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墨書 Inktalez
We first bandaged the injured areas and gave Shunzi some new medicine. There were plenty of supplies on the boat. I had a minor injury on my calf, so I applied some medicine as well. The fishing boat had enough food, and we enjoyed a hearty meal. Finally, I was free from the torment of hunger.
Although this fishing boat was smaller than ours, it was well-equipped with plenty of fresh water and food. Mai Lao didn’t seem in a hurry at all; he told me to rest for a while before we set off again. The four of us had a good sleep in the Rest Cabin.
I slept from morning until evening. When I woke up, the Rest Cabin was empty. I looked out the window; it was dark again. I stretched my limbs; that nap had been refreshing.
I got dressed and stepped out of the cabin. Shunzi and Jiao Ba were on the deck. When they saw me, Jiao Ba waved and said, “Hello, good morning, Brother Yi.”
I smiled as I walked over and replied, “It’s already dark; what’s so good about morning?” Then I patted Shunzi’s arm and said, “You’ve got such serious injuries; why are you out here in the wind? Be careful not to worsen your condition.”
Shunzi grinned and said, “I’m fine now, Brother Yi. Much better.”
Jiao Ba chimed in, “Shunzi is tough! Don’t worry, Brother Yi; he’s not going to die anytime soon.”
“Shut your mouth,” Shunzi joked back.
Jiao Ba wasn’t offended; instead, he burst into laughter. It seemed that their bond had deepened after this ordeal at sea. I felt relieved; it should be like this—when out at sea, we’re all brothers and should look out for each other.
I glanced around and casually asked, “Where’s Mai Lao?”
Jiao Ba pointed his chin and said, “He’s in the cockpit steering the boat.”
“You two stay here; I’ll go find Mai Lao.” After saying that, I turned and headed toward the cockpit.
Mai Lao was at the helm of the fishing boat when I approached him. “Mai Lao, you must be tired! Do you want to take a break?”
He turned to look at me and replied, “I’m fine; I’m used to it. In the past, I would go out to sea for months at a time and steer the boat myself.”
“But we’re here too! We should help share the load,” I said sincerely. After all, he was just a person too; we didn’t want him to wear himself out.
“I’d really like your help, but who among you knows how to navigate?” Mai Lao said with a hint of helplessness.
I felt a bit embarrassed; he was right. This wasn’t just driving a car; navigating these vast waters required skill. Suddenly curious, I asked him, “Mai Lao, as a professor with your credentials, you must have enough money to spend. Why do you go out to sea?”
Mai Lao looked at me with a hint of mischief and asked, "So why do you think I went out to sea?"
"I wouldn't know! If I did, I wouldn't be asking you," I replied, feeling frustrated with this Old Man for stating the obvious.
Mai Lao chuckled and said, "Don't think of me as some noble figure. I'm just an ordinary person. Sure, part of it is for scientific research, but from my personal perspective, I'm here for the money. In this world, who would turn down extra cash? Don't you agree?"
The Old Man was quite straightforward: "Yeah, that's true. We're all just ordinary folks. Mai Lao, how long until we reach the Wreck location?" That was the question I was most concerned about; I couldn't care less who was steering the ship.
"At this speed, we should arrive in a few hours. What's the rush?" Mai Lao glanced at me with a smile on his lips. The Old Man always had that distant look in his eyes, making it hard to read him.
I raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm not in a hurry. We'll find it eventually; it's not like we're missing out on anything crucial right now. I'll head back first; you take care."
"Yeah, go rest for a bit! Once we find the location, we'll have our hands full," Mai Lao said, patting my shoulder.
I nodded with a smile and turned to leave the control room, heading towards the deck. On the deck stood Jiao Bayi, smoking and gazing at the wind. Shunzi was no longer around. I walked over to him, took a cigarette from his hand, took a few deep puffs, and said, "Damn, this feels good. Why are you alone? Where's Shunzi?"
Jiao Ba lit another cigarette: "He went to grab something to eat."
"Why aren't you joining him? What are you doing just standing here?" It was rare to see Jiao Ba so quiet; he seemed out of character staring into the pitch-black sea alone.
With a sigh, Jiao Ba replied, "Ah... it's nothing really. Just feels like we've encountered too many issues on this trip—one after another. After all this time, we still haven't found the real Ming Dynasty Shipwreck, and now we've been abandoned by our own people. When you think about it... it's really frustrating."
I chuckled and said, "But this is what you wanted so badly! If you hadn't said we'd make a fortune on this trip, why would Shunzi and I even come along?"
With an apologetic look on his face, Jiao Ba said, "Brother Yi, I'm really sorry! I had no idea it would turn out like this. You and Shunzi have almost lost your lives several times because of me. If I'd known it would be this dangerous, I wouldn't have let you two come out here at all. I'm truly sorry."
Looking at Jiao Ba, I could see he meant it; his face was filled with regret and his eyes were slightly red. I put my arm around his shoulder and said, "It's fine; weren't you almost in danger too? We're brothers; there's no need for unnecessary apologies. Since we're already in this deep, we have to see it through to the end. Until we uncover the truth behind those black-clad figures and the secrets of this Nautical Chart, I'm not going back."
Jiao Ba grinned widely: "Right! We have to get to the bottom of this. By the way, Brother Yi, let me show you something." He said this while sneakily pulling out a shiny little object from his clothes, glancing around as if afraid someone might see.
As soon as I saw it, my eyes lit up: "Is this what you got from the Bearded Man?"
"Yeah, that's it! He pried it from that female corpse's mouth," Jiao Ba said excitedly and proudly as if he had already found the answer.
I waved my hand and said, "Let's go over there to talk."
We moved from the deck to a secluded spot next to the fishing boat. I took a closer look at the object, but after staring at it for a long time, I still couldn't figure out what it was. The only thing I was sure of was that it was made of pure gold. It was about the size of a walnut, somewhat resembling a small diamond shape, but not quite a diamond. There was also a bar at the back, positioned right at one side of the bottom.
"What the hell is this thing? It looks like nothing I've ever seen," I exclaimed, baffled that the female corpse had such an object hidden in her mouth.
Jiao Ba shook his head and said, "I don't really understand either. I've been looking at it for a while, and I can't make heads or tails of it. If it were just plain gold, there would be no reason for her to hide it in her mouth. This thing must have some kind of secret."
My mind raced as I thought carefully and replied, "Yeah, I think so too. If she were truly of royal blood, who would care about a little gold? What could this possibly be?" Both of us fell into a state of confusion. I clearly remembered how Bearded Man's eyes lit up when he saw this object; it couldn't just be because it was made of gold.
Jiao Ba seemed to be talking to himself when he said, "Could it be some kind of information? Like that half piece of jade pendant that carried some sort of code?"
Information? As I pondered this, something clicked in my mind. Suddenly enlightened, I said, "Right! Now that you mention a code, could it be something similar to a key or something that hides certain information that only works under specific conditions?"
Jiao Ba's eyes shifted as he glanced at me and said, "That's possible. But that's just our speculation. What it actually is? I'll need to get back to our fishing boat to find out."
"Back to the fishing boat? What do you mean?" I didn't quite understand Jiao Ba's words.
He whispered, "I brought my old man's diary with me. It contains some strange and unusual things; maybe I can find some clues in there."
I nodded and said, "Yeah, it seems like that's our only option. But I'm certain this object is anything but simple."
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