Captain – Chapter 192 – Solomon’s Treasure

The fire burned quietly, illuminating the seemingly endless staircase leading downward.

This was the secret passage hidden deep within the Black Emperor’s grand palace, leading to the treasure chamber that stored the wealth amassed by the Constantine over decades of conquests.

The hidden door to this passage was extremely well concealed, located on the right side of one of the thirty-six marble pillars in the palace, requiring a series of complex mechanisms to open.

Apart from a few important figures aboard the Constantine, outsiders and even their own crew members didn’t know the location of this hidden door, let alone how to open it.

Therefore, without the help of someone well-versed in solving these mechanisms, even if this final fortress fell, its new master wouldn’t be able to take away Solomon’s treasure. That was Solomon’s thinking.

Fortunately, not all of the Black Emperor’s capable officers had perished.

The battle that took place during the storm was extremely brutal. The Constantine’s crew suffered heavy casualties under the crossfire from the Mermaid and the Orca. The Fighting Squad, the gunners who participated in the battle, and even those important figures who were watching—almost all of them lay dead on the deck, with none surviving.

After Caine had dealt with Solomon, everyone, including Captain Rex, believed that all the masters of this emperor of the sea had been executed.

But to be absolutely certain, the young man had issued orders for Harriet and her team to search the quarterdeck thoroughly while collecting spoils, leaving no corner unchecked.

The final result was that one team member discovered the Constantine’s Bosun, Randall, hiding under a bed in a high-level cabin, terrified nearly to the point of madness.

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Inevitably, this once fierce and ruthless tall, thin man also became a prisoner in the Mermaid’s iron cell.

But this actually saved his life.

After looking out through a porthole from the lower deck and witnessing that magnificent battleship burning and sinking, the last shred of hope in the Bosun’s heart had vanished.

To save his life, the Bosun pledged his loyalty to Roy, and his token of submission was the plan to capture the port, as well as the massive treasure within the hidden chamber beneath the palace—wealth enough to dazzle the eyes.

The person walking at the front of the group now, holding a lantern and guiding Roy and the others, was none other than Randall.

“Tell me, how much farther do we have to go?”

Hearing Roy’s somewhat impatient question, Randall instinctively swallowed and said cautiously: “About ten more minutes of walking. To prevent traitors from revealing the secret of this place and taking away all the treasure, Captain Solomon—no, that old fellow deliberately designed the passage to be extremely long, with traps set in various places.”

Although he had earned Roy’s forgiveness by helping the Mermaid capture the fortress and opening this secret door, he had once been a subordinate of the Golden-Eyed Devil’s mortal enemy. So he still felt somewhat anxious about whether she truly wished to let bygones be bygones.

“Traps?”

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Upon hearing this, Roy’s pupils contracted slightly as she began to vigilantly examine the seemingly ordinary stone walls around her, afraid that poisoned arrows might shoot out from somewhere.

“Rest assured, Captain. I came here with some men a dozen or so days ago, and all the mechanical traps have been removed. Though this was indeed hard on Randall, since we didn’t know their locations or triggering mechanisms,” Caine explained softly.

The assault on this port had begun as early as the third day after their return to Yadris.

Although the port’s defenses were arranged with extreme prudence and its terrain made it easy to defend but difficult to attack, after Randall sent falcons to deliver handwritten letters about the Black Emperor’s death to the port guards, the siege came to an abrupt end.

The fully armed Mermaid sailing into this great lake, along with the Wave Breaker that came to assist in the battle, successfully captured the area and accepted nearly a thousand surrenders without even using the intelligence about the fortress’s weaknesses provided by Randall, let alone facing any resistance.

Some of these people were guards responsible for protecting the port, but most were residents living here—or in other words, slaves who had been captured through the Black Emperor’s vile methods.

“Is that so? I didn’t realize you were genuinely committed to serving me,” Roy said, looking at the man’s thin back and teased: “I thought all of you were die-hard loyalists to the Black Emperor. In the past, if it weren’t for your desperate protection, how could that old man have survived at my hands?”

Randall’s eyelids twitched rapidly, and he said with a dry throat: “Captain Roy, it’s the circumstances that compelled me. In the past, the reason I served that tyrant was due to unavoidable difficulties…”

“Oh? What difficulties? Let’s hear them.”

Seeing Randall choked speechless by the girl, Caine sighed lightly and helped him out: “Captain, considering how much help he’s been, perhaps you shouldn’t give him such a hard time.”

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“That’s because you don’t know how much trouble he’s caused me in the past.”

Roy laughed wickedly, then said indifferently: “However, Randall, since you’re willing to serve me, all past grievances can be wiped clean. But if I find out that you harbor even the slightest disloyalty, then the fate of you and your family will be incredibly miserable. Do you understand?”

“Of course, Captain.”

The girl’s cold words reached his ears, but far from being terrified, Randall actually felt somewhat relieved and immediately responded respectfully.

These men who had lived for years under Solomon’s high-pressure rule were like adult male wolves in a pack. When the alpha wolf possessed sufficient deterrence and dominance, they would obediently offer flattery and loyalty, and even fight bravely.

But if you gave them too many sweets, they wouldn’t be grateful—instead, they might bite you at a critical moment.

However, with sufficient disciplining and warnings, such fellows could become decent blades.

After the girl’s words fell, the passage returned to silence, with only the sound of numerous footsteps remaining.

After walking for some time, Randall finally stopped before a stone door and made way for Roy: “Captain, we’ve arrived.”

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On a pirate ship, only the captain had the right to distribute spoils. It was a symbol of controlling the ship’s wealth and possessing supreme power.

Now that Solomon’s treasure was right before them, the person who could push open the stone door and be the first to enter the treasure chamber naturally could only be the captain of the Mermaid.

Roy stepped forward, examining the grayish-white stone door that was twice her height and decorated with skull patterns. She chuckled and said: “Solomon’s treasure… something so many pirates have dreamed of. That old man probably never imagined until his death that the wealth he accumulated throughout his life would end up benefiting me, the captain.”

With that, the captain wasted no more time and pushed open the heavy stone door.

Beyond the stone door, the view suddenly opened up. What greeted Roy’s eyes was not the chamber she had imagined, but a natural cave.

From the ceiling of the cavern hung numerous stalactites, dripping water droplets down with a pitter-patter sound. If one quieted down and listened carefully, they could faintly hear the sound of flowing water, indicating that somewhere in this cavern, there might be an underground river connected to the outside world.

But none of this was what caught the girl’s attention first. She just stared in astonishment at the gold coins piled as high as small mountains and the various jewels scattered all over the ground, temporarily forgetting even the true purpose of her visit.

After a long while, she finally sighed softly.

“Worth it.”