Treasure Compass

As Ye Weian became more familiar with the minimap function, he discovered that in addition to the basic terrain outline and enemy/ally markers, there would occasionally be some flashing light gold markers on the map, with short labels attached next to them.

At first he didn’t pay much attention until the group passed through a forest clearing and a gold tag appeared next to their path.

The label reads: "The Forgotten Harp".

Since it's so close, let's go take a look.

Ye Wei'an reined in his horse and looked at the location indicated on the map—there was only a huge oak tree that had long since died and whose trunk was hollow, surrounded by waist-high bushes.

"Stop for a moment." He dismounted and, under the puzzled gazes of Kane and the others, walked towards the dead tree and pushed aside the bushes behind the trunk.

"Young Master?" Ellen called softly.

Beneath the thorns was not soil, but a human skeleton almost blended into the fallen leaves and humus. The bones had long since dried and turned white, and the remaining fabric on the body was rotten and decayed. Only a cloak half-buried beneath the body still faintly revealed a deep blue base color and a mark that seemed to be composed of harp strings and stars.

Kane stepped forward and glanced at the unique mark, his expression turning serious: "The Harpists' Alliance... This is a harpist... or at least he used to be."

The young maid asked curiously, "What is the Harpists' Guild? Is it a guild of musicians who perform exclusively for nobles?"

"The nobles wouldn't like a musicians' guild like that," Kane said with a wry smile, shaking his head. "They're a bunch of idealists who walk in the shadows. Most of them are bards, mages, or knights-errant, using these as their mark to secretly fight against tyrants and evil magic. The common people see them as embodiments of justice, but in the eyes of the lords, they're a bunch of mavericks who always love to stir up trouble. Even if their intentions are good, these guys often act without considering the consequences."

Then, he crouched down and examined it carefully, finally taking a silver brooch from the skeleton's curled-up hand; it was shaped like a small harp. He also found three vials of medicine in a small leather pouch at the skeleton's waist.

"It's a potent healing potion, and it's been preserved exceptionally well." The knight remarked with great admiration. "In a place like this... even the most seasoned ranger or knight-errant would likely struggle to spot it. Young master, your insight must be blessed by the god of knowledge, Ogmar."

Shortly after, while navigating a rocky forest area, a golden marker appeared on the edge of the map: [Hidden Storage].

Ye Wei'an stopped in front of a granite rock that looked about half a person's height.

To an outsider, it looks no different from the other rocks around it.

"Raine, move it."

"Me? Moving such a huge rock?"

The soldier was very doubtful about whether he could do it.

But since the young master had given the order, he had no choice but to step forward.

The rock was looser than I had imagined, and it was pushed aside with a little force.

Then they discovered that behind the rock was a naturally formed narrow crevice, inside which was a leather bag, indicating that it had been coated with a thick layer of preservative grease.

Harold reached in, pulled out his wallet, opened it, and his eyes lit up immediately: "Sir! It's money! And... a map!"

The bag contained about fifty finely minted Cormier Lion coins, while the tanned leather map was marked in red and black ink with the activity ranges and approximate numbers of several gangs in the vicinity, and even one or two symbols that looked like camps.

"This is the mark of the Zantalin Society." Kane examined the map, his brow furrowed. "These smugglers...it seems they have henchmen operating in this area and have left secret supply depots. This will be very useful to us."

Ye Wei'an didn't hesitate and took out ten gold coins from his harvest and distributed them to the three warriors, making Rein and Harold grin from ear to ear.

As private soldiers of nobles, Renn and Harold earned about six gold lions a month, which was quite a sum for them.

If Ye Wei'an had obtained the Corner Game System, he would definitely have heard the "Affection level up, up" notification.

This isn't some noble young master; he's clearly a walking treasure-hunting compass!

"Young Master is the best!" After setting off, Eileen sat back in Ye Wei'an's lap, her face flushed.

As she carefully wiped non-existent sweat from Ye Wei'an's forehead with her sleeve, she chattered on, "Those goblins, wild beasts, and these hidden treasures are no secret to the young master at all; they were found in no time! Uncle Kane even said that walking in the forest with the young master is like taking a walk at home!"

Ye Wei'an simply smiled faintly and habitually ruffled Ai Lian's soft hair.

He realized that he had underestimated the importance of the minimap.

With this precise treasure-hunting feature, even without an upgrade panel, he could thrive just by using this mini-map.

The group continued their journey under Ye Weian's guidance.

In the blink of an eye, the silver moon Serene gradually rose, and the light of day gradually dimmed.

Ye Weian surveyed the map for a moment and selected a sheltered hillside backed by a rock wall as his campsite for the night.

Upon arriving at the camp, without waiting for his instructions, the three experienced professional soldiers had already spontaneously set to work:

Kane the Knight was in charge of perimeter security.

He carefully laid out almost invisible thin lines under the bushes and dead branches around the camp, with several small bells strung on the lines. Then, he took out a handful of specially made grayish-white powder from his leather pouch and sprinkled it evenly around the edge of the camp; it was a medicine used to repel poisonous insects and certain sensitive small creatures.

Harold, on the other hand, focused on defensive fortifications.

He pulled out his shovel, chose a good angle, and began digging a shallow drainage ditch to prevent rain from falling during the night. At the same time, he rolled several appropriately sized rocks to one side of the camp and stacked them into a simple, low wall fortification.

Ryan took on all the miscellaneous tasks.

He began by leveling the ground, then gathered dry firewood, neatly chopped it into suitable sizes with an axe, piled it in the designated fire spot, and surrounded it with a circle of stones to make a campfire.

Seeing that Harold was having some trouble digging the ditch, Ye Weian came up to help.

"The Four Symbols Method - Earth".

The soil that would normally require painstaking digging seemed to be stirred and loosened from within by an invisible hand, and then, as if it had come to life, it began to "flow" along the surface of the ground, moving five feet away and piling up into a neat little mound.

In the blink of an eye, the basic shape of a ditch was formed, far exceeding the efficiency of manual labor.

"Young Master, leave the rough work of setting up camp to us." Kane finished setting up the trap, dusted off his hands, and walked up to Ye Wei'an. "You are a noble spellcaster and should conserve your precious physical strength and energy."

Ye Wei'an nodded and accepted the offer.

This is the spellcaster's position in the team.

But he wasn't idle either.

"Well then, I'll go get some fresh dinner. I don't want to keep eating dry rations."

As he spoke, he naturally took Ellen's hand, "Ellen, come with me."

"Young Master, it's getting dark, and in the woods..." Eileen said with some concern.

"What, are you afraid I can't protect you?" Ye Wei'an smiled and led her towards the dense forest next to the camp.

To outsiders, the unfamiliar forest, now shrouded in darkness, was fraught with danger, and leaving the camp with a maid who was completely defenseless was an absolute risk.

But in Ye Wei'an's eyes, it was no different from going to his own storeroom to get ingredients.

On the expanded minimap, in addition to the terrain and red dots indicating potential threats, there are also yellow dots representing neutral and non-aggressive elements:

A forest hare, its long ears twitching slightly, is curled up in the bushes; a plump grouse is peeking out from a tree hole not far away; and even further away, behind the shadows of the rocks, a robust ibex is cautiously observing...

"Rabbit, chicken, or sheep, which do you want to eat?" Ye Wei'an asked Ai Lian.

Eileen blinked and whispered, "Bunny... bunnies are so cute, why would you eat them?"

"What about the sheep?"

"A sheep is so big, I don't know how to handle it."

"Then let's goosegrass," Ye Wei'an said in a low voice, having chosen his target. "Watch closely."

He pointed in the direction of the grouse, focusing his mind.

"The Mage's Hand!"

A completely transparent palm materialized from the void.

Ye Wei'an controlled the mage's hand, like the most patient hunter, slowly and silently probing into the tree hole.

The grouse inside the cave seemed to sense the unusual airflow and let out a surprised "coo" sound.

Unfortunately, it was too late. A magical hand shot out from the side like lightning and precisely pinched the base of its wings before they could even open.

The grouse kicked its legs in vain a few times before being firmly restrained. The whole process was almost silent, and it was brought back to Ye Weian's side just like that.

"Young Master...you...you caught him already?" Her voice was full of surprise.

"Magic, isn't it convenient?" Ye Wei'an handed the grouse to Elaine, and then picked a few clumps of edible wild garlic and herbs from the surrounding area.

"Let's go back to camp. We'll have chicken soup tonight."