Captain – Chapter 193 – The Eye of Surveillance

Solomon’s wealth was incredibly vast—this was the consensus among pirates in the Eastern Seas, though very few had ever seen it with their own eyes.

So when the door to the treasure chamber opened and the mountains of gold coins and treasures came into view, even Roy, who was mentally prepared, was still somewhat shocked.

The Black Emperor, who had ruled Yadris for over a decade, exploiting and oppressing its inhabitants, and who had plundered freely throughout the Eastern Seas with the help of the Constantine, had left behind wealth that surpassed even some small countries—truly deserving to be called rich enough to rival a nation.

Dispelling the dreamlike haze, Roy led the pirates with their eyes full of golden light into the cavern, approaching the small mountain formed by countless jewels.

Only at this moment, peering through the gaps between the piles of gold coins, did people see that behind this small mountain were also colorful gems, exquisitely crafted candelabras and tableware, and stacked paintings.

And these items, including the gold coins and jewels before them, occupied only a small portion of this natural cave’s space—merely the tip of the iceberg of Solomon’s treasure.

Taking a deep breath, Roy muttered through gritted teeth: “How many treasure ships did this old guy plunder to become so rich? No wonder his position on the Empire and Federation’s wanted lists was even higher than mine.”

The captain’s voice was very soft, and only Caine, who was closest to her, vaguely heard her mutterings.

As Miss Joyce would say, Captain, not only do you have no savings, but the Mermaid also runs at a deficit. Looking at it this way, almost every pirate captain in this vast sea is richer than you, right?

Caine thought silently, then cleared his throat and reminded her: “Captain, we still have matters to attend to.”

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“Right, matters, matters… if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten.”

Roy’s attention was pulled back by her First Mate’s words. She reluctantly shifted her gaze from the jewels, then said to Harriet, who stood straight behind Caine: “Squad Leader, have the accountant take inventory of everything here, then move it all to the Mermaid. Before I agree to distribute the spoils, don’t let me find even a single gold coin missing.”

“Yes, Captain!”

Harriet responded respectfully, then turned back to make arrangements.

Under the Squad Leader’s command, several crew members circled around the mountain of gold and brought out some dark red antique tables and chairs from the back, making it convenient for the accountant to record information about the spoils.

But before the accountant could take action, the ship’s doctor, dressed extravagantly with accessories no less impressive than the jewels scattered on the ground, stepped forward with his cane. Under the gaze of countless eyes, he sat down at the table without hesitation.

Tapping his fingers on the table, indicating for the accountant to place paper and pen on the table, Anderson said to Harriet with a demeanor both reserved and proud: “Counting is fine for him to do, but when it comes to appraising treasures and estimating their value, perhaps it’s more suitable for me to handle it, don’t you think?”

“Just like a rooster with its tail feathers raised.”

Watching this scene, Roy pondered for a moment, pinching her chin, and gave her assessment of the ship’s doctor.

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After seeing Harriet nod in agreement and everything beginning to proceed smoothly, the captain smiled with satisfaction, then returned to the stone door with Caine and began walking along the right wall, or rather the cave wall, while asking him: “Are you sure you haven’t remembered the location wrong?”

“Enter the door, walk along the right wall to the end, dig through the gold coins and sand, and you’ll find that box. This is what Solomon told me before he died. It shouldn’t be wrong.”

Lightly stroking the damp cave wall, Caine looked at the strange text carved into the stone, as well as the primitive and rugged wave symbols, and said softly: “It seems this cavern is not simply a treasure chamber, but may have once been a relic of some ancient civilization.”

“Perhaps ancient humans who worshipped the Lady? Who knows.” Roy shrugged, making careless guesses without much concern.

“Speaking of which, since Solomon possessed such enormous wealth, what about you, Captain? Do you also have your own treasure hidden in some secret place? After all, this seems to be a common hobby among pirate captains.”

As if remembering something, Caine changed the subject and asked her curiously.

“Uh, treasure…”

Roy scratched her cheek, somewhat sheepishly saying: “Yes, of course I do. My treasure is hidden in… hidden in…”

Clapping her hands with a “pah,” the captain suddenly became full of confidence: “My treasure is hidden on Devil’s Island in the depths of the Cursed Sea. It’s wealth that can rival the Pronora Federation. Compared to my treasure, Solomon’s little pile is nothing at all.”

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Hearing the captain’s serious tone, the young man sighed lightly, somewhat disappointedly saying: “So that means you don’t have any.”

Roy pouted, defending herself: “You don’t know, but when I first took over Yadris, the place was barren. More than half of the money I struggled to save went into rebuilding it. So if you really want to say, Yadris is my property.”

“The people living on the island… they are my real treasure.”

As the two went deeper into the cave, the sounds of the crew grew more distant until they finally disappeared completely, leaving only the sound of their footsteps, occasional idle chat, and the increasingly clear sound of flowing water.

Finally, the captain and her First Mate reached the end of the cavern.

Caine held out the lantern he had taken from Randall, and what appeared before them was a pile of scattered gold coins, and beyond the gold coins was a rapid underground river.

The underground river was unexpectedly wide. The light from the lantern couldn’t reveal its full extent, let alone illuminate the scene on the opposite shore.

“This cavern seems to have some issues, but never mind, it’s not our concern.”

Roy frowned slightly as she gazed at the deep darkness of the opposite shore. After a moment of silence, she shook her head and bent down to begin moving aside the gold coins.

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Listening to the faint echoes from the opposite shore, Roy realized that this cavern was far more spacious than she had imagined, but in the darkness, it was impossible to discern the size of the underground river. Moreover, the secret passage that Solomon had created couldn’t accommodate even the smallest boat, making crossing the river an unrealistic fantasy.

Besides, compared to whatever might be hidden in that darkness, the treasure right before her eyes was clearly more important.

After pushing aside the pile of gold coins and brushing away a layer of shallow sand that seemed out of place in the cavern, a delicate small stone box came into Roy’s view.

“So it really exists.”

Roy carefully removed the stone box, then stood up and placed it in front of the lantern held up by her First Mate, beginning to examine its structure.

As it turned out, this was just an ordinary stone box. It hadn’t been imbued with the Lady’s magic, and it was even more futile to expect that Solomon, in his attempt to escape that contract, could have placed any seal upon it.

Opening the stone box, the smooth cat’s eye stone lay quietly in the center.

Between its pitch-black color that seemed to devour light was a ring of silver chain as brilliant as the Milky Way. From the silver chain, tiny bits of silver scattered outward, endlessly alternating between brightness and darkness, just like the twinkling bright points in the starry sky.

This was a replica of the Eye of Lamia created by the Lady, and also her eye for observing the world and monitoring those bound by her contracts.