Chapter 168 - 167. Finding Clues
As the sand monsters rose from the desert floor, towering over eight feet tall, Tyler was quick to react. Suddenly a Trident appeared and pierced the Sand Monster. The monster looked like a humanoid monster made of sand. The creature instantly disintegrated into a cloud of sand, scattering into the wind. Tyler’s flying boat cut through the airborne debris, gliding over the maze-like structure.
On the deck, Tyler stood tall, his phantom mask concealing his identity, the trident still glowing faintly in his hand.
"Captain Blackwood! The ruins we spotted earlier are close. We should arrive there soon!" a pirate called out from the helm. His voice was strained, and his body bore the marks of recent battles. He, like the others aboard, was one of the many pirates Tyler had subdued with his overwhelming strength. Now, they served him out of fear and, perhaps, awe.
"Good. Keep going," Tyler responded, his voice steady and calm, as he turned and walked back toward the small cabin at the rear of the boat.
Casually, he tossed a storage ring filled with aura stones to the pirate responsible for refueling the ship. The man caught it, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of so many precious stones. By now, he had grown numb to the staggering wealth of the Phantom Pirates. Still, a small part of him couldn’t help but hope that one day Tyler might offer him a permanent place in the crew.
Three pirates had been chosen for the essential tasks—one to navigate, one to refuel, and one to stand guard. Each of them knew better than to cross Tyler, his power and mysterious demeanor making even the bravest of them wary.
As Tyler sat in the cabin, he leaned back, idly copying aura stones in his copper pot, keeping a steady supply for the journey ahead. At the same time, he remained watchful, his senses attuned to the slightest movements outside the cabin. Though the pirates aboard were subdued for now, Tyler knew better than to let his guard down. Pirates were opportunistic by nature, and he wouldn’t give them the chance to act on any funny ideas.
Tyler’s boat glided smoothly through the sandy maze, but his eyes were drawn to something unusual in the distance. In the middle of the barren labyrinth, a shrine stood—isolated, ancient, and worn by the ravages of time. Its structure was simple, and the broken remains of a statue at its entrance seemed to hold something that had long since vanished.
He narrowed his eyes, observing the scene before deciding to put away the boat. The pirates he had taken with him looked at each other in confusion as they saw their captain stepping toward the shrine, leaving the boat behind.
"Where is he going?" one of the pirates muttered.
"Do we follow?" another whispered, but none of them dared to move without orders. As they hesitated, Tyler, without a word, walked past the arc of the shrine and vanished from their sight. Panic gripped the pirates for a moment.