Chapter 188 - Dark Veiled Sea 4 (1/2)
The first thing he was searching for was Drake's treasures.
As the former Pirate King himself had said, the treasures were kept intact in a hidden room for many years.
They were inside the ruins located deep in an underwater cave, inside the Water Dragon's Labyrinth.
Moreover, it was right behind a violent maelstrom that was difficult to avoid.
“Good work, Chief mate.”
“...”
Triton was completely exhausted as he was sent to the secret room in the cave, enduring the swirling currents.
While he was resting on the floor, Woohyuk observed the loot he had obtained.
[Dragon Stone]
Category: Personal Item
Effect: Once in possession, dragonic with negative effects do not work. Additional abilities can be unlocked with the Dragon Lord's authority.
[Hourglass of Time]
Category: Personal Item
Effect: When used in an enclosed place, you can freely control the passage of time within that space. (Depends on user's ability. Maximum of speed ×1,000.)
[Thunderbird Egg]
Category: Personal Item
Effect: If certain conditions are satisfied, Thunderbirds that cause rain clouds and thunderstorms can hatch.
'It's as Drake told me.'
The Dragon Stone, a legendary artifact, had not fully revealed its abilities.
It was most likely because Carlos, the former Dragon Lord, died and was sealed by the system.
On the other hand, the Hourglass of Time and the Thunderbird Egg did not have any usage requirements.
‘I could use the Hourglass of Time when training my vassals...’
One of the Three Divine Birds, the Thunderbird, was perfect for reducing the enemy’s morale on the battlefield.
Moreover, unlike the Phoenix and the Snowbird, the Thunderbird could also be used as a messenger bird in urgent situations since its movements were extremely fast.
It would be particularly efficient when trying to contact areas where Catsy had never been to yet.
But the problem was that Woohyuk had to hatch this bird.
“Do you know how to revive the Thunderbird, Triton?”
“… You have to match its growth environment to its attribute. Perfectly.”
Woohyuk needed an electric field with insane amounts of power.
Perhaps he could seek advice from Aris, an expert in magic engineering.
Woohyuk put the items in his pocket and then walked along the dark passage.
“Now I only need to find information about the Erendia Kingdom.”
“If you look at the remains of these ruins, it seems that the royal family worshipped the Blue Dragon.”
There was a high probability that the kingdom’s guardian was also a Sea God.
Even though it was a small kingdom, it seemed that they had committed a great sin, enough to bring them all to ruin.
Woohyuk tried to find clues as he recalled the structure of the Water Dragon's Labyrinth he had seen so far.
This place was structured by imitating the body of a dragon, and the final reward, the Thunderbird Egg, was originally located in the area for the head, which was at the very end.
The hidden reward, the Dragon Stone, was located in the secret room where Triton had gone to.
All the items had great spiritual importance.
“Maybe the Erendia Kingdom was a theocracy? The priest might’ve had more power than the monarch.”
“It’s possible. This place is definitely the ruins of the Erendia Kingdom.”
Artifacts they found everywhere proved it.
After walking silently with his hand on his chin, Woohyuk spoke up as his thoughts came to a conclusion.
“The clergy was probably oppressed by the monarch. The royal family probably stopped making offerings and performing rituals to the Sea God at some point.”
“… But wasn’t it obvious they’d receive the Sea God’s wrath? I think there must’ve been some convincing reason for them to stop.”
They wouldn’t have blatantly disrespected the Sea God if they didn’t get some benefits afterwards.
As he couldn’t find the answer, Woohyuk decided to cool down his mind and summoned Catsy.
“Meow! Master, did you call?”
“How is it going in the western kingdoms these days?”
”Hm... Overall, it's quite peaceful. The Norton royal family is complaining that you stole their control over the kingdom, though.”
“If they do something suspicious, report it to me right away. As long as we can provide physical evidence that they performed human experimentations and reveal it to the public, they’re finished.”
“I understand!”
“And deliver this letter to Joanna.”
Woohyuk took out a piece of paper and a feather pen, and wrote a long message on the spot.
Afterwards, he handed the sealed envelope to Catsy and she raised her ears.
“I will go fulfill my missions!”
“Before you leave, observe these ruins well. You may have to come back later.
“Roger~!”
Catsy swayed her tail and disappeared down the aisle.
The silent Triton then asked Woohyuk.
“Why are you suddenly contacting the Rhine Kingdom...?”
“We need to cultivate more talented people than we are now.”
Woohyuk had secured a considerable amount of funds by robbing the slave traders in the Talis Kingdom.
In addition, since he now had the Hourglass of Time, he had an advantage incomparable to his past life.
He planned to use the Hourglass of Time’s effect on Song Anna, Yoo Kayoung, and Silvia, who were training in the Rhine Kingdom and growing at a steady pace.
He would have them train with a highly skilled master beneath the Academy in an enclosed space.
It was basically a DIY Hyperb*lic T*me Ch*mber
Their true training would begin from now on.
Having heard Woohyuk's ambitious plans, Triton clicked his tongue.
“Just how much are you going to overwork those girls like you do to me...”
“We don’t have the time to leisurely wait for them to grow at a slow speed, Triton.”
Unlike his past life, dangerous incidents were constantly happening and the world’s survival was on the line.
He had met the former Demon God and inherited his name, and then met Eteria Rodinus to hear about the prophecies describing the three Major Catastrophes that would happen in the future.