The "Señora de Atocha," a Spanish colonial ship, sank in the waters off Havana in 1622. In 1985, the treasure hunter Richard Fisher discovered it, salvaging 8 tons of gold and 500 kilograms of gemstones! All the recovered artifacts were valued at $400 million. However, for this, Richard Fisher gave up running his entire company—at that time, treasure hunting had become the only thing in his life worth pursuing. I think his mentality is very similar to Uncle Harris's now.

Because the ship had a huge cargo capacity, there is a saying of "one ship, ten tombs." Some large merchant ships carried almost astronomical numbers of porcelain pieces, and over the long years, the number of giant ships that sank along the Maritime Silk Road far exceeds people's imagination. These enormous treasures are still far from being unlocked.

However, as for Nancy Taylor's company, I could only find a simple page online, with not much information. This company doesn't seem to be making any high-profile moves on any projects. I'm not familiar with the whole foreign antiques scene, so I can only remind myself to be cautious.

006 Xisha Islands

The Xisha Islands, also known as the Gem Islands, are one of the four major archipelagos in the South China Sea. They are composed of the Yongle Islands and the Xuande Islands. This group of large and small coral islands floats on a sea area of 30,000 square kilometers [npfans note: some sources say over 500,000 square kilometers], beautiful and pristine.

(Attached: Xisha Islands Map 1, highlighting the route from Qinglan Port to Yongxing Island)

Xisha has been Chinese territory since ancient times. According to the Old Book of Tang, starting from the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese government began to officially administer the sea area south of Hainan Island. In ancient times, this area was called "Thousand Li Long Sand," and was a necessary route for the South China Sea shipping lanes. As early as the Sui Dynasty, China had already sent envoys through the South China Sea to what is now Malaysia, and in the Tang Dynasty, the eminent monk Yijing also traveled this way to India. Ancient merchant ships loaded with ceramics, silk, and spices passed through here, so it was also called the "Maritime Silk Road."

Because it is far from the mainland and rarely visited by people, the waters around the Xisha Islands are extremely clean, with visibility up to 40 meters. Xisha has coral reefs stretching for several kilometers, making it an excellent diving area.

　　 ──Excerpted from Wikipedia

Our destination is Bowl Reef.

(Attached: Xisha Islands Map 2, highlighting the route from Yongxing Island to Bowl Reef)

I've looked up some information—there are actually several places called Bowl Reef in China: in Bohai Bay, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea. The main reason for the name "Bowl Reef" is quite vivid: fishermen often find porcelain bowls near these reefs. This is because most Bowl Reefs are hidden reefs and are located on major sea routes, so many ancient shipwrecks are concentrated nearby, scattering a large amount of shipwreck cargo. From this, I realized that the naming of ancient reefs is worth a good study.

The only relatively famous Chinese marine survey I had heard of before was Bowl Reef No. 1. This time, our destination will obviously be very similar to that process.

007 Qinglan Port

I've already set off from Qinglan Port. There is no entertainment at all on the boat—other than watching the sea, all I can do is listen to the radio. Here, I can pick up stations from Taiwan, Malaysia, and Vietnam, but not from the mainland, which I find very strange. Maybe it's because the radio is made in Taiwan; old Taiwanese radios might have the stations soldered to a few fixed frequencies.

Yesterday, I went over again what that woman said to me, and I feel like something is off about what's coming next. I told myself to think more about it if I get the chance. But for some reason, I can't seem to concentrate.

Maybe it's because the boat is shaking too much. I really haven't had many chances to travel by boat, and the fact that I haven't gotten seasick and had to go below deck has already impressed a few fishermen.

008 Yongxing Island Information Transcription (Attached: Yongxing Island Map)

Yongxing Island, also known as "Lin Island," is named for its dense forest cover. The name "Yongxing Island" comes from the warship that took over the Xisha Islands on November 29, 1946. Yongxing Island is located at 16°50' N latitude and 112°20' E longitude. The island is about 1,850 meters long east to west, about 1,160 meters wide north to south, and covers an area of about 2.1 square kilometers. It is the largest island in the Xisha Islands and also the largest island in the South China Sea. Yongxing Island is flat, with an average elevation of about 5 meters. On the southwest of the island, there is a large sandbank about 870 meters long and 100 meters wide, with the highest point at 8.3 meters. The island is surrounded by sandbanks, with a lower area in the middle, which is a depression formed after a secondary lagoon dried up. Wells can be easily dug here, but due to contamination from bird droppings, the well water is not drinkable. However, the water supply is abundant and can be used for washing. The island is large, with lush vegetation and plenty of fresh water. The central lowland does not accumulate water, and the high sandbanks provide wind protection, making this the most favorable geographic environment among the South China Sea islands. Yongxing Island is also located in the center of the Xisha Islands. Therefore, Yongxing Island is the capital of the Xisha and Zhongsha Islands, with government agencies (equivalent to county level) dispatched by Hainan Province stationed on the island. Yongxing Island is the transportation hub of the Xisha and Zhongsha Islands, with a modern airport capable of handling Boeing 737s, a dock that can accommodate 5,000-ton ships, and other infrastructure and reception facilities are also relatively complete.

　　──Excerpted from Wikipedia

009 Underwater Ancient Tomb Floor Plan (Attached: Hand-drawn underwater tomb map provided by Blue Gin)