Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer-Chapter 546 - 265 Border Island_2

The other members of Alka’s group naturally remained aboard the Swallow to guard it.

Alka led the shore party. His full available contingent went with him, as half of the Puppet Legion remained to protect their ship.

The thirty Puppet Girls in the shore party, each stronger than Eight Spirals, were considered sufficient. The Vice Captain, who had reached the Third Stage, also stayed behind on the Swallow.

Although the Puppet Girls were small in stature, the sheer number of those remaining on board made the Swallow feel somewhat crowded.

Pororo and two other members of the sea-dwelling races swam directly over the sea’s surface.

Soon, everyone reached the beach. They dragged Balazs’s ship onto the sand and dropped its anchor.

Balazs eagerly walked over and gave Alka a hearty hug.

"Thank you so much for what you did just now," he said, his words filled with lingering fear. "If it weren’t for you, our voyage might have ended today."

The crew members behind him were also still shaken.

They had narrowly escaped death; if not for Alka and his team’s help, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Hearing this, Alka smiled and shook his head, then asked a rather curious question, "Aren’t you in possession of a Treasure? Hasn’t your ship been transformed into a Ghost Ship yet?"

Once a ship became a Ghost Ship, sinking for a short period wouldn’t affect it. Even without any Stealth structures, the vessel could still navigate the sea for some time.

Escaping that whirlpool would have been entirely possible, so calling their intervention ’life-saving’ was perhaps an exaggeration.

Hearing this, Balazs gave an awkward smile and said, "Actually, this ship was replaced just a year ago. The core from the previous ship hasn’t fully adapted to this new one yet."

Alka nodded in understanding.

If that’s the case, then it truly couldn’t be considered a Ghost Ship, and they really did have a close call just now.

"Alright, no need for thanks," Alka said. "After all, we’re temporary companions, aren’t we? First, let’s confirm if this is the correct Island."

Everyone shifted their attention to the Island before them.

There were some weeds growing around the beach.

Fragments of wooden planks from wrecked ships were visible on the sand, and not far off stood a completely deserted small cabin.

These signs indicated that the Island had once been inhabited.

A path, worn by human footsteps, wound through the weeds towards a small patch of woods nearby.

However, the uneven terrain ahead obstructed their view of what lay further inland.

Balazs then looked at Alka.

"How do you want to proceed? I know nothing about treasure hunting, so you should take the lead."

Alka nodded, not refusing.

He surveyed their surroundings.

Then he said directly, "Shi, take your team and scout ahead. Jiu, you and your team conduct aerial reconnaissance."

Alka was unfamiliar with this Island, and it was, after all, part of the Endless Sea.

Moreover, the Island’s former inhabitants were exiled criminals; it paid to be cautious.

"Yes, Captain," the two Puppet Girls replied with a nod.

Shi, leading her five team members, leaped into the shadows within the forest and vanished from sight.

Jiu and her team flapped their wings and ascended into the sky. Chadite waved a hand.

A halo enveloped them, concealing their forms.

They dispersed to begin their reconnaissance of the Island.

The others naturally waited where they were.

Given their capabilities and speed, the Puppet Girls did not take long. They all returned in a little over an hour.

The island wasn’t large, and they had quickly completed their survey.

"What did you find?" Alka asked.

"From the sky, we observed that the entire Island appears abandoned," Jiu, who had conducted the aerial reconnaissance, reported first. "There’s a small village about one kilometer from here."

"But the village seems to have been abandoned for a long time. We didn’t see a single person, and the cultivated land around it is completely overgrown with weeds."

After hearing her report, Alka looked at Shi, who stood beside him. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Shi then said, "We investigated some areas in the forest. While there are traces of past human habitation, they are also very old."

"We also visited the abandoned village. We found no bodies, and the interiors were very tidy, as if cleared out."

Alka nodded after hearing their reports.

"This means the criminals who were exiled to this Island have all moved away," Alka said, frowning.

The people on this Island were exiled criminals who had resided here.

Now, these criminals had all moved away. However, when Alka’s group was gathering intelligence about the Island, they hadn’t uncovered any information regarding this.

This indicated that the people on the Island had left secretly. Combined with its remote distance and infrequent contact with Southern Cross Island, it was surprising that no one had known.

This suggested that the migrating villagers might have sailed off to an unknown destination.

Furthermore, as the laws regarding exile gradually became more established, criminals were no longer sent here.

Thus, the Island slowly became desolate, unnoticed, until their arrival.

"Could they have already dug up the buried Treasure and taken it?" Balazs suddenly asked from the side.

Upon hearing this, the group considered it. It did seem like a real possibility.

Alka, however, shook his head. "If it were that easy to find, would he still be considered a pirate?"

"Regardless, let’s go ashore and take a look first," he said.

With that, he led the way forward, and the others quickly followed.

Walking along the path, they observed the island’s scenery.

Although the Island had vegetation, its sparse growth and lack of density made it clear that the soil was not fertile.