When they turned around, they saw a man standing there. William was honestly expecting to see one of the fish-men, ready to attack him and Katia, but the man was human, and it was someone they had never seen before.

“Who are you?” William asked, his hand reaching for his sword just in case. For the man to be able to sneak up on them like that meant he had decent skills. They had to be careful.

“Relax,” the man smiled. “I’m just a fisherman around these parts. But why are you here?”

“A fisherman?” William didn’t believe the man. How could a mere fisherman survive on that island alone? In fact, it was already hard enough to get there in the first place. Now imagine enduring the wilderness *and* the newly arrived fish-men.

“If you’re a fisherman, where’s your boat? Your fishing gear?” Katia asked, her gaze suspicious as it fell upon the man. Why on earth would he be in the middle of the forest if he were a fisherman? They usually stayed in their boats near the island, or even on the beach, but never this deep in the woods.

“My boat is hidden,” the man said. “You know, with these fish-men around, it’s better to keep it concealed. Just in case they try to steal it.”

“What do you know about the fish-men?” William asked.

“Not much. Why? And what are you doing here?” the man asked.

William knew the man was lying. The only doubt he still had was whether the man was dangerous or not. Was it worth the risk?

“We’re walking through the forest. We love camping in unusual places,” William responded.

The fisherman then said, “How about we stop with the nonsense? Why were you watching the fish-men? What are you planning to do?”

The man had seen William and Katia crouched behind the bush, watching the fish-men enter the cave. He wasn’t stupid enough to ignore what he’d seen.

William also knew the man was just playing dumb.

“We’re here looking for our boat that was stolen by the fish-men,” William said. “But there’s a barrier around it, which means it’s impossible for us to get the boat and get out of here.”

Katia looked to the side, a little surprised that William had explained things that way, but she didn’t say anything. Her gaze returned to the mysterious man to ensure he wouldn’t try anything strange.

“I could help break that barrier,” the man said. “I have a lot of knowledge about these things. But in return, you would have to help me get the treasure they’re trying to retrieve. We can split it in half between the three of us. What do you think?”

“And how can we trust you? We don’t even know who you are!” William said.

“Well, that’s up to you, but I’m sure you won’t be able to break the barrier on your boat alone, even if you manage to catch the fish-men and demand answers. I’m your best bet,” the man said, a smile plastered on his face.

William paused to think before saying anything. In the end, if he wanted to remove that barrier from the boat, he would have to kill the fish-men and get the way to break the barrier from them.

In other words, he would already have to go after them, so why not go with one more person who could end up helping him in the end? At least that’s how he thought.

“If we agree, will you tell us everything you know?” William asked.

“Of course,” the man said.

“Then all right. We’ll help you in exchange for you helping us later.”

“Perfect.”

The man then returned with them to the location where their ship was. They had to warn Hemlock and Seraphina about the things that had happened, and it was also safer to stay there and not in the middle of the forest where any danger could appear at any moment.

As soon as he arrived at the ship, the man said, “I saw this ship and this barrier when I came to this island. How’s the progress on breaking the barrier?”

Seraphina was surprised to see another person there. “I’ve made zero progress so far. And who the hell are you?”

“Just a fisherman passing by the island,” the man said.

William rolled his eyes. “Don’t start with that crap.”

“Sorry, sorry…” the man said, scratching his head.

Now that everyone was on the ship, it was time for the man to start talking about the things he knew regarding the fish-men and the treasure they were after.

“Apparently, this treasure is something the fish-men have been seeking for a long time, but the point is not only to get the treasure for themselves, but to take it from the mermaids.”

“Take it from the mermaids?” William asked.

The relationship between the mermaids and the fish-men was something he was trying to understand, and it seemed that this man knew more than he did.

“Well, you know they came to this island because of the stories of the mermaids, right? The mermaids and the mermen are also after this treasure. Anyway, they came here to get the treasure, not giving the mermaids a chance, and at the same time they want to kill them. These two ‘races’ have been at war for many years.”

This was something William wasn’t expecting to hear. Could this be why they had stolen their ship? Because of the connection William had with the mermaids and mermen?

“Do you know what this treasure is?” William asked.

“I don’t know for sure, but apparently it’s the tomb of a person who was buried with many valuable items. I think we’ll get a lot of good things if we work together,” the man said, a slight smile stamped on his face.

“Right, and who’s going after this treasure and the fish-men? You and Katia?” Hemlock asked.

William had no idea what to expect when going after that treasure, and everyone leaving the boat defenseless wasn’t a good idea in his mind.

Even if the ship had a barrier around it, what if the barrier suddenly disappeared? What if someone capable of removing the barrier showed up and stole their ship again?

They couldn’t run the risk of leaving the ship with no one so that someone could come and take it.

“I think I’ll go alone with him,” William spoke. “We need people on the ship to ensure it stays here, and to protect those who are here too. I don’t think too many people going are a good idea.” Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire

The others didn’t quite agree with this because they were worried about William, and they would also feel useless not being able to help.

But after thinking for a while, what William was proposing made sense. Leaving the ship without any protection was a terrible idea.

If they lost the ship again, well, how would they get off that island? It would be much more complicated.

“All right, but be careful,” Seraphina said.

“I will. You guys be careful too.”

William and that man left together, heading towards the entrance of the cave where the fish-men had entered.

“Take this,” the man said, handing William some seaweed.

“Seaweed? What’s this?”

“We’re going to have to dive to get in. This seaweed will allow you to breathe underwater. Without it, it’s impossible to get in there.”

“Oh, I see.”

As soon as they arrived in front of the cave entrance, they ate the seaweed and went in.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep