Chapter 391: Section 178: Holy Domain Level Treasure
“This…”
Upon seeing not a trace of the Red-Blue Crystal Cluster in the box, everyone present slightly faltered, their hearts sinking in unison.
“What do we do about Zong Ge?”
“Without the Red-Blue Crystal Cluster, we can’t set up the Alchemy Array.”
“How can we unleash more power from the Green Jade Gold Coffin and save Zong Ge?”
Sanda clenched his fists, his eyes reddening with anger as he stared furiously.
The goblin raised his neck stubbornly and exclaimed, “Let’s go back and steal again. Get the other treasure box!”
Zi Di and Cang Xu glanced at each other, their faces showing worry, “There isn’t enough time, and besides, going back to steal again would be at least ten times riskier!”
Sanda gritted his teeth: “We were wrong! After stealing one box, we could have stayed and continued.”
Zi Di and Cang Xu shook their heads. The latter said, “The Alchemy Array can no longer hold. My condition has plummeted, hitting rock bottom. Miss Zi Di’s spirit is also greatly depleted; she needs rest.”
Sanda shouted, “Then rest quickly, grasp every moment. Once we are better, we’ll go steal again.”
Lan Zao shook her head, “Sanda, calm down. Even if we go back and steal that box, are you sure it will be there? It’s very likely we’ll end up with the same situation as now.”
Sanda, “Then what else can we do?”
His face looked terrible, muttering to himself, “If only we had chosen the other box initially.”
The young Captain spoke heavily, blaming himself, “This is my responsibility.”
Zi Di shook her head, “It’s not your fault at all. We were all gambling, and everyone agreed on this box. Indeed, one must take responsibility when making decisions, but blaming you for this is utterly unjust.”
At this point, the Guild Chairman looked at Sanda with a somewhat colder gaze.
Sanda did not back down, his attitude firm.
The young Captain stepped between Zi Di and Sanda, breaking their line of sight, “Everyone, calm down!”
His expression was stern, and his glance conveyed a strong aura of authority.
Everyone reined in their expressions, whether it was Sanda or Zi Di.
The authority of the young Captain was unmistakable as a leader in this moment.
The young man took a deep breath and sincerely said, “Our situation is very dangerous now; perhaps, Fire Island is the last stop for the Justice Pirate Group.”
“Everyone is under great psychological pressure, but there’s no need for infighting, taking out this stress on each other.”
“We have supported each other along the way, facing countless hardships and dangers. We’ve survived the War Merchant’s underground alchemy factory, narrowly escaping death. We broke out of the Sky Pillar Sea Eye, which was extremely perilous. We’ve dodged the pursuit of the Imperial Navy, barely keeping alive.”
“Zong Ge has fallen; he fought desperately for this group. Therefore, we will never abandon him!”
“Our time is running short, and we don’t have many chances left. But we still have hope, we can still try.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Cang Xu immediately nodded. As a Noble Housekeeper, he was very skilled at maintaining authority.
As before, he immediately showed support for the young man’s words, “Sir, you are absolutely right!”
“Zong Ge’s condition is complicated and severe.”
“Since he fell unconscious, we’ve been trying our hardest to treat him.”
“The cost of potions, scrolls, and so forth is astonishing.”
“These treatments, sourced from the Empire, are already of quite high quality. It’s almost impossible to obtain better treatment methods from outside due to our dire situation. Only by utilizing the Alchemy Array to better harness the power of the Green Jade Gold Coffin do we stand a chance to heal Zong Ge.”
As Cang Xu spoke, he looked towards Sanda again, “We have always been striving, never entertaining the thought of giving up. Your suggestion to continue stealing is very risky.”
Zi Di shook her head, analyzing, “Time-wise, we can’t make it, we need to set up the Array, find a suitable place to lie low and cast spells again. If we steal again, the possibility of exposure is too great. If I were a giant of the Sha Huang Clan, I would check these resources and treasures every day. There’s a possibility they’ve already discovered our theft, just remaining silent about it.”
“For them, Fire City isn’t their territory. Being cautious is very probable.”
“After all, they just lost one box among many; no need to make a huge fuss over it.”
“More importantly, if there’s a big commotion, it would signify their lack of vigilance, showcasing incompetence. For the Sha Huang Clan, that would be extremely embarrassing.”
“This could cause them more trouble in their future alliances with Fire City.”
“At this point, Zi Di paused, “Actually, we can change our approach, we can negotiate with them.”
“We can exchange the treasure in this stolen box, or something else, for the red and blue crystal clusters.”
“Of course, this would immediately make them suspect me. After all, I had met them before and expressed a strong desire to buy.”
“This doesn’t matter much, given our current situation, offending another Holy Domain doesn’t make much difference.”
“Besides, we have a legitimate reason.”
Following that, Zi Di revealed that she had been secretly attacked in the tent and her spirit was injured.
“Are you injured?” the young man asked with concern.
Zi Di hurriedly said, “I didn’t mean to hide it. It’s just that this matter isn’t important in the grand scheme of things. To be honest, stealing the treasure box really pushed me to my limits.”
Having heard this, a touch of guilt appeared on Sanda’s face.
Zi Di didn’t mind Sanda’s bad attitude, the young man’s genuine concern secretly pleased her, and her heart rejoiced.
Sanda frowned deeply, pondering and said, “If we go to negotiate, then let me do it. I can personally threaten the young clan leader of the Sha Ji, using the threat of breaking off their marriage arrangement to bolster our bargaining chips.”
His thought process was sparked by Zi Di’s words.
As a Holy Domain-level Sha Ji, he was definitely powerful. The entire Sha Ji clan’s trade caravans were also stronger than the Justice Pirate Group.
However, this didn’t mean that the Justice Pirate Group was only at a disadvantage.
The situation was different, the Sha Ji clan had weaknesses and flaws too.
Cang Xu interjected, “Apart from stealing, there indeed are other ways. If it’s a negotiation, then the treasures in this box are also part of our bargaining chips. If its value is high, it would be more advantageous for us in the negotiations.”
Reminded by this, everyone looked closely at the contents of the box.
There was only one item in the box.
Clearly, it was an alchemical item.
After being taken out, the Alchemy Treasure was fully displayed before everyone.
It was roughly the size of an adult human, about 1.75 meters. Its whole form resembled an octopus, with many tentacles. It looked more like an Evil Eye monster, but with many eyes on the entire spherical head, around the front, back, left, and right—these eyes, large and small, were arranged neatly and not too densely packed.
The entire alchemical octopus radiated a delicate and gorgeous aesthetic.
Even those who knew nothing about alchemy could tell at a glance that this treasure was extraordinary!
“It can actually float in the air on its own?” Lan Zao was incredibly curious. “But how come it has no aura at all?”
“That’s exactly what indicates its value,” Cang Xu said with a smile.
Although he was not proficient in alchemy—having been put on the spot to act as an alchemist for the Justice Pirate Group, a task he found extremely painful and torturous—
he had consequently gained considerable knowledge of the field of alchemy.
Cang Xu first pointed out several parts of the octopus’s body, identifying these raw materials.
“These materials are of very high quality, generally of Gold Level, and there are even Holy Domain-level treasures among them. Normally, the aura of these materials would conflict and mix.”
“But look, it has no aura. This indicates that the craftsmanship is just right, allowing all the materials to blend perfectly. If there was any imperfection, the aura would definitely leak.”
“Once we actually activate this item, we should be able to sense its aura.”
For safety, everyone still used Pearl Bubble to prevent the activation of this Alchemy Puppet from triggering its attack.
Cang Xu was the one to infuse spirit and mana into it.
Zi Di was injured and it was not advisable for her to continue taking risks.
Moreover, if Cang Xu was injured, he could use Undead Magic to heal himself. But if Zi Di was injured, using Cang Xu’s Undead Magic to heal her would have severe side effects.
After all, Cang Xu’s body had been transformed by Undead Techniques.
Having received Cang Xu’s mana, several eyes of the alchemy puppet lit up.
Cang Xu also received information included within the alchemy structure.
He showed a hint of shock and exclaimed, “This is actually a Holy Domain-level Alchemy Puppet!”
“The person who made it is Qiao Fu, the Alchemy Grandmaster of the Elf Clan, more senior than War Merchant.”