Chapter 126 The Treasure of Hidden Treasure Gulf
“Who are you?” Finley instantly cried out in a sharp voice that was evidently devoid of any authority. His high-pitched voice had a slight tremble of fear mixed in. Of course, this would not have been possible if it was not for Ye Ci’s short sword that was at his throat.
As a reincarnator, Ye Ci was not ignorant about Finley. Finley was an NPC who can be considered to be a famous individual in Fate and he has quite the personality. This was probably a major innovation within the Fate game as all NPCs have their own unique personalities as well as weaknesses. Some might be extremely valorous but lack the intelligence, others might be geniuses who are afflicted with chronic illnesses, there might even be NPCs who look ordinary but keeps their true prowess hidden. In a nutshell, different people, different personalities.
Just taking Finley for example, he’s a cowardly person who has an obsession for being in power. According to an official character description in the future, Finley came from an extremely old family and was loaded with money. Aside from his own shrewd thinking, another reason why he was able to become the mayor of Hidden Treasure Gulf was his wealthy family background. Anything can be done as long as you have money.
It seems like the damned concept known as money is something that no one will be able to shake off, either in the virtual world or the real world.
“What are you trying to do?” Finley’s voice wavered even more. Although he liked to put on airs, he would become as cowardly as a mouse once his life was threatened. He didn’t even dare to turn around as he trembled violently with his hands by his sides.
Ye Ci noticed his left hand feeling its way towards his pocket and grinned: “Put your hands above your head.”
While she spoke, she held the Venomous Scorpion Stinger closer to Finley’s neck. The ice-cold sensation of the blade caused Finley to shiver from head to toe and he immediately raised both his hands in submission.
“I’m raising them! I’m raising them already so don’t kill me. Don’t kill me!”
Ye Ci extended a hand, thrusting it into Finley’s left pocket and successfully retrieved a switch. Ye Ci was not unfamiliar with this switch at all; it was a switch that was used to summon automatons. So long as Finley pressed the switch, numerous automatons would swarm in and assault Ye Ci and Finley would be able to subdue any intruders with ease.
This was originally a quest that would be unlocked after Concealing Treasure Gulf had been released, so she didn’t expect it to work at this time as well.
“Are you trying to call for help?” Yi Ci played with the switch in her hand while giving Finley a enigmatic smile.
“No, absolutely not.” Finley immediately shook his head from side to side, completely denying his schemes.
“Is that so.” Ye Ci nodded before throwing the switch onto the floor inside the building without hesitation. Finley cried out in alarm and attempted to dive after it, before being stopped by the sensation of the blade at his neck. He had no choice but to remain still, watching dumbly as the switch landed on the ground and was subsequently trampled by Ye Ci’s summoned Ol’ Four.
“Wuuuuu, that thing, that thing was expensive.” Finley’s face contorted in agony when he saw the remnants of the switch that was trampled by Ol’ Four. “What the hell do you want?”
“Where is the treasure chest of Hidden Treasure Gulf located?” Ye Ci did not wish to waste any more time talking to him and went straight into the heart of the matter.
“Hidden Treasure Gulf has no treasure chest.” Finley immediately denied Ye Ci’s query.
Ye Ci did not bother with Finley’s drivel, it was better to bring out the big guns when dealing with these kind of NPCs. Removing the Venomous Scorpion Stinger from Finley’s neck, Ye Ci then poked it at his arm and fresh blood immediately began to flow from the wound which caused Finley to cry aloud in fear.
If they were in another location, Finley’s cries would have summoned reinforcements a long time ago. However, Finley was a person who wanted to feel like he was in charge and chose to have his residence at the very top, where hardly anyone frequented. At this distance, let alone hearing him, even the nearest NPC would take over 10 minutes before they can come to his aid. Finley, who had lost his robot switch, quickly became a target for Ye Ci’s bullying.
Someone who was afraid of death was naturally afraid of pain as well. After a poke from Ye Ci, Finley immediately rolled along the ground while howling, splattering his blood all over the floor which caused it to look no different from a murder scene. However, Finley understood the ways of the world and after evaluating the difference in power between Ye Ci and himself, he could only fearfully agree to assist Ye Ci in looking for the treasure chest of Hidden Treasure Gulf.
However, despite all this, Finley still decided to warn her in advance: “Foreigner, let Finley warn you first, the people guarding the treasure chest are all extremely terrifying, if you die, I’m not going to take responsibility for your death.”
Ye Ci had long prepared herself for death. There’s no such thing as a free meal in this world. That’s why one has to be prepared to fight for it in order to get excellent equipment, that is an indisputable fact.
“Finley has joined your party.” The system announced: “Quest objective: Defeat the Treasure Chest’s Guardian, and ensure Finley’s survival. Quest timer: 24 hours.”
So this can be considered to be a quest.
Upon accepting the quest, the entire landscape of Hidden Treasure Gulf took on massive changes. Although it was dusk, a thin layer of fog had started to envelop the surroundings, causing everything to look hazy. Witnessing the entire change, Ye Ci immediately understood that Hidden Treasure Gulf has now become a massive dungeon.
All NPCs were now hostile monsters with high HP and damage. Finley, on the other hand, was now a Cleric. This must really be a scam, as Ye Ci had no idea that Finley’s original class was a Cleric. After all, it would have been disgusting if all Clerics were to look like Finley.
However, this party composition can be said to be pretty good. Ol’ Four can undertake dual roles as a DPS and a Tank, while Ye Ci deals constant damage. Now, there’s an additional healer in the backlines. Although she had been fighting small fry all this time, it can be said to be rather effortless for her.
Just at this moment, the virtual map indicated the locations of the treasure chests. There were six chests in total, and they were located within the smithy, grocer, auction hall, fishing instructor, the statue by the coast as well as the ship moored at the shallow coast. With a general location, things became much easier for her.
It’s just that Finley had to sit down and rest each time they finish clearing a mob. Ye Ci could not just ditch him and leave as that would result in a quest failure. Persuading him to rest after fighting a few more mobs was also not an option, so she had no choice but to proceed at Finley’s pace. Ye Ci was not used to this pace, if it weren’t for the fact that she had to drag a burden along with her, she would probably need not to use 24 hours to clear this dungeon.
Constantly proceeding and stopping, fighting and resting, it took her lot of effort to reach the blacksmith’s house. In that building, a massive chest was placed there, glittering and extremely pleasing to the eyes. However, wanting to take out its contents was a completely separate matter.
Unexplored maps are benefits that the game developers had left for the players, the difficulty would be automatically adjusted according to the level of the players that entered it and was not designed to cause too much inconvenience.The game was just like real life. There were those who were at the bottom, and there were those who were at the top.
As for the game itself, it doesn’t matter whether one makes it to the very top, the game will always present a fair opportunity to those who are able to grasp it, allowing them to reach the heavens in a single step. It might seem fair, but unequal treatment is still prevalent.
An abstract thing such as luck always had something to do with one’s personal abilities.
Grappling with the blacksmith was not difficult, as least Ye Ci felt that it was not as difficult as Finley had made it out to be. The blacksmith quickly fell, leaving behind the glittering box in the house.
Aside from gold coins, numerous pieces of equipment were found lying in the chest that were unusable by Ye Ci, all of them were excellent items that belonged to other classes. Ye Ci kept all of them into her backpack, intending to sell them out and fetch a high price.
The next 3 NPCs which were the grocer, auctioneer and fishing instructor, were just like the blacksmith as Ye Ci did not encounter much trouble at all in defeating them. A large amount of gold and expensive equipment was delivered to Ye Ci just like that. Alas, none of the equipment were of Ye Ci’s Huntress class. This made Ye Ci extremely depressed.
She couldn’t have very well clear an unexplored map just to only benefit others right?
After looting the four treasure chests, Ye Ci stood by the harbour and looked at the two locations where the two treasure chests were kept. She turned to look at Finley: “How do we get the remaining two chests?”
Finley glanced at the huge statue and the ship in the shallows, replying immediately: ”By climbing of course.”
Climbing up? Ye Ci evaluated the statue’s height, confident in her ability to make her way up. Making her way up with Finley in tow…is going to be tough. Furthermore, the ship seemed like it would be much easier. After a moment of deliberation, Ye Ci finally decided to retrieve the treasure chest in the ship first.
She leapt into the water without hesitation and started to swim towards the ship, intending to use the cat claw to scale the ship’s sides. However, upon landing into the water, she could hear the system announcement: “You’re too far away from Finley, you might fail the quest.”
Ye Ci stopped in her tracks and turned around. Finley was still standing on the harbour’s wooden deck with Ol’ Four shaking its head alongside him.
“Come down.”
“No way. Finley hates water the most, and Finley will drown in water.” Finley immediately waved his hands and refused.
Ye Ci’s face darkened. He refuses to get into the water? F*ck, now this is a problem. If he doesn’t get in the water, how was she going to get on the ship?
She had a staring contest with Finley before scratching her nose in defeat. Sometimes, you just can’t overcome the game’s stubbornness. Returning to shore all drenched, she glared down at Finley: “You’re sure you’re not going into the water?”
“Hell no.” Finley was exceptionally adamant.
Ye Ci could only take out the cat claw from her backpack and began to tie it to the hemp rope at the harbour. Alright then, since the other party won’t agree, then she’ll have to compromise.
Tying the cat claw, Ye Ci swung the rope in wide circles, tossing it towards the side of the ship after taking careful aim…
Translator’s Note:
Finny is now Finley
Oh by the way, anybody plays a text-based RPG called Lost Heir? I’ve been having problems trying to get the “Hero Ending” with Lost Heir 3: Demon Wars. Any kind peeps out there gonna gimme a guide? xDD
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DESU VULT!
Don’t forget to claim First Blood in the next chapter!