Eternal Thief

A few hours later, in the middle of the endless sea, Ace's small ship, encased in an invisible barrier, was sailing smoothly. 

Ace was spectacle after having a lengthy conversation with Noa and Freya, and he was also relieved that they were doing fine; actually, they were doing more than just fine. 

After he learned just how much the world has changed in these past two years, he was in disbelief somewhat. But it didn't come as a shock as well, for this was bound to happen. 

As for Noa and Freya's reason for contacting him, it was because they were worried since he wasn't returning their calls. Noa especially sounded relieved when she heard he was okay, while Freya was as smug as always, but she was also secretly relieved. 

Ace sighed while looking at the endless sea before a smile emerged, "A unified world, huh? Now, who could've thought? I guess only someone with absolute power could pull something like this off. Furthermore, what's the deal with thieves appearing all over the world?" 

He wondered with a peculiar grin, "Now this is all getting interesting. I don't think, after what I've done, the Union Leader would let any thief go since this could be me all along. Yet, not only is the new union not doing anything, but they are also letting the thieves thrive. Now, what are you up to…" 

Ace could sense the Union Leader was up to something since he didn't make any move against any of the thieves, at least not seriously. From SMSC, he learned just how astute the Union Leader was at hiding his true motives. 

The Union Leader was the third union leader of the Sun and Moon Sword Union. He succeeded in that position when the Second Union Leader died mysteriously, and he happened to be the current Union Leader's master. 

After becoming the Union Leader, he remained low-key and always followed every rule like a loyal follower of the Sun and Moon God. But he was always mysterious and vanished into seclusion cultivation for decades. 

Furthermore, as a Union Dweller, it was impossible for him to leave the Union because of a special formation created by the Sun and Moon God so the Union could remain hidden from the outside world. 

But somehow, he managed to contact the outside world, which was the biggest mystery. As for the other union members, they learned about the outside world from the people of the Ancient Allied Gathering participants, who somehow managed to invade the Sun Secret Realm.

They weren't aware that there was another entrance to the Sun Secret Realm, and no one knows if the Sun and Moon God left it on purpose or if it appeared on its own. 

But the higher-ups of the union decided to keep a tight lid on this finding and called the ten continents people the aborigines of the Sun Secret Realm. 

If Ace hadn't appeared when he did, the Union Leader was clearly waiting for something to make his move. But after Ace destroyed the Sun Secret Realm, he was forced to act and try to capture the SMSC, who knows all the secrets of the Union. 

However, even he couldn't have imagined that there was a will of the Sun and Moon God present in the Union, and even if Ace hadn't stolen the entire treasury, he would've never gotten SMSC. 

It was a pity he didn't know, and now, he was naturally searching for Ace or any clues about him. That's why Ace was sure that he was up to no good and warned Noa and Freya to be careful. 

As for the ten souls entrapped in those statues, the only information he got was just this one line, 'They are not from the mortal sky, and their existences are nothing but disaster for the Mortal Sky!' this was enough to give Ace many ideas.

Now, the Union Leader was most likely working with them, so those guys were virtually invincible, so unifying the world wasn't a big deal for them. 

"Hey, system, is this key I just acquired for the Heaven's Secret I'm looking for? If I directly get it, will my mission be over, and I get the rewards?" Ace asked the system with anticipation. 

"[It's still remained to be seen if Host's conjecture is true or not. But if it is, then the Heaven's Stealer Mission will naturally be completed, and deserving rewards, according to host performance, will be given!]"

Ace nodded with a grin, "Remember those words." 

After confirming with the system, the map he just acquired appeared in his hand, and he opened it. He had already acquired many maps of the ten continents and even had the Union Map, so he was sure he could pinpoint the secret treasure's location. 

However, the moment he laid his eyes on the old map, his jolly expression crumpled, 'What is this?' 

The landmass on the map was completely new, and he had never seen such a place before. It was full of details, but he couldn't find any familiarity with it. Furthermore, the landmass denoted on the map was too big. 

At this moment, his eyes went wide when he thought of a possibility, 'Don't tell me this map was made before the splitting of the continents!?' 

Ace had heard about the ten continents being a single massive continent once, and the landmass on the map was too big. So, he instantly thought of this possibility. 

'It's made more sense since the Union exists far longer than the ten continents, and SMSC said without this map, it's impossible to find the secret treasure as it wasn't in the Union at all.' Ace frowned as he wasn't expecting this at all. 

Who knows how many years had passed, and the location marked on that map might be on another continent. Now the question was in which? 

'This map is useless!' Ace felt like crap after this realization struck him, and all his joy vanished. 

In the end, he sighed ruefully at his bad luck and stowed the map away, 'I guess I had no choice but to follow the system's instructions now.' 

Although he was somewhat depressed by this blunder, he wasn't disheartened and then decided to move on to his next objective. 

Ace peered into his thief's space, and after confirming something, he swept his sleeve, and the next moment, in front of him, the enthralling Alina appeared holding a jade scroll while her eyes were closed!