"Treasure?" Haruto Saito's eyes gleamed with excitement, his tone unconsciously rising. "There's treasure nearby?"
"Not just nearby, lad. The vast ocean is filled with treasures! Almost every year, cargo-laden merchant ships capsize in storms—every single year! Normally, when ordinary goods sink to the seabed, they're lost forever. But certain ships, like those carrying gold and silver, become treasure once they go under..."
Bock, who had been a sailor since his teenage years, had spent over twenty years at sea. He had heard too many legends about lost riches, and once the topic came up, he couldn't help but talk endlessly.
"Take the Shark Sea we passed yesterday. Two years ago, a large merchant vessel sank there due to a storm. Rumor has it the ship was filled with gold and silver artifacts bound for the Land of Lightning, where craftsmanship is far less advanced."
"Then there's the Storm Sea, northwest of the Land of Water. That area is plagued by constant hurricanes and torrential rains. No one knows how many ships have sunk there, with the oldest wrecks dating back over a thousand years—the era when large wooden ships first appeared."
"Oh, right! Four years ago, north of Wave Island—you know it, right? The island east of the Land of Fire—about five hundred nautical miles from there, someone found a shipwreck treasure from three hundred years ago. The haul included gold worth nearly two hundred million. But in the end, pirates stole it all."
Haruto nodded occasionally, absorbing the knowledge.
This was no surprise. Even in his past life, the ocean was full of sunken treasures. Back then, during the Age of Exploration, countless European adventurers plundered gold and silver from the Americas and tried to transport it back home. Many of their ships, however, met their doom at sea, giving rise to countless ghost ship legends.
"So, what treasure legends exist in this region?" Haruto asked.
"Here?" Bock glanced at the distant fishing boats on the sea. "They're probably searching for the treasure mentioned in the Edo Legend."
"Edo Legend?" Haruto raised an eyebrow.
"Yes!" Bock continued, "Six hundred years ago, during the Warring Clans Period, the Edo Clan was a samurai faction in the Land of Water. Back then, the Land of Water wasn't what it is today. Being a nation of scattered islands, it was highly fragmented. Only the main island was called the Land of Water, while the other islands each formed their own independent states."
"The Edo Clan resided on Edo Island, which is now part of the Land of Water. But back then, it was an independent nation—Edo Country—ruled solely by the Edo Clan. The entire island only had a population of a few thousand."
Haruto nodded. Nowadays, such a small country seemed unthinkable. It wouldn't survive. But six hundred years ago, this wasn't uncommon.
"...The Edo Clan lost a war," Bock continued. "Their royal family fled overseas with all their nation's wealth, planning to seek refuge in the Land of Fire. But at sea, they were pursued by enemies—specifically, the clan now known as the Suikazan Clan."
"The chase lasted for days. Edo's great ships reached this sea region, but they were caught in a storm. Trapped between a raging tempest and their pursuers, they had no choice but to take a desperate risk—they sailed straight into the storm! The Suikazan Clan, knowing their own ships were also battered, did not dare follow."
"And then... the Edo Clan disappeared. Legend says the Edo royal family, carrying immeasurable gold and silver, perished in the sea—right here in this very region. This tale has been passed down across the Land of Water and the Whirlpool Nation for generations. To this day, treasure hunters have continued to search for it, but no one has ever found a single coin."
"Why do you say it 'might not exist'?" Haruto asked.
"Because it's just a legend!" Bock chuckled, shaking his head. "No one ever saw the Edo Clan die in that storm. No one ever saw their ships sink. It's entirely possible that they made it through the storm safely, reached the Land of Fire, and lived out their lives in secrecy."
"Yeah, that makes sense," Haruto nodded.
"What's this? You interested in treasure, lad?" Bock asked with a grin.
Haruto merely shrugged.
"Don't even think about it!" Bock waved him off, advising, "There are just too many legends about ocean treasures. If I started listing them, I could go on for three days and nights. But the number of treasures actually found? Barely any! Most of those legends aren't even real."
"On this route, we don't run into too many treasure hunters. But if you set sail from the Land of Water along one of its trade routes to the Land of Fire, you'll see countless ships searching for lost riches. Every year, who knows how many die chasing dreams of gold? The ocean is merciless. It grants us fish and shrimp to fill our bellies. It gives us pearls and rare corals to trade for wealth. That should be enough. Why ask for more?"
Haruto laughed.
He felt that Bock was a philosopher trapped in a sailor's life—his words carried deep wisdom!
"Bock! Bock! Give us a hand over here!" someone shouted from the ship's deck.
"Coming, coming!" Bock called back, jogging away to help.
Haruto watched him leave, a smirk creeping onto his face.
Then he turned and walked below deck, entering his private cabin.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished into thin air.
The next moment, Haruto reappeared beneath the ocean, about ten meters below the surface, surrounded by an expanse of deep blue water.
He immediately pulled out a card from his inventory—
A Treasure Card!
He placed it into his mouth and bit down!
*Crunch!*
Instantly, a guiding signal appeared in his mind. Within a two-hundred-kilometer radius, the most valuable treasure lay forty-six kilometers southwest!
"Let's go!"
Haruto's body tensed as he shot through the water at incredible speed. Since he was only ten meters below the surface, the water pressure wasn't too intense, allowing him to move quickly.
Every five minutes, he surfaced for air before diving back down.
Twenty minutes later—
Haruto reached the location marked by the signal.
The ocean stretched endlessly around him, and the merchant ship he had boarded was long out of sight. No other treasure-hunting boats were nearby.
He couldn't be certain if this was the legendary Edo Treasure, but the chances seemed high!
Despite six centuries passing without discovery, that wasn't unusual. Searching for treasure at sea was difficult not only because the ocean was vast, but also due to its depths. The deeper the ocean, the greater the pressure. The darkness below was absolute. In an age without metal detectors or advanced technology, treasure hunting was more about luck than skill—unless one had precise intelligence.
Haruto took a deep breath, inhaling several times.
On his final breath, he dove—heading straight for the ocean floor!