Just ahead stood a round stone pillar, about four or five meters high. At its summit was a statue Ed recognized immediately: the Golden Horn Hammer.

The statue's placement seemed intentional. Whether by the valley's layout or the trees' arrangement, beams of sunlight streamed down, shining perfectly on the statue's two rising horns, a coincidence that felt a little too perfect. The light illuminated the horn tips, mirroring the legendary image of a true golden horn.

As Ed took in the scene, a realization struck. He quickly pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. It was exactly noon.

The old man approached the stone pillar, his face filled with emotion and deep longing. He placed his hands on his temples, shaping them like horns, mimicking the Golden Horn Hammer's posture as if in prayer, a gesture that struck Ed as decidedly odd.

Ed, however, kept his eyes fixed on the moving hands of his watch. When the time reached 12:15, the old man relaxed, opened his eyes, and spoke.

"You saw it, right? At noon, the horns of this sculpture are touched by sunlight and shine with a golden light."

"Who built this sculpture?" Ed replied not with an answer but with a question, his brow furrowed.

The old man shook his head. "I don't remember. It was so long ago, back when Meister Island first joined the Alliance."

He paused, then continued, "When I was a boy, my parents brought me here to worship on sunny noons. Many people came then; every clear day, this place was full."

The old man smiled wistfully. "If a Golden Horn Hammer happened to fly over during the prayer and struck the stone pillar with its horn, the insects in the forest would all chirp, the boulders would rumble, and everyone believed the prayers made that day were always answered. I was lucky, I prayed to get rich as a joke, and the next day I found two gold leaves by the roadside. It was one of the luckiest days of my life."

Then, his expression turned mournful. "What a shame. Who would have thought that would be the last time I saw them before they became extinct."

With that, the old man withdrew his hands from the pillar, clasped them behind his back, and shook his head, walking slowly away. "There won't be any more chances in the future," He murmured, turning and retreating the way he came.

Ed remained, staring at the statue in deep thought. The golden glow on the horns had long since faded. He replayed the old man's words: when Meister Island first joined the Alliance, the Golden Horn Hammer, a symbol of bravery, would strike the pillar with its horn at noon on sunny days.

Most importantly, that strike was followed by the sound of insects and a deep rumbling. The conditions were clear.

Ed took a map from his pocket, unfolded it, and tapped a glowing white spot.

[ THAAD's Twelve Treasure Houses—No. 5

Difficulty: Insect Lovers

Popularity: 183.73w

Treasure Information (Perfect): Due to personal reasons in his youth...

Warehouse No. 5 is one of the nine smaller warehouses. It contains various precious specimens and valuable statues, with a total value of 50 gold sails. To open it, go to the Insect Prayer Valley on the island at 12 noon on a sunny day. Bring a living Golden Horn Hammer and let it strike the stone pillar with its horn.

The sound of insects and loud noises will signify success. At 12 midnight, repeat the process. Only then will the treasure house appear.]

"So it requires a second strike at midnight," Ed mused, studying the information as an expression of realization dawned on his face. "No wonder outsiders haven't found it all these years. Double decryption. Clever."

He had nearly uncovered the treasure's full secret. The word "Perfect" now marked the information, meaning everything was known.

But his brief satisfaction faded as his brow furrowed again. The Golden Horn Hammer had been extinct on the island for years. Finding a living one would be nearly impossible.

This treasure would not be claimed easily.

Still, Ed wasn't the only one with problems to solve; there was an entire gang of thugs behind him. Now that he had unraveled the secret, all that remained was to hand this pot of information to Andre and the others. His mission here was complete. How they would actually dig out the treasure was none of his concern. Professional work should be left to professionals.

Collecting his thoughts, Ed turned and quickly fled the hellhole of creepy insects.

By the time he returned to the city, it was only afternoon. The streets were still bustling, mostly with couples publicly displaying their affection, much to the chagrin of single onlookers like him.

Watching their carefree joy and obvious wealth, Ed had an idea. He found a good spot on a corner and began performing magic tricks on the street. With the help of his magician's ring, it was easy to produce illusions far more impressive than the tired acts he'd seen before.

His polished attire and outstanding performance soon drew a crowd of tourists. After a few card and coins vanishes tricks, Ed approached a young, easy to fool but rich-looking guy and his girlfriend, who were just seeing how dolic and caring she was pretending to be toward the young man, and anyone can say she is a gold digger who was only with this naive fool for his money.

"Would this handsome gentleman and lovely lady be willing to assist me?" Ed asked with a charming smile, indifferent to the dynamics of their relationship.

The young man glanced hesitantly at his girlfriend. When she nodded, he beamed like an excited child. "Sure! How can we help?"

"Just follow these steps," Ed instructed softly, his voice still carrying to the crowd. "This will test your connection. Only those truly in love can succeed."

The couple exchanged excited looks, though a flicker of worry passed through the woman's eyes before she recomposed herself.

More tourists gathered; this kind of interactive performance was new to them. Most street artists repeated the same tricks, but Ed's routine felt fresh and unpredictable.

As expected, the couple failed their first attempt. Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads, especially the man's, he seemed to genuinely care. But Ed had anticipated this; failure was part of the performance's design. Even soulmates wouldn't succeed on the first try.

"True love requires perseverance. Would you like to try again?" Ed encouraged with the same polite smile.

They agreed immediately, to refuse would cast doubt on their relationship. This time, they succeeded perfectly. The man lifted his girlfriend in excitement and gave her a passionate kiss right there in the street.

Ed, who inwardly wanted to scold them for the public display, forced an enthusiastic smile instead. "Oh, let's give a round of applause for true love!" He announced.

The crowd clapped warmly.

As the applause continued, Ed took off his hat and bowed deeply. As if from nowhere, he produced a bouquet of red roses and handed it to the man, then exaggeratedly winked.

The man caught the hint, his face set with determination. He offered the roses to his girlfriend, then dropped to one knee.

"Will you marry me?" He asked, pulling a ring box from his pocket.

The woman was taken aback by the sudden proposal, but as a veteran performer of her own role, she quickly burst into tears. "Yes!" she cried, hugging him tightly.

The crowd erupted in applause once more.

With the performance concluded, the overjoyed man was the first to step forward with payment. He pulled two gold leaves from his pocket and pressed them into Ed's hand.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! You're amazing," The man gushed, shaking Ed's hand with genuine emotion.

Ed smiled and offered a brief blessing. Though everything had gone beyond his expectations, he'd only intended to charm them into a tip, not trigger a proposal, he decided not to dwell on it. If both were happy in their beautiful illusion, who was he to interfere? Some pots belong with their lids.

Once the young man finally stepped aside, Ed began his real work: collecting his hard-earned money from the rest of the delighted crowd.

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