nycdaug Chapter 389: No Treasure Destined
Chapter 389: No Treasure Destined
The leader sneered, "Enough nonsense. Have you thought it through? Hand over the key and the stone slab, and when the brothers split the money, you'll get a bigger share."
Shibamoto Jiro smiled wryly and said, "Brother, I only have the key to the outer layer. I really don't know how to open the inner ones, and I really don't know where those stone slabs are."
The eldest brother nodded. "If that's really the case, then let's not waste any more time..."
Just as a hint of joy appeared on Shibamoto Jiro's face, he heard the leader say, "...cut a piece of his flesh and feed it to Torataro."
A fierce-looking ronin drew his long sword and reached through the gap in the cage, pointing it directly at Jiro Saimon's thigh. "Don't move, or I might cut off something else."
Shibamoto Jiro didn't dare to move, only stammering, "Help...help me!"
Xu Ning saw that these pirates and ronin had truly lost their patience. He controlled his rock elemental body and stepped out from the corner. With a slash from bottom to top, he directly finished off the ronin who had reached into the cage with his sword.
"Don't talk about martial ethics!"
The leader, dressed in red and fully armed, angrily drew his long sword, roared, and led his henchmen to charge forward.
Xu Ning showed no mercy to these pirates who relied on robbing and plundering merchant ships, let alone any martial virtue.
After the rock elemental pulled out a rock spear from behind and pinned a fleeing leader to the cliff face, Xu Ning led Qi Liangliang leisurely along the mountain path.
"Aren't you scared? These are all bad guys, they deserve to die."
Xu Ning, fearing that the kitten beside him might harbor inappropriate goodwill towards these pirates, spoke up to explain.
Qi Liangliang shook her head seriously, "I know, I've encountered many of these on my delivery routes, but I always bury them properly."
Xu Ning glanced at the cat with a speechless expression. Was it buried like that after using a litter box?
After thinking it over, Xu Ning realized that leaving so many corpses in the open was indeed inappropriate, so he simply had the rock elemental body drag them to the beach and bury them.
"Why are you back in the cage again after just a short while? Your hobby is quite unusual!"
Xu Ning led Qi Liangliang to the front of Chaimen Jiro and sat down on a clean wooden box that hadn't been splattered with blood. "Let's continue our conversation about the treasure. Judging from how persistent those people are, you really have found a treasure."
Shibamoto Jiro glanced at the bloodstains around him, swallowed hard, and said with a wry smile, "I have indeed found a legendary treasure, and it's right here. But I haven't found a way in yet..."
Xu Ning raised his hand to stop Chai Men Erlang from speaking, and said with a smile, "Why don't you tell me the conditions required to get in?"
"To enter the treasure land, we must pass through three checkpoints. I have already opened the outermost gate for the boss and the others. The second gate is missing four stone slabs. We need to find them all to open the barrier and access the third gate. But I don't know where the key to this last gate is."
Shibamoto Jiro told Xu Ning all the details, then earnestly pleaded, "Please do me another favor and help me unlock this cage. I'm ready to give up on this hopeless treasure and return to the village."
Xu Ning nodded. "It's good that you have this idea. Now that you've thought it through, hand over the key to the last one!"
Shibamon Jiro stammered, "What...what key?"
Xu Ning sighed, "Even these spineless pirates could tell you had the key. You actually thought you could fool me?"
"Let me guess, since I've already killed all these pirates, are you thinking that as soon as I leave, you'll go and bring over a few stone tablets, and then use the key you have to open the treasure door? Am I right?"
Shibamon Jiro wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "No...nothing like that."
Xu Ning laughed and took out a somewhat old-looking stone slab from the Dust Concealment Gourd, shaking it. "Since you don't have the key, then it's probably not a big deal to be missing a stone slab, since you can't open it anyway."
Xu Ning discovered this old stone slab after performing a major purification ritual in the well in the village chief's backyard. He felt that the slab was placed upright in the well, which seemed a bit out of place, so he picked it up and took it with him.
However, judging from Shibamoto Jiro's expression, the stone slab in his hand is probably the key to unlocking the treasure.
Where did you get this?
Shibamoto Jiro dared not lie any longer and hurriedly asked.
"I found it in the well when I was a guest at the village chief's house, and I also ate the 'Konda-ni' that your mother made. It tasted really good."
Shibamon Jiro looked somber. "It's been so long since I've had my mother's cooking. Are my parents in good health?"
Xu Ning nodded, "The old man is in good health. He can go to the village entrance twice a day just to see if anyone has left a message on the missing person notice. The old woman is also in good health, but she can't get rid of her habit of talking about Erlang to everyone she meets."
Shibamoto Jiro wiped his eyes and choked up, saying, "That's good, that's good. In that case, brother, please release me. Let's go and dig out the treasure together, and then we'll split the profits 70/70. I want to take the treasure back to make Father and Mother happy."
Xu Ning, who had just thought there was still hope for this guy, couldn't help but want to curse after hearing this.
"Seven-three split? Who gets seven and who gets three?"
Shibamon Jiro chuckled and said, "Didn't you say on the mountaintop that you didn't lack Mora?"
The entrance to the treasure is at the very bottom of that small peak on Blade Link Island.
There used to be a pull-out door on the ground, but the pirates have opened it and even removed the cover.
"The treasure is located inside this cave."
After leading Xu Ning and the other person inside, Shibamoto Jiro walked to the innermost platform. "Four stone slabs are missing from the ground here. I know where the other slabs are. I can tell you. Wait for you..."
Xu Ning stepped forward and glanced at the patterns on the ground. "Perhaps we don't need to go to such lengths."
Xu Ning compared the stone slab he was holding in his left hand with the pattern on the ground, and then directly manipulated the rock element to slowly condense a stone slab in his hand that was exactly opposite in orientation to the stone slab in his hand.
Then, by flipping the two stone slabs in his hand in another direction, Xu Ning easily created four stone slabs.
Jiro Saimon stared in disbelief, "You can actually do that? Quick, try it and see if it works!"
Xu Ning tossed the stone slab to Chaimen Erlang, letting him do as he pleased, while he himself stared at the arched gate behind the barrier.
Xu Ning had seen this style of portal before.
Underground in the desolate sea, Xu Ning saw Harunosuke enter and exit through that door more than once.
In this underground place, there was a building exactly the same as the one there, and Xu Ning suddenly realized something.
Jiro Saimon is destined to never get the treasure.