Chapter 114: Obtaining the Holy Relic
Everyone was a mess right now.
They looked around cautiously, ready for another wave of Eldritch face attacks.
"Is it over?" one Survivor asked nervously.
"We made it out alive." Bella counted the coins in her hand. She turned to Joseph and said, "I feel like there’s still something below us. Stephanie’s position is still down there."
Still down there? Joseph looked confused.
Then, suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath their feet and they all felt a falling sensation.
Everyone dropped into the dark Eldritch space at almost the same time.
There was a flash of light and shadow, and when they could see again, they were back in front of the ancient stone door and the giant old Conch.
Thump, thump, thump!
A series of landing sounds echoed.
Everyone got to their feet and stared at the ancient Conch monster with caution.
"That thing is just like the guardian we met before," Nami said warily.
"Maybe it’s the king of the guardians. Look, its shell shines," Franky said, pointing at the ancient Conch monster’s shell.
Just then, the Black Knight Aaron walked up to the ancient Conch monster and said carefully, "You’re the guardian here, right? That fight just now was your test for us."
The ancient Conch monster nodded.
It began to communicate with the Survivors again through soul contact.
"Brave outsiders, the fact that you’re still conscious means you’ve passed the test. On behalf of the Conch clan, I welcome you."
"As for those who lost consciousness, unfortunately, they did not pass. Please allow me to send them out first, and then I will explain the rules here."
Before Franky and Nami could react, the ancient Conch monster blew out a large number of bubbles.
The bubbles landed on the unconscious Survivors, wrapped around their bodies, and slowly lifted them up into the air.
These bubbles seemed to have wings. They carried the unconscious Survivors out of the lake and set them down in the forest by the shore.
The Black Knight Aaron and the others saw this and stepped back a few steps warily.
They weren’t at full strength right now, and facing the giant ancient Conch monster, they didn’t have the courage to start a fight. They could only let it do what it wanted with their companions.
"At least it didn’t kill those Captains," Nami said with a sigh of relief, patting her chest.
Just then, Bella hurried forward and asked, "Has anyone else ever come here before us?"
The ancient Conch monster blinked and said in a deep voice, "Brave outsiders who have passed the test, the lighthouse of the Conch clan will light your way forward. No matter where you are, as long as you’re within the First Sea Area, you can follow the Conch clan’s lighthouse to return here and rest."
The Black Knight Aaron listened to the ancient Conch monster’s explanation without any surprise.
He had taken part in many treasure hunts before and knew that guardians would grant lighthouse access to Survivors who passed their tests, guiding them on their way.
He was tired of hearing this kind of standard explanation.
He interrupted directly, "Respected guardian, could you please answer our question first? Did a group of Survivors come here before us?"
The ancient Conch monster glared at the Black Knight Aaron. "Please don’t interrupt me."
The Black Knight Aaron felt like a heavy hammer had struck his soul.
He stumbled back a few steps, his face pale as he looked at the ancient Conch monster and said softly, "I was rude. Please continue."
The ancient Conch monster nodded and said in a deep voice, "Where should I start? Let me begin with twenty thousand years ago, when I was still a little Conch..."
"When I was three years old, I got involved with a female Conch, and her boyfriend beat me up..."
"When I was eighteen, my mother told me that my real father was Uncle Mike next door. I was so excited..."
"When I was twenty-one..."
"When I was thirty-one..."
"When I was forty-one..."
The ancient Conch monster went on and on, telling the story of the Conch clan from tens of thousands of years ago, right in front of Bella, the Joseph brothers, the Black Knight Aaron, and the others.
It told the story with great enjoyment, and no one dared to interrupt it.
But the Survivors listening to its story grew more and more frustrated.
Some of the Captains gathered together and whispered among themselves.
"For crying out loud, is this ancient Conch a chatterbox? It’s been talking for five hours already."
"Help me, who wants to hear a Conch talk about its youthful affairs?"
"Actually, let me correct you: it’s talking about its mother’s affairs."
"Isn’t that the same thing? Who wants to hear this stuff? I want treasure, I want Ms. Stephanie."
The Survivors groaned quietly.
But the ancient Conch monster had no intention of letting them off. It kept talking about its past, lost in its own story.
This was something Kevin had asked it to do.
For any Survivor who passed the test and made it to the stone door, the ancient Conch monster had to patiently tell them the history of the Conch clan.
It had to talk for a full eight hours before giving out the Rune Stone to open the door.
At first, the ancient Conch monster wasn’t too happy about it.
But when it started remembering its glorious younger days, it went into full chatterbox mode. It talked endlessly about its great achievements, like an old man showing off his exciting life to his grandchildren. The more it talked, the more excited it got.
Finally, the sixth hour passed.
Franky was shaking all over. He wanted nothing more than to grab his gun and fight the ancient Conch monster right then and there.
But the Black Knight Aaron grabbed Franky’s arm and warned him, "Be patient. The king of the guardians is not someone we can challenge."
Hearing that, Franky froze.
He hadn’t expected that even the always-arrogant Black Knight Aaron wouldn’t dare to fight the ancient Conch monster.
With no other choice, Franky sighed, plopped down on the ground, and started drawing circles with his finger.
"I can’t fight it, so can’t I at least tune it out?" he muttered.
Then Nami handed him a pair of headphones.
Franky excitedly put them on and started humming along to a song.
Of course, they weren’t making too much noise, so they didn’t bother the ancient Conch monster while it was telling its story, and it didn’t bother them either.
Finally, eight hours were up.
The ancient Conch monster cleared its throat and sighed, "Now you understand the great history of the Conch clan, don’t you?"
By this point, the Survivors’ eyelids were heavy with sleep.
They looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
The ancient Conch monster frowned. "Was eight hours too rushed? How about I keep going for another eight hours? It’s rare to have an audience that enjoys it so much."
The Survivors immediately perked up.
Their sleepiness vanished, replaced by deep fear.
"No, no, no. You told it so well. We’re already very familiar with it."
"That’s right, that’s right. The great history of the ancient Conch clan is truly magnificent. We were moved to tears."
"Especially the love story between your mother and Uncle Mike. I was so touched I almost cried."
The Captains all politely declined the ancient Conch monster’s offer.
It blinked, stretched out a tentacle, and handed over the Rune Stone that opened the stone door. "Go on in. Through this portal, you’ll find the path back to where you came from. The Conch clan’s lighthouse will always light your way home."
The Black Knight Aaron took the Rune Stone and immediately turned toward the stone door.
He didn’t want to say another word to this ancient Conch monster.
He placed the Rune Stone into the groove on the stone door, and the portal quickly opened.
The Black Knight Aaron was eager to find out if Kevin and the others had arrived first.
He had taken part in many treasure hunts before, and he knew that some treasure sites only gave their rewards to the first seekers.
Thinking about this, the Black Knight Aaron grew more and more anxious.
He led the group through the portal and arrived at the grassy field with the statue. Then he froze.
A statue?
A fruit?
Such treasures were still here, untouched?
The Black Knight Aaron’s eyes went wide as he scanned the area.
Then, in some corners, he spotted several open treasure chests.
A-Tier random Eldritch Artifact chest...
A-Tier random Equipment chest...
A-Tier random Weapon chest...
Seeing so many opened A-Tier chests, the Survivors around him gasped.
"Oh my God, what amazing treasures did Kevin and his crew get their hands on?"
"Dammit, they’re all A-Tier items. Once they turn those into real power, they’ll be even harder to deal with."
"No way. We have to catch up to Kevin. He took treasures that should have been ours. He needs to give them back. He’s a thief, a robber."
The Captains were all talking at once, each insisting that they needed to find Kevin immediately and take back the treasures.
But the Black Knight Aaron ignored all of their voices.
He walked straight up to the statue, bent down, and picked a fruit. He wiped it clean.
It smelled amazing.
This was definitely a treasure that could be planted and grown.
The Black Knight Aaron took a small bite.
A sweet flavor flowed down his throat and into his stomach. Soon, a powerful wave of relief washed over him.
His spent energy was instantly restored, and even the Sanity he had lost earlier was recovering quickly.
"Good stuff! This fruit restores stamina and Sanity." The Black Knight Aaron clutched the fruit excitedly, taking big bites with a look of pure enjoyment.
Then he walked closer to the statue, feeling the silvery moonlight radiating from it. His face was full of delight. "Such gentle moonlight energy. It looks like these fruits grow thanks to this moonlight."