of what he had heard in his previous life, as well as knowledge he had read after crossing over. "Probably because of war and plunder."
"The original owners of these treasures were rebellious nobles. They were noble commanders who profited enormously during the era when Ursus was constantly expanding outward."
"They plundered treasure from everywhere... and this treasure may in turn have come from the destroyed Gaul."
"And Gaul acquired these treasures from elsewhere as well... So which Sargosian sold their jewelry, and how it ended up on this frozen tundra, is something nobody knows anymore."
As he spoke, Bai Ye packed batch after batch of gold into boxes.
Watching Bai Ye bustle about, Skadi could not help asking, "You found treasure. Aren't you happy?"
"Of course I'm happy." Bai Ye looked up at Skadi. "Can't you see how happily I'm smiling?"
"No, you know that's not what I mean." Skadi looked troubled, unsure how to explain herself.
She was not very familiar with languages other than those of Sargos. Being able to communicate normally was already impressive enough.
"Mm... I think I understand what you mean."
Bai Ye finally realized what this silly girl was trying to say.
"The old nobles hid this treasure, intending to leave it for their descendants to rise again after the Great Purge. But they never expected that the royalists would uproot everyone within several hundred miles who could inherit their legacy."
"Put simply, I see wealth as a wall against disaster, not a license for indulgence."
"It is a resource, a resource for strengthening oneself and establishing one's position. I have subordinates, allies, and a faction of my own. Some people sold their property for plans of mine that may sound unrealistic. I can't let them down."
As he spoke, Bai Ye grabbed a handful of gold coins from a pile and scattered them. "If all I wanted was a luxurious life, that would be far too shallow."
"I think I understand." After listening to Bai Ye ramble on, Skadi slowly nodded.
"You can take some when the time comes. Warriors need money too, for food, equipment maintenance, training...," Bai Ye advised.
"Rhodes Island pays me." Skadi was still fiddling with the necklace, trying to find any useful clues.
Bai Ye smiled. "You listen to whoever pays you, then? What if I paid you?"
Perhaps even Doctor Kal'tsit had never expected Bai Ye and Skadi to get along so well, or that he would even try to poach Rhodes Island's talent.
A classic move...
"..." Skadi looked conflicted. After a while, she shook her head. "It's not about money. I have an agreement with Doctor Kal'tsit."
"Oh, then forget it." Bai Ye chose to give up.
He could not steal Doctor Kal'tsit's people.
Nor did he dare to.
Who knew what backup plans that old woman had? He was only a "newbie" with average attributes of thirty. There was no need to provoke an ancient virgin who had lived for ages...
Bai Ye lowered his head and got back to work.
But Skadi became slightly conflicted beside him. "Are you angry?"
"Of course not."
"...Actually, I can help you myself. You don't need to pay me." Skadi spoke quietly. "As long as you don't go near the sea, I can protect you."
"But if I go near the sea, you can't follow me. It would be dangerous."
"Friends? (Sargosian)"
As he spoke, Bai Ye stood up, stacked the boxes one atop another, tied them together, and tossed the whole bundle into his inventory.
Skadi stood there stunned for a moment after hearing that. "You speak Sargosian?... No, we can't be friends."
"Abyssal Hunters cannot have friends."
"No one can remain alone forever... It's fine. You're not in the deep sea now. You need friends on land." Bai Ye saw the shadow of his past self in Skadi.
Back then, the energetic president of The Revelry Tea Party had pulled him out of his isolation.
She had told Bai Ye that when people had something they could rely on, they became stronger.
So now, Bai Ye wanted to lend this girl a hand as well.
He could not just leave her all alone like some fool.
"Mm, okay." Skadi nodded.
Rather than Bai Ye persuading her, it was more like she had reconciled with herself.
"Friend... (Sargosian)"
The girl had never expected that she would one day use this word.
Not comrade, not warrior... but friend.
"That should be about everything..." Bai Ye had stripped the entire treasury clean, using every box he had brought.
His inventory was more than half full as well.
As for the inventory, Bai Ye explained it away as "Originium Arts."
Naturally, Miss Orca had no reason to doubt her friend.
Yet Bai Ye felt exceptionally burdened.
It was not merely the gold and treasure... What Bai Ye valued even more were the land deeds, documents, contracts, and all kinds of miscellaneous items.
This noble named the Count of Monte Cristo owned properties in Columbia, Ursus, and even Kazimierz. He seemed to have sensed the crisis in advance and transferred his wealth under several legal identities.
Unfortunately, he still failed to escape disaster. He had probably been hanged from the city defense cannons of a Mobile City.
These assets were the greater fortune, worth more than mere gold.
"I wonder how much of it can be recovered..."
Bai Ye stretched. He had originally planned to dig up more treasure, but a single treasury had already filled him up.
There was too much. He could not fit any more... If there was more, it would overflow!
As his thoughts wandered, Bai Ye suddenly felt a slender arm take hold of him and gently wrap around him.
Then, he felt the force of the air rushing past him. As if riding clouds, he was lifted directly into the air.
In the blink of an eye, he was back on the surface. Skadi had grabbed him and leaped straight out of the deep pit...
"What should we do next?" Skadi released Bai Ye from her embrace and set him back on the ground.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Bai Ye rubbed his slightly stiff face and returned to his usual expression. "Let's fill this place in first."
This silly Skadi...
The Valletta Society
Although it was rather embarrassing to be carried by Skadi...
On second thought, wasn't he clinging to a powerful thigh right now?
Mm, that was something most Players could only dream of!
Back when he had first started playing, he had genuinely wanted to find an open beta veteran to carry him. Unfortunately, he had designed a character to enter the game, and his looks had not carried over into it.
Charm was made up of appearance and temperament. Before crossing over, he had not yet acquired the affinity aura that greatly increased his Charm attribute. So... he had neither looks to rely on nor a talent for conversation. In the end, Bai Ye could not team up with anyone and could only play alone.
Bai Ye had never expected his talent for games to be so high that only in the high-risk, high-pressure environment of solo Players could it blossom, eventually turning him into an expert himself...
Bang—
The dull sound pulled Bai Ye from his memories, and he turned his head to look.
Standing beside Bai Ye, Skadi was filling the deep pit with all the soil they had dug out earlier.
The frozen ground was as hard as stone in the low temperatures, yet Skadi pressed one fist into the mound of soil and shook it loose, causing it to collapse like sand.
That kind of technique...
Bai Ye emerged from his memories and carefully observed Skadi's movements.
After spending these days together, he understood that Skadi was not some brute who only knew how to use force. Her strength and physical toughness were both incredibly high, and her explosive power was indeed formidable... but the techniques she had mastered were also exquisite.
It was just that she normally did not need technique to sweep aside most enemies.
What a true expert. Bai Ye was now immensely grateful to Doctor Kal'tsit for arranging such an easygoing powerful backer for him.
Mm, he would badmouth that old woman a little less in the future.
Bai Ye happily made that decision.
"Where do we go next?" Once Skadi finished working, she stomped on the slightly raised patch of dirt and flattened it.
Bai Ye took a map from his "pocket" and spread it on the ground.
Before you continue