Imperial Treasure-Chapter 857 - 524: Calista, the Black-and-White Mask
No, it should be said that they were all around.
Right on the edge of the beach extending into the water, one after another appeared.
That seems like...
"Flags?"
"A tower..."
It was actually a mast.
Everyone’s faces were dumbfounded, including Natasha and the Hellhound, whose expressions turned extremely solemn.
Solemn to the point that they couldn’t speak, only watch as those dilapidated ships emerged from the water.
The scene was somewhat reminiscent of the Black Pearl in Caribbean Pirates.
Of course, there were hundreds, even thousands, of Black Pearls.
Front and back, densely packed before them, around them, rising from the water, basking in the sunlight, various marine creatures clung to their masts, like octopuses or starfish, and red coral.
They were filthy, ancient, yet teeming with life.
So vibrant that skeletal hands, Corpse People stood on the decks giving them a salute.
"Ah~~should I ask the two of you, is this army the famous Expeditionary Navy Calista from back then?"
Lv Si walked gracefully, elegantly approaching the control room door from the deck, asking Nusser and Xius inside.
Nusser and Xius looked at each other, the former somewhat confused, the latter gravely said, "Yes."
"But in those days, His Highness was indifferent to politics, and to avoid posing a threat to Caesar, had voluntarily surrendered the military power of Calista. Later, Caesar orchestrated a feast at Hellfire, trapping everyone in Hellfire; tens of thousands of troops landed on Hellfire... that was the Calista Navy."
"I never expected they would all be left here."
Regarding these past events, Xius and Xiluo were the only two survivors, but their memories were rather one-sided, always being in a persecuted position and unable to know the full story.
Even when they later investigated, not a trace was found on the surface indicating that the enormous and nearly invincible navy was completely buried around Hellfire Island.
Xius just found it unbelievable.
"I find it hard to imagine... Caesar was undoubtedly the victor back then, even if our curse fell upon him, it would only be isolated, unable to affect the whole of Calista."
Xius and Nusser had no way of knowing, and the Duke’s Mansion was even more inaccessible.
Lv Si crossed his arms, leaned against the door, faintly smiled: "Then there’s only one possibility left."
"This mastermind with divine skills we’re confronting now, who used the TP Potion to resurrect a massive Corpse People army and knows the secret of Calista... at least it proves he understands Hellfire far better than Xiluo did, maybe only Caesar in this world knows who he is."
He seemed to imply that Caesar was nothing more than a puppet.
A puppet manipulated for centuries.
After he finished speaking, Landis added: "Perhaps it’s that Yellow Springs Dragon Master from China."
The reaction to this remark from Landis was sharp among Zhong Lang and other Chinese people.
"Should we thank the always arrogant Lord Landis for thinking so highly of China?"
Landis twitched his mouth, sneering.
"Hmm, I think there’s no need for you to argue anymore, if you want to know who this person is... just step out and have a look yourself." Mo Luo’s worrying yet gentle voice came, stunning most people, who then ran out of the cabin together and came to the railing for a look.
On the foremost, most central ship among the dense fleet ahead, a Black-robed Man stood at the tip of the rail, swaying as he looked at them.
He wore a mask on his face.
A black and white mask.
It was a purely Chinese mask, black and white intertwined, with an ambiguous expression, half-smiling.
It was impossible to tell which historical figure’s mask it was, but it always gave an uncomfortable feeling.
"With the mask, we still don’t know who it is."
"Not necessarily, the Chinese mask seems to imply something."
Implying a Chinese person?
The Chinese people, including Cao Ling, naturally sneered.
"Black face, serious personality, not one for words, considered neutral, represents fierce intelligence, like Bao Zheng in ’Justice Bao,’ while the white face represents treachery and suspicion, negative connotation, representing deceit, like Cao Cao from ’Three Kingdoms’."
"And black and white always stand for ambiguity."
"In many cases, a person’s choices and particular actions reveal their psychological activities, for instance, him wearing this mask, might reflect his identity."
Mo Luo leaned on the railing, smiling: "A person hidden among us, wise, cunning, cold, ruthless, certainly with an impeccable facade, not easily associated with being the mastermind."
"Such a person is not uncommon among us, and by eliminating those not here, we might narrow down some suspects. Unfortunately, it’s chaotic at the moment, with formidable enemies ahead, hard to investigate."
Each displaying high intelligence, quickly analyzed the point.
But in terms of dark-mindedness, Mo Luo couldn’t compare to Lv Si.
He smiled slightly: "I rather think it’s deliberate provocation, not unintentional exposure."
What?
Everyone was shocked.
"He’s provoking someone among us here."
Provoking... someone?
Florence?
Yellow Springs Dragon Master?
Or perhaps...
They looked uniformly outside towards that figure standing on the rail.
Impossible, Sui Yi was also a first-timer in this scheme, meaning she got involved due to a certain individual’s agreement, how could she be connected to events so long past.
In other words, if this provocateur was indeed provoking Sui Yi.
Then what is his purpose? (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
