Chapter 71

Exhausted from fending off the relentless suicide charges of the Koutao Fishmen, the pirates, who had been numbed by the fierce battle, suddenly remembered the crates of grenades they had stockpiled behind them, thanks to the boatswain's reminder. Immediately, about a third of the pirates, under the cover of their comrades' fire, retreated from the front line in a disorganized manner. By the time they opened the wooden crates and frantically distributed the oval stone grenades with fuses to their comrades, the entire pirate line, which they had barely maintained, had been pushed back from the lakeshore by several dozen yards.

The fuses of these grenades were made of a thick flaxen thread twisted from a waterproof plant resin mixed with stone powder. To ignite these grenades, an open flame was required. Fortunately, in the underground cavern, torches for lighting were never in short supply.

"Listen to my command, light them together. 3... 2... 1! Light! Throw!"

"Boom... Boom... Boom..."

Under Zola Hegel's loud command, hundreds of grenades were thrown by the pirates onto the gravel-strewn lakeshore, followed by a series of explosions echoing through the underground space. The grenades, thrown with great force, exploded when their fuses burned out, showering the Koutao Fishmen with sharp stone fragments and shockwaves, causing blood and flesh to fly. The once clear lake water turned a strange bluish-gray. Seemingly in a state of religious fervor, the Koutao Fishmen retaliated with even more frenzied attacks, putting the pirates under increasing pressure, even approaching the brink of collapse. At any moment, they might face a complete rout, which would be an unmanageable mess.

"Fall back!"

Watching his carefully trained crew members fall one by one, Luo Zhengdao finally could not hold back. The fatal threat of the Curse of the Wasteland was cast aside, and the blank magic card in his left hand gave him the confidence to defeat the monster.

"Lock target—Seal!"

Before his words were even finished, the blank card in Luo Zhengdao's hand shattered into countless milky white light points. These light points, like fireflies, flickered in the air, vaguely outlining a standard pentagram array. If one were to observe its structure closely, the intricate patterns and fine lines would immediately dazzle the eyes, making any attempt to discern the pattern a futile effort, a suicidal act that challenges both human physical and mental limits.

"Ching—"

This clear and pleasant sound was like the plucking of a harp string. Instinctively sensing the impending danger, the bottom-dwelling magic fish, which was about to dive into the lake to escape, was silently enveloped by the descending pentagram array. The milky white light points rapidly converged, forming a large net that swallowed the bottom-dwelling magic fish. In just a few seconds, the massive bottom-dwelling magic fish and its servants vanished, leaving behind only a card emitting a faint blue glow in Luo Zhengdao's hand.

"Jigu巴拉..."

With their mainstay, the bottom-dwelling magic fish, eliminated in one move, the situation exceeded the limited cognitive capacity of the Koutao Fishmen. They let out a cacophony of shouts, no longer filled with bloodlust and madness but with confusion and terror. Suddenly losing their mainstay, the Koutao Fishmen, in a state of chaos, their inherent madness burst forth, and they began to scatter in all directions. Even the few whips and inspectors on the scene could not stop the chaos, as the tide had already turned, and their efforts were in vain.

The exhausted pirates watched as the Koutao Fishmen, in a chaotic mess, disappeared into the complex and ever-changing cave system of the underground space. The underground lake returned to its former tranquility and peace. If not for the bloodstains and severed limbs scattered everywhere, it would seem as if nothing had happened.

"Ouch! Help! He needs bandaging... Someone, my leg is broken."

Groans and cries for help echoed through the cave, the pirates' voices amplified by the echoes, sounding particularly terrifying. Needless to say, after a brutal battle that left blood and flesh scattered, the tasks of burying the dead and treating the wounded were essential, which greatly delayed Luo Zhengdao's exploration. Some of the severely injured sailors had to be carried back to the ship on stretchers for further treatment, and to ensure the safety of the journey, the number of accompanying guards could not be too few. After dealing with these myriad post-battle tasks, Luo Zhengdao finally had the opportunity to continue dividing the treasure map with the pirate leaders, under the admiring and fearful gazes of the sailors.

Using a five-star blank magic card to deal with the bottom-dwelling magic fish, whether it was worth it or not was debatable. Luo Zhengdao felt it was worth it, but their main goal, the treasure, was nowhere to be found! Having paid a high price, Luo Zhengdao was reluctant to abandon the treasure hunt. He was not worried about his identity as a magic card user being exposed, as there were no scholars or mages among the pirates, who were not the favored children of the magic world. With their limited knowledge, it was impossible for them to connect Luo Zhengdao's supernatural abilities to his identity as a magic card user.

"Captain, please look, the treasure location marked on the map is in this area. I believe there will be clues nearby."

Unwilling to give up even the slightest hope, Boatswain Zola Hegel pointed to the circle symbol representing the treasure on the map, stating his belief with confidence. Luo Zhengdao nodded noncommittally, while Brandor Fiery scanned the lake surface vigilantly. Suddenly, he spoke up:

"Hey, isn't that human-shaped stone by the lake particularly noticeable?"

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao looked at the position indicated by the first mate and then glanced at the treasure map, immediately making up his mind and calling out:

"Men, prepare to dive and explore."

For seafarers, not knowing how to swim was a rarity, something that only happened in the corrupt navies of the late dynasties. The pirates, working for themselves, had no need for slackers. Soon, the pirates, divided into several groups, dived into the lake, repeatedly diving to explore the bottom near the human-shaped stone.

After a short while, a diver surfaced to catch his breath, waving his hand and shouting loudly:

"I found it."

With the location identified, any difficulties could be overcome. Soon, a chest almost completely buried in mud and sand was located by the pirates. After years of sedimentation, only the top of the chest could be touched by hand. The sailors then spent over half an hour clearing the debris and mud from the chest and securing it with ropes. Upon receiving the signal that everything was ready, Zola Hegel on the shore shouted:

"Pull hard!"

"Heave! Heave! Heave!"

The synchronized shouts echoed through the underground cave, and the chest, finally dragged out of the water, revealed its true form. The surface of the chest was covered with large and small black freshwater mussels. If not for its shape, it would be hard to distinguish it from an ordinary rock. Luo Zhengdao was amazed that the diver could distinguish the chest from the ordinary reef, suspecting that the man might have some exotic blood.

As the chest was steadily dragged to the lakeshore, Luo Zhengdao urged:

"Men, clean it carefully, be careful not to damage it."

A dozen burly sailors, wielding various tools, began to hammer and chisel away. A chest over a meter and a half high and more than three meters long gradually revealed its true form.

At this point, Luo Zhengdao leaned in for a closer look and immediately noticed that the chest was made of pure lead. No wonder it felt so heavy when they pulled it out of the water, requiring a hundred or so people to turn the winch to get it out. In the new world, where metal production was relatively scarce, even lead, which had limited uses, was quite expensive. The fact that the chest was made of metal suggested that its contents were not cheap.

The pirates, who had been busy for half a day, were about to open the chest, and everyone held their breath, their eyes wide with anticipation.

"Ah!"

When the heavy lead lid slowly opened, a chorus of sighs filled the excavation site. The contents of the chest were far from what people had expected. A basket, a bag, and a candle—where were the gold and silver treasures?

"This... doesn't make sense!"

To be honest, Luo Zhengdao was also puzzled by these items. What had gone wrong? The fable of "buying the casket and returning the pearl" taught that the cost of packaging should not exceed the value of the item, otherwise, it would be putting the cart before the horse. If the treasure hunter had gone to great lengths to create this expensive lead chest and left a treasure map, there was no reason to put a few daily items inside to tease future finders. Such a prank would have no practical significance.

Thinking about this, Luo Zhengdao leaned in and examined the three items one by one. He quickly had an idea and muttered:

"Indeed, it's like this..."

Seeing that Luo Zhengdao seemed to have figured something out, Zola Hegel, being impatient, asked without hesitation:

"Captain, what did you see?"

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao smiled, put the items down, and patted his hands, saying:

"These three items are magical artifacts. We were right, this chest is the treasure."

Knowing was one thing, but Luo Zhengdao, being a magic card user and not an arcanist, was not an expert in identifying treasures. Similarly, the well-informed Zola Hegel could not identify the types of these magical artifacts. After examining the loot, he shook his head in disappointment:

"More of the wizards' strange gadgets!"

Regardless, they had obtained something, and the treasure hunt was not in vain. This was a good result, considering the success rate of treasure hunting based on maps was less than twenty percent. Luo Zhengdao was in high spirits and said with a smile:

"Yes, we didn't waste our efforts. Tell everyone to pack up and head back!"