A smile spread across Rojen's face as he walked over to the piles of gold.
"System, calculate the total amount of gold here." He needed to estimate the total value of the treasure first.
Perhaps because there was simply too much gold in the underground chamber, the System took a full five seconds before responding with an accurate figure.
"Total gold: 12 billion. Would the Host like to absorb it into the System balance?"
"Congratulations, Host. You have escaped poverty and entered the ranks of the moderately wealthy."
For the first time, the System actually made a dry joke after announcing the total, which caught Rojen somewhat off guard.
'So even 12 billion is only 'moderately wealthy' in the System's eyes?' Rojen was speechless.
After thinking for a moment, he gave the System an order. "Convert 10 billion worth of gold into System balance. Leave the rest untouched."
The System strictly followed his command.
The underground chamber was still faintly illuminated by the torches when a gentle breeze suddenly swept through the room. As it passed over the piles of gold, the treasure visibly began disappearing.
Everyone present was stunned.
The breeze quickly swept across the chamber, and enormous amounts of gold vanished before their eyes. In the end, only 2 billion remained.
"Take the rest with us when we leave," Rojen pointed toward the remaining mountain of gold with a smile.
A pirate crew needed money too. Since they had gone out on an adventure, there was no reason to make his crew struggle just to get by. Even if they found nothing at the other three treasure sites, the 2 billion he left behind would be more than enough to ensure that everyone could live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
Rojen's words brought smiles to the crew's faces. With Jason and the other two subtly hinting at it earlier, they had already figured out that Rojen had some special need for gold. The fact that he still thought of them and deliberately left such a huge fortune behind warmed their hearts.
"It's still a bit too much. It's going to be hard to carry," Chaporos grumbled as he walked toward the gold.
"Quit complaining. The Captain deliberately left this for us. I can already imagine us getting back and stuffing ourselves with meat and booze," Daz Bonez said, visibly excited.
"There's so much gold. I feel like we could buy an entire small country with it!" Trens spoke solemnly.
"About 2 billion," Rojen smiled.
"2 billion?!" Everyone sucked in a breath, their eyes shining with excitement.
They had heard of fortunes that large before, but this was the first time any of them had actually seen one.
In the end, the six Dragon-Elephants, Chaporos, and Daz Bonez somehow divided the mountain of gold into eight enormous bundles. Each of them carried one before leaving the underground chamber.
Once they emerged, every crew member had a smile on their face. How could they not be happy? One trip to Skypiea had given them enough wealth to ensure they would never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of their lives.
"There are three more locations. Follow me," Raki took the lead. "However, the treasures at the other three locations may not be as abundant as the first one, so be prepared for that."
Rojen nodded. He understood. If every treasure site in Shandora contained gold worth 10 billion, that would be absurdly excessive.
---
The second treasure site was located deep within the jungle, and Raki led them there.
"What the…?" Everyone stared speechlessly at several enormous golden pillars lying openly among the rocks.
They hadn't expected the gold at the second treasure site to be sitting right out in the open.
"It seems ancient Shandora really might have been built out of gold."
The thick golden pillars were thirty to forty meters long. Lying across the ground like enormous golden dragons, they left everyone stunned. It was obvious that these pillars had once supported the roofs of buildings. But as the city collapsed and changed over the centuries, the pillars had fallen and, for some unknown reason, eventually been abandoned here.
There were three golden pillars, and they weren't exactly easy to carry, so Rojen took care of them. As a result, another 1.5 billion Berries was added to his System balance.
At that moment, his System balance had reached an astonishing 14.7 billion Berries!
---
After securing the second treasure site, they followed Raki's directions toward the third. This time, however, the destination was much farther away. It took them a full three hours to reach it.
"It's behind that wall," Raki pointed confidently toward a wall decorated with carved reliefs.
Everyone exchanged surprised looks. The third treasure site was actually behind a wall.
Jason stepped forward and smashed his fist into it. The wall shattered instantly.
After the rubble collapsed and the dust cleared, Jason stared at what lay behind it with a stunned expression.
"Nothing?"
The crew rushed over and looked inside, their expressions strange. There was absolutely nothing behind the wall. The entire third treasure site was completely empty.
"There's nothing here." Raki remained surprisingly calm. Without saying anything else, she simply turned and headed toward the fourth location.
"Maybe the Shandians moved the treasure somewhere else during one of the times they were forced to flee." That was the only explanation that made sense.
Although they were disappointed, no one lingered. They quickly turned around and left.
---
By the time they reached the fourth treasure site, it was already afternoon.
"It's beneath this ground," Raki pointed at the grassy earth beneath their feet. After comparing it with the map once more, she confidently confirmed it.
"Underground?" Rojen and the others looked puzzled.
The previous treasure sites had been inside an underground warehouse, behind a wall, or simply lying on the surface. Could this treasure really be buried deep beneath the earth?
They only hesitated for a moment before getting to work.
Crocodile slowly bent down and aimed his right hand at the ground. Everyone else moved away.
"Turn to sand!"
A tremendous rumble shook the area. Cracks rapidly spread across the ground. The grass and plants withered, while countless grains of sand rose into the air, swirling together into a small sandstorm.
Five seconds later, the ground began sinking rapidly. Large clouds of sand filled the air, all under Crocodile's control.
But even after nearly five meters of earth had been transformed by Crocodile, there was still no sign of the treasure.
"Deeper! It has to be deeper!" Raki shouted.
Crocodile narrowed his eyes and increased the force of his ability.
'Vmmm!'
The ground trembled. A vast amount of sand shot into the sky, and in an instant, the ground had sunk nearly ten meters.
At that moment, Crocodile's eyes narrowed and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Found it!"
This treasure had been buried roughly eighteen meters underground, stored inside a number of heavy treasure chests.
Crocodile guided the sand away and piled it into small mounds before slowly straightening up.
The crew gathered around. When they saw the more than ten treasure chests, smiles appeared on their faces.
"Found it!"
"This time, all that work wasn't for nothing!"
"Interesting. Looks like this treasure isn't just gold!"
(End Of This Chapter)
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