Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer-Chapter 611 - 286 Submerged in Sorrow_3

"What happened? Why did the Sound of Dawn suddenly start singing? And this... this kind of dirge?" Jason, who was on watch, stuck his head out of the lookout window and asked. This was highly unusual.

Chadite didn’t answer; she just kept wiping away her tears.

"Captain, is there something wrong with me?"

"There’s something wrong with my eyes! Quick, help me check."

"How can I check yours? I feel strange too."

Several Puppet Girls came out, they too affected by this sorrowful emotion.

"It’s tears. But we’re puppets; we can’t shed tears," Two said, stepping out and rubbing her eye sockets. Because she had some of Chadite’s hair, she knew she wanted to cry but couldn’t. Tears wouldn’t come from her eyes. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Not only them, Julia, Matilda, and Juanlu all emerged onto the deck from their resting places. Without exception, they were all constantly wiping their tears.

"What’s wrong with all of you? Why is everyone crying?" Jason slid down from the lookout and asked in complete bewilderment. This situation was just too bizarre.

Simon also came up from below deck. He hadn’t gone to bed yet and was still in the manufacturing hall, researching something. Sensing the commotion on deck, he came up to see what was happening. Seeing the state of everyone on deck, he too was completely bewildered.

"Did something just happen?" He looked towards Jason. "Did you tell some kind of moving story?" After all, Jason seemed to be the only one unaffected.

"Don’t look at me; I don’t know why either."

"AAAAHHH!" A pained wail came from nearby.

The sea surface broke, and Pororo leaped from the water onto the deck. Unlike the others, who merely had tears streaming down, their sorrow unstoppable, Pororo’s sorrow was far more exaggerated. Tears sprayed from her eyes like jets of water, an exceptionally dramatic display.

"What the hell? Is this how you cry?" Jason exclaimed, dumbfounded as his sleeves were splattered by the flying tears.

The Sound of Dawn’s dirge continued to play, and combined with the sight of everyone weeping profusely, it cast an exceptionally strange atmosphere over the entire deck. The feeling of sorrow surged wildly.

Simon and Jason, the only two unaffected, exchanged bewildered glances.

"What’s going on? What on earth is happening?" Simon urged impatiently from the side. "This is too abnormal!"

Julia forced her eyes shut, but tears still streamed from between her eyelids. Left with no choice, she began to sense her surroundings.

The environment hasn’t changed. But why? Why are my heart and mind filled with such grief, as if my heart is being torn apart? It’s an unbearable pain.

"It’s not an illness. A powerful emotion has invaded us," Matilda said, continually wiping her tears as she checked her own condition.

"Calm down." Chadite no longer paid any mind to her constantly streaming eyes, letting the tears flow freely. She then looked at everyone. "Alka is still in his room. Something’s wrong with him. With everyone like this and Alka still not here, he must be the problem."

"Mystery is also gone? Let me try to connect..." Lucilia said, beginning to link with Mystery’s spirit through the Bloody Team Banner’s internal network.

"WAAAAHHH! UUUHHH..."

As the connection was established, tears streamed endlessly from Lucilia’s eyes. She went limp and slid down from Chadite’s shoulder on the spot. Chadite quickly caught her.

"What’s wrong? What happened?"

"The grief is too overwhelming. The moment I connected, an endless tide of sorrow washed over me."

The connection even affected the nearby Puppet Girls. They all sat about listlessly, constantly rubbing their eye sockets, though no tears would come.

"Quick, check if I’m broken! This is horrible!"

"I don’t know... I don’t want to move... I want to... gouge out my own eyes."

Unable to vent their sorrow through tears, the Puppet Girls were clearly starting to have problems. Faced with this, Lucilia quickly severed the connection with Mystery. Only then did the Puppet Girls feel slightly better.

"It really is Alka. He’s the one with the problem," Chadite confirmed, observing the situation. "You two weren’t affected because you hadn’t gone to sleep yet, while the rest of us were all asleep."

"Yes, that’s right. The contract is affecting us too," Matilda said, looking at the contract mark on the back of her hand. That mark was from when Alka, after becoming one of the Dream Kings, created the Palace and signed contracts with everyone, imprinting them. Matilda was currently examining it and came to this conclusion. This all but confirmed that Alka was the source of this problem.

「In the Dream Realm.」

"Matilda, Lucilia, you two come with me to Alka’s room."

"The rest of you, stay on deck and keep watch. Julia, ask the Sound of Dawn if she has anything to say."

Chadite quickly gave orders based on the current situation. Wiping her tears, she hurried to Alka’s room with the two of them.

The others stood around the deck, vigilantly watching their surroundings. Especially at a time like this, they had to be on guard against potential enemies. This overwhelming grief didn’t just bring endless tears; it also left them feeling weak and utterly drained. It was as if they were genuinely mired in profound sorrow and anguish.

Julia went to the bow, her hands touching the figurehead. Ignoring her constantly streaming eyes, she let the dirge reverberate in her ears.

"Tell me, Sound of Dawn, what did you sense from Alka...?"

The Sound of Dawn’s awakening was tied to the Dream Catcher. This created a strong bond between the Sound of Dawn, Alka, and his Treasure, the Dream Catcher. Under such circumstances, for the Sound of Dawn to continuously sing a dirge—her way of weeping—she must have sensed something significant. Besides Alka, Julia was the only one on this ship who, due to her duties, could perceive what the Sound of Dawn was trying to express.

"Endless sorrow has already buried Alka. He is about to be dragged down, to sink into it eternally."

Julia comprehended the ship’s consciousness and relayed its message.

「In Alka’s room.」

Matilda placed all four of her arms on Alka’s head.

"He’s still asleep. He remains in his own Dream World, unwilling to wake. His emotions are completely saturated with sorrow and grief. I don’t dare try to probe; it would overwhelm me, putting me in the same state as him. The difference in our mental fortitude might even make me fare worse than he."

"Call Julia. We need her help," Chadite said decisively, given the current situation.

"No need. I’m already here."

Julia pushed open the door and walked in. She relayed the information she had just received to the others.