Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
This time it was much easier than before. When the Hatch opened, there was no powerful cold current rushing out. We all entered the cabin one after another, with Mai Lao being the last to come in. However, once inside, I realized a problem: the water here, which should have been gentle and warm, had turned even colder than outside, making me shiver uncontrollably.
The Passage remained pitch dark. We turned on all the Underwater Lights, hoping that this time there wouldn't be any flickering lights or ghostly shadows. I observed for a moment; the Hatch we had previously checked was still open, so it seemed nothing unexpected had occurred.
Mai Lao gestured for everyone to spread out, signaling, "Everyone disperse and act individually. Quickly inspect each cabin and stay safe."
To save time this time, we had to take risks. The seven of us scattered, and as I put it, this was solo operation mode. Holding my Underwater Light, I swam toward the innermost cabin. Throughout the journey, I remained highly alert; in this dark Passage with no one around me, it was hard not to feel a bit anxious.
I gripped my Spear tightly while the Underwater Light scanned around, ready to respond to any sudden incidents. After swimming for a short while, I reached the last cabin on this level. From the Hatch to the end, I estimated that there were at least a dozen cabins just on my left side alone. If I added both sides together, there must be nearly thirty cabins in total. This wreck was indeed massive.
I shone my Underwater Light on the last Hatch; it was still firmly closed. There were some signs of damage on it—scratches and marks—and it was covered in a mess of growths that looked quite unpleasant. Now that everyone else should have entered their respective cabins, the Passage felt eerily quiet, quiet enough to make one’s heart tremble.
There was no time to waste now. I stepped forward and grabbed the Hatch, pulling it back with force. Perhaps due to how long the ship had been submerged, I managed to yank this wooden Hatch off completely. If it weren't for the buoyancy underwater, I would have surely fallen over.
I tossed aside the broken Hatch and waited at the entrance for a moment. After confirming there was no danger, I took my Underwater Light and swam inside. This cabin looked similar to the two I had checked earlier—still filled with torn Sacks and scattered rotting food on the floor. I cut open several Sacks in succession; they contained nothing but more food supplies—empty of anything useful. As I circled around the cabin, my mood suddenly sank.
I had hoped to find some clues that could unravel this mystery, but now it seemed like all my hopes were in vain. It appeared to be just a useless cargo ship filled with provisions. However, according to the Nautical Chart's instructions, that shouldn't be the case. Even if there were no extraordinary treasures aboard, why would anyone seek out a cargo ship that sank hundreds of years ago? What significance could that hold?
No, something must be valuable in such a large Wreck; perhaps we were searching in the wrong places. Time was still on my side; I needed to continue to the next cabin. Regardless of what happened, I had to thoroughly search through the entire ship.
Just as I was about to exit the cabin, my Underwater Light accidentally illuminated something beside the Hatch. I quickly shifted the light back; it was something large. As I swam closer for a better look, I discovered it was a Large Wooden Box tucked away in an inconspicuous spot right next to the Hatch—so well hidden that it would have been easy to overlook if I hadn't been careful.
The Wooden Box was large and square, capable of holding one or two people without any issue. However, I couldn't discern what it contained, as it had been submerged in water for so many years that it was difficult to tell. I set the Spear aside and cleared the area around the box with my hands.
With the light from my lamp, things became a bit clearer. The Large Wooden Box had a dark red exterior, adorned with a series of black horse designs carved into its surface. The horses looked peculiar; they had many spikes on their heads and small limbs, giving them an odd yet unique appearance.
There were also some simple patterns elsewhere on the box. On both sides, there were a pair of metal handles shaped like semicircles. The front of the Wooden Box featured a metal clasp, likely where a Lock would be placed. From its appearance, it resembled an ancient box designed to hold Silver Ingots.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the metal clasp was slightly damaged. I looked down with my Underwater Light and saw a large Lock on the ground next to the Wooden Box. Picking it up, I realized it weighed at least three pounds, and the locking mechanism showed slight deformation. It seemed that this Lock had been pried open. Who could have done that? Was it someone from this ship? Or had someone come to this Wreck before us?
Holding the Lock, I pondered whether we were not the first to discover this Wreck. However, logically speaking, Jenny wouldn't have leaked any secrets about this Nautical Chart. But time was limited, and I couldn't analyze the situation too thoroughly. Still, I felt like I was missing something important. I decided to open the Wooden Box; perhaps I would find some information I was looking for inside.
The Wooden Box was tightly sealed. After several attempts to open it without success, I took out my Paratrooper Knife and pried around the edge of the box's opening. With a strong upward pull, this time the Wooden Box opened easily.
Once the Large Wooden Box was opened, I quickly darted back a safe distance to ensure my safety in case something dangerous lurked inside. Holding my Spear and Underwater Light aimed at the box's opening, the cabin of the ship was eerily quiet; aside from my breathing and bubbling sounds, there was no other reaction. After waiting for several seconds without any strange occurrences following the opening of the box, I cautiously swam closer.
As I approached and shone my Underwater Light inside, I was taken aback—this large box was completely empty! How could that be possible? I checked multiple times to ensure I hadn't missed anything, but it truly was devoid of contents; there wasn't even a rag inside.
This was puzzling; how could such a large Wooden Box be left here empty? It defied logic. I still found it hard to believe there wasn't some hidden compartment. However, after thoroughly inspecting the interior of the box, there were no secret compartments at all. Among all the cabins I'd explored in this shipwreck, this was the only one with such a Large Wooden Box; none of the others had anything similar. What purpose did this Wooden Box serve?
Suddenly, it struck me—could it be that whoever pried open this Lock had taken everything inside? Given the current situation, that seemed like the most likely scenario; otherwise, why would someone leave an empty box here?
But then again, if this Wreck had already been thoroughly searched and everything taken away, did we even need to continue our exploration? Feeling somewhat frustrated at this thought—if that were true, what difference were we from scavengers picking over leftovers? In the end, it would all feel like wasted effort.
As I was lost in thought, suddenly, a figure appeared within my Underwater Light. I was startled and quickly grabbed my Spear, aiming it forward. To my relief, it was Mai Lao standing before me. For a moment, I almost fired the Spear.
Mai Lao gestured to me, asking if I had found anything.
I shook my head but then quickly nodded and pointed to a Large Wooden Box nearby. When Mai Lao saw the Wooden Box, he came over to inspect it as well. However, like me, he found nothing of interest.
I picked up the large Lock and handed it to him, mimicking a motion that indicated it had been pried open.
Mai Lao examined the Lock and nodded lightly, gesturing that it seemed someone had been here.
This Old Man was thinking along the same lines as I was. Even if we knew someone had come through, it didn’t help us much. What mattered now was whether we could find anything valuable, and of course, the information I needed.
I gestured to him, asking if he had discovered anything on his end.
Mai Lao waved his hand to indicate there was nothing. However, it wouldn’t do to just waste time like this; we should check other cabins. I signaled for Mai Lao to hurry out with me. We swam out of the cabin together, where Jiao Ba and Shunzi were already waiting at the Passage.
We all gathered again to exchange information from our inspections. The entire first level had been thoroughly searched by them, yielding results similar to before—aside from some torn Sacks and spoiled food, there was nothing else. The whole level didn’t even have a Rest Cabin.
Mai Lao glanced at the time; everyone had worked quickly this time, and we still had plenty of time left. He signaled for us to head up to the second level to continue our search. We needed to thoroughly investigate the entire Wreck today. Just as we were about to set off, my Underwater Light began flickering again…
Comment 0 Comment Count