Chapter 120: The Treasure Hunter

The mine owner was acutely aware that his death was imminent after answering this question.

Often, the motive behind a killing isn’t rooted in justice or malevolence, nor does it stem from hatred or a failure to keep promises. Rather, it’s a matter of security.

By posing this question, Nina signaled her next move would be to seek out this individual. 

In fact, if he was smart enough, he could have guessed this from the previous clues. If he leaked this information, Nina and Wu Qingsong would inevitably be lured into a trap, and this was almost certain to happen. The bounty of 300,000 renals was enough to make the majority abandon their promises. Even if it were the mine owner himself, he would never believe that someone would keep a promise not to report someone who had robbed his mine.

Even if Nina wished to uphold a promise of no killing, she was obligated to prioritize the safety of her followers and allies.

“Please…” pleaded the mine owner.

“Sorry,” Nina responded. “But even if you don’t tell us, we have other means to find out what we need to know.”

The mine owner hadn’t personally sought help in Nals Oasis. Someone among his trusted circle had met this treasure hunter and knew his identity. And indeed, it didn’t take long for Wu Qingsong and Nina to extract details about this treasure hunter from others.

The badgerman known as Job Jerem had a modest reputation in Nals Oasis. He preferred the title of naturalist over treasure hunter. His right leg was slightly lame, and atop his head was a tuft of white hair.

With such distinctive traits, finding such a man shouldn’t be difficult.

As Nina and her crew took care of the aftermath, Wu Qingsong, alongside Ling, started covering the crack that led to the underground palace with stones. Ling’s ability was invaluable. Though she couldn’t move large rocks directly, transforming into tools to shift medium-sized stones was well within her capabilities.

They not only sealed the crevice and the mining tunnel leading to it but also camouflaged the well’s upper section.

Wu Qingsong wasn’t sure if the mine owner’s subordinates left in Tannar were privy to this secret, yet he hoped that one day he could return to delve into the carvings on the walls more thoroughly.

He wished that the mine’s new owner would not find this secret.

Bidding farewell to Nina, Wu Qingsong was taken aback to see that she had shed her signature silver armor and her two-handed greatswords. She donned insectoid shell armor and dyed her hair gold with the juice of a plant.

“Nina, what are you doing?”

“Your strength is too weak,” Nina stated. “Ling’s ability is strong, but she cannot use it freely yet, and she hasn’t learned how to hide it. I’ll join you on this mission.”

“Really?” Wu Qingsong was overwhelmed with joy, which Nina noticed but chose to ignore with a slight sigh.

“Isn’t this too risky?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve even infiltrated Phoenix Port and Polopolore Port this way,” Nina assured.

Female warriors, while rare, were not unheard of. In an era devoid of television and cameras, wanted posters relied on textual descriptions and simple sketches to identify fugitives. Without intimate knowledge, capturing someone based solely on a wanted poster was largely down to chance.

“So I can’t call you Nina anymore?” Wu Qingsong asked.

“You can call me Anna, Anna Williams. That’s my name as a mercenary.”

Thus, Wu Qingsong, along with Anna Williams’ mercenary group, made their way back to Nals Oasis. The group, including Nina, comprised six individuals: two badgermen, one pigman, and two wolfmen, all long-time followers of Nina. This assortment perfectly aligned with the typical composition of mercenary groups across the continent.

“Do you often sneak into cities like this?” Wu Qingsong couldn’t resist asking.

Technically, he was now the employer of this modest band of mercenaries, with Nina acting as his temporary subordinate.

“Just on occasion,” Nina responded.

The two badgermen took charge of smoothing things over with the guards, securing accommodations, and then set out to track down the whereabouts of the treasure hunter. Unlike Beck, who was a novice to such endeavors, they clearly had extensive experience with these sorts of missions. Their operations were well-organized, and their demeanor and dialogue perfectly matched the roles they assumed.

Wu Qingsong encouraged Beck to learn from their example. Alone, he considered Beck competent, but upon comparison, Beck seemed just a country bumpkin. To think he’d been using such a greenhorn for errands made him feel like his status as a nouveau riche was all but confirmed.

“He just lacks experience,” Nina surprisingly came to Beck’s defense. “Anyone new to these tasks is sure to stumble at first. Once he gets the hang of it, he won’t give himself away so easily.”

Nina and her other subordinates also searched for the treasure hunter, focusing their efforts on pawnshops, taverns, casinos, and budget inns. 

Treasure hunters often found themselves idle for several months a year. Although some ventured to other locations during winter and summer to earn their living, the vast majority spent their downtime in these establishments, sharing insights, and seeking to glean additional information from peers, all while cautiously guarding their own secrets.

Documents pertaining to the Batiz Kingdom, ancient records left by elves on the annihilation of the Batiz Kingdom, and the whereabouts of water sources and supply stations were all considered vital intelligence for them. A plethora of treasure maps, both genuine and counterfeit, frequently exchanged hands as bargaining chips, the authenticity of which was known only to the involved parties.

No treasure hunter would disclose their next target for excavation, yet no one could keep completely silent about their plans.

They swiftly gleaned the information they sought from a barmaid at a tavern, who sometimes earned extra by spending time with these treasure hunters. 

Jerem had spent a considerable amount of time with her, often boasting after the fact about discovering a “real treasure” soon. He not only intended to withhold payment but also aimed to swindle her into investing in his expedition.

“These people are all frauds!” she declared with scorn. “At least twenty of such fellows promised me the stars. They claimed they’d marry me once they struck it rich. And what became of them? The majority died in the desert, while the survivors either ended up poorer or indeed made their fortune and ran away.”

Wu Qingsong was at a loss on how to interact with such a woman, but Nina had both the experience and patience to handle such characters. She attentively listened to her rants while subtly gathering more details about Jerem.

Jerem likely unearthed some leads from the inscriptions within the Moroto Mine, and might even have secured some funding. Around eight or nine months prior, he began assembling a crew in Nals Oasis, forming a modest expedition team with full confidence in their forthcoming excavation.

However, during the previous golden season, his expedition bore no fruit. On the contrary, another team stumbled upon an ancient town concealed by sand dunes, unearthing numerous valuable relics.

A bartender recalled an incident where Jerem, slightly drunk, wildly boasted about it, claiming it was akin to a beggar finding a coin in a trash heap.

“He boasted he’d soon find the real treasure. He ridiculed others for their blindness and even started a brawl. I was the one who ended up sending him home,” the bartender recounted. “That fight was quite a spectacle. You don’t actually believe he’s going to find any treasure, do you?”

“He swindled a substantial sum from my employer,” Nina revealed. “We’re here to make him pay for it.”

“Well, you might as well save the effort,” the bartender advised. “That fellow’s broke. He sold everything for camels, water, and food, then led a band of disillusioned youths into the desert, vowing not to return unless he succeeded. Claims he’d rather die in the desert. Come to think of it, he still owes me five renals.”

Wu Qingsong then tossed a renal to him, “Any idea where he might have gone?”

The bartender warmed up considerably, “How could I possibly know? Though, when he duped those five renals out of me, he mentioned it was somewhere uncharted by others, perhaps a bit more towards the southwest?”