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墨書 Inktalez
After Mai Lao finished speaking, Jiao Ba and the others exchanged glances, and I smiled as I said, "Don't tease Mai Lao, it's just a hat, how could it possibly be a weapon for murder?" Although what the Old Man said was quite absurd, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was some truth to it. When Mai Lao spoke, he almost always had a ten out of ten certainty; this person was definitely not to be underestimated and was quite formidable.
Suddenly, Shunzi interjected, "Not necessarily, I remember during the Manchu period, there was a very famous murder weapon called... called the Blood Droplet Device, and that hat looks quite similar."
I frowned and shot him a glance, saying, "Nonsense! The Blood Droplet Device is nothing but a rumor. In the three hundred years of our Great Qing history, where would such a thing come from?" I had never seen anything like the Blood Droplet Device. The information circulating among the people was utterly unreliable; my father and grandfather had never mentioned it either.
"Brother Yi, this isn't just some rumor. There must be some reason why these things have been passed down through folklore," Shunzi insisted stubbornly. When did this kid become so articulate? He had really changed; after one trip at sea, his personality seemed to have transformed completely.
"Alright, alright. Let's say there is such a thing as the Blood Droplet Device, but do you really think this shabby hat is it? That's just ridiculous." I didn't give Shunzi any favorable response; the more we talked about it, the more absurd it became.
"This hat certainly isn't the Blood Droplet Device, but it should be a weapon for murder. Next time we go out to sea, we'll bring it along and see for ourselves," Mai Lao said as he turned to look at me.
Jiao Ba squinted and asked, "Mai Lao, how can you be so sure?" Every time we reached a critical moment, Jiao Ba always seemed skeptical of what the Old Man said.
Mai Lao casually replied, "I never said it's one hundred percent certain, but it looks quite similar. I remember seeing something like it in a book."
"What book? You really have a lot of strange books in your possession; how come I don't have any?" Jiao Ba asked again, his beady eyes darting around. I recalled that last time when he mentioned the Demon Worm Corpse, he had also questioned Mai Lao about what he read in a book. This time again, I couldn't tell if Jiao Ba was doubting him or agreeing with him.
"Hehe, I probably saw it at a friend's house long ago; I can't remember exactly," Mai Lao deflected with a question back at him.
Jiao Bayi calmly stated, "I agree with your assessment; that hat does seem like a type of weapon. If you hadn't brought it up, I might have forgotten about it. I once saw something similar from an antique dealer, but there were still some differences; however, they looked quite alike."
"Hearing both of you say this makes it seem like it's definitely some kind of murder weapon," I glanced between them. I hadn't expected them to align so quickly on this matter.
"That should be correct," Mai Lao nodded.
I tapped my forehead and said, "Alright, even if this hat is a kind of weapon, it can't possibly be a Blood Droplet Device, right? So can we determine which dynasty it belongs to?"
"The Qing Dynasty," both Mai Lao and Jiao Ba replied almost in unison. After they finished speaking, they exchanged a glance, showing an impressive level of tacit understanding.
I smiled helplessly and said, "Lao Ba, Mai Lao, are you both so sure it's from the Qing Dynasty?"
"Well... I remember clearly that this type of weapon is called the Ghost Round Blade, and it should have first appeared during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty. There's no mistake about it," Mai Lao said confidently.
This time, Jiao Ba didn't offer any further explanation; he just chuckled and said, "Mai Lao really knows his stuff. That's right, that's the name."
I nodded and continued, "Okay, let's temporarily consider it a weapon from the Qing Dynasty. We have modern divers and Qing Dynasty people involved here; it seems this so-called treasure secret isn't something only we know about."
Jiao Ba grinned mischievously and said, "Good things should be shared by everyone, right, Brother Yi?"
I shot him a glance and retorted, "Shut your mouth. I have a big question: how can you be so sure this is a Ming Dynasty wreck? Don't tell me it's because of the position shown on the Nautical Chart. It was like that before, and after all the fuss, we still ended up with a Qing Dynasty shipwreck. Since we found this wreck, we've always believed it to be a Ming Dynasty shipwreck. We haven't even confirmed anything; apart from some tattered sacks and food in the hold, there's hardly anything else. The things we've discovered now are either left by modern people or by Qing Dynasty individuals—there's no logic to it."
"What Loyalty and Righteousness said does have some merit," I concluded. After my words, Jenny and the others seemed somewhat swayed; after all, we had no solid evidence to prove this was indeed a Ming Dynasty shipwreck. Relying solely on a Sting Horse Colt wouldn't work either. Jiao Ba also mentioned that thing had been passed down since the Han Dynasty and only ended during the Ming Dynasty. This means there could be connections from the Han Dynasty all the way through to the Ming period.
But then Shunzi broke the silence with a statement: "I brought something along; I don't know if it can help confirm anything." As he spoke, he pulled out a small object from his pocket and tossed it onto the table.
I looked closely—it was just a small bowl. "Shunzi, where did you get this little bowl?" I asked. I remembered clearly that there were no items in the first or second layers of the wreck; aside from large boxes for storing Sting Horse Colts on the first layer, it was all food. The second layer was just a Rest Cabin. Even if there were items, they would mostly be corroded bedding and decorations—there shouldn't have been any bowls found at all. Where did this kid find it?
Shunzi wore an innocent expression as he replied, "I found it in the second cabin on the second layer, under the bed. I stumbled upon it while using an Underwater Light; this bowl stood out quite a bit, so I decided to keep it."
Jiao Ba casually picked up the item and examined it. After a few seconds, he said, "Yes, this is indeed from the Ming Dynasty. To be precise, it dates back to the Yongle Period. Although it's just this one piece, it's enough to confirm that, combined with the size of the ship, it is definitely a Yongle Period wreck."
I also took a look at the bowl. I didn't doubt that this wreck was from the Ming Dynasty; I just wanted to see what they could produce to confirm it. I had a feeling that the previous black-clad individuals had some intricate connection with this Ming Dynasty shipwreck, but I couldn't analyze it right now. I needed to find some time alone to think it over.
"Given this, we can deduce that this Ming Dynasty wreck was already discovered during the Qing Dynasty," I said while holding the bowl and examining it.
"Yes, it seems that's indeed the case," Mai Lao replied from the side.
I cleared my throat and continued, "Well, this matter has been temporarily resolved. Moving on, when we were in the forbidden area, we discovered a large amount of jewelry and gold. It was precisely because of these items that we lost a brother. I still can't understand why the gold suddenly transformed into a dark mist that could kill someone instantly, and in such a terrifying manner. I believe everyone has seen it; can anyone tell me why?"
I had my own thoughts on the matter but chose not to voice them. I wanted to see what they thought. This dive felt strange; Li Xin had followed me from the surface down to the dark layers but stopped once we reached the forbidden area. Instead, Shunzi started following me. Was there some intention behind this? Or was I just being paranoid?
"Are you saying that it was the gold in the forbidden area that killed him?" Li Xin asked with an expression of ignorance.
I couldn't be bothered to respond to her and let Shunzi explain what had happened at that time. After listening, Li Xin's expression didn't change; she merely remarked, "It seems that place is indeed quite eerie."
"I can't explain it either; this is my first encounter with something like this. I can't fathom why. Xiao Ba, do you know?" Mai Lao spoke plainly and turned the question back to Jiao Ba.
Jiao Ba chuckled and said, "You don't know? How would I know? Simply put, if that thing can kill people, then it's best if we don't touch it." Although Jiao Ba said this, I could tell he knew something about the situation in the forbidden area; he just chose not to share it. I needed to find a time to talk to him privately.
Mai Lao then interjected with a question: "Xiao Ba, do you think these strange treasures are related to those three hanging coffins?"
"Coffins? Where did those come from?" Li Xin quickly asked upon hearing this.
"Yeah, Mai Lao, where did those coffins come from?" Shunzi also chimed in eagerly.
"It was only after you left that we discovered it, hanging above the forbidden area, a total of three coffins, which is quite eerie." I suddenly interjected. I had been pondering why there were three coffins suspended in the forbidden area. This was the first time I had seen coffins hanging in mid-air, and they were all facing different directions; only the entrance of the forbidden area was devoid of them. What could this mean? It couldn't just be for decoration; it had to be something more significant.
Jenny, looking quite distressed, exclaimed, "Oh my God, more coffins? When will this end?"
Jiao Ba glanced at me with a mischievous expression and said, "I don't know if those coffins are related to treasures, but I do know one thing: there must be something valuable inside them."
Mai Lao, realizing that asking questions was futile, waved his hand dismissively and said, "We could have guessed that without you telling us. The real treasure might just be in those coffins. Right now, we can only grit our teeth and move forward. If we find the treasure, we win. Does anyone have any other thoughts?"
"Mai Lao, what should our next step be? Should we salvage the wreck or what?" I asked him.
Mai Lao pondered for a moment before replying, "This wreck is too large. It's going to be difficult to salvage it from our buoy. Plus, we don't even know if we can make it through the upper part of the Dark Sea Area. We didn't succeed last time we dove down. If we try to go upstream, it's hard to say what will happen."
"What should we do then?" Jiao Ba chimed in.
Mai Lao took a sip of water and thought for a moment before saying, "Let's formulate two plans. The first plan is to salvage the wreck; we'll first see if we can go upstream. If we can, we'll salvage it. If not, we'll implement the second plan: we'll find a way to bring those coffins onto the fishing boat. What does everyone think?"
"Well, that's all we can do for now; I think it's feasible," I said, raising both hands in agreement since there were no other options.
The others also expressed their agreement. Mai Lao concluded, "Alright then, it's settled. Everyone rest for a day; we'll act the day after tomorrow. Dismissed."
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