Even if the soldier had not come over to tell him, he would have steered the boat that way anyway, making it easier for them to get into the water and save time.
As soon as the boat stopped, he watched the other two jump in again.
The curious fishermen around them stood at their gunwales, craning their necks. Their boats were lined up close together, allowing them to exchange a few whispers.
It was rare for those people not to drive them away, so they had to watch while they could. How often did so many important people come to their village, planning to salvage treasure, no less? If they waited, they might not be allowed to watch anymore.
A few days earlier, some villagers who considered themselves strong swimmers had tried diving, only to discover that the pressure was quite unbearable. They had come back up without daring to go very deep, and afterward, no one else had dared risk it.
Mostly, that was because they had not known then that the officials would take it so seriously, or that the items were so valuable. Otherwise, surely one or two brave souls from their village or the neighboring ones would have come forward to try salvaging something valuable.
A little over two minutes later, the two men surfaced again with a splash. The people onshore stretched their necks even farther, as though they wanted to fit themselves with giraffe necks.
"Thank you for your hard work, thank you..."
"Sorry for the trouble, comrades. Come on up first..."
Everyone reached out to help them aboard. Seeing both men's hands full, someone could not help asking, "Is this a complete set of wine cups?"
The old man took a sip of mung bean soup and said with a smile, "Our