Dragon Cypress speculated that the pit created by the crash of the Starship Treasury had a diameter exceeding 200 meters. Over long geological changes, most of the area had been backfilled with a mixture of stones and sediment, forming the lush woods seen today.

Only the central area had formed an oval-shaped marshland, approximately 50 meters long and 40 meters wide.

The excavation was handled by 90 Specialized Worker Ants and 90 Large Worker Ants. Though a small number, all were elite, High-Level individuals, large in size, fast, and efficient.

Work began in the afternoon as the sun was about to set. They were working in the dark.

They worked busily throughout the night, digging down approximately 80 centimeters.

「A cloudless, sunny day.」

The Worker Ants used their mandibles to excavate the semi-dry clay, leaving the ground uneven and pockmarked with small pits, which inadvertently increased the surface area for moisture evaporation.

After a day of sun exposure, a layer of mud dried out.

It didn't need to be completely dry. As long as the Worker Ants could walk on it without sinking and could scoop it up with their mandibles clasped shut to carry it away, it was fine.

After the sun set, Black Cory commanded the Worker Ants to start working.

Dragon Cypress, at the designated dumping site, directed 30 Soldier Ants responsible for "unloading."

By midnight, they had finished, having dug down another 30 centimeters.

「The next day, the sun baked it for another day.」

In the evening, the ant colony dug down another 30 centimeters. It was a relatively easy job.

The summer temperature continued to climb, ushering in the hottest season of the year.

Each day, they needed to work almost the entire night to dig down about 50 centimeters.

Midway, a downpour occurred, filling the pit with water.

Dragon Cypress led 30 Blue Soldiers, using their Water Control Ability, to promptly drain the rainwater.

When they reached a depth of five to six meters, the mud layer gradually became dry and hard.

Beneath it lay sedimentary clay mixed with gravel.

It no longer needed harsh sunlight and could be dug directly.

The scent of the Primordial Energy Metal from the treasury also became clearer.

After a careful inspection, Dragon Cypress narrowed the excavation area to a 10-meter diameter.

In one night, they dug down two meters.

The next night, in the late hours, the ant colony suddenly burst into joyous cheers, spreading inspiring pheromones throughout the woods.

Black Cory came running over.

"Great King, it's out! Hurry over and see!"

"Alright!"

Dragon Cypress raced to the digging site.

Descending the slope, he arrived at the bottom of the pit.

What was revealed was a cross-section of Primordial Energy Metal Plate—the specialized type used for the Starship Treasury. It was solid, exceeded 10 centimeters in thickness, and was torn at the break.

It was hard to imagine what kind of energy could have torn apart the treasury.

"Black Cory! You command the Soldier Ants. I'll command the Worker Ants!"

Dragon Cypress waved his Tentacles to issue commands, directing teams of Worker Ants to dig around the exposed metal plate.

Soon, they discovered that the tear at the break varied from 2 to 5 meters.

Connected beneath it was at least one intact treasury box, over 8 meters wide and approximately 3 meters high. It was slanted and embedded deep in the dirt, its length unknown.

「A day of rest.」

At twilight, Dragon Cypress personally directed the digging downward.

"Stop!"

In the middle of the night, Dragon Cypress suddenly jumped into the pit, shook his Tentacles, and issued a command: "Dig here!"

Teams of Worker Ants advanced, digging at the spot Dragon Cypress had specified.

A circular hole, about 10 centimeters in diameter, was cleared at the edge of the casing.

Inside the Starship, which was encompassed by the Divine Force Barrier, each treasury room had several similar holes; their purpose was unknown.

Dragon Cypress lifted his claws to remove the clogged mud and stones, and his spiritual power scanned into the treasury. It was completely filled with water.

After a moment of contemplation, he shook his Tentacles to issue a command.

The Specialized Blue Soldiers standing by above immediately took action, positioning themselves every 2 meters or so in a straight line.

Dragon Cypress activated his Water Control Ability. The accumulated water inside the treasury transformed into a 10-centimeter-diameter column of water that flowed out, quickly coalescing into a half-meter-diameter Water Sphere.

Dragon Cypress controlled the Water Sphere as it floated, passing it to a nearby Specialized Blue Soldier.

This Specialized Blue Soldier controlled the floating Water Sphere, passing it to the next...

In this manner, they relayed the Water Sphere out of the deep pit and discarded it in the distance.

Using the same method, Dragon Cypress continuously drew water from the treasury, forming it into Water Spheres and sending them away.

Sensing the unusual activity here, Black Cory ran over quickly.

"Great King, how is it? Did you find any treasures?"

"No. There are some difficulties. The chest is filled with water, and the bottom layer is entirely mud and sand."

"Oh—"

Black Cory moved closer and, while Dragon Cypress was passing a Water Sphere, leaned over the hole, peering inside.

Dragon Cypress pointed with his Tentacle, saying, "Black Cory, command the Worker Ants to dig down alongside the metal outer wall. Create a straight passage, and first, let's ascertain the length of this treasury."

"Alright, Great King!" Black Cory responded, directing the Worker Ants to work.

Draining water using the Water Control Ability was quite exhausting. After continuously transferring hundreds of Water Spheres, the Blue Soldiers began to show signs of fatigue.

Dragon Cypress ordered them to eat and rest. Once recovered, they continued draining.

The sun was fierce during the day, so they returned to the Ant Nest to rest and resumed at twilight.

Black Cory directed the Worker Ants, digging a straight passage downward following the slope of the treasury, and they quickly had results.

"Great King, we've reached the end!"

"Good."

Dragon Cypress extended his spiritual power, spreading it along the passage.

The treasury, inclined into the ground, had a neat and smooth bottom end. This indicated it had detached from the starship rather than being torn apart and scattered.

His initial assessment was that it was a single treasury room, about 15 meters in length.

Dragon Cypress had seen many treasuries of this specification within the bisected remnants of the Starship Wreckage that lay encompassed by the Divine Force Barrier, so he was quite familiar with them.

"Great King, what do we do next?" Black Cory asked, clearly anxious.

Dragon Cypress thought and explained, "A Starship Treasury always has a door… It should be located on either the left or right side. Let's first check the door's condition."

Black Cory shook his Tentacles, emitting a long string of questioning pheromones; he didn't understand what 'left side' and 'right side' specifically meant.

Dragon Cypress bent down and activated his Water System Ability, manipulating a stream of water to float and transform into the shape of a rectangular prism. Pointing with his Tentacle, he said:

"The treasury is about 15 meters long, 8 meters wide, and 4 meters high. Typically, a large treasury of this type would have a pair of sliding doors centrally located on one of its 15-meter-long by 4-meter-high sides."

"The door is sturdier than the walls. If it's closed, it's absolutely impenetrable. However, there's a very small chance the treasury doors are open..."

"Got it!"

Black Cory looked left and right, then rapidly ran to one side and said, "Great King, we dig down from here, right?"

"Right! That's up to you," Dragon Cypress said, seeing Black Cory's enthusiasm and anticipation. He further explained,

"The chances of the treasury door being open are very small, so don't get your hopes too high. Most likely, this treasury is intact and sealed. Only a few small holes will be accessible for our operation, meaning slightly larger treasures cannot be removed."

"…Understood." Black Cory immediately commanded the Worker Ants to start digging.

Dragon Cypress bent down, focusing on the hole. He continued to activate his Water System Ability, forming the water into spheres that the Specialized Blue Soldiers then transferred, draining the water outward.

"Great King!"

Black Cory, who was directing the excavation, suddenly jumped up. "Great King, the door… the door's gone?"

Hmm?

Dragon Cypress discarded the Water Sphere he was controlling, and his spiritual power swept through the area.

The newly dug passage descended more than four meters, revealing a jagged, torn surface. The wall on this side of the treasury seemed to have been forcefully ripped away.

His spiritual power probed deeper; it was all mud and sand.

Dragon Cypress ran forward, personally entered the tunnel, and used his Mandible Tooth to dig, while simultaneously scanning with his spiritual power.

He confirmed with absolute certainty that the treasury's main door had been on this side.

The door was gone!

He directed the Worker Ants, rapidly expanding the excavation.

He swiftly ascertained the situation.

It wasn't just the door that was gone; the accompanying wall had been shredded. What should have been a sealed treasury now had a massive opening on one side leading straight to the bottom, its interior completely filled with mud and sand.

Dragon Cypress felt terribly upset. Doesn't this mean that all the treasures inside have scattered out?

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