Alka and Siegert pointed their long sabers at him, slowly retreating.
Watching their movements, the young man raised his hands, palms open, to show he meant no harm.
"No need to be so cautious," he said with a smile, his tone light and relaxed. "And I was actually here first. I just didn’t want anyone to know I was here, so I hid. But I didn’t expect you both to be so alert."
"Why are you here? Why were you hiding?" Alka asked, keeping his saber pointed at the man.
After all, if he was just curious, he shouldn’t need to hide like that. Moreover, hanging his entire body beneath the balcony was clearly not something an ordinary person could do.
The man adjusted his hat. "I overheard some of your conversation just now. You’re here looking for something valuable too, aren’t you?"
Upon hearing this, both Alka and Siegert frowned. This meant the person in front of them already knew they were after the treasure.
Of course, it couldn’t really be called a treasure. It could also be called Toure’s legacy.
Thinking this, Alka, deciding there was no point in hiding it, asked directly, "Do you have any information? If it’s something we don’t know, perhaps we could collaborate."
Hearing Alka’s words, the man smiled and gave a slight bow. "Allow me to introduce myself. Jason Fars, Treasure Hunter."
"And might I have the honor of knowing your names?"
Siegert immediately replied, "Siegert Berg of Golden Wheat Island."
Hearing this, Alka resisted the urge to turn and question Siegert. He understood giving their names, but why mention where they were from?
Jason looked as if he understood and nodded. "Ah, from Home Island. Then there’s no need to be so wary. After all, I’m just a Treasure Hunter, not some desperate pirate with no way out."
Siegert sheathed his weapon and patted Alka on the shoulder. "Put away your weapon."
It seems Home Island has secrets I’m not aware of, Alka thought. I’ll have to ask him about it later.
Thinking this, Alka also sheathed his weapon. In this situation, he could trust Siegert’s judgment.
"Since you want to exchange information, why don’t we team up to search for this little treasure?" Jason proposed.
"Of course, whatever we find will be divided equally among the three of us, with picks based on contribution."
Without waiting for them to reply, Jason continued, "To show my sincerity, how about I start by sharing what I know?"
Alka thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
Jason began, "I assume I don’t need to repeat the information commonly known on the island. Alando Toure, before his death, was creating his masterpiece in his residence. For a long time, he didn’t go out or receive any guests. Until one day, he left to handle a task for the navy, assisting with some research. His willingness to leave implied his work was likely finished. However, no one knew for sure, and nothing was ever found in his residence."
Upon hearing this, Alka squinted slightly. With this new information, the Treasure Information entry must have updated with more details, he realized.
"Alright, your turn," Jason said.
Hearing this, Siegert turned to look at Alka. What Siegert knew was no different from what others on the island knew; surely Alka knew more.
Alka met Siegert’s gaze. Don’t look at me; I know just as much as you do! he inwardly exclaimed, though his expression remained unchanged. He then asked Jason, "How long have you been searching this mansion?"
Jason hesitated slightly but still answered, "A few days, but I haven’t found much."
"Do you have a blueprint of the mansion?" Alka pressed.
Seeing Jason’s expression, Alka immediately added, "I might know a few places where he could have hidden things, but I’m not familiar with this mansion’s layout."
Hearing this, Jason frowned and pursed his lips. After careful consideration, he said, "Alright. I managed to get one from the Governor’s Mansion."
Saying so, he pulled out a rolled-up paper from the bag on his back and handed it to Alka.
Alka took it and immediately unrolled it. The paper was double-layered: a thin sheet of tracing paper laid over a piece of parchment. It was a copy.
The blueprint depicted the very mansion they were in, divided into several sections. It showed the first floor with its courtyard, as well as the two upper floors of another building.
A blue dot of light appeared on the paper.
Reaching out, he touched the paper, tapping the dot.
Sure enough, the entry had changed.
[Treasure Information: Alando Toure’s manor. Contains the masterpiece from the peak of its owner’s career. It also houses various items he deemed "failures," created and discarded during the pursuit of his masterpiece. These are located in his secret workshop.]
Looking at the information, then at the blue dot on the blueprint, Alka noted its position.
The dot was on the first floor, in a non-existent room. On the blueprint, this area was marked as a load-bearing pillar.
Such a small area couldn’t possibly be a room.
Alka put the blueprint away. "Shall we take a look at the first floor? This blueprint doesn’t quite match the area I just explored."
Upon hearing this, Siegert happily followed, subtly positioning himself to keep an eye on Jason.
Jason, in contrast, merely raised an eyebrow.
He wasn’t blind. He could tell Alka was very young. From his movements, he didn’t seem like a seasoned Treasure Hunter. More like a greenhorn just setting out to sea.
The only reason I was willing to share so much, Jason thought, is because I’ve already been searching for days. I was on the verge of giving up, convinced Alando Toure hadn’t actually succeeded, or that his work had been taken by previous explorers. Today was just a final, casual look around, mostly out of lingering unwillingness to completely abandon the search. Could it be that there’s actually something to find?
With that thought, he quickly followed them.
The group descended the stairs to the first floor.
Alka stopped at the foot of the stairs. He looked at the two walls forming the corner by the staircase.
He raised a fist and knocked.
Watching Alka’s actions, Jason reminded him from the side, "It’s solid. It’s just a load-bearing pillar of this building."
Alka ignored Jason’s comment. He gazed at the handrail that ran flush against the wall.
Normally, there wouldn’t be a handrail on the side immediately adjacent to a wall. But there was one here.
He ran his hand along the handrail, tapping it as he listened carefully to the sounds from within.
A smile appeared on his face.
He began to twist and turn sections of the handrail’s main support post. Finally, a section in the middle rotated.
With a series of CLICKS, the adjacent wall shed a bit of dust.
Then... nothing happened.