Alka and Andre sat in the carriage, feeling its sway. Seeing Andre across from him, arms crossed and eyes closed in repose, Alka decided to lift the curtain and look outside.
By this time, their carriage was already heading toward the city at the center of the island along the main avenue. Both sides of the avenue were lined with meticulously trimmed plants and flowers, their fragrant scent swirling around his nose with the sea breeze. Many carriages were parked along the avenue, and numerous women in luxurious clothing strolled through the surrounding gardens.
The environment here is indeed excellent; no wonder it's considered a tourist haven, Alka thought. Looking at the surroundings, perhaps many people choose to get married here. They're all quite affluent. After all, the poor can't afford to travel; a sea voyage alone would be too much for them.
The city could already be seen at the end of the road. It was a beautiful city built with gray-white marble. The white outer walls gleamed like a holy city under the bright sun. Who knew how many people's fantasies it had fulfilled?
Just then, Andre's voice came from inside the carriage. He knocked on the back panel of the carriage and said to the driver outside, "Let's stop here."
"Okay, sir. Please hold on a moment while I steer to the side of the road."
The driver slowed the horses, gently guiding the carriage to the road's edge. Andre and Alka stepped out. Andre casually took a few Copper Swallows from his pocket and handed them to the driver.
"Thank you, generous sir. Have a wonderful day."
Andre nodded politely, adjusted his hat, and led Alka away. Instead of entering the city along the main road, they entered a small garden nearby. They followed a small path into the distance, Alka trailing silently behind without a word.
After following the path through the garden and then a grove, they arrived at fields in the countryside. The sudden sense of openness made Alka turn to look back. A wall of trees stretched out neatly, completely obscuring the view of the fields beyond. Looking down the sloping path underfoot, he could already see a small village.
Andre led Alka into the village, then directly pushed open the wooden door of a house and walked inside.
"Boss, you've arrived."
Hearing the familiar voice, Alka couldn't help but tilt his head to look. Those inside the room also looked curiously at Alka, who stood behind Andre.
"It's you!"
"What are you doing here?"
The one speaking was Jason, whom Alka had encountered a few weeks ago on Tulan Island while exploring the manor. Instinctively, Alka turned to look at Andre. It seemed Andre wasn't surprised that they knew each other. He already knew the details of Jason's previous solo exploration; otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed so easily for Alka to join his team.
Jason walked over, smiling at Alka. "Didn't expect the new apprentice member the boss mentioned would be you." Reaching out his hand, he continued, "Let's officially introduce ourselves. I'm an apprentice member of the team, just like you, but I've already passed the test to become a main member."
Passed the test? Alka thought. So Jason hasn't 'touched' yet. Otherwise, he'd claim to be a main member already.
Alka nodded. "Nice to meet you. It seems we're fated to meet."
"Hello, I'm Chadite, Chadite Krigon, a main member of the team," a girl's voice sounded.
Alka turned to look. He saw a girl with short, silver, ear-length hair, bright scarlet eyes, and a face as delicate as a doll's. She wore an off-white sailor uniform, its rather snug fit revealing noticeable curves, with a knee-length skirt below. Her smooth, lotus-white calves ended in black short boots.
"Alka, Alka Ragu," Alka introduced himself.
Upon hearing his introduction, Chadite gave him a slight smile.
She's also a Krigon, he thought. What's her relation to Andre? Father and daughter?
Seeing that everyone had been introduced, Andre finally spoke. "Chadite, what's your current progress?"
Upon this inquiry, Chadite walked to the wooden table in the center of the room, flipped through some papers and books on it, and said, "Dad, in the two weeks you've been gone, we've roughly followed the clues and gathered some information about the surroundings. Sad's body was buried in their ancestral tomb, so his treasure shouldn't be located there."
Alka watched them discuss the information, feeling completely clueless. He had no idea what they were talking about. However, he could roughly gather that they were searching for the treasure of someone named Sad, who must have been an incredibly wealthy lord of this island centuries ago, rumored to possess inestimable riches.
At this point, Jason interjected, "Boss, for some reason, the Sharkbiters are here too, and they're connected with some local gangs."
Upon hearing this, Andre frowned. "I'll head into the city first. You guys can explain the current situation to Alka."
With that, he grabbed the cowboy hat he had just placed on the table, put it on, pushed open the wooden door, and left.
Jason and Chadite both turned to stare at Alka.
Chadite offered a sweet smile and pulled out a chair from beside the wooden table. "Have a seat."
Alka nodded and sat down on the wooden stool. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Chadite then leaned over the wooden table, tilting her head and staring at Alka. "Jason said that last time he went treasure hunting alone, the main treasure was taken by someone else. That was you, wasn't it?"
"Don't put it like that. I just wasn't very observant, and the intel was slightly off," Jason remarked from the side.
But Chadite ignored him. Remembering how he'd asked Bobby for an appraisal on the ship, Alka didn't deny it and simply nodded. He drew the gun from his thigh holster and placed it on the table. "Just got lucky."
Jason glanced at the short-barreled shotgun on the table and sighed helplessly. That weapon was once almost within his grasp.
Chadite merely smiled faintly at Alka's response. She seemed to be simply curious.
"Let me tell you about what we're currently doing," Jason said, beginning to sift through the scattered documents and papers on the table. He pulled out a few documents, along with a portrait and a map, and placed them in front of Alka. "These are our targets for this search. Take a look."