109: Chapter 109: Hidden Clues Run Simultaneously, Clues Intersect

The next morning. Blue Moon Island, Lords Mansion.

Lu Changyuan was waiting for two things—Commander Tie Zhan's third reply regarding the transfer order records for Warehouse Chief Cui, and the first monthly report from Leng Feng's observation post at Cold Dragon Abyss. Both were due to arrive today.

Commander Tie Zhan's reply arrived first.

There were only five lines of text on the communication talisman. Each line was short, but each represented a footprint pushing forward.

"The transfer order record for Warehouse Chief Cui has been found. Three months after the incident seventeen years ago, it was issued directly by the Material Dispatch Department of the East Sea Governors Office, transferring him to the position of deputy warehouse chief at Liyuan Ferry. Liyuan Ferry is a small military ferry located at the southernmost tip of the East Sea Governors Office's jurisdiction, with a staff of no more than twenty people."

"Warehouse Chief Cui resigned due to illness two years after taking up his post at Liyuan Ferry. The resignation application was signed on his behalf by the head warehouse chief of the Liyuan Ferry military warehouse, citing 'recurrence of old injuries, unsuitable for continuing warehouse duties.' His whereabouts after resignation are unknown."

"I hit a snag during the record search: the personnel files for the Liyuan Ferry military warehouse from the last ten years have been archived and sealed in the East Sea Governors Office's old archives due to the ferry's closure and merger. To investigate Warehouse Chief Cui's whereabouts after his resignation, I must access the old archives of the Governors Office. This step requires the cooperation of Governor Xue Zhen."

"Additionally, the private ledger is still being sought. The original site of the Outer Ring Seventh Warehouse has been confirmed—the wall base has shifted more than two zhang from ten years ago, and we are currently digging down at the new location. I will notify you the moment it is found."

"If this Warehouse Chief Cui is still alive, he should be within Governor Xue Zhen's jurisdiction. However, the person who signed the transfer order and the person who signed the circular for the inspection-free release are suspected to be the same individual—I am currently verifying the seals. Before a conclusion is reached, it is best not to alert Governor Xue Zhen."

Lu Changyuan read the message from start to finish twice. Every step Commander Tie Zhan took followed the rules of the old archives—search if possible, request assistance if not. The reminder in the last line was the same as last time: do not alert Governor Xue Zhen. But this time, the reminder included an extra detail—the person who signed the transfer order and the person who signed the circular for the inspection-free release were suspected to be the same individual.

This detail pushed the old case up another level. Warehouse Chief Cui was the receiving foreman at the Outer Ring Seventh Warehouse—he verbally relayed the inspection-free release order to Zhou Laogen. The inspection-free order was stamped by the warehouse supervisor of the Outer Ring Seventh Warehouse (Warehouse Chief Cui's superior), but the circular the order was based on came from the East Sea Governors Office. Now, Commander Tie Zhan had discovered that the person who signed the transfer order and the person who signed the circular might be the same person—a person who, seventeen years ago, sat in the East Sea Governors Office and signed an official document moving the Sealed Fleet's array materials from the normal verification channel to the "scrap material inspection-free channel." After he signed it, the Sealed Fleet's array materials left the warehouse, were loaded onto ships, and set out to sea under the guise of waste material. The fleet sank. The ledger entry was cut out with a knife. The consignee on the Yongtai Firm's shipping manifest was cut out with a knife. Every cut was made at a location that could trace back to his signature.

Is this person still alive? If so—are they still at the East Sea Governors Office?

Lu Changyuan locked the message away in a secret compartment. The next opening in this account needed to be unlocked by Governor Xue Zhen—but not now. Commander Tie Zhan was still verifying the seals.

Leng Feng's monthly report arrived before noon.

It was a record written in charcoal on coarse paper—observation data for a full month, from the first day the Abyss Mouth observation post was established until yesterday. Leng Feng's handwriting was still as sloppy as ever, but the data was recorded very thoroughly.

Black fish school population: First two days—over two thousand. First five days—peak value of about two thousand four hundred. Second five days—began to decrease, daily average of about one thousand two hundred. Third five days—about five hundred. Most recent two days—less than two hundred. Water temperature: Cumulative drop of three degrees, the rate of decline continued to slow, remaining flat over the last five days. Pressure intensity (using the vibration amplitude of the sounding line in the six hundred to eight hundred zhang range as a reference): First two days—medium to strong. First five days—medium. Most recent two days—weak, approaching baseline level.

A line of small text was attached to the end of the record—Leng Feng's style.

"At noon yesterday, I saw less than one hundred black fish at the edge of the Restriction. The Silver-scaled Bream are still there—about thirty of them, their swimming speed much slower than when they first came up. Fragments of dead algae have started floating up from the depths to the surface—they are withered algae that had been submerged at the bottom of the abyss for many years, shattered by the pressure and floated up. The quantity is not large, but it indicates that the silt layer at the bottom of the abyss has been disturbed. Now, the signs of disturbance have stopped."

Luo Qingcheng's supplementary judgment via Divine Sense arrived in the afternoon—the message she had Ye Zhe relay consisted of only two sentences.

"The giant beast has re-entered a deep slumber. Its breathing frequency has dropped from forty-seven breaths per cycle earlier to sixty-two breaths per cycle, and the cracks on the surface of the silt shell are being covered by new sediment. It fell asleep again after turning over—it will take many years for it to turn back."

"The backflow of bottom-dwelling creatures has begun. The black fish school will basically disperse within ten days. The remaining population will stabilize on the periphery of the Restriction, forming a low-density retention zone—they will not impact the Restriction, but they will not completely disappear either. You can reduce the observation post frequency from once every two hours to once every six hours."

Lu Changyuan placed the two records side by side on the table. The deep-sea threat had gone from an "unknown threat" a month ago to a "monitorable object" now. The three fixed observation posts would remain, but the frequency of observation could be reduced. Leng Feng could withdraw the excess cavalry from the posts—the Sword Ray Cavalry was currently Blue Moon Island's only mobile maritime force, and it was a waste to have them crouching on the reef walls waiting for black fish for a long time.

"Send a reply to Leng Feng: Keep the three observation posts, report once every six hours. Withdraw half of the cavalry back to the island for rest—the Sword Ray Cavalry should resume their daily training."

Su Qingli made a note in the communication log. She looked up after finishing.

"A month ago, when you first took the cavalry into Cold Dragon Abyss—no one outside the fog wall could see what was inside. Now, the fog is still there, but everything under the fog has been figured out."

"Only the surface layer has been figured out." Lu Changyuan closed the communication log. "That old thing at the bottom of the abyss is still there. Three years, five years, ten years, eight years—it will eventually wake up. Luo Qingcheng is right—we must take advantage of the time it is asleep to hatch the black turtle egg. On the day the black turtle hatches, Cold Dragon Abyss will no longer need to fear it."

"How is the black turtle egg doing?"

"Last night, Leng Feng's observation post took a look at the grotto while they were at it—the pale golden patterns are still there, the water temperature is stable, and the spiritual aura of the eggshell is deeper and more stable than when it was first put in the water. It is still incubating. It is still a long way from hatching."

In the afternoon, Lu Changyuan spread a piece of paper on his desk and began to write a letter.

A letter to Governor Xue Zhen. The wording was restrained—no mention of coercion, only "assisting in the investigation of an old case."

"To Governor Xue: The investigation into the Old Seal Bid Case has advanced to Warehouse Chief Cui of the Liyuan Ferry military warehouse. Seventeen years ago, this person served as the receiving foreman of the Outer Ring Seventh Warehouse at the Zhenhai Fortress. After the Sealed Fleet incident, he was transferred to the position of deputy warehouse chief at the Liyuan Ferry military warehouse within your jurisdiction. He resigned due to illness after two years of service, and his whereabouts are unknown. I request that Governor Xue retrieve the old personnel files of the Liyuan Ferry military warehouse to determine if Warehouse Chief Cui is still alive, where he currently resides, and whether any archival records related to the material dispatch of the Sealed Fleet were retained at the time of his resignation. This matter is proceeding through normal channels—we have the investigative authorization from Deputy Commander Tie Zhan. Please investigate at your convenience, Governor, or wait if it is inconvenient."

He signed his name at the end of the letter and set down his pen.

"Investigate at your convenience, or wait if it is inconvenient"—this sentence gave the initiative to Governor Xue Zhen. But Governor Xue Zhen knew clearly that the price of "waiting" was that the matter of his nephew enclosing land in Cold Dragon Abyss remained held by Lu Changyuan. If he didn't investigate, the price would be even higher.

Su Qingli took the letter and read it over.

"The wording is polite enough."

"There is no need to be impolite. He is not an opponent right now—he is an assisting party. The old case has reached his jurisdiction, and cooperation is his duty."

"What if he finds out that Warehouse Chief Cui is still at Liyuan Ferry?"

"Then we will invite Warehouse Chief Cui to Blue Moon Island—just like we invited Zhou Laogen before. Ask first, then decide the next step."

Su Qingli sealed the letter and stamped it with the Blue Moon Island Lord's seal. "Shall we send it today, or wait until Manager Wei leaves?"

"Send it now. Governor Xue Zhen receiving the letter, searching the old archives, and replying—this path is much slower than Manager Wei signing the renewal contract. Let him get started first."

The communication talisman lit up once—the content of the letter was delivered first in the form of a message, with the paper letter to be delivered later by the military courier.

Outside the window at the port, Manager Wei's gray-bottomed fast boat had already docked at the berth. It was half an hour earlier than agreed.

When he got off the boat, he wasn't carrying that old wooden box—today he was here to discuss the contract, not to inspect goods. He stood on the Pier and looked down at the area of clear water spread out by the Starlight Coral mother branch—it was nearly seven zhang, the water surface shining in the afternoon light like a piece of polished glass.

Then he straightened his cuffs—the cuffs were worn white as usual, but today his posture was straighter than usual. He had come to discuss a one-year long-term contract.

When Lu Changyuan saw the gray-bottomed fast boat at the entrance of the Lords Mansion, Su Qingli had just sent the letter to Governor Xue Zhen. A pale golden light from the communication talisman shot out from the window, swept over the Pier, passed through the expanding area of clear water at the berth, and flew eastward.

Two threads were sent out on the same afternoon—one toward the East Sea Governors Office, chasing a signatory from seventeen years ago; one held in the palm of his hand, waiting for an old wooden chest to dock.