CH 58

Koch Mountain is not close to the royal city of Helgeda.

Xia Zuoyi took Udit and others to trail behind Samuel.

In the end, Xia Zuoyi asked Walker to tie the man after he stepped into Koch Mountain.

It happened to be evening and the fiery red clouds on the horizon spread across the mountain. The forest seemed to be covered with a thin veil, ethereal and gorgeous.

Xia Zuoyi casually sat on a boulder by the stream.

With one leg stretched forward and the other bent up, he put his leather-gloved right hand on his knee, revealing a white wrist, which attracted the attention of others with the overlapping of dark colors.

But at this moment, no one will watch it, and no one dares to.

When poor Samuel was worrying about what to eat for dinner, he was taken away by two soldiers dressed as servants who suddenly appeared and brought him to Xia Zuoyi.

Samuel was extremely depressed.

He is also very skilled, otherwise, he would not dare to venture into the mountains alone.

But he didn’t expect that after two rounds, he was beaten to the ground and his hands were tied. At this moment, he was kneeling in front of the aristocratic young master…

Samuel couldn’t help being a little nervous. He didn’t know where he offended the other party.

Xia Zuoyi spoke lightly, “Samuel Fern.”

Samuel raised his head in surprise.

How can the noble master know his name?!

Xia Zuoyi: “Don’t you remember, we met onboard the ship, the Dream.”

He gave a reminder.

Samuel showed a thoughtful look on his face, and then suddenly looked at him, “You, you are…”

Even though Samuel’s mind at the time was all on Duke Bill and the Dream, he just took a quick glance at other people or objects.

But he still remembered the little boy who passed him on the deck. But…

Samuel glanced at Xia Zuoyi, and then at Udit, who was clearly a subordinate, standing behind him. He instantly understood that what they are doing on the Dream is just a pretend relationship disguised for outsiders.

In fact, the leader has always been the little boy sitting in the center.

But Samuel didn’t understand him. He’s an honest man who only wanted to sail. Where did he provoke this noble young master?

So he humbly asked.

Xia Zuoyi thought that he was really interesting. Since he was tied up, he didn’t look flustered, only calmly trying to get out. As expected, he is a man who has seen wind and waves on the sea.

He said, “The reason you came to Koch Mountain is also the reason why we’re here.”

Samuel: “You’re also here for Duke Bill?!”

Xia Zuoyi: “That’s right.”

“Now let’s talk about your purpose for Mount Koch. We can have a good talk about it. Walker, untie him first.” 

Walker nodded and ordered the soldiers to loosen the rope for Samuel.

Samuel rubbed his reddish wrist, wincing. After weighing the pros and cons, he knew that he wasn’t qualified to bargain now.

He simply said, “You are definitely not from Helgeda, but even Helgedans mustn’t be as knowledgeable as I am.”

“What do you know?”

“Koch Mountain is a place of special significance for Duke Bill.” Samuel said.

Xia Zuoyi was a little surprised.

Because no matter what Rodney said or what they heard, there was no mention of Koch Mountain.

Not to mention knowing that Koch Mountain is special to Duke Bill.

It’s like he’s playing a guessing game.

Although he got the answer directly, there are still hidden clues in the middle that he doesn’t understand.

Xia Zuoyi couldn’t help musing—is it because of the particularity of Koch Mountain that Duke Bill buried the treasure here?

Samuel said, “Duke Bill never married or had children in his life.”

“People say that he gave everything for the sea, but in fact, he had a very loving lover. The place where they met was Mount Koch.”

Xia Zuoyi, “How did you know?”

Neither Koch Mountain nor Duke Bill having a lover wasn’t mentioned before, so naturally, none of the spies he sent got the news. 

Obviously, this is a hidden “easter egg”, a story that Duke Bill deliberately hid.

Samuel: “I’ve been following Duke Bill for so long so it’s normal for me to find some clues that others have missed.”

“And Duke Bill is a very smart person. He blatantly left some directional traces under the eyes of countless people.”

“Most people can’t find it, only I can find it.”

Walker couldn’t resist raising his eyebrows, “Are you, in a roundabout way, complimenting yourself for being a very clever person?”

Samuel grinned while scratching his beard, then said, “I really am.”

“And I never doubt that only I can do what Duke Bill did first, and I will definitely do better than him!”

Xia Zuoyi: “Go to sea to explore the new world?”

“Yes!”

Samuel’s eyes were shining with a light that couldn’t be ignored.

“But you’ve failed once.”

“It was just a trial for me.”

Samuel didn’t care, “If I don’t succeed once, I can try again for the second or third time…until I greet my death.”

Samuel Fern’s face bloomed when he talked about his dreams.

Xia Zuoyi couldn’t help but hit him, “If you die on Koch Mountain, how can you realize your dream?”

“If I kill you now, will you be very unwilling?”

Samuel: “I’m powerless to resist you.”

“It’s really easy for you to kill me. Although I won’t be reconciled that my dream hasn’t been realized, I will still open my heart and go to the God of Creation’s embrace. May the God of Creation bless me!”

He sat on the ground casually and looked at Xia Zuoyi. Suddenly, he grabbed his tousled hair and said with a smile, “And I have a feeling that you won’t kill me.”

“Can’t I answer the question honestly?”1

“I just want to explore Duke Bill’s past. I don’t know what you want or what plans you have, but it won’t definitely hinder you! I will definitely not say anything afterward…” 

“Why don’t you just pardon my life…” 

Xia Zuoyi did not give a clear indication.

He said, “How did you find the clues that Duke Bill left behind?”

Samuel changed his position and sat down, “I guessed by following Duke Bill’s thinking. And if one asks what is the most important thing in his life then the answer must be the Dream.”

“He gave up too many things to build this ship, including the girl he fell in love with.”

“You can’t take a woman when you sail.”

“Because at sea, women mean disaster. Duke Bill won’t give up his dream of going to sea, so he reluctantly lets go of his beloved.”

“But he must have regretted this relationship, otherwise he would not have been unmarried all his life.”

Samuel murmured, “Oh, let me say that there is no conflict between getting married and having children and going to sea. It’s a pity that I haven’t met the woman I want to marry now…” 

Xia Zuoyi: “I don’t care about this.”

“…Yes, yes, I’ll continue.”

Samuel couldn’t resist tugging at his skirt, “Have you ever been in the cabin of the Dream?”

“No.”

“If you go in, you will definitely see the words and patterns carved on the board of the boat or on the tables. There’s a lot of them, numerous. Duke Bill likes to burn any information on his things.”

Xia Zuoyi couldn’t help looking at Udit and Walker.

The two nodded.

Udit said, “It’s true, but it’s all day-to-day writing with no important news…”

Samuel shook his finger, “That’s why I said Duke Bill is a very smart and bold person.”

“Since he loves the Dream the most, how could he not take a look at it again and touch its beautiful hull before leaving Helgeda.”

“So I boldly guessed that Duke Bill must have sneaked back on the boat after that.”

“In addition, he left some traces in the conspicuous place on the ship. It is these traces that guided me to pursue his previous lover and decipher the clues he actually concealed in the end!”

“The clue is Koch Mountain!”

Samuel said, “I’m a shipbuilder.”

“I’m very familiar with the structure of the hull, and I also know how the hull or the things on the ship will change after going through the waves of the sea. I can see the difference between the traces on the surface of the cabin.” 

It’s just that Duke Bill is a burning maniac.

He left too many traces, and it is only now that Samuel filters out important information.

**

Xia Zuoyi told Samuel to proceed according to his own ideas.

They found a deserted hut deep in the mountains.

It used to be a resting place for hunters in the forest, but now it’s obviously useless, but Samuel went in and found the hidden special symbols under the floor and in the corners.

Xia Zuoyi recognized them as the symbols on the treasure map.

He asked, “Do you know what they mean?”

Samuel: “Yes, these are the symbols that Duke Bill will mark after identifying directions at sea. They represent the east, southeast, southwest…”

“He burned them under the table in the cabin.”

Xia Zuoyi: “…”

No wonder this person would rather spend fifty silver coins to board the ship often.

Samuel was a little excited, “We just need to follow the directions indicated. We don’t know what we’ll find in the end.”

He suddenly said to Xia Zuoyi, “But you must know, right?”

Xia Zuoyi raised his eyebrows, noncommittal.

He hadn’t deliberately concealed anything from Samuel, “Yes, I know, and I can tell you now.”

“No, no, don’t say it!”

Samuel waved his hand in a panic, “Please let me enjoy the pleasure of decryption.”

Xia Zuoyi made a gesture of invitation.

Samuel breathed a sigh of relief and led the way.

They finally followed the directions to a cliff.

Xia Zuoy looked at the detailed map produced by the system. The end marked on it was in a hidden cave below the cliff.

Udit looked at Xia Zuoyi’s eagerness to try and couldn’t help saying, “Do you want to go down in person?”

Xia Zuoyi nodded, “Don’t worry about me, Udit.”

“You wait up here. Walker will take me down.”

“Okay, pay attention to safety.”

Although Udit is worried, he won’t go against Xia Zuoyi’s will and prevent him. The young eagle will always grow up. Before that, letting the lord try and fly is the best choice for him.

Of course, the premise of letting go is that the place ahead is safe enough.

Xia Zuoyi slowly reached the bottom of the cliff with Walker’s help.

After careful searching, they found the hidden cave in the lush grass, but there was nothing inside.

“How come…” Samuel scratched his head in confusion.

Xia Zuoyi accidentally slammed the dagger against a part of the mountain wall and it made a hollow sound.

Walker instantly looked over, “There’s something wrong with this mountain wall.”

There is indeed a problem.

Because the mountain wall was hollowed out by Duke Bill, there are hidden treasures in it that he brought back from the continent he explored…

Xia Zuoy saw ancient lithographs of abstract figures wearing eagle and feather crests, distinctive written descriptions, pieces of gold the size of a palm…

He found a well-sealed piece of old parchment in an inconspicuous box.

098 appeared on the system interface:【Host, this is the maritime route map. Will it be included in the system?】

“Yes.”

【The system is recording… Please wait while the bugs are being fixed… Repair completed. The sea route is updated. The host is welcome to explore it any time.】

After 098’s voice fell, the system interface instantly refreshed and changed. The fog around the Western Continent disappears, revealing the blue sea. There are many unmarked places on the vast sea, which are covered by blurred mosaics before they’re explored. 

Xia Zuoyi: “…”

Will my future journey be the sea of ​​stars?!2

He couldn’t help but cast his gaze on Samuel.

At this moment, Samuel turned a blind eye to the gold and gems all over the floor but was extremely obsessed with the manuscript left by Duke Bill.

He noticed Xia Zuoyi’s profound eyes and his face turned pale. Is he going to be killed?

Is he really going to run into the embrace of the God of Creation?!

Samuel was in despair.

After all, he really didn’t expect that what Duke Bill left here was a coveted treasure. He knew such a big secret…

This noble young master would most probably never let him go no matter what.

The flame of ecstasy at the discovery of the manuscript was instantly extinguished.

Xia Zuoyi: “Go.”

“Please forgive me… Huh? Go, where?” Samuel was taken aback.

Translator’s Notes: