The Dong Mansion is a grand estate in Xiamen, where Western-style buildings and traditional Chinese architecture complement each other. The front entrance features a Western-style building that served as the temporary government of the foreign concession. It was originally a scaled-down version of Buckingham Palace, designed by a wealthy merchant with the surname Ma, but the imitation was not very successful, resulting in only a rough resemblance, and it is now covered in ivy. Behind it are the original three local houses that were transformed, which were initially purchased by missionaries to serve as an orphanage. The two sides have been connected, creating a space that is neither fully Western nor fully Chinese, but it is quite spacious.

The front Western-style building has a large front yard filled with towering trees, and a fountain stands outside the main entrance, with parking available on both sides. It is said that Dong Chuanwang prefers peace and quiet, so there are not many servants in the mansion, and they do not move around much. Except during banquets, only the left and right wings of the Western-style building are lit up at other times.

During the renovation, the left and right wings were specifically designed to resemble the Nanyang ship, with protruding balconies. Zhang Haiyan is currently in one of the lit rooms, where Miss Dong is making him coffee.

The room’s decor is almost identical to that of the Nanyang ship, and Zhang Haiyan wonders if he finds it nauseating. After finishing his work on the ship, he would have hoped for a completely different home, but this feels like returning to the ship again.

“Your father really liked that ship,” Zhang Haiyan remarked. He is not accustomed to coffee; for him, his drive is already strong enough, and he does not need caffeine to stimulate himself.

“The ship owner always has to pay attention to feng shui. The Nanyang ship is the flagship of the Dong family’s fleet, and the Dong Mansion is the leading household in Xiamen’s shipping industry. The feng shui arrangements are all done by the same master, so they are quite similar,” Miss Dong replied, wearing her pajamas and handing Zhang Haiyan a plate of fruits. He started eating, having not eaten anything all day. The sweetness calmed him.

“I thought you would stay outside for a few weeks before coming to find me. I didn’t expect you to come back so soon. I haven’t even finished packing my luggage,” Miss Dong said as she sat down on the sofa opposite him. “Is your injury healed?”

“The ship’s doctor on your ship is dead. I handled it myself; it should be okay,” Zhang Haiyan said, staring intently into Miss Dong’s eyes, showing no signs of being distracted by her pajamas, which could not hide her slender calves and collarbone. “I just don’t understand why you didn’t communicate with me on the ship, waiting until we disembarked to invite me. And—” he handed her a note, “the person who can draw this hermit crab, could it be an old acquaintance?”

“I know you have many questions. Since I invited you here, I am prepared to answer all of them. You don’t have to beat around the bush,” Miss Dong said.

Zhang Haiyan nodded, and Miss Dong did not seem particularly tired of talking. Just as he was about to ask a question, she said, “You guessed correctly; I am also from the Nanyang Archives.”

Zhang Haiyan opened his mouth in surprise and hadn’t closed it yet when Miss Dong continued, “The Nanyang Archives no longer exist. In the last year you were in Malacca, the Nanyang Archives were destroyed. The perpetrator was a warlord from the southwest named Mo Yungao. The recent tragedy of the Nanyang ship was also planned by him, aimed at eliminating the influence of the Nanyang Archives overseas.”

Zhang Haiyan thought it was so straightforward that he didn’t even have time to ask questions. Miss Dong continued, “As it stands now, there are only the two of us left from the Nanyang Archives. According to the founding rules, as long as there are two senior agents, the archive can be reestablished. Unfortunately, you are a junior agent, so essentially, the Nanyang Archives no longer exist.”