As the voice sounded, Hols and Sigurd emerged from the shop, laughing.
Looking at them, Obe touched his forehead. After calculating the time, he had a rough idea why they were here. Obe was also a resident of Golden Wheat Island; after all, with so many people on the island, some always sought opportunities elsewhere.
They all moved into the backyard of the store, where three rooms were prepared for them on the second floor.
Since they were all islanders, they usually stayed at this shop when visiting the port. It was, you could say, the exclusive hotel for Golden Wheat Islanders.
Inside the room shared by Ed and Sigurd.
"Why are you back so soon? It's your first time here; I thought you'd wander around for ages. You've barely spent half an hour. Did someone bully you, or what? Hahaha!" Sigurd asked with a chuckle from his not-so-comfortable but better-than-nothing bed.
"No one can beat me. Don't forget, just yesterday I killed a pirate. Besides, this island is too big and I'm not very familiar with it. I just took a quick walk and came back, afraid I might not be able to control myself and spend all my money. You know how rich people are, we can buy anything without looking at the price. Oh, sorry, how would you know about that? You're not a rich person," After making Sigurd's face turn as dark as if someone had forced a sour lemon into his mouth, Ed pulled a few rolled-up maps from the small bag on his back, a prop he used to cover for retrieving items from his system.
Seeing what Ed held, Sigurd, an open-minded guy, quickly set aside his jealousy and anger but couldn't help complaining, "Even after wandering such a big market, all you bought were maps? Do you like maps that much?"
Ed casually unrolled one of the maps. "As a treasure hunter, a map is absolutely indispensable. Otherwise, where is my wealth supposed to come from? You didn't expect me to become a sailor like you, right?"
"Is… is that so?"
"Certainly."
Sigurd didn't really understand, so he just nodded. But if you could find treasure with just a map, why couldn't he? What boy hadn't dreamed of finding treasure in his youth? Becoming rich overnight, spending money like water, and doing whatever he wanted without his parents' restrictions.
Thinking of those things, Sigurd couldn't help but recall old memories, a time when he, too, had dreamed of being a treasure hunter. Sadly, reality had slapped him quite hard, as had his mother, and he had honestly set the dream aside.
Ed looked down at the map he had spread out. It was very detailed, depicting the very island they were on. When he'd purchased it, Ed already knew what the glowing points signified.
With a blink, six white dots and one blue dot appeared on the map. Ed clicked on the white dots one by one. The results were obvious: all were "Ordinary Treasures" with no additional information beyond their difficulty and popularity. However, they introduced him to new challenges, requiring skills like expert climbing or speed swimming.
Finally, he clicked on the blue dot.
[ Magic Treasure
Difficulty: Herculean
Popularity: 7
Treasure Information: Alando Toure's manor. ]
Herculean...? Do I need enough strength to get this treasure? Thinking this, Ed turned and looked at Sigurd, who was lazily lying on the bed, lost in a daydream. After pondering for a few seconds, he said, "Sigurd, are you interested in experiencing a real treasure hunt?"
Hearing Ed's words, Sigurd looked at him. Once his lazy brain processed the question, his eyes widened, and joy was visibly spreading across his face.
"Of course, of course I am! Did you find information about a treasure?"
Ed nodded. "But first, we need to perfect our intelligence. Go ask Uncle Obe for information about Alando Toure and his manor. The more details, the better."
"No problem! Wait for my news."
With that, Sigurd stormed out of the room. Ed shook his head and turned his attention back to the map. The blue dot was at the upper left edge of the port city. According to the information, it should be Alando Toure's manor.
Ed had likely heard the name from the clerk in the weapon store earlier. Just knowing a person's name allowed the system to glean some information. The more information obtained, the more the system could expand the treasure details. Aside from the location markers, Ed found this feature the most useful.
After a while, Sigurd rushed back in, slightly panting, and delivered his report directly: "Alando was a well-known gunsmith on this island. The guns he made sold for very high prices, but he died on a sea voyage 30 years ago. As for his manor, it's just outside the city. It's been abandoned for a long time; he had no descendants. I heard all the valuable things inside were looted long ago. The Governor's Mansion is just waiting for the deed to expire so they can demolish and rebuild it."
After finishing in one breath, Sigurd sat down on the nearby bed, panting, grabbed the cup of water, and gulped it down.
"Phew, that's all. Did you get any information about a treasure? Is it related to him?"
Ed nodded, then turned back to stare at the map, pretending to think. Seeing this, Sigurd just sat quietly, not wanting to interrupt Ed's train of thought and risk missing the treasure.
Before Ed, now was the updated treasure information.
[ Alando Toure's Final Masterpiece.
Difficulty: Herculean
Popularity: 7
Treasure information: Alando Toure's manor houses the works of the manor's owner from his prime period, which have not been found so far. ]
If it's a work from his peak period, it must be a high-quality firearm without a doubt. And if it's reached the level of a magic item, it's even more premium quality. I must get it, no matter what, Ed thought, excitement visible in his eyes. Because this treasure was marked with a blue light, he knew it was a magic treasure; Jake's inheritance had also been a blue dot.
Knowing all the information he needed, Ed began to think seriously.
The manor is in disrepair and uninhabited. All valuables were taken away over the past few decades, meaning it's probably not very dangerous now. The "Herculean" difficulty likely means it requires significant physical strength to retrieve the treasure, probably placed somewhere requiring heavy lifting. I don't think the system literally means I have to fight a Cerberus-level monster.
Having made up his mind, Ed put the map back in his bag, got off the bed, pulled Sigurd up, and walked toward the door.
"Come on, I'll take you to find the treasure. Then you can call me Daddy!"
"Okay, let's go. As for calling you Daddy, you'll have to discuss that with Mother; only she has the final say in that matter."
Sigurd laughed with satisfaction as he saw Ed's face turn pale at the mention of his mother. But then, suddenly remembering something, he hurriedly ran back into the room, picked up the two weapons lying on the table by the door, returned to Ed, and handed him one of them—a sailor's knife.
After saying a quick goodbye to Obe, they walked towards the location marked on the map. The reason Ed brought Sigurd was the "Herculean" difficulty. There is strength in numbers, and it's much easier to dig for treasure with a loyal henchman who is easy to deceive and rarely uses his brain.
Furthermore, with Sigurd's loose mouth, he would definitely talk about this at home later, helping Ed win Aunt Marcy's trust in his treasure-hunting skills. Eventually, even the islanders would have to pinch their noses and believe he really had some talent, making Raila proud as well, killing countless birds with one stone.