Chapter 227: But an Old Friend
The merchant ship can accommodate hundreds of people, and the deck is filled with people of all kinds.
Before Wen Wanlin went on deck, the guide gave each of them a mask.
"Excuse me, dear guests. This auction is of great importance. Wearing a mask is the best option for you and other guests."
Wen Wan did not deny this.
The circle of nobles in the imperial capital is so small that someone like Prince Anding would probably be recognized as soon as he shows up.
In a place where good and bad people mix together, revealing your identity will definitely do more harm than good.
So they took the masks and put them on one after another.
Wen Wan got a red fox mask, which matched the color of her clothes very well. After putting on the mask, her face was covered, leaving only a pair of watery eyes exposed.
King Anding received a gray wolf mask, while his guards received a silver wolf mask.
This time, Prince Anding only brought one personal bodyguard, a tall young man. Wen Wan had seen him before and thought he looked familiar, but she didn't know his name.
Prince Anding avoided the person who led the way and introduced Wen Wan, saying that the guard's name was A Shao, and then instructed:
"Since she wants to disguise herself as his maid, she should not fail to recognize her own people."
Wen Wan quickly responded, "I understand."
People on the deck were in groups of three or five, and it was rare for anyone to be alone.
Since there are buyers from the capital, most of them would not take the risk alone. King Anding brought two people on board, which was considered a small number.
As soon as the three of them appeared, the people around them looked over warily, but quickly looked away.
A heavy horn sounded and the merchant ship weighed anchor and set off.
Wen Wan swayed for a moment and only managed to steady herself by grabbing the railing.
She asked in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, where does this river lead to?"
Prince Anding glanced at the direction the merchant ship was heading and replied calmly, "In another half an hour, we should reach Qimao Lake, the largest lake closest to the Imperial Capital."
Wen Wan had heard of Qimao Lake. Not only was its surface area vast, but more importantly, it was close to one of the most famous cave areas in the capital.
Cave?
Wen Wan frowned and had some guesses in her mind.
She took out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom and handed it to Prince Anding.
"Your Highness, this porcelain bottle contains fluorite powder. If you are going into the cave later, please take this with you. If we get separated in the dark, remember to sprinkle some of this fluorite powder along the way."
Prince Anding was curious. He opened the porcelain bottle and took a look inside. He asked in surprise, "It glows? Fluorite powder? Where did you get this stuff?"
He was considered knowledgeable, but he had never seen glowing powder.
Wen Wan, a concubine, actually knows more than him?
He never thought that Wen Wan had a postgraduate degree after all. Although she was not as good as the best, she was better than the worst.
In ancient times, studying for ten years was considered a high level of education. In modern society, everyone has studied from kindergarten all the way up. Even if we have nine years of compulsory education, don’t we learn more knowledge than our ancestors?
Wen Wan never arrogantly thought that she was smarter than the ancients. She was just born in a peaceful era, enjoyed the dividends of the times, and had the opportunity to learn more than them.
"Yes." Wen Wan nodded and said softly, "I took it from the general's mansion warehouse."
"Oh." Prince Anding nodded at first, then was stunned again. "That's impossible. During the three years that Yu'er was away, I was the one who looked after the annual accounts of the General's Mansion's treasury, and I never saw any record of fluorite powder."
Hearing this, Wen Wan turned her head away guiltily and whispered, "There is no fluorite powder in the warehouse, but there are night pearls."
Prince Anding was startled, "Night-shining pearl?"
He looked at the small porcelain bottle in his hand, still puzzled, "What is the relationship between the night-shining pearl and the fluorite powder..."
Halfway through his words, Prince Anding seemed to have guessed something.
But he couldn't believe this guess. As a prince, he almost stuttered when speaking.
"Don't tell me this fluorite powder is just powder made from grinding up night-shining pearls."
Wen Wan coughed awkwardly twice and said, "Make the best use of it. Look, it will be useful soon."
After all, King Anding was a man of decisiveness and ruthlessness. Even though this fact was hard to accept, he could still maintain his composure. However, the guard A Shao beside him had a look of pain all over his face.
Grind the night-shining pearl into powder and use it?
Does she know how much a night pearl is worth in silver?
Compared with the concubine in front of him, the dandy young men in the imperial capital are much more reserved.
After all, who could be so ruined?
Seeing the expressions of the two men, Wen Wan struggled with a strong desire to survive.
She thought for a moment and added, "Actually, the Night Pearl is just a nice name. To put it bluntly, it's just a rare mineral that can temporarily store light energy..."
Wen Wan's voice became smaller and smaller, because Prince Anding and A Shao both had cold faces, as if they couldn't listen at all.
That's all.
Now that things have come to this, there is no point in saying more. The prince can't do anything to her now anyway.
Prince Anding's fingers trembled slightly as he solemnly put the small porcelain bottle into his arms.
He was in a complicated mood at the moment. He seemed to hope that the fluorescent stone could be used soon. Things that could save lives could not be measured by money.
But he also hoped that he wouldn't have to use it for a while. After all, this thing was really expensive and it would be painful to use it.
*
After entering the lake, the merchant ship continued to move against the current.
A moment later, the merchant ship stopped at the foot of the mountain.
There is a very small pier here. After the crew got off the boat, a floating ladder was built and a man wearing a black bear mask greeted the guests to get off the boat.
Wen Wan and the other two were walking in the middle of the team. She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she always felt that there was a pair of eyes following her like a shadow.
But every time she looked back, she found nothing.
King Anding stopped and looked at the cave in front of him, and couldn't help sighing for a moment.
"You're right. They'll take us into the cave."
Prince Anding glanced at Wen Wan and twitched his lips, "Although he's a bit of a spendthrift, he still has some vision."
Wen Wan smiled softly, "It's just a little cleverness, nothing to worry about."
Prince Anding didn't say anything. Given her status, it was a great blessing to receive such an evaluation from him.
*
In the distance, a man wearing a hood and a white rabbit mask kept his eyes on the petite woman in front of him.
His companion followed his gaze and asked in a low voice, "Master, is there something wrong with that man?"
The man shook his head and said in a low voice, "No, I just feel that... her figure is very similar to that of a human."
The person who made him miss her so much and dream about her, but he dared not get close to her.
His companion didn't understand what he meant, so he tried to probe: "Could she be the one?"
The man hesitated for a moment before saying, "It can't be her. This place is so dangerous, that person wouldn't let her take the risk here. Forget it, maybe I've got the wrong person."
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