Chapter 34

"Ugh! Ah! Oh—"

Luo Zhengdao, muttering incoherently, lay on the narrow and uncomfortable wooden bed. As the long-dormant Curse of the Wild God began to take effect, his consciousness gradually blurred. His face, contorted in agony, was marked with a web of black and chaotic lines, a result of the capillaries bursting and causing subcutaneous bruising.

Enduring the excruciating pain, Luo Zhengdao clenched his teeth, trying his best not to let out a groan. As he battled the searing pain, he was unaware that two streams of purplish-red, murky blood tears were trickling down his cheeks. The scene was so dire that anyone who saw it would undoubtedly believe Luo Zhengdao was a terminally ill patient struggling on the brink of death. Only Luo Zhengdao himself knew that compared to the full power of the Curse of the Wild God, which could exterminate all magicians, the pain he was enduring was just a fraction of it. Although far from the true might of the curse, this level of physical torment was more than he could bear.

"Will, how are you?"

From outside the bedroom door, the half-elf Vena Dubov called out. Clearly, the two sailors guarding the door had not dared to disobey Luo Zhengdao's orders and had promptly stopped her at the door. Hearing her voice, Luo Zhengdao, enduring the pain, spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Do not come in."

The outside temporarily fell silent, and the half-elf beauty said sorrowfully in a low voice:

"…Has the curse flared up again?"

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao, whose emotions were already at their breaking point from suppressing the pain, could no longer hold back. He grabbed a cup from the bedside and threw it at the door, shouting:

"Shut up!"

"Clang—"

The clear sound of the silver cup hitting the ground echoed, and the outside fell into complete silence. Luo Zhengdao, half asleep and half awake, was repeatedly tormented by the pain of the Curse of the Wild God. After an unknown amount of time, he finally fell into a deep, troubled sleep. When a thin ray of sunlight pierced through the negative energy and shone on the white sails of the Yangwei, Luo Zhengdao, who had been tossing and turning in the captain's cabin all night, emerged like a walking corpse. At this moment, he looked to others like a patient suffering from severe malaria, his steps unsteady, his face pale, and his eyes bloodshot. A light breeze could have knocked him down.

Luo Zhengdao's appearance and behavior clearly showed that he was far from being healthy. Having already witnessed his irrational and frenzied symptoms during his episodes, Vena Dubov did not have the masochistic tendency to seek trouble. She tactfully ignored the unpleasant events and picked up the treasure map, analyzing it for the dazed Luo Zhengdao:

"Will, this part… 'The bird's feather falls on the silver sand, the white silk scarf shines under the planet's light, the gold mountain is in the hands of Hinaru, do not touch it without the key.' Clearly, certain specific items are needed to open the treasure. We must find them first."

Luo Zhengdao, a soul transmigrated to this new world, tragically did not fully inherit Will Needham's memories. In the old world, he was a university graduate, but upon transmigration, he became an illiterate. After much effort and with the help of the half-elf beauty, he could now barely spell his own name, making him a semi-literate. Given his poor educational level, interpreting the cryptic text was a highly technical task that could only be handled by Vena Dubov.

Sitting in a chair, his right hand supporting his head, Luo Zhengdao listened to the cryptic clues, still feeling his brain throbbing. He couldn't tell if it was a lingering effect of the Curse of the Wild God or the result of mental stress.

After Vena Dubov finished explaining her findings, Luo Zhengdao did not immediately respond. He took out a silver flask and a cup from his spatial bag and began to pour and drink. Seeing this, Vena tilted her head and glanced at Luo Zhengdao, then adopted a serious demeanor and said:

"Sir, I have decoded the treasure map's text. There are only a few main points of ambiguity, and the meanings of these words have multiple interpretations. We will only know which one is correct when we reach the location of the treasure."

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao, still looking lethargic and half-dead, did not even raise his eyelids. After a long pause, he slowly said to the half-elf beauty:

"You've worked hard these past few days. Come, have a cup of rice wine!"

A few days ago, the Fairy Garden, which had been destroyed by the Worm Mage, had greatly benefited Luo Zhengdao's privateer fleet. The chef of the Yangwei had bought some seeds similar to rice at the market, known as "white lotus" by experts.

This rare and precious ingredient, extremely difficult to find in the new world, was a delicacy that even the nobles of the Bright Dynasty found hard to enjoy. The small fairies, who were primarily vegetarians, had a great enthusiasm for cultivating various rare crops, so it was not surprising that they had planted white lotus.

This was not a big deal, as the amount of white lotus they bought was not enough for a single meal. If it were cooked into porridge, the officers of the Yangwei would each get only a spoonful. However, Luo Zhengdao was greatly surprised when he first saw the white lotus. After carefully tasting it, he found that this crop, in terms of appearance and texture, was about 70-80% similar to rice, but with a stickier taste, more like glutinous rice. Since his mysterious transmigration to the new world, Luo Zhengdao had always missed the taste of his homeland. He did not know if the previous transmigrant emperor had the same homesickness, but he confiscated all the ingredients and asked the chef to brew rice wine with the white lotus.

The fermentation process for alcohol is generally similar. Although Luo Zhengdao's chef was not a skilled brewer, the new batch of rice wine needed improvement in flavor and alcohol content. For Luo Zhengdao, who only wanted to alleviate his homesickness, having something to drink was already good enough. Asking for too much would invite trouble.

Not knowing what Luo Zhengdao was up to, the half-elf beauty was curious about what he was drinking and readily accepted the silver cup. Not knowing how vulgar the combination of a silver cup and rice wine was, she sniffed the aroma and tried a small sip, frowning and complaining:

"Will, how can you like such a strange-tasting drink?"

In the new world, the most widely consumed alcohol was beer made from malt, followed by rum and distilled fruit spirits. Since pirates were more accustomed to drinking beer as a daily beverage, when they talked about drinking, they usually referred to high-proof spirits. Even in the more refined tastes of the Elven Empire and the Elf Federation, formal banquets served high-proof spirits like brandy and whiskey. Although fruit-based wines, after distillation, might have a more fruity flavor, their alcohol content was no less.

Never intending to force his aesthetic preferences on others, the exhausted and weak Luo Zhengdao smiled weakly and said:

"Tsk, if you like it, you like it. If you don't, I can't do anything about it!"

"Burp—Dingdang wants more. Why is Dingdang dizzy? Big guy, do you have two brothers?"

As they say, some are happy while others are sad. Perhaps having fully adapted to a pet-like life, Dingdang, having lost her home and kin and temporarily living in Luo Zhengdao's cabin, had completely forgotten the painful memories that would haunt a normal person for a lifetime. Currently, her life revolved around three things: eating, sleeping, and playing. The little fairy, though not very smart, was not lacking in survival wisdom. She quickly learned to hide in Luo Zhengdao's pocket when going out to avoid the negative energy of the Sea of Death. This level of survival wisdom was not difficult for a fairy as small as a dragonfly.

While Luo Zhengdao and Vena were talking, Dingdang took the opportunity to sneak a few sips of rice wine from Luo Zhengdao's cup. Unfortunately, her tolerance for alcohol was far worse than that of her distant relatives. A quick look would reveal that Dingdang's eyes were almost spiraling.

The more she acted silly, the more Luo Zhengdao, who had been tormented by the Curse of the Wild God and was in a dark and gloomy mood, felt a mix of envy and resentment.

In the new world, every day was a precarious existence. As soon as he opened his eyes, Luo Zhengdao had to consider when he might lose his head. Before going to sleep, he had to worry if he would wake up with his head the next morning. In such a harsh environment, even the finest clothes and food could not dispel the constant shadow of death. Luo Zhengdao silently bore the immense pressure that he could not express, and the glory and respect he received in public masked the hardships of survival.

Interrupted by Dingdang's silly act, Luo Zhengdao's mood lightened a bit. He turned back to Vena Dubov and said:

"Since you've decoded the treasure map, it wouldn't be in our best interest to give up this opportunity."

Hearing this, the half-elf beauty looked him up and down and said:

"Will, have you decided? Are we really going to look for the treasure?"

Luo Zhengdao took a whole cup of rice wine in one gulp, and a hint of unusual redness appeared on his pale cheeks. He smiled and said:

"Come, let's toast! To the success of our treasure hunt!"

...

Life is unpredictable. The pirates who came with Luo Zhengdao to seek treasure were excited at first, but they never imagined they would return in disappointment.

When the pirates, following the clues on the treasure map, finally found the hidden treasure reef after much effort, they were greeted by a huge, open stone door at the entrance. This sight immediately doused their spirits. Someone had beaten them to it.

Although Zola Hegel had come along for the fun, the unpleasant feeling of being fooled did not make her any more cheerful. The irritable boatswain grumbled:

"Damn it, someone has already been here. A few of you, go in and see what's left."

Seeing this, Luo Zhengdao, who had not had high expectations from the start, smiled tolerantly and remained calm. The loss of a hundred gold coins and the wasted effort were insignificant to him. He could consider it a sightseeing trip, even if the scenery of the Sea of Death only made one think of the underworld.

Soon, a few sailors, holding torches, excitedly ran out of the dark cave. The leader of the group, waving his arms, said:

"Captain, we found a secret chamber inside."