novelraw Chapter 50: I Have the Key, You Have the Chest
Chapter 50: I Have the Key, You Have the Chest
Chen Qi held the map and the Hunter’s key ring, walking briskly through the dim forest.
He needed to find the Hunter Warehouse and take the treasure chest inside.
On the map, the Hunter Warehouse was marked with a chest icon, located at the edge of the island forest.
Chen Qi scanned the surroundings and clearly saw traces of someone trampling through the grass.
Branches were snapped, and footprints were dense…
Looks like many other participants moved through here to avoid the Old Hunter!
Suddenly, a sense of unease welled up in him.
Don’t tell me… the Hunter Warehouse has already been looted?
Chen Qi suddenly remembered something.
Normally, obtaining the Hunter’s Treasure required three steps: get the Hunter Warehouse location from the Supervisor, kill the Old Hunter to obtain the key ring, then unlock the warehouse and open the chest to get the treasure.However, since the Old Hunter was a hidden boss and extremely difficult to defeat, getting the key ring was too hard, so there was a rare strategy.
If you knew the location of the Hunter Warehouse, you could use explosives to blow open the entrance and take the treasure directly.
Even without the Old Hunter’s key or the Supervisor’s map.
As long as you were lucky enough to find the warehouse, blowing the door could let you walk away with the chest.
Of course, breaking in like that would trigger the Old Hunter’s pursuit, and you couldn’t bypass the trap locks on the chest. It was a very low-success-rate method.
Chen Qi frowned.
Since he had drawn the Old Hunter’s attention, it was highly likely that the chest inside had already been taken.
Chen Qi looked at the footprints on the ground.
They were heading straight toward the Hunter Warehouse!
“C**p…”
Chen Qi squatted down. While he couldn’t tell someone’s height or weight like a detective from a TV show, he could still roughly estimate the build.
The footprints were very small, and… barefoot?
Barefoot?
Chen Qi suddenly thought of someone.
In this Rift, the only one who’d run around barefoot and glowing white…
The Floral Witch…
Come to think of it, the Floral Witch was also a Supervisor, so she had a map of the island forest.
Could she have seen the chest icon on the map, gone straight to the warehouse, and punched through the iron door to grab the chest?
No way… A chill ran down Chen Qi’s spine.
He couldn’t jump to conclusions yet—he had to see it for himself.
Chen Qi got up and continued through the forest toward the Hunter Warehouse.
When he got close—
Suddenly, he heard voices from the forest to his right.
A woman’s voice?
Who was it?
Chen Qi swallowed his saliva curiously and carefully stepped over fallen leaves and twigs to sneak closer.
The light around was dim, and with trees blocking the view, he could only hear the voices.
“Hmph, if you had half a brain, you’d understand the gap in strength between us.”
“This is your final warning. If you don’t hand it over, don’t blame me for getting rough.”
“My potions are terrifying, you know! Don’t be ungrateful!”
That voice—it was the Floral Witch!
What was the Floral Witch doing here? And why was she making such vicious threats?
Hearing the conversation… Chen Qi’s mind started spinning.
Murder for treasure!
The New Sun World was ultimately a strength-based society. High-tier Transcendents saw lower ones as ants.
The seas and the Rifts were classic lawless zones.
Even though laws existed, in places like Rifts, powerful Transcendents still ruled over the weak.
The current dialogue sounded exactly like the Floral Witch had caught another participant and was threatening them to hand over their loot.
But… did that fit the Floral Witch’s character?
Chen Qi couldn't help but wonder.
In the game forums, the Floral Witch was part of the lawful good faction and upheld elegance. She was almost never seen robbing others.
But maybe that was all a front...
After all, players had very limited interaction with the Floral Witch. Before the transmigration, the game was still in closed beta.
There were still huge mysteries surrounding the Floral Witch.
Just like internet celebrities—no one knows who they really are behind the scenes.
Could the Floral Witch have a second personality?
In a way, considering her strength, the fact that she didn’t attack right away and even gave the other party a chance was already merciful.
Suddenly—
Chen Qi felt a chill run down the back of his neck.
He was eavesdropping behind a tree. With the Floral Witch’s power, she could definitely detect him with ease!
Still, driven by curiosity, Chen Qi slightly peeked out to see what she was doing.
Whoosh—
A breeze blew through, leaves brushing against him.
At that moment, the Floral Witch turned toward Chen Qi’s direction.
Oh sh*t!
Both of them froze in shock at the same time!
Chen Qi’s pupils widened.
The Floral Witch was crouched on the ground, using her terrifying aura to intimidate a creature in front of her.
And that creature… was a small, pitiful red wolf with a chunk of roasted meat in its mouth.
Huh?
Chen Qi tilted his head in disbelief.
This legendary witch… was threatening a dog—no, a wolf—for a piece of meat?!
Are you serious?
It’s just a wolf. If you want the meat, just take it!
Why are you threatening it?!
Chen Qi couldn’t help but roast her in his head, feeling a headache coming on.
People from the Witch’s Sea really think differently—he just couldn’t understand.
“Sigh!”
The Floral Witch noticed Chen Qi. Her small hands flinched in panic, and several little black flowers of exclamation marks bloomed above her head!
D*mn it! I got caught threatening a red wolf and fighting over food!
If this got out in the papers, her elegant image would be ruined!
And why is it you again?!
Her brain spun rapidly.
The forest breeze blew silently.
The Floral Witch stood up, paused for a moment, then calmly said:
“You know…
In the Goldenfinch Kingdom, animals are considered gifts from the Earth Mother. The kingdom also has a long tradition of beast-taming.
In schools across the Goldenfinch Kingdom, Animal Communication is a mandatory subject for many students.
So I wasn’t fighting a wolf for food—I was reviewing the Animal Communication curriculum. It’s part of the coursework.”
“Uh…”
Chen Qi didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
Kinda made sense.
For now, she still seemed like the lawful-good figure he’d expected.
And maybe… a little dumb.
Chen Qi let out a long breath.
That was a good thing.
At least he didn’t have to worry about getting whipped with grass by a witch and forced to hand over all his stuff.
“But you were definitely starving!”
Chen Qi glanced around the Floral Witch.
Just then, the hungry red wolf had taken the opportunity to run off once the Floral Witch stood up.
Even though the Floral Witch didn’t move and looked calm, a little blue flower of disappointment still popped up above her head.
At her feet sat a heavy iron chest.
The Hunter Warehouse’s treasure chest!
So she did take it.
Chen Qi stepped forward and asked:
“Floral Witch, may I ask—was that chest at your feet taken from the nearby Hunter Warehouse?”
The Floral Witch paused and thought for a moment before answering:
“Yes, I saw a chest icon on the map. But it’s locked—I can’t open it.”
She had gone there specifically for the chest.
Chen Qi showed her the key.
“So, you were looking for the key?”
The Floral Witch shook her head.
“No, I wasn’t looking for the key. The key is probably on that Old Hunter, and the Rift has already been cleared. I can’t get it, so I planned to find a locksmith outside the city...”
“...”
Chen Qi was speechless.
You didn’t notice the key ring in my hand?
The Hunter’s Chest had trap mechanisms—try to force it open, and you could trigger deadly traps.
Only master lockpickers dared to crack these. And they charged a high price.
Based on Chen Qi’s analysis, the Floral Witch probably couldn’t afford one.
They could just split the loot.
The Floral Witch finally noticed the key in Chen Qi’s hand.
That key… could it be for the chest beside her?!
She asked in surprise:
“You guys… beat the Old Hunter and got the key too?”
The Floral Witch was stunned. She hadn’t realized earlier because, in her mind, the odds of Chen Qi getting the key were extremely low.
“Something like that...”
Chen Qi offered:
“Floral Witch, you have the chest, I have the key. How about we sit down, have a meal, and split what’s inside?”
Chen Qi took out his cooking tools from his backpack card.
He didn’t ask if she was hungry.
His gut told him that if he did, she’d stubbornly say, “Not hungry!”
Perfect time for a meal, a break, and some loot-sharing.
She’s an elegant and mysterious witch—no way she’d accept a stranger’s meal offer so casually!
But you brought cooking gear into a Rift? Are you here for a picnic?
The Floral Witch stared blankly at Chen Qi, swallowed, and replied:
“Okay.”