Chapter 218

Chapter 218

Evan stepped onto the wet sand and walked ashore, first cautiously scanning his surroundings to confirm no other Pearl Divers were nearby before letting out a sigh of relief. He found a dry rock on the reef to sit on, carefully placed the shell in his arms beside him, then raised his hands to wring out his soaked clothes. The sea breeze blew with a touch of chill, but it couldn't blow away the excitement he felt.

He picked up the palm-sized dark brown shell, his fingertips tracing the intricate spiral patterns on its surface, feeling the residual dampness and coolness from the seawater. Taking a deep breath, Evan gripped both sides of the shell and applied gentle pressure—with a soft "click," he slowly pried open the hard shell, releasing a warm, moist gust carrying the briny scent of the sea.

What he saw inside made him pause: instead of the expected lustrous white glow, there was a thumb-sized black pearl lying quietly in the center of the soft flesh of the mussel.

It didn't gleam coldly like ordinary pearls, but instead had a deep, matte texture, like polished obsidian. In the morning light, it glimmered with a faint ink-black iridescence, its surface smooth and flawless to the touch, warm to the touch, as if alive.

Evan picked up the black pearl and examined it closely in his palm. He knew the nobles of the Sala Empire prized flawless white pearls, considering white a symbol of purity and nobility. A black pearl like this wouldn't fetch a high price at the royal purchasing stations, and might even be discounted as "inferior." But he found this black pearl exceptionally beautiful—its deep ink-black color reminded him of Sara's dark eyes.

"I'll keep it," Evan murmured to himself, gently rubbing the black pearl with his fingertip, feeling warmth spread through his chest. This black pearl might not be valuable, but it was his first harvest on Pearl Island, and more importantly, it reminded him of Sara—more meaningful than any white pearl that could be traded for Gold Sala.

He stood up, walked to the reef, untied the velveteen storage pouch at his waist, and carefully took out the exquisite Miss Doll. Gently, he pried open the doll's slightly pursed lips—there was a small hidden compartment he had specially made, just the right size to hold this black pearl. Slowly placing the black pearl into the compartment, he then gently closed the doll's mouth. From the outside, it was completely invisible, as if the pearl had always been inside the doll.

After finishing, Evan placed the doll back into the storage pouch and fastened it close to his body. He then glanced at the empty shell and casually tossed it into the sea—the shell had no further value, and keeping it would just be extra clutter. The sea breeze lifted waves, crashing against the shore with a "swoosh."

Evan stretched, feeling his stamina gradually return, and cast his gaze once more toward the deep sea. Although he didn't plan to sell the first pearl, he still had to continue his pearl-diving task.

He turned to look at the sea surface; the Butterfly Doll was still circling low, sending a psychic signal that the area was safe. The Mouse Doll had already swum back to shore and was lying in a crevice between rocks, its little paws wiping away droplets of water. Evan smiled—it seemed he could now safely venture into deeper, more distant waters.

Evan patted the sand off the reef, checked the doll storage pouch again, confirmed the psychic links with the Butterfly and Mouse Dolls were stable, took a deep breath, and dove into the sea for the third time.

This time, he had a clear goal and swam straight toward the "shell cluster zone" indicated by the Mouse Doll.

As depth increased, the seawater grew dimmer, with only a few bioluminescent creatures lighting the way ahead. Evan activated his Supernatural Factor, letting it spread along his fingertips like an invisible sensory net covering the surrounding sea. When the Factor touched shells, it transmitted different vibrations—empty shells gave a dull thud, while shells containing pearls emitted a warm psychic ripple.

Soon, he detected a strong spiritual fluctuation near a coral trench.

Swimming closer, he found three shells larger than the first lodged in coral crevices, their thick exteriors covered with algae and parasites. Evan was delighted and carefully used his short blade to pry open the coral, removing all three shells intact. He held them to his chest and continued searching. With the sensory boost from his Supernatural Factor, Evan's efficiency in finding shells was extremely high.

He moved like a skilled sea creature, weaving swiftly through the deep sea, avoiding currents and dangerous marine life, targeting only shells with strong spiritual fluctuations.

The Mouse Doll explored ahead, helping him avoid several areas dense with sharp sea urchins; the Butterfly Doll kept watch on the surface, ensuring no other Pearl Divers approached this area.

An hour later, Evan surfaced with an armload of shells, his chest rising and falling slightly, yet he remained energetic. He swam back to the shore, lined up ten large shells in a row on the sand, and as sunlight fell on them, they gleamed with a wet sheen. Evan found a flat stone and pried open the shells one by one—with the sounds of "click" and "clack," glistening white pearls emerged, mixed with the mussel's slime, radiating a soft glow.

The final tally: Evan had harvested fourteen pearls. The two largest were about the size of his thumb, comparable to the black pearl; five medium-sized ones were as round as fingernails; the remaining seven were tiny, like grains of rice. The pearls were predominantly pure white, fine in texture, and flawless; mixed in were one or two pale pink ones, delicately blending pink and white, clearly more valuable than ordinary white pearls.

"Not a bad haul," Evan said with a satisfied smile, carefully placing the pearls into a small cloth bag he had prepared earlier. These pearls would be enough to fetch a good amount of Gold Sala. He cleaned up the shell debris, stood up, and headed toward the royal exchange on the island.

The exchange was a brick and tile building with a signboard that read "Royal Pearl Purchasing Station" hanging above the entrance. Two guards were checking the credentials of those entering and exiting. Evan showed his pearl-diving contract and entered smoothly.

Inside, the exchange was simple: several long tables were staffed by uniformed appraisers, who were busy counting and evaluating pearls submitted by divers.

"I want to sell some pearls," Evan said as he approached an empty table and handed over his small cloth bag. The appraiser was a middle-aged man with a goatee; he took the bag, poured out the pearls, carefully examined them with a magnifying glass, weighed them with his fingertips, and finally said, "Two large pearls, five Gold Sala each; five medium pearls, two Gold Sala each; seven small pearls, three Gold Sala total; the two pale pink ones, an additional two Gold Sala. That comes to twenty-five Gold Sala."

With that, he pulled out twenty-five shiny Gold Sala coins from a drawer and pushed them across the table to Evan. The coins bore the royal emblem of the Sala Empire, heavy and reassuring in Evan's hand.

Evan took the Gold Sala, confirmed the count, carefully placed them into his money pouch, and secured it close to his body.

Leaving the exchange, Evan walked briskly back to the inn. He first stored the money pouch and the doll pouch properly, then asked the landlady to prepare hot water.

The warm water poured over him, dispelling the chill and fatigue from deep-sea diving, leaving him thoroughly refreshed. After bathing, Evan changed into clean clothes and went downstairs to the small restaurant next to the inn.

He ordered a fried egg, a piece of toasted bread, and a bowl of rich seafood chowder. Sunlight streamed through the restaurant window, casting a warm glow on the table.

Evan enjoyed his breakfast slowly. The seafood flavor mingled with the bread's wheat aroma, sharpening his appetite. After eating and drinking his fill, Evan leaned back in his chair and gently patted the storage pouch at his waist—inside was not only the Gold Sala but also the doll hiding the black pearl, and the two scouting dolls that had done excellent work.

This trip to Pearl Island had started off smoothly.

As Evan scooped up the seafood chowder with his small spoon, feeling the warmth spread through his stomach, something very different was happening elsewhere on the sea, far from this leisurely scene.

The two burly Supernaturals whom Evan had previously brushed past in the sea were now rowing their simple wooden boat with all their might, cutting through the azure waters toward a very hidden coral reef.

This coral reef was quite unusual: most of its body was submerged, leaving only a palm-sized top exposed above the surface, covered with a layer of dark green algae. If not carefully observed, it could easily be mistaken for ordinary floating debris.

"This is the place," said the rowing Supernatural, stopping his rowing. The wooden boat gently leaned against the coral reef, and he wiped the seawater off his face, a hint of excitement and caution in his eyes.

The other Supernatural immediately pulled a yellowed parchment map from his canvas backpack. The edges of the map were frayed and stained with some brownish marks, clearly quite old. He spread the map flat on his knees and examined it closely.

On the map, complex lines were drawn in charcoal, marking several indistinct island outlines. One location was circled in red, with a simple skull symbol drawn beside it—a typical identifier for a pirate treasure map.

He pointed his fingertip at the red-circled location, looked up at the coral reef before him, and confirmed in a low voice, "That's right. The 'Sea Eye Coordinates' marked on the map correspond to this coral reef."

The rowing Supernatural leaned in, his eyes fixed on the map, speaking with some urgency, "This trip was worth it. Who would have thought that next to the Sala Empire's royal treasury, there would be pirate treasure lying hidden? It's a good thing we didn't get tangled up with that kid earlier on the sea. If we had wasted time on him and missed the real treasure, it would have been a total loss."

"Hmph, earning a few gold coins from pearl diving? That's nothing compared to pirate treasure," the map-holding Supernatural sneered, carefully folding the map and tucking it into his shirt. "We didn't come here for pocket change. Last time, when we found this map in the wreckage of an abandoned pirate ship, I knew this was our chance. Word has it that before the 'Black Tooth Pirates' were wiped out by the Imperial Navy, they hid most of their loot—gold and jewels—in the deep sea near Island Thirteen. This coral reef is the entrance to the treasure cave."

The two cautiously scanned their surroundings, confirming that no other boats or figures were visible on the sea, only the occasional foam whipped up by the wind against the boat's side. The map-holding Supernatural pulled out a specially made iron pickaxe from his bag, weighed it in his hand, and said in a low voice, "Time to get to work. First, clear the algae off the top of the coral reef, find the mechanism marked on the map, and we can open the passage to the underwater treasure cave. Move fast, and don't let the royal patrol catch us."

The other Supernatural nodded, drew his short blade from his waist, and began clearing the algae from the top of the coral reef, working in cooperation with the iron pickaxe. The two moved swiftly, soon clearing that palm-sized area, revealing the dark, blue-black surface of the reef beneath. Carved into the reef was an inconspicuous cross-shaped groove, exactly matching the mechanism location marked on the map.

Back at the inn, Evan had just finished breakfast and was about to return to his room for a short rest, planning to continue pearl diving in the afternoon.

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Author's Note: Please add to your bookshelf.