In the early morning, Xiao Tianjian arrived at Yu Tan's private dock early, and the boat was already ready.
Although it is a "small ship" and not comparable to those medium-sized seagoing ships, it is still nearly 20 meters long and has cargo holds, rooms, a wheelhouse and a crew room. The two crew members seemed to be less, but since they were only traveling offshore, the supplies were sufficient, and the equipment on the ship was quite advanced in this world, so it was not a big problem.
Mingna walked around the boat with some curiosity and looked at all the places before being carried ashore by her grandfather.
Xiao Tianjian entrusted Yutan with something more, and repeatedly told Mingna to be obedient. Minna agreed very meekly, but solemnly asked him to come back early and take her around the island until she enjoys it. Xiao Tianjian agreed immediately before boarding the boat.
Minna watched her grandfather's boat gradually leave the shore, and pretended to ask Yutan casually: "Uncle Yutan, where is the place where grandpa is going?"
"Ah, to the north, look." Yutan pointed to the right front, "Looking from here, you can see that the land on the shore forms an arc. The Holy Mountain is behind it, but it is too far away. Look here. Not even."
"So grandpa's boat is going to go all the way along the shore? Why not walk there?"
Yutan smiled: "Because there are cliffs on the mountain road, people cannot walk across it. In the past, when kings went to worship their ancestors, they would go by boat, and taking a boat is much faster than climbing the mountain road."
Minna nodded to express her understanding. Sibylla on the side was impatient. She woke up early in the morning and still felt sleepy: "Dad, let's go home, I want to sleep." Yutan said hurriedly: "Okay, okay, let's go back." He turned around and called Ming. Na.
Ming Na rolled her eyes and said with a smile: "You guys should go back first. I want to have some fun here. I haven't seen what a private dock looks like. The shop seems to be very interesting too."
Yutan thought it didn't matter. It was his own dock anyway and there were people everywhere, so he agreed. Ming Na said goodbye to them with a smile, and then pretended to be very interested, touching here, looking there, and asking silly questions to the busy crew and shop assistants. When she asked them, they were a little scared, so she took advantage of the opportunity. Without noticing, he came to the edge of the pier.
At this time, the boat Xiao Tianjian was sitting on had sailed quite far away, leaving only a black spot as big as a palm. Perhaps because it had to avoid the rocks, the boat didn't move very fast.
Ming Na pretended to be playing in the water on the shore, and turned back to take a closer look at the people on the pier. They were all busy, and because Ming Na had always been very good, she didn't pay much attention. A group of children were running and laughing among the piers, blocking everyone's view. Mingna took the opportunity to let go and start running.
There are more than a dozen piers built along the coastline here, all of which are privately owned by the island's large merchants. The piers are connected to each other, and the roads are wide and flat to facilitate the transportation of goods. Therefore, Ming Na used her Qinggong to run quickly. No obstacles. There are children running and playing everywhere here, and it is also common among mainlanders, so she did not attract anyone's attention. When Yutan's crew found that she was not at her original position, she had already disappeared among the crowd.
Mingna just ran to the northernmost pier and took a breath. After a visual inspection, she estimated that she was only about two or three hundred meters away from her grandfather's boat. She should be fine. She rested for a minute and took a few deep breaths. Dive into the water.
She is a person who has practiced swimming on rivers and seas. She has strength and the water is not deep. Fortunately, because she is not on the route, she did not encounter even a small boat and the rocks did not cause any big trouble. Ten minutes later, she She swam close to the boat where her grandfather was sitting.
The water flow brought up by the boat when it was moving hindered her approach, so she had to swim to the outside of the boat. Looking around, she saw that the hands and feet she had made on the boat before were still there, and she couldn't help but feel happy.
It was a knotted rope, hanging from the railing on the side of the ship. Because it was close to the outside, no one noticed it on the dock. Ming Na took out a rope hook that she found on the pier from her bracelet, threw it lightly, missed, and then threw it again and hooked the rope noose.
The hook made a noise when it hit the hull. There were footsteps approaching the side of the ship. Mingna hurriedly pulled the rope and dived into the water. The footsteps paused for a moment and then gradually faded away. Mingna suddenly jumped out of the water, breathing heavily.
Following the rope, she finally climbed up to the side of the ship. Almost exhausted, she took two deep breaths and secretly glanced at the deck.
No one, great!
She hurriedly climbed onto the deck, put away the rope hook, and quickly hid in a pile of debris nearby.
We were not far from the pier at this time, and we couldn't let grandpa find him, otherwise he might send him back immediately.
The sea breeze blew, and Ming Na shivered. She looked down at her wet clothes and decided to find a place to change to dry clothes. She remembered that there was a cargo hold at the stern of the ship. Since there was no cargo loaded on this trip, it was empty and perfect for hiding. So she quietly touched the stern of the boat.
Not far away, she heard someone coming from the stern of the boat. Mingna was startled and hurriedly hid in the debris. She waited until the footsteps went to the bow of the boat before she continued to sneak.
The small crew was also a favorable situation for Ming Na. This time she successfully reached the hatch at the stern of the ship. With a slight lift, she pulled up the hatch and walked down the ladder.
"Rule? Is there anything else?" A male voice came from the dim cargo hold. Minna was so frightened that she almost fell down the wooden ladder. She quickly turned around, only to stare at Corbin who appeared in the hold.
ten minutes later.
Minna finally figured things out. Ruel, one of the crew members selected by Grandpa, injured his wrist the day before and was unable to steer and do heavy work, but he did not want to give up the reward for this mission. Corbin happened to be good friends with him, had good helming skills, and was in urgent need of money. After some discussion, the two decided to let Corbin work on the ship without telling others, and the wages and bounties he received would be divided in half.
Xiao Tianjian has always been generous with his actions. If he is in a good mood, he might reward the crew members with ten or eight gold coins. This is also the plan of Corbin and Ruhr. Another crew member happened to be one of the people who caused Ruel's injury, so the matter was successfully concealed.
Corbin looked at Minna very uneasily. He knew in his heart that if Minna reported him, not to mention the reward, maybe even Ruel would be punished.
Ming Na rolled her eyes a few times and said with a smile: "Then we have decided that I will not tell Grandpa that you are on the boat, and you are not allowed to tell him that I am on the boat. Let's treat this as a secret between the two of us. How about it?"
Corbin was overjoyed and thanked Ming Na. Ming Na just smiled and said nothing, and the two settled down together in the small cargo hold.
Lunch was brought by Ruel. He was shocked when he saw Minna. Corbin comforted him for a long time before he calmed down, but soon he became worried about the food again. In order not to arouse Xiao Tianjian's suspicion, the two crew members only took normal portions of food, while Ruel also shared a lunch with Corbin. Now that Ming Na was added, it was not enough.
Ming Na took out the bread she had hidden in the morning from her bracelet nonchalantly: "I have my own food, you don't have to worry." She also generously invited them to eat together. The three of them got along well, but Ruer left quickly because he was worried that Xiao Tianjian would notice.
Lunch was settled smoothly, but dinner was a bit troublesome. After all, Ming Na only brought some food from the breakfast table. In addition, there were some biscuits and pastries, but the quantity was not large. She finished them quickly during dinner and she was not full yet.
Corbin was not in the cargo hold. Under the cover of his companions, he went to the wheelhouse. In the evening it was Ruhl's turn, and they both hid in the wheelhouse.
Faint starlight filtered into the cabin from the small glass window on the ship wall. Ming Na looked up at the empty cabin and felt that her hunger was getting more and more uncomfortable. Didn't Corbin and Rule say they would give her something to eat? Why haven't you come yet
After waiting and waiting, Mingna finally couldn't bear it anymore, so she climbed up the ladder gently, propped up the cabin board, carefully looked around the situation outside, made sure no one was there, and then climbed out quietly.
It's already very late now, right? Ming Na looked at the darkness around her and used the dim starlight to reach for the food storage room in her memory. She remembered that it was next to the crew room in the middle of the ship.
"Who?!" There was a loud shout in the darkness. Mingna recognized her grandfather's voice and froze. Just as she was trying to find a place to hide, the front suddenly lit up, revealing her figure.
Xiao Tianjian held a magic lamp and stared dumbfounded at his little granddaughter who was supposed to stay at his old friend's house: "Ming Na?!"
Minna raised her head timidly, and rushed over to hug her grandfather before he got angry: "Grandpa, you can't drive me away. I'm far away now. I will definitely be obedient. You can hit me. But please don’t drive me back..." At the end of the sentence, he was begging.
Xiao Tianjian was already so angry that he could not speak. God, when did his little granddaughter, who had always been obedient and obedient, become so bold? She was obviously on the shore when he set off, how did she get here
After hearing about his granddaughter's "adventure", Xiao Tianjian's face turned even darker, and he beat Ming Na's little butt twenty or thirty times. He ignored her tearful eyes and threw her directly into an empty room. Fortunately, five minutes later, he remembered that the child was still hungry and sent a bunch of food over, but with a dark face, he ordered her to go to bed after eating.
Ming Na wiped away the tears on her face and ate the delicious bread happily. Grandpa was a little harsh, but she had put on a thick top and pants because she was afraid of the cold, so it was just a little pain, nothing at all. The most important thing was that grandpa didn't say he would send her back.
After filling her stomach, Ming Na couldn't help but think of the fellow sufferer, remembering that he seemed to be hungry too. I was able to stay thanks to him hiding it for me. So Mingna stuffed the remaining bread into the bracelet, carefully got out of bed and opened the door. She peeked out and saw that her grandfather was not there, so she quietly walked out of the room and carefully touched the wheelhouse at the bow of the ship.
Ruel was sleeping in the corner, and Corbin was wearing the former's coat and hat. He was looking ahead intently, controlling the rudder in his hand. When Ming Na came in, he was startled. When she took out the food, he couldn't help but feel touched. He gently touched Ming Na's head: "Thank you. In fact, I also have a sister who is about the same age as you, and she is also very sensible. , every time I see you, I always think of her." Unfortunately, his sister was not as lucky as the little girl in front of him, and she was born with countless wealth.
Ming Na blinked and whispered: "Eat quickly, I have to rush back. It would be bad if grandpa finds out." Corbin smiled, but his face turned pale the next second. Mingna asked in confusion: "What's wrong?" Corbin took two deep breaths and said with a wry smile: "It's nothing. Go back quickly."
Ming Na was a little confused, but she went back to the room obediently. As soon as she entered the door, she saw her grandfather sitting on the bedside, looking at her with a dark face. She panicked and hurriedly said: "I, I couldn't sleep, so I went out to enjoy the breeze..."
Xiao Tianjian stared at her, and finally sighed: "Why don't you go to bed quickly?!" Ming Na immediately obeyed.
At dawn the next day, they arrived at the mountainside at the northern end of Kamega, with the endless sea in front of them. Ming Na stood on the bow of the boat and looked far away. She could already see the vague sacred mountain in front of her. Sure enough, it was not far away.
Xiao Tianjian shouted: "Stop looking, come with me." Ming Na was a little surprised. She thought her grandfather would leave her on the boat, and was about to argue again. She didn't expect that he would ask her to go with him, and she was pleasantly surprised. Follow up.
Xiao Tianjian turned around and ordered the crew: "You three stay here and are not allowed to follow me. I will be back tomorrow morning at the latest." Ruer and another crew member froze when they heard this, knowing that the matter was exposed, so they all agreed obediently. Come down.
There was a rocky beach on the shore. Mingna walked deeper and shallower, a little confused: "Grandpa, where are we going now? Why not take a boat to the island?"
"That area of water is inaccessible to ships. Didn't you see those whirlpools?"
Ming Na looked around and saw vortices of various sizes on the sea surface. She didn't know how they were formed, and they looked particularly strange in the dim sky. She picked up a branch and threw it into the water. In an instant, it was swept into the whirlpool and was never seen again. She asked worriedly: "Then what should we do now?"
"Just wait a while until the tide goes out." Xiao Tianjian looked at Tianse lightly and motioned to Mingna to sit on the stone next to him and wait.
The sky turned white, the water eddies gradually disappeared, and the water level also lowered. After a while, the tide receded, and a one-meter-wide passage appeared between the main island and the holy mountain.
"The structure of the continental shelf in this area is very special. I heard that even the previous kings could only pass through the Holy Mountain on this road." Xiao Tianjian turned back to his granddaughter and said, "Let's go quickly. This road only appears for an hour at this time every day. We have to get to the island on the other side before the water covers it."
Ming Na nodded and quickly followed.
Grandfather and grandson both had Qinggong and walked very fast. It took less than forty-five minutes to reach the other side.
The stone steps on the shore of Holy Mountain Island have been washed away by the sea water, and this is the case all along the way up. This road is made of gravel mixed with lime. It has been in disrepair for a long time. Some of the stone steps still look intact, but if someone steps on them, even a child like Ming Na can collapse them. . The grandfather and grandson had no choice but to climb the rocks and bushes on the roadside. Not long after climbing, they heard a rumbling sound from the sea. When they looked back, the sea water had covered the way they came from, leaving only a vast ocean.
The sun has risen, and Ming Na can already see the mountain road in front of her clearly, which is easier than before. Looking down at the red marks on her hands because she couldn't see the branches and weeds clearly, she muttered in a low voice: "If I had known, I would have waited for dawn at the bottom of the mountain before climbing..."
Xiao Tianjian turned back and glared at her from the front: "You have to follow this yourself. If you don't want to climb, just go back down the mountain."
Mingna stuck out her tongue, not daring to say anything else, and continued to climb up by grabbing the rocks and branches.
After all, she had experience climbing mountains, and apart from a few shallow cuts on her face and hands from branches and stones, she didn't suffer much. The complaint just now was just because I felt that grandpa didn't have to rush so much.
Soon they saw several stone houses halfway up the mountain. They seemed to be places where royal members rested during previous sacrifices on the way up the mountain. The corners of the walls had collapsed. The rooms were full of dust and gravel, and weeds and mold had grown on them. The ceilings There were several big holes in it, and it was obvious at first glance that it was impossible to live in it. Xiao Tianjian explored several times before carefully discovering a few footprints on the path in front of the stone house. They seemed to be the marks of some kind of famous brand sports shoes on the earth, going down the mountain. He knew in his heart that this must be the place left by the young man and woman, so he continued to walk to the top of the mountain with his granddaughter.
The further you go up, the more obvious the traces of people who have passed through the weeds on the roadside. Even Ming Na could tell that it was left not long ago, and she felt a little excited. Seeing her grandfather speeding up, she quickly followed him.
The holy mountain is not high. They ate some dry food at noon and reached the top of the mountain not long after. There is a large cave here. Although there are weeds blocking the entrance, the traces of its former glory cannot be concealed. There were many patterns carved on the door of the cave, and there were several stone statues standing or falling down. Minna took a few more glances, but she couldn't recognize what animals they were.
The cave was very large, half the size of an auditorium, but the light was quite dim and no one could be seen. Ming Na took out the magic lamp and turned it to the maximum. She could see a stone pedestal placed in the middle of the cave, with several earthen jars painted with beautiful patterns enshrined on it, but the decorations on the jars had been dug out. , the tank is also empty. There are thirty or forty jars placed next to the wall of the cave. The drawings on the jars are also quite gorgeous. There are also colorful patterns on the wall, telling the story of Camecca's former royal family.
"Is anyone here?" Xiao Tianjian shouted, and there was an echo in the cave, but there was no response after a while.
Ming Na looked around, curiously approaching the jar by the wall, wanting to take a closer look at what was inside, but Xiao Tianjian stopped her: "Those are pretending to be dead human bones, don't touch them!" Ming Na was already there at this time. When I saw that one of the fallen jars contained a white skull, I was so frightened that I jumped back immediately. Looking at those jars again, I no longer thought it was beautiful. Suddenly, she noticed that there seemed to be a crack in the cave wall next to the pile of jars, and she hurriedly said: "Grandpa, look there!"
Xiao Tianjian followed her hand and found that there was an upright stone slab with a slight gap opened diagonally, and it was dark inside. A thought occurred to him. Could it be that the girl was hiding inside? He took the magic lamp from his granddaughter's hand and shone it inside, but still couldn't see clearly, so he had to put it down and shouted in Chinese, "Is there anyone in there?" while pushing the stone slab hard to open it.
Ming Na looked anxiously and said, "I'll go in and take a look first." Then she squeezed into the crack of the door sideways, cast a lighting spell, and found that there was a passage inside, and she could faintly see door openings on both sides. "It's a corridor. I don't know where it is in front of it. Do you want to go there?" she asked.
Xiao Tianjian continued to push the stone slab: "Don't go there, help grandpa first."
Ming Na heard this and hurriedly turned back to push the stone slab. The grandfather and grandson worked together and finally pushed the stone slab about ten centimeters away. Although it was still very narrow, it was enough for Xiao Tianjian to pass.
He squeezed into the passage, raised the magic lamp, carefully motioned for his granddaughter to follow him, and walked forward. There is a stone room on each side of the passage, only about five or six square meters in size. There is a large rectangular wooden box in it. I don't know what it is used for. It is also covered with a piece of tattered felt cloth with a faint golden pattern. .
Ming Na looked at one of the pieces of cloth curiously: "I seem to have seen this pattern somewhere... Ah, by the way, it was in the cave outside just now, and there was such a painting on the wall!"
Xiao Tianjian suddenly thought of something, his expression changed, and he quickly pulled Ming Na out of the stone room and continued walking forward. Ming Na asked in confusion: "Grandpa, what's wrong with you? I still want to see what's in there." "What are you looking at?" Xiao Tianjian lowered his voice, "They say they are dead people, but this is the royal cemetery! What is it? Don’t even touch it!”
Ming Na was startled, and she felt uneasy when she remembered that she had pinched a corner of the cloth with her hand just now.
While they were talking, they had reached the end of the passage. There was another stone room here, about ten square meters, but there was still no one inside.
There is a door on the wall of the stone chamber, but when you look closely, you find that it is actually a whole piece of crystal stone, as smooth as a mirror, and the light can detect people. Ming Na walked over and touched it. It was icy cold and she knocked it again. It was the best magic crystal. But why is there such a thing here? And where is the girl grandpa is looking for
"This should be a magic crystal mirror, right? Why is it in a place like this?" Mingna asked her grandfather.
Xiao Tianjian also felt strange. He looked around the mirror with a lamp and found something shining underneath it. He leaned over and took a look. It turned out to be a diamond-shaped crystal, which seemed to be some kind of switch. He carefully moved it. , but no response. "Isn't this a mechanism?" He reached out and touched the mirror, and the mirror lit up instantly.
The grandfather and grandson hurriedly took a few steps away, and after waiting for a while, the silver light emitted by the crystal mirror became more and more dazzling. After a while, a voice actually came from the mirror: "Huh? What's going on? How come it lights up again?" "
Xiao Tianjian's eyes lit up. This was clearly Chinese or the accent of his hometown.
(Nearly 6K chapters...)