The hotel where Liu Yong stayed proved highly reliable as he stepped out of the elevator and was greeted by a polite supervisor or manager in the lobby. "Mr. Liu, we have prepared the things you need, and I will take you there to have a look," the person said, eager to assist Liu Yong.
"Thank you," Liu Yong replied with a nod of appreciation.
A picturesque beach and a marina were just a stone's throw away from the hotel. The manager took Liu Yong to the front of a speedboat and offered,
"This is what you need, and the speedboat has been filled with fuel. I can make arrangements immediately if you need someone to help drive the speedboat."
Liu Yong examined the speedboat's contents and was satisfied, taking the key from the manager's hand. "No, I can drive the speedboat myself," he said confidently.
"Mr. Liu, goodbye," the manager waved as Liu Yong boarded the speedboat, quickly drove away, and set off towards his destination.
True to its name, the speedboat zoomed through the waves like a lightning bolt, and Liu Yong reached the sunken ship's location after two or three hours of driving.
"Finally, we're here," Liu Yong breathed a long sigh of relief and took a moment to relax.
As soon as the speedboat stopped, he threw the things on the boat into the sea, which were tied to several large rocks that pulled them toward the ocean floor. Liu Yong then stripped down his swimming shorts, donned his diving goggles and flashlight, and jumped into the clear waters.
The sea was stunningly clear, allowing Liu Yong to see the bottom quickly.
Swimming towards the sunken ship's location, he commented, "The water depth here is only about 100 meters, which is not too deep."
Soon he reached the sunken ship's side and examined it. The vessel was worn, decayed, and visually estimated to be about 30 meters long, with a massive hole in the hull, torn down by Bawang, who had ripped off several shipboards. Through the hole, Liu Yong could see a warehouse filled with porcelain.
Despite the dimness of the sea floor, Liu Yong could still see the breathtaking scenery around him, with seaweed swaying, colorful corals, and unidentifiable fish groups swimming past from time to time.
After admiring the seabed's beauty for a while, Liu Yong, holding a flashlight and a large plastic basket in the other, swam in through the hole nimbly, like a fish.
Excited by the sight of the porcelain inside, he exclaimed, "So much china! Almost fills this cabin. I love it!" With his flashlight's help, Liu Yong filled the basket with porcelain individually, then put it outside when packed.
When a few baskets were full, Bawang appeared, probably nearby, and came over when he saw movement. "Master, you are here," Bawang said respectfully.
"You came just in time, come and help me with my work," Liu Yong said.
"No problem, master. Please tell me what I want to do," Bawang replied obediently.
Liu Yong meticulously packed each piece of porcelain into the boat and sent them to the cave entrance. Overlord responded quickly, deftly moving the porcelain baskets to a flat ground nearby.
The duo worked seamlessly, with one person and one turtle complementing each other's strengths.
The sheer number of porcelain baskets was staggering, totaling over a hundred.
As Liu Yong emptied the cabin, he estimated that there were more than 20,000 pieces of porcelain to be transported.
"My previous estimate was too conservative," he mused. "There could be 30,000 pieces, or even double that amount."
After swimming out of the sunken ship, Liu Yong felt accomplished as he surveyed the baskets in the open space next to the boat.
The fruits of his labor over the past hour or two were evident. With so many porcelain pieces, it was imperative to ship them all back.
Liu Yong returned to work, meticulously filling each basket with air bubble film, securing it with a lid and cable ties, and wrapping it in several layers of air bubble film for extra protection. He intended to safeguard the porcelain from any damage during transportation, which took him about thirty to forty minutes per basket.
Once finished, Liu Yong checked each basket and found that everyone had intact porcelain. Any broken pieces or shards were cast aside. He noted that while the porcelain was relatively unchanged, about one-third had been damaged to some degree.
"Overlord, come here and open your mouth," Liu Yong instructed.
Overlord dutifully complied, and Liu Yong deftly loaded the porcelain baskets into the giant turtle's mouth. Each basket was an extra-large plastic container weighing at least two to three hundred catties once filled with porcelain.
Moving such heavy baskets in the water would be daunting for most, but Liu Yong did it effortlessly. In total, there were over a hundred baskets, which filled Bawang's mouth to the brim.
"Now, deliver all these porcelains to our warehouse by the sea," Liu Yong instructed Overlord.
"No problem, Master, I'm leaving now," replied Overlord as he slowly swam away.
Liu Yong watched as Bawang carried the porcelain cargo away, leaving about a hundred empty baskets behind. Feeling tired, Liu Yong decided to take a break before continuing his work.
He swam to the surface, climbed into the speedboat, and rested awhile. He drank half a bottle of beverage, ate a little something, and basked in the warm sun.
Resting for about half an hour, Liu Yong returned to the water and swam through the original hole again.
Although the cabin was now practically empty, Liu Yong remained thorough in his search, combing through every nook and cranny.
He was determined to leave no stone unturned in pursuing porcelain treasures.
In the murky depths of the bilge, a discovery was made. Amongst the muck and grime, ancient coins and damaged porcelain were found.
Though severely corroded, each item was carefully wrapped in bubble wrap and temporarily placed in baskets.
Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that some of these items were of poor quality, but others were of satisfactory quality and may hold some value.
It was decided that they should be returned and handed over to Ding Wen's company for further processing.
Liu Yong, realizing that there was nothing more to be found in this particular cabin, made his way to explore the sunken ship further. As he moved through the ship, he came across another cabin.
During the Song Dynasty, the shipbuilding industry was a force to be reckoned with. Not only were they able to construct giant ships with a length of 30 to 40 meters and a displacement of hundreds of tons, but they also designed various cabins, making their shipbuilding techniques the world's first class at the time.
This new cabin held the promise of something exciting. It was believed to contain tea and silk, which had been lost for hundreds of years. Unfortunately, the items had rotted away and were now nothing but mud with no value.
"Are there any other boxes?" Liu Yong asked.
Several large boxes were barely visible, their structure nearly destroyed by the corrosive elements. Liu Yong swam over to one of the boxes and opened it.
With a little force and a loud crash, the box disintegrated, revealing the contents inside. The corrosion was extensive, leaving almost everything rusted and useless, all except for one box.
Ironware from the Song Dynasty was found inside, likely intended for export to countries in Southeast Asia through the Maritime Silk Road for sale.
However, the corroded metal was now essentially worthless.
Opening another box revealed the same outcome; all left inside was corroded iron. But as they opened the final package, they were surprised.
The box was not full of rust, but rather, it was golden in color except for a layer of mud.
They then realized they had found a gold artifact from the Song Dynasty!
"Blessing in disguise ! ! "
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