Making the Connection
Long Tian didn't stay on the boat for long. He flipped back into the water, this time without any extra equipment, only letting the light layer of the Dragon Shadow adhere to his back. Following the direction of the previously lit light band, he began to check the other intersections on the paved surface one by one. He swam across a seam along the direction of the first shallow groove, and then shifted laterally for a distance before finding the second disc. When he placed his palm on it, the aura of the Origin Return Pearl was transmitted to the surface of the disc, and the edge of the disc lit up with the same halo as the first one. He continued to move along the direction of the shallow groove it connected to, successively confirming the third and fourth discs along the way. The triggering condition for each disc was the same: the Origin Return Pearl's aura automatically lit up after contacting the disc surface. After triggering, a continuous light band lit up simultaneously on the shallow groove between the disc and the adjacent disc, lasting for a period of time before returning to normal, returning to the state of being ready to be triggered.
After confirming the fourth disc, he didn't continue. Instead, he surfaced to catch his breath, climbed back onto the boat, and squatted on the deck. He wiped the water off his fingers on his clothes, then took out a silk map from the cabin and unfolded it on his lap. He drew the relative positions of the four discs in the gaps along the map's edge, matching the distances and angles he had sensed underwater onto the paper. The shape formed by connecting the four points was an incomplete arc, like a small outline of a more complete figure.
Yu Jin squatted beside him, staring at the four dots on the paper. The light from the dark gray beads illuminated the paper in the sunlight, making the texture and charcoal marks clearly visible. He looked for a while, then pointed to the gap between the third and fourth dots. "The gap between these two dots is much larger than the gaps between the other dots, as if there are other dots in between. Either the light hasn't been triggered yet, or the middle section of the disc is no longer in a normal state."
Long Tian also noticed the difference in distance. He compared the actual distance between the third and fourth points in his mind with the distance between adjacent points, confirming that there was indeed a significant discrepancy. He put the map away and back into his leather pouch, then re-entered the water and swam towards the area between the third and fourth points. The water in that area was darker than the surrounding water, like a layer of different color covering the surface of a paved surface, which had formed a difference from the surrounding area through continuous sedimentation. He sank to the surface of the paved surface and felt it with his palm—the aura of the Origin Return Pearl could reach a relatively thick layer of sediment, and it was necessary to continuously push aside the sediment to reach the surface of the plate below. He pushed aside part of the sediment layer, revealing the dark metallic surface underneath. The size and craftsmanship of this plate were the same as the others, with a thin layer of sediment covering the edge, but not completely. He wiped away the sediment thoroughly with his fingertips and channeled the aura of the Origin Return Pearl into the surface of the plate.
The disk lit up more slowly than the others, as if the internal pathways needed more time to conduct the light. After the halo formed, a continuous band of light simultaneously illuminated the shallow grooves between the disk and the adjacent disks on both sides—the distance between the third point and this disk returned to normal. The distance was consistent with the other points.
He hovered above the disc for a moment, allowing the aura of the Origin Return Pearl to circulate around the surface, confirming the transmission path was stable. Then, he swam back to the side of the boat, climbed aboard, sat down, and took out the map from his pouch again, adding the fifth point. After connecting the five points, the outline of the arc was more complete than before, resembling part of a larger layout, but the end remained open.
The man at the stern walked over after he finished drawing the fifth point, glanced down at the arc outline on the map, looked for a few moments, then straightened up and looked towards the direction the paved surface extended in the southeast. He spoke, his voice neither loud nor soft. "If this arc continues to extend forward, the direction it converges is the same as the marked points on the light screen map. Do you think we need to confirm a few more points?"
Long Tian closed the map, put the charcoal pencil into the side pocket of his leather bag, stood up, walked to the bow of the ship, and glanced at the sea stretching towards the paved area. The sea, under the afternoon sunlight, had a uniform light blue hue. He stood for a moment, then spoke, his voice not loud but his pace even, as if answering something he had already thought of. "There's no need to confirm a few more points. The curve has already converged in the same direction at its end, enough to determine the subsequent trend. Continuing to confirm the remaining points would only waste time and energy; it wouldn't change the conclusions already reached."
He crouched down again, checked the arc markings on the map in his leather bag to make sure they were clear, then stood up, put the map away, and walked to the stern. The person at the stern didn't ask any questions, pulled the anchor cable up from the water and stowed it into the cabin, putting the boat back into a drifting state. Then they adjusted the rudder to the extension of the arc's convergence point. After changing direction, the boat began to move along that line, drawing a continuous wake on the dark sea, gradually moving away from the paved area. Long Tian stood at the bow, gazing at the direction of that extended line. His Dragon Shadow continued to shine above his shoulders and back, the light layer spreading evenly above the sea like a continuously unfurled sail maintaining its relative position to the boat in a steady wind and speed, continuing to move forward with the boat's course.