Chapter 208 – The Great Treasure
"The Great Treasure?"
Hearing this, Zhou Ning couldn't help but tug at the corner of his mouth. This was absolutely the Pirate King Zhou Ning's twisted sense of humor—absolutely!
Both the Lucky Clover and the treasure map had been very clearly noted in the simulation process. It seemed the man before him had found something left behind by the Pirate King Zhou Ning on some island in the Sea of Mists.
Though it wasn't spelled out, the process must have been gruelingly difficult.
Zhou Ning was filled with curiosity toward the things another version of himself had left behind, but he decided to check the price first.
The Lucky Clover would undoubtedly be very useful to him. For more than half a month, his luck had been atrocious—he'd been drawing prizes nonstop every day, but it was like he'd poked a hornets' nest of firearms: all guns, not a single useful one in sight.
Perhaps this little thing was the key to turning his luck around. Whether he could draw other epic-tier items would depend on it.
As for side effects… if he timed it right and stayed home, it probably wouldn't kill him.
Strictly speaking, a supernatural item like the Lucky Clover being priced at 1,600 Vecktas was still reasonable—especially with a treasure map thrown in. For most supernaturals, this was irresistibly tempting.
As for the clover's negative effects, and the possible dangers of the map—those were things people conveniently chose to ignore.
"1,600 Vecktas!"
"1,700 Vecktas!"
"1,900!"
The people sitting around called out one after another, the price climbing rapidly. Before long it had reached 3,200 Vecktas, then stalled.
"Anyone still bidding?" the seller asked again. The hall was silent.
"3,250 Vecktas."
Zhou Ning didn't hesitate, calmly naming his price.
Hearing the latest bid, the seller waited a few seconds, and when no one else spoke up, nodded. "Deal!"
He walked with Zhou Ning to the center of the venue, placing the box in his hand on one side of a balance scale, while Zhou Ning put a thick stack of banknotes on the other.
The result—the box's side outweighed the other, making it clear these things were worth far more than the price.
In a way, Zhou Ning had gotten himself a bargain.
"No worries. There's a saying in the Northlands: honesty is a kind of faith, just like sea winds, fine wine, and the gods." The seller smiled.
Zhou Ning hadn't expected someone who looked so intimidating to actually be rather decent.
Still, parting with over 3,000 Vecktas at once felt like having a huge chunk of flesh cut from him.
Exhaling, he tucked away the single 50-Vecktas note he got back in change, opened the box, and saw a green, three-leaf clover. Beneath it lay a yellowed square of folded paper.
"Don't touch that treasure map for now—it carries an ominous curse that needs to be dispelled," came Molly's voice in his mind.
Zhou Ning gave the faintest nod, closed the box, and held it in both hands.
After making the largest purchase he'd ever made, the next few trades were all magic-related.
The third one shattered his sense of value—
The Fire Dragon Technique he had spent dozens of quest rings to learn from the royal court mage Elan sold for 4,000 Vecktas, bought by a portly man.
The seller was an elderly man wearing a mask, his voice weathered and hoarse. Zhou Ning guessed he was a high-level archmage.
Over ten minutes later, it was finally Zhou Ning's turn. He stood and said in a deep voice: "I'm looking to purchase expert-level alchemy blueprints, as well as weapons or supernatural items with some age to them."
No one spoke. His request was ignored—after all, nearly all expert-level or higher alchemy formulas were controlled by major powers, with very few circulating outside.
Getting that Volcano Potion earlier had already been a lucky break.
After a long silence, the Northlander finally spoke: "I might have something for you—a seemingly ordinary blade, another trophy I brought back from that island. Its only special trait is that it conducts battle energy quite well."
"I'll probably be at the next gathering. If you're interested, I'll bring the blade along."
"A sword? With Frostmourne unusable, I do happen to lack a good melee weapon," Zhou Ning thought, then nodded. "Alright."
Seeing no further responses, Zhou Ning sat back down to listen to the rest of the trades.
There was another big purchase: the unlucky young noble beside him spent 8,700 Vecktas on an unknown artifact called the Golden Pouch, which could produce three coins from the ancient Falric era each day.
The only modern use for those coins was to melt them down for gold bullion. Zhou Ning did the math—assuming the noble survived long enough, it would take over 230 years just to break even.
What a little genius.
Such a huge purchase naturally stirred greed and covetous looks from the crowd; many kept eyeing the noble.
Honestly, even Zhou Ning felt the urge to rob him.
After that, the trades became much less interesting. Near the end, Zhou Ning spotted something worthwhile—a book on ancient languages and cultures.
Upholding the clan motto "Knowledge is power," Zhou Ning had little resistance to scholarly works.
He bought the book for 50 Vecktas, and with that, all trades were concluded. The owner of the Scales of Misfortune announced the gathering's end.
As when they had entered, attendees left one by one through another secret passage.
To protect the young noble, the owner sent him out first. Zhou Ning was in the middle of the order. Emerging from the hidden door, he immediately looked for the noble. The man had removed his outer hood and was glancing around warily as he walked in the opposite direction.
Alert, but probably in vain.
Zhou Ning shook his head—then froze slightly.
From an entrance not far away emerged an old man both unfamiliar and yet somehow familiar.
It was the elderly man who had sold the Fire Dragon Technique earlier.
With his mask removed, he was revealed as a white-templed, refined-looking man with an air of elegance. His green eyes were deep and penetrating.
Zhou Ning hadn't expected to meet him here—Count "Wisdom" Robbins. From him, Zhou Ning sensed a chilling power—subtle, but undeniably present.
Though disguised, Zhou Ning's Observation Haki still detected an inexplicable familiarity about him.
With the help of his Aura-Sight technique, Zhou Ning could clearly see the qi within Robbins—dark and lifeless, without a trace of vitality.
No doubt about it—Count Robbins definitely had a problem!
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