Chapter 116 Remote Conversation Using MP4...
It is located far away on the coast of Lingnan.
The arduous journey that originally took half a month or even two months to reach the dock has been compressed into as little as four or five days after paving cement roads, clearing away wild animals, and wearing medicine packs to repel mosquitoes and poisonous miasma.
Abu rode at breakneck speed, carrying the secret box day and night without stopping. His eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion. He changed horses several times at the Lingnan Money Exchange along the way, finally arriving at the end of the cement road he had visited once before, covered in dust.
There was an inconspicuous watchtower there, and although Abu knew this, he still couldn't see anything when he looked around.
This time, unlike the previously agreed-upon meeting, he arrived unexpectedly to deliver something, so he had to change the procedure.
Abu was exhausted. After many days, he was on the verge of delirium. He immediately raised the secret box in his hand and said the command that His Highness had taught him before: "There is no place like home."
A hush fell over the air. After a few seconds, a person emerged with a rustling sound, took the box from Abu's hand, and asked, "What's the rush?"
"This is for Mr. Huang. Please ask him to open it immediately." After giving these instructions, Abu didn't follow them. Instead, he took the reins and prepared to return. He was very clear about his own abilities—
Having come from the Imperial Guard and gained His Highness's trust to participate in confidential matters, he had to live up to that trust and never do anything unnecessary. His curiosity was irrelevant.
“…That’s strange.” The spy stared intently at the secret box in his hand, his expression somewhat grave. He turned to his two companions in the shadows and said, “I will personally deliver it to Mr. Huang.”
The visitor spoke solemnly, as he also did not want this confidential item to pass through the hands of a third person.
...It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early.
For the past two months, Huang Dong led a secretly assembled crew of sailors—most of whom were rescued by construction teams from families in Lingnan who couldn't afford food, and a smaller number were miners from Yiyang County who knew how to swim—working day and night in the nearshore waters to familiarize themselves with ship operations and how to deal with undercurrents. The most dangerous encounter was with a reef; the ship was destroyed, but fortunately, the crew members were all good swimmers and managed to survive by clinging to the remaining logs.
In terms of composition, this crew of nearly one hundred sailors is the result of Huang Dong's painstaking efforts over the past six months.
As everyone gradually became more proficient, it was time to prepare for a more distant sea adventure. Huang Dong still remembered the Second Prince's solemn instructions and subtle hints before they set off.
Especially after July and August, hurricanes are common along the Lingnan coast, and the disasters, whether major or minor, are not suitable for ships to set sail. A delay of several months would be incurred, and Huang Dong, thinking of His Highness's anxiety and anticipation, was unwilling to disappoint him.
So when the spies carrying the secret box headed to the dock, Huang Dong was leading the sailors in analyzing the nautical charts, planning to explore the deep sea in the next few days—in early July.
"What? A secret box from His Highness?" Huang Dong looked in astonishment in the direction of the village. The person who raised the carrier pigeons had not sent him a message. Instead, His Highness had suddenly sent someone to deliver a box.
Huang Dong waved his hand to stop the conversation, picked up the box and went back to his house, where he observed it for a moment.
The wooden box is covered with many carved patterns. A garden master like him, with his profound knowledge, could easily discover the mystery on it—it is a multi-layered mechanism evolved from mortise and tenon joints. It requires a certain skill to open the box, otherwise it will only make its difficulty to open more complicated.
"..." Huang Dong smiled proudly.
His Highness left without giving any instructions, which made him feel a warm sense of trust.
Of course he can solve it.
Huang Dong fiddled with it for a while, and the heavy, dark-colored wooden box opened with a soft sound. Inside lay a secret letter and something wrapped in straw... What was that?
Huang Dong held his breath, his expression changed, and a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.
The small cube was neither metal, wood, nor iron; it was finely smooth, and its front seemed to have a small piece of glass embedded in it, vaguely reflecting his excited face. But upon closer inspection, the thing was dark and silky, and didn't seem to be glass or crystal. Taking a sniff, he noticed it carried an unfamiliar scent, one he had never smelled before.
From its design, color, materials, and any other aspect, it doesn't seem like a product of the human world. Or rather, it's almost impossible that Huang Dong, a master architect, has absolutely no clue how it was made.
That's why it strongly piqued his interest.
"..." After reading the secret letter, Huang Dong's expression changed several times. He clumsily picked up the small gift and followed the instructions to "turn on the device".
Once you see the changing pattern appear in the small square, you can trigger it by tapping it with your finger, and you can also switch between functions...
"...!!!" Huang Dong's legs went weak, and his face was filled with mixed emotions.
"Your Highness, this... this is something you really can tell me?" He stood there stunned for a long time, his throat choked with emotion, his heart heavy, and for a moment he had nowhere to put his disbelief.
This seemingly otherworldly thing was truly entrusted to him by the Second Prince.
This...this...
Huang Dong recalled the young prince's patient words and gentle, affirming gaze on the day he pledged his allegiance, and for a moment he was speechless.
All he needs to do is offer his loyalty and talent; the rest is up to His Highness to manage and worry about—that's what they agreed upon. His Highness truly lives up to this oath, daring to give even something so weighty, so Huang Dong will naturally not let him down.
but……
Sometimes he felt that he didn't need to run away from everything like this. Where did this thing come from?!
I really want to know, but I can't ask.
Huang Dong was so anxious and frustrated that he felt like he had a breath stuck in his throat, but he couldn't tell anyone. He was dying of curiosity.
"His Highness will have his reasons..." Huang Dong could only pace anxiously in the room, trying to convince himself. He quickly focused his attention on the "sea chart" in front of him.
"...Once we find the silver mine as Your Highness instructed, I will be able to return to Liuzhou!"
He should be able to return the divine object and get an answer from His Highness.
Thinking of this, Huang Dong became very excited and quickly familiarized himself with the nautical chart as instructed in the secret letter.
As darkness fell and torches were lit on the beach, Huang Dong emerged and solemnly announced to the sailors, "The plan for three days from now remains unchanged. We will set sail for the deep sea!"
“Mr. Huang, all our manpower is here. Are we going to…” a man from Lingnan asked in a broken Liuzhou accent, “…go all of them?”
"All three ships will go, and I'll go with you," Huang Dong said resolutely, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
His Highness has even sent such a divine object, so naturally he has to bet everything. He has been conserving his energy for this very moment.
The crowd below spread the word, and soon a commotion arose in surprise, but no one dared to object. Huang Dong had repeatedly proven with the authority he had established by the sea that whatever he decided to do, no matter how outrageous, everyone had to follow.
That's settled.
“Ma Erhua, Li Shui, Li Wudu, Yan Chi, Yan Bu…” Huang Dong began to call out names one by one. Displacement caused by disasters has always been severe in Lingnan. Most of the people he rescued did not even have ordinary names. It was only for the sake of convenience that he forced everyone to have a name after he built a village and settled down here.
"Come over here and familiarize yourself with the new nautical chart." Huang Dong called over the group of promising young talents he had selected, preparing to explain to them the nautical chart he had just hastily drawn up.
Originally, going to sea required learning from scratch and accumulating experience little by little. It wasn't until Huang Dong saw that systematic nautical chart just now that he understood many things.
The location of the overseas islands is marked on the nautical chart; those are the silver mines.
But if you want to get there... the best time is from April to early July, following the monsoon currents, so you can arrive smoothly. If everything goes well and you don't encounter storms or other dangers, you can get there in as little as three days with the southwest winds.
As time goes on, typhoons become more likely (Huang Dong pondered this and thought it meant 'hurricane'). To return from the unfamiliar island, one must return in August. If that's too late, the next return will have to wait until March or April of the following year, when the northeast monsoon will also blow towards the Central Plains.
Knowing all this, Huang Dong understood perfectly why His Highness had sent the nautical chart in such a hurry.
Now is the perfect time to go to sea!
...
Three days later, the ship set sail, and the towering, massive, and majestic building slowly left the dock, taking with it most of the population of this small seaside village.
"Go ahead and leave the house to us!" The old woman with a rough voice waved her hand with tears in her eyes. Most of those left behind were the elderly, women and children, but they did not look frail. Instead, they were strong and burly, used to physical labor.
They looked at each other, understanding each other without saying a word.
...On the other side of the shoreline from the dock, there are equally secretive salt pans, where a large number of people are stationed. Anyone who thinks this small village is unguarded will be taught a harsh lesson.
"..." The Yang family girl, whose face was filled with numbness and suffering, became unrecognizable in just one or two months. She became darker and thinner, her hands were covered with thick calluses, and she sat shivering on the ground, her eyes lifeless as she tried to rest.
Although a large group of people left, the Yang siblings felt neither relief nor joy.
Hardships sharpened their minds, preventing them from becoming arrogant again.
The old woman who stayed behind could take on at least three of them with just one arm, so escaping was no less difficult... The only thing that was lessened was the time spent moving goods, which allowed her to catch her breath and rest a bit.
That works too.
On the other side, Qi Chengming, who had been waiting for a long time, suddenly saw a small wrench symbol on the infrastructure panel after nearly a week:
That means the main system of the infrastructure panel has been connected to a device, just like a computer is connected to an MP4 player via a data cable, and some simple operations can be performed.
Although I don't know how long the battery will last, I'll use it as much as I can.
"...The Wi-Fi works even from this far away!" Qi Chengming was overjoyed at his successful experiment and eagerly wrote a note in his memo:
[Mr. Huang, where are you?]
—Then he left Qi Chengming's name and the date of writing.
...Perhaps the instant messaging operation was too shocking, Qi Chengming waited anxiously for the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, which aroused Song Gudu's puzzled look, wondering what was wrong with His Highness.
Huang Dong's reply came belatedly:
[Your Highness? Is it Your Highness leaving me a letter?]
Having spent a long time together, Huang Dong had already learned his prince's basic writing style—that is, the commonly used punctuation marks—but Qi Chengming couldn't help but laugh when he saw Huang Dong's words.
Huang Dong must not know some of the usages, otherwise, using "Your Highness?!" would have been more in line with his current state of shock.
...It's a real shame that I can't see Mr. Huang's expression right now.
Qi Chengming thought to himself with a wicked sense of pleasure.
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Author's note: I gave Huang Dong a huge shock using modern technology, hahaha.
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