Chen Qi carried the map and the Hunter's keychain, walking quickly through the dim forest.
He needed to locate the Hunter's warehouse, and then take away the treasure chest inside.
On the map, the Hunter's warehouse was marked with a treasure chest symbol, located at the edge of the island forest.
Chen Qi scanned the surroundings and could clearly see traces of people having trampled through the undergrowth.
Branches were snapped, and dense footprints were everywhere...
It seemed that in order to avoid the senior Hunters, many other participants had been active in this vicinity!
Suddenly, an ominous premonition arose.
The Hunter's warehouse—couldn't have already been opened by someone… could it?
Chen Qi suddenly remembered something.
Normally, to obtain the Hunter's treasure, three steps were required: get the location of the Hunter's warehouse from the supervisor, then kill the senior Hunter to obtain the keychain, and finally, open the Hunter's warehouse with the key to get the treasure.
However, due to the senior Hunter serving as a hidden boss, with a very high difficulty in killing, the difficulty of getting the keychain was too great, therefore, there was a rare strategy.
As long as the location of the Hunter's warehouse was known, using explosives to directly blow open the doors of the Hunter's warehouse would grant direct access to the treasure.
Even without the keychain from the senior Hunter or the supervisor's map.
But as long as one was lucky enough to find the location of the Hunter's warehouse and blow open the door, it was entirely possible to just take the chest and leave.
Of course, forcibly opening the warehouse would attract the pursuit of the senior Hunter, and without being able to disable the chest's mechanical locks, it was a strategy with a very low success rate.
Chen Qi's brow involuntarily furrowed.
Having attracted the notice of the senior Hunter, it was very possible that the contents of the Hunter's warehouse had already been taken.
Chen Qi looked at the footprints on the ground.
The direction of these footprints was the very way leading to the Hunter's warehouse!
"This is bad..."
Chen Qi crouched down. He might not be able to directly deduce a person's height and weight from the footprints, like detectives in TV shows could.
But he could still roughly estimate the figure.
These footprints were very small, and it seemed they were from someone barefoot...
Barefoot?
Chen Qi suddenly thought of something.
In this crack, the one who would run around with white bare feet, he could only think of one.
The Flower Witch...
By the way, the Flower Witch was also a supervisor, and she too had the map of the island forest.
Was it possible that she saw the treasure chest mark on the map and directly ran to the Hunter's warehouse, then punched the iron door of the warehouse to take the chest away?
No way... Chen Qi's scalp tingled at the thought.
It's still too early to draw conclusions now — he still needed to confirm it personally.
Chen Qi stood up and continued through the forest towards the Hunter's warehouse.
By the time he arrived near the Hunter's warehouse...
Suddenly, from within the forest to his right, came the sound of a person.
A woman's voice?
Who could it be?
Chen Qi swallowed curiously, carefully stepping over fallen leaves and branches as he approached.
The area was very dark, and with the trees blocking the view, he could only listen to the voice.
"Hmph, if you were a bit smarter, you'd know the power gap between us,"
"This is your last warning. If you don't hand it over, don't blame me for getting rough."
"My potions are terrifying! You better recognize what's good for you!"
This voice—it was the Flower Witch's voice!
What was the Flower Witch doing here, and why was she uttering such fierce threats?
Hearing the conversation at this moment...Chen Qi's mind began to race with numerous thoughts.
Robbery and murder!
After all, the New Day world was still one where strength reigned supreme, with high-order Transcendents viewing lower-order ones as mere ants.
The sea, as well as the lands atop the cracks, were typical lawless places.
Despite there being laws, in a place like the cracks, powerful Transcendents could still dominate the lives of the weak.
The current dialogue most likely was the Flower Witch catching other participants and threatening them to hand over their treasures.
However, did this fit the image of the Flower Witch?
Chen Qi couldn't help but question inwardly.
In the game forums, the Flower Witch was seen as an entity on the side of order and goodness, and to maintain her elegance, she almost never engaged in robbery.
But that could all be just for show...
After all, the Flower Witch's appearances before the players' eyes in the game were limited; the game was still in the beta testing phase before he crossed over.
There remained a huge mystery around the Flower Witch.
Just like internet celebrities, no one knew what kind of person she really was behind the scenes.
Could it be that the Flower Witch had a dual personality?
In a way, given the strength of the Flower Witch, not having struck immediately, and even giving the other party a chance, was already quite merciful.
Suddenly...
A chill ran down the back of Chen Qi's neck.
Hiding behind a tree and eavesdropping now, with the strength of the Flower Witch, she could definitely easily discover his position!
However, driven by curiosity, Chen Qi still peeked his head out slightly, wanting to see what the Flower Witch was actually doing.
Whoosh—
The wind gently blew, and falling leaves hit him.
In that instant, the Flower Witch turned her head in Chen Qi's direction.
Oh crap!
In that moment, both displayed a look of shock!
Chen Qi's pupils widened dramatically.
He saw the Flower Witch squatting on the ground, using her terrifying spiritual power field to intimidate the creature before her.
And in front of her was a pitiful and helpless little red wolf, a hungry little red wolf with a piece of grilled meat in its mouth.
Huh?
Chen Qi was taken aback and tilted his head in shock.
This legendary witch was threatening a dog, no, a wolf, to compete for the meat!
Are you even human?
It's just a wolf, and besides, if you want to compete with a wolf for food, just go physically take it.
Why threaten it?
Chen Qi couldn't help but inwardly criticize, suddenly feeling a headache coming on.
He really couldn't understand the thought processes of many people in Witch Sea.
"Sigh!"
The Flower Witch noticed Chen Qi, and her little hands fluttered in panic as several little black flowers shaped like exclamation marks sprouted above her head!
I'm doomed! I've been caught threatening the little red wolf for its food!
If this incident made it to the newspapers, her elegant witch image would be destroyed!
And why is it you again?
Her mind raced desperately for a solution.
The silent breeze of the island forest blew past.
The Flower Witch stood up and after a silent moment, murmured:
"Did you know?
In the Golden Flower Bird Kingdom, animals are seen as gifts from Mother Earth, and at the same time, there's a long tradition of Guardian Beasts in the Golden Flower Bird Kingdom.
In the schools of the Golden Flower Bird Kingdom, an animal communication class is compulsory for many students.
I wasn't competing with the wolf for the meat just now, I was reviewing the animal communication course from school, it's part of the curriculum."
"Hmm..."
Chen Qi didn't know what to say for a moment.
It actually made some sense.
So far, the Flower Witch seemed as kind-hearted and orderly as he perceived her to be.
And a bit naive, too.
Chen Qi took a long breath of relief.
This was a good thing.
At least, he didn't have to worry about being threatened by the witch with a grass whip, succumbing to her power, and then handing over all his possessions.
"But you are really hungry, aren't you!"
Chen Qi looked around the Flower Witch.
At this moment, the previously hungry little red wolf had stealthily run away when the Flower Witch stood up.
As the little red wolf sprinted away, the Flower Witch didn't move and appeared calm, but a small blue flower of disappointment still sprouted above her head.
At the Flower Witch's feet was a heavy iron lockbox.
A Hunter's warehouse treasure chest!
She really did take it.
Chen Qi stepped forward and asked:
"Flower Witch, may I ask if the treasure chest at your feet is from a nearby Hunter's warehouse?"
The Flower Witch paused for a moment and then thoughtfully said:
"Yes, I saw there was a treasure chest point on the map, but this chest is locked and I can't open it."
The Flower Witch had gone after the treasure chest from the beginning.
Chen Qi flashed the key:
"So you mean, you were looking for the key?"
The Flower Witch shook her head:
"No, I wasn't looking for the key; it's most likely with the old Hunter, and since the crack has already been cleared, I can't get it and will have to go to the city to find a locksmith..."
"..."
Chen Qi fell silent for a while.
Didn't you see the bunch of keys in my hand?
The Hunter's treasure chest is a puzzle box that could trigger a trap inside if not unlocked carefully.
Only a master lockpicker would dare to open such a lock, but of course, that would come with a hefty fee.
According to Chen Qi's analysis, the Flower Witch probably didn't have the money to pay a lockpicker.
They could split the contents of the chest.
The Flower Witch was a beat slow to react, looking curiously at the keys in Chen Qi's hand.
Could that key be the very one for the chest beside her?
She asked in confusion:
"You guys...defeated the old Hunter and got the key as well?"
The Flower Witch was slightly surprised because in her estimation, the likelihood of Chen Qi getting the key was quite low.
"Sort of..."
Chen Qi proposed:
"Flower Witch, you have the chest and I have the key. How about we sit down, have a meal, and then divide the stuff inside?"
Chen Qi took out the cooking tools from his backpack card.
He didn't ask the Flower Witch if she was hungry.
Because his intuition told him that if he did, she would definitely reply with a stubborn "I'm not hungry"!
Perfect, they would have a meal, rest a bit, and split the loot.
She was an elegant and mysterious witch, after all, why would she randomly accept an invitation to dine from a stranger!
But you entered the crack and even brought cooking utensils? Are you here for tourism?
The Flower Witch looked at Chen Qi blankly, swallowed, and replied:
"Yeah."