"I don't know what you're talking about!" Steve shook his head fiercely, denying it outright.
First Mate Bill Hades chimed in from the side. "The captain couldn't possibly do something like that. This Emerald Sandboat—he treats it like his prized possession. How could he set it on fire?"
The surrounding crew members buzzed with discussion, and a few people who looked like wealthy merchants urged Barrett to calm down a little and not get too worked up.
"The reason our routes are so similar is because you're not taking the path to Vast Stellar Gate, but heading into the depths of the Eight Greed Kings desert on a death voyage!" Barrett threw out another shocking statement that stunned everyone.
"Captain, is this true?" First Mate Bill looked anxiously at Steve. "Before we entered the desert, you told me we'd only need to sail through the outer rim areas, and we'd reach Vast Stellar Gate in a month.
"Now more than a month has passed, and we haven't seen even a trace of Vast Stellar Gate! I always thought the monster attacks were what slowed us down. Are we really not heading toward Vast Stellar Gate?"
"Absolutely not!" Steve begged Barrett. "Anyway, the fire has already burned the map, and what's done is done—there's no turning back. Just travel with us. Without your group's protection along the way, we'll all die in the Eight Greed Kings desert."
Barrett shook his head. "If you were heading to Vast Stellar Gate, you'd have left the Eight Greed Kings desert long ago. But you're sailing deeper into it instead—this is leading the whole ship straight to their doom! No matter how many adventurers you have, they won't be able to save your lives!"
"Don't slander me!" Steve struggled fiercely to break free from Barrett's iron-vise grip. "The route I planned was always to Vast Stellar Gate. If you don't believe me, you can get off the ship right now!"
Steve seemed to regain his confidence, with the only map now in his hands—he had pinpointed Barrett's weakness of not having one.
Barrett shrugged, pulling several parchment maps from his spatial ring and unfolding them, waving them in front of everyone:
"When I lent you the map, I sensed something was off about you. So, the one I gave you was just a fake counterfeit. The map drawn by the Slane Theocracy Six Scriptures is still in my possession. I compared the routes and found the ship has been heading straight into the deepest part of the desert!"
"Fuc..." Steve staggered back two steps, staring incredulously at the map in Barrett's hand. The expression on his face said it all—he never imagined Barrett had kept an ace up his sleeve.
"Awesome, Barrett! I knew you were super reliable!" EeDechi said joyfully.
Barrett continued coldly. "You deliberately set that fire to destroy our map, just to force us along—so we'd join you in treasure hunting deep in the Eight Greed Kings desert. You're too greedy. Maybe you'll find endless treasures, but the whole ship will go down with you!"
"Captain, is this true?" First Mate Bill looked at Steve in shock.
"Captain, say something..." The surrounding crew members were equally pale-faced.
"I have assembled the Eight Greed Kings' Imperial Map Fragments," Steve said, enunciating each word.
This revelation hit like a massive boulder plunged into a lake, sending shockwaves rippling through everyone's minds. Gasps of astonishment rose one after another, and even Barrett was stunned for a moment.
The Imperial Map Fragment—that's the legendary treasure map. Legends say that the Eight Greed Kings' power to rule the world, along with their wealth that could rival nations, are all hidden within this Imperial Map Fragment. Collect all the scattered pieces, and the path to the treasure will reveal itself. Whoever holds the fragments can inherit everything from the Eight Greed Kings.
Barrett remembered that he himself had three fragments of the Imperial Map. For a split second, his eyes went slightly out of focus. The Imperial Map Fragment was something he was determined to get his hands on. The massive treasure left behind by the Eight Greed Kings was enough to lure any adventurer into risking it all.
Steve backed away two steps, distancing himself from the crowd. He leaned against the wooden wall marked with charred burns, his hands shaking as he pulled a silk cloth flowing with golden light from his spatial ring. The cloth gleamed brilliantly with gold, its emerald green stripes dazzling everyone's eyes.
"Look!" Steve said. "The Imperial Map is right here in my hands. Follow me, and we'll surely claim the Eight Greed Kings' boundless riches!"
"I don't believe it. I have three fragments of the Imperial Map myself," Barrett challenged, but his gaze remained locked tightly on the Imperial Map.
"Come take a closer look, and you'll see," Steve said, holding up the silk cloth that shone brightly with golden light.
Barrett couldn't help but walk toward Steve, taking the Imperial Map Fragment from his hand.
Then, everything changed in an instant!
A pale white, razor-sharp bone knife suddenly pressed against Barrett's neck, and everyone screamed in terror, scattering in all directions.
Barrett drew in a sharp, cold breath. The once mild-mannered, even somewhat cowardly Captain Steve had transformed into a bloodthirsty fiend! Maybe he'd opened the Box of Bewilderment long ago and had been hiding it all this time.
Steve's skeleton grew more than twice its size, muscles bulging, eyes protruding and bloodshot, fangs lengthening and piercing through his lips, sharp bone spurs sprouting from his wrist joints. That bone knife had sprung right from his arm, now pressed firmly against Barrett's neck.
"Captain, what are you doing! Captain!" First Mate Bill desperately drew the curved knife from his waist; he was one of the few crew members brave enough not to run for their lives.
"Calm down! Let go of Barrett—let's talk this out!" EeDechi said sharply. This blood fiend might not be open to reason; if there was no other choice, she'd just have to revive Barrett later.
Bloodthirsty fiend Steve snatched the Imperial Map from Barrett's hand, his long scarlet tongue licking over it, his crimson eyes unable to conceal the raw greed.
EeDechi stepped forward, planting her feet firmly, ready to take him down in one strike while the bloodthirsty fiend was distracted.
Bloodthirsty fiend Steve opened his massive jaws lined with razor-sharp fangs, poised to bite Barrett's neck, a roar rumbling from his throat. "If I bite him, he'll become just like me—a slave to the flesh! Even if you revive him, it won't do any good!"
"Captain, what do you want exactly?" First Mate Bill's hands shook, his voice breaking into a sob. Steve was his closest business partner and a friend for many years. How could he not be heartbroken seeing his friend turn into a bloodthirsty fiend right in front of him?
"Keep sailing, stay on course—to the deepest part of the Eight Greed Kings desert!" Steve's teeth chattered. "EeDechi, if you dare take one more step, I'll make this adventurer go down with me!"
The phantom of Dragon Endbringer appeared behind EeDechi. In an instant, the Death Field was unleashed with precision, draining the life force from bloodthirsty fiend Steve. His arms dropped limp, eyes glazing over as he collapsed to the ground, dead.
"Daring to threaten me with a teammate? You've got a death wish." EeDechi crossed her arms over her chest, lifting her head and glaring coldly at Steve's corpse. Dragon Endbringer hovered behind her, flexing his arm muscles and striking a bizarre pose to show off his biceps.
Barrett gulped down air, steadying his pounding heart back to normal. What a huge scare for nothing. He wasn't afraid of death, but he dreaded turning into something like Steve—neither human nor ghost.
He realized that his own heart had been overflowing with greed just moments ago. If he hadn't been tempted by the Imperial Map, he never would have let Steve hold him hostage.