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墨書 Inktalez
Upon hearing Jiao Ba's words, I was taken aback and exclaimed, "Are you saying this could possibly belong to a Ming Dynasty Consort?" This was indeed monumental news; a Phoenix Pendant from a Ming Dynasty Consort was certainly no ordinary item.
Jiao Ba shook his head again and said, "Perhaps... even higher than a Consort."
Just as I was about to respond, he interrupted me, "Let me finish. Regardless of whether it's a Consort or something else, this person's identity and status must be much higher than these two corpses. You can tell just from their coffins; neither the quality nor the scale meets the standards of a Consort."
"However, during their lifetimes, they likely held some authority within the palace, but they weren't of particularly high status. If they were truly a Consort or something similar, it would be impossible for them to simply sink into the sea like this. Even if they used a wreck as a tomb, that would be too simplistic."
"Moreover, this Phoenix Pendant can only belong to one woman; it cannot be divided between two people. The fact that each of them holds half of it raises significant questions. It suggests that they were guarding a powerful weapon on behalf of their master."
"And they are twin sisters. In ancient imperial times, many feudal dynasties had twin sisters serving as palace maids simultaneously. It's very likely that they were trusted confidantes of the owner of this Phoenix Pendant—women with some degree of power within the palace."
Jiao Ba's explanation was clear and made sense to me. "If what you say is true, then who exactly is the owner of this Phoenix Pendant?" After seeing this strange pendant, I felt that things were becoming increasingly complicated.
"I can't definitively say who the owner is yet, but as I mentioned earlier, she should be above a Consort. The most likely candidate is the Queen of the Ming Dynasty at that time. However, that's just my speculation; we can only unravel this mystery by finding the true owner of the Phoenix Pendant," Jiao Bayi said earnestly.
The Queen of the Ming Dynasty? The origins of this Phoenix Pendant were indeed significant; it exceeded my expectations. I had initially thought it might have belonged to some prince's concubine. "Lao Ba, do you think the secret behind this Nautical Chart could be related to this?"
Jiao Ba took a deep breath and replied, "I'm not sure, but I personally feel... there must be more to it. There might be an even greater secret behind this or perhaps an enormous conspiracy."
I frowned and said, "Whether it's a conspiracy or a secret, we need to uncover everything because this Nautical Chart has already caused too many deaths." Countless lives had been lost in pursuit of this so-called treasure.
"Indeed, this cursed thing has claimed many lives; six have already died on our ship alone, and yet we still haven't found the treasure. Brother Yi, do you think these three items could actually be the treasure? Even if we keep searching, we might end up with nothing," Jiao Ba suddenly questioned me with a heavy expression.
"Heh, how would I know? Maybe... maybe you're right; we can only find out by locating the owner of this pendant," I replied with a resigned smile.
Jiao Ba looked at the pendant again and said, "Hopefully we can find the owner of this Phoenix Pendant."
"Lao Ba, there's one thing I don't understand: why wouldn't the owner keep the pendant herself instead of letting her servants guard it? If it's truly a treasure, she shouldn't leave it in someone else's hands," I asked again in confusion.
"This question... I've actually thought about it for quite some time. There must be some hidden secret here or perhaps this Phoenix Pendant is not just a treasure; it may carry some kind of information," Jiao Ba whispered in my ear.
"Information? What kind of information?" I inquired.
"I can't say for sure, but it shouldn't be that simple. Its extraordinary nature suggests there must be something remarkable about it. Ancient people loved to create mysterious objects like this; however, many times it was just for show," Jiao Ba remarked dismissively.
"Why is this so complicated? And what about those two golden objects? What are they for?" I felt that these three items were inseparable, especially since they were found on the two female corpses.
"I really don't know. I've been studying it for over half a month and haven't come to any conclusions, especially about that golden little sphere. It looks ordinary; I can't tell what purpose it serves." Jiao Ba spread his hands, looking troubled.
"Forget it, there's no use in rushing this. It's already quite good that we can learn about the backgrounds of these two female corpses..." I noticed someone flash by at the stern of the boat, just a short distance behind Jiao Ba, hiding in a corner.
Jiao Ba immediately nodded silently, then said loudly, "Brother Yi, I think we should settle on going down to the sea for now. Once your injury heals, we'll head down right away." He spoke while quietly moving toward that direction.
The figure was still there, seeming to lean sideways. I couldn't see him clearly, but he made one major mistake: his shadow was cast by the moonlight, revealing his presence; otherwise, I wouldn't have noticed him.
As Jiao Ba approached him, he suddenly growled, "Who is it? Come out!"
The person shrank back suddenly but didn't run away. Jiao Ba glanced at me, and I gestured for him to move forward and grab him. If it weren't for my injury, I would have handled this myself without so much trouble.
I saw Jiao Ba's hand slowly moving toward his lower back; I guessed he was reaching for his gun. Just then, the person hiding at the stern quickly stepped out. "Jiao Ba, it's me."
A tall, thin man stood in front of Jiao Ba. "What... what are you doing here?" Jiao Ba blinked in surprise and squinted at him.
"Oh, nothing much. I just came to enjoy the sea breeze. But what about you? What are you doing here?" It was only in the moonlight that I recognized this man as Changshan, the taciturn sailor. I slowly walked over to them.
"We... we are here..."
"We're just enjoying the sea breeze like you." Jiao Bayi was anxious and couldn't find the words, so I interrupted him directly.
"Yeah, we're just enjoying the sea breeze," Jiao Ba quickly added.
Who would believe such a flimsy excuse? Why would anyone come out at night to enjoy the sea breeze? Moreover, why did he choose this moment when Jiao Ba and I were talking? It was clearly suspicious that he was hiding in a corner and could come up with such a ridiculous excuse.
I looked at Changshan in front of me; he still wore that expressionless face. This Korean man initially gave me an impression of arrogance—someone who didn't want to engage with others—and I couldn't understand why he acted so high and mighty.
Over time, I learned that he was simply not fond of talking. But now I realized that this person had quite a bit of cunning; it didn't seem like a coincidence that he followed us here intentionally.
"When did you arrive?" I stared at his face and suddenly asked.
"When did you arrive?" Changshan replied without any expression, directly countering my question.
"Aren't you supposed to answer me first?" I sensed tension between us; it felt like we were on the verge of igniting something explosive.
"Why should I answer you first?" Changshan said coolly.
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit off, Jiao Bayi quickly tried to smooth things over. "Oh, Brother Shan, Brother Yi didn't mean anything by it. Don't misunderstand; we've been here the whole time, right?"
Changshan didn't respond to Jiao Ba but continued to stare at me. I smiled back at him and turned to Jiao Ba. "Lao Ba, let's head back. Brother Changshan, you can enjoy the breeze by yourself; we won't keep you company."
Just as Jiao Ba and I were about to leave, Changshan suddenly said from behind, "Is what you have in your hand beautiful?"
Jiao Bayi and I were taken aback by his words. I immediately stopped in my tracks, turned to look at him, and smiled. "Are you talking about this?" I deliberately pulled out a lighter from my pocket. When I opened the lid, a small red light flickered on top.
"Maybe. It's getting late; I should head back," he replied with a smile before walking past Jiao Ba and me. That smile made me uncomfortable, as if he could see right through me.
"Brother Yi, what... what does this guy mean?" Jiao Ba said, staring at his retreating figure.
"He probably saw the jade pendant. Keep it safe; don't lose it. Also, give me the other two items so we can manage them separately."
Jiao Ba then handed me the Golden Key and the golden sphere. Regardless of whether Changshan actually saw anything, we needed to be cautious. From his tone, I was certain he had overheard my conversation with Jiao Ba.
I just didn't know if he had heard it by chance or if he had planned this all along. Men like him, who are quiet and reserved, are the hardest to deal with because you can never truly understand what they're thinking...
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