"Coral."
"Jellyfish."
"All kinds of rare sea fish."
"With this submarine, even so-called rare things feel ordinary now. Hm? That is Su Han, can you move a bit to the left? I think I saw something familiar."
Following Ningguang's directions, Su Han maneuvered the Polar Tang toward the left. Before long, a dilapidated large ship appeared in front of them.
"Whose ship is this?"
"A merchant ship from the Northland Bank. Three years ago, a terrifying storm appeared in the Sea of Clouds. They insisted on sailing anyway, and shortly after leaving the Sea of Clouds, the ship sank. Only three people survived. I heard it was carrying many valuable goods meant to be delivered to that Empress."
Su Han's eyes lit up when he heard this. He immediately said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let me explore it."
The Polar Tang was equipped with mechanical arms, so even on the seabed it was extremely flexible. Under Su Han's control, the contents of the ship's hold were soon revealed before the two of them. Although the ship had sunk, many items inside were remarkably well preserved. There were six large crates alone.
Su Han used the mechanical arm to salvage one of the crates and transferred it into the cabin using the submarine's system. After opening it, they discovered it was filled with precious porcelain.
Ningguang examined it and found that seventy percent of the porcelain pieces were perfectly preserved. Their value alone reached eighty million Mora.
"So expensive? Then what is in the remaining crates?"
"Most likely antiques and calligraphy. Let's salvage them and see."
"Mm."
Su Han quickly retrieved the remaining crates as well. In addition to antiques, there were also some rare medicinal materials inside. Conservatively estimated, the five crates together were worth four hundred million Mora.
Looking at the treasures scattered around, Ningguang sighed with emotion. "This is truly wealth picked up for free. If we really cleared out the seabed, I might have to give up my title as the richest person."
"That would require time too. I do not have the leisure to soak in the sea every day. How about you send people to salvage it, and we split it seventy thirty?"
"You really are generous. Alright, I will arrange reliable and safe personnel tomorrow."
"Mm."
They continued searching the surrounding area, but did not discover anything else of value. It was likely carried far away by ocean currents.
Just as Su Han was preparing to withdraw, a streak of blue, ghostly light flashed past in the distance. Ningguang saw it as well and asked in confusion, "What was that? Are there glowing things on the seabed?"
"I do not know, but we can go take a look."
The Polar Tang had excellent performance. Even if they encountered underwater monsters, safety would not be an issue.
As they drew closer, an uneasy feeling suddenly arose in Su Han's heart. The ghostly light ahead grew stronger and spread over a wider area. After advancing several hundred more meters, they finally realized that the glowing object was actually rock beneath a mountain.
"No, this is not rock. This is a god."
Su Han reacted instantly and drove the Polar Tang into a frantic retreat. Earlier, he had already found it strange that something beneath the Sea of Clouds would emit blue light. Only upon seeing the seabed rock did he fully realize it.
This was no blue glow at all. It was the Vortex God, Osial, suppressed beneath the seabed.
After wandering and diving for so long, they had unknowingly reached beneath its feet. Thankfully, the old man's seal was strong enough. Otherwise, they would have been in serious trouble.
Ningguang was startled by Su Han's words. She asked, "What god? Was that really a god just now?"
"Yes. That was the Vortex God Osial, sealed beneath the sea by the Geo Archon. We really should not have looked. We nearly caused an incident."
"Wait, you mean it is still alive?"
"That is right. The Archon was merciful and did not completely annihilate Osial, only imprisoned it here. Later, tell your people to salvage only near the bay. Do not come here. It is truly too dangerous."
Even after escaping, Su Han was still drenched in cold sweat. Although he trusted the old man's strength, any mishap would have been disastrous.
Ningguang nodded repeatedly. She did not want to see the day a god emerged again either.
Deep beneath the sea, that ghostly blue light continued to flicker, as if telling of its grievances and suffering.
...
After returning to the Jade Chamber.
Su Han handed all the porcelain and antiques to Ningguang. He kept the medicinal materials for himself.
"How much you sell them for is up to you. I do not need the money for now. When I do need it, I will come find you."
"No problem. Then what about the Transponder Snails?"
"For now, use the standard Transponder Snails. I have other uses for the rest, so I cannot give you all of them yet."
"Mm, that works well. It is already late. Would you like to stay here for the night? I have already prepared a room for you."
"That works."
Su Han originally planned to return, but considering that the Transponder Snails might still require his guidance, he chose to stay.
His room was next to Ningguang's. The decoration and layout were identical to the bedroom at Yujing Terrace. That alone showed Ningguang's attentiveness.
After a brief night of rest, they entered work mode in the morning.
The Transponder Snails could not all be deployed, as they still needed to reproduce, so only eight were taken out for now.
Yujing Terrace, Guili Plains, and key departments and individuals such as Yelan and Ganyu each received one. The remaining ones were given to Ningguang's trusted aides.
Soon, various "Hello, hello" voices echoed throughout the room.
"This is Ganyu. Can you hear me?"
"Communication is fine. Basically all the Transponder Snails are now in use."
After successful testing, Ningguang was extremely happy. With this setup, things would become much easier in the future.
Seeing no issues, Su Han said, "Since everything is fine, I will take my leave first."
"Be careful on the way."
Ningguang watched Su Han depart before quickly immersing herself in work. With the Transponder Snails, her efficiency in handling affairs increased significantly. From now on, she would no longer need to be so exhausted.
After leaving the Jade Chamber, Su Han did not return to the comic shop. Instead, he headed to Granny Ping's courtyard. Since Ningguang had received a Transponder Snail, these two Adepti could not be forgotten either. Especially Cloud Retainer. Her disciple had already been sent to him. It would be unreasonable not to give her one.
Pushing open the courtyard gate and stepping inside, Su Han saw the Adeptus drinking tea. He stepped forward with a smile and said, "Good morning, Granny Ping. Is Cloud Retainer here? I prepared two small gifts for you today."
"Gifts? Where are they? Let this Adeptus have a look."
A gentle green breeze swept past. Cloud Retainer suddenly appeared from nowhere.
Seeing her eager gaze, Su Han quickly took out the prepared Transponder Snails and said, "These. They are gifts for you, and I also wanted to ask if you could see whether there is a way to help them reproduce."
"These are the Transponder Snails from the comic?"
Cloud Retainer looked at the strange snails on the table and finally recalled their name. But could such a thing really communicate?
Su Han nodded. "Yes. Their function is the same as in the comic. They can transmit sound over vast distances. However, the quantity is limited for now, so I was hoping you could see if there is a way to help them reproduce."
"That is uncertain. If they were mechanisms, this Adeptus would have no difficulty. But if it involves snail reproduction, I can only say I will do my best."
"That is fine. I do not understand it either."
Within Liyue, there were only so many Adepti capable of such things. Aside from them, Su Han truly could not think of anyone else who could help.
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