Nie Chuan chuckled, slapped my shoulder, and said, "How else? First, we'll take a deer cart from the village over the Dora Mountains, then catch a train to Moscow from the nearest town, and after that..."

"Fly?" I smiled, looking at Nie Chuan.

It was then Nie Chuan smacked his forehead, muttering in annoyance, "How did I forget? We didn't bring the *."

Hearing this, everyone around exchanged uneasy glances; clearly, no one had a solution.

Nie Chuan pondered for a moment, noticing my composed demeanor, and asked, "The *, do you have an idea?"

I glanced at everyone present; all eyes were fixed on me, seeking an answer.

So, I decided to stop holding back and stated, "It's simple. We go back the way we came."

Daxiong blinked at my words, then immediately exclaimed, "Are you crazy, *? We came here stuffed in burlap sacks, nearly suffocating in that stifling, humid, hot hold. I’m not going through that ordeal again. Besides, even if you wanted to go back like that, that brat Xie’s ship already left. Do you think he’s coming back for us?"

I nodded. "That’s right. We’ll have him come back for us."

Nie Chuan, hearing my words, inquired, "Did that shaman tell you something?"

Nie Chuan and I were essentially the same person, and I silently commended my own intuition, unable to hide my satisfaction. I replied, "Exactly. It seems Mr. Xie really wants us back. He told me through the shaman that if we don't return soon, we’ll regret it."

Nie Chuan considered this for a moment, then frowned at me and said, "You trust that Xie fellow that much? I say we shouldn't take his boat; who knows if he’ll just dump us in the sea again."

Daxiong chimed in from the side, "Exactly! I wouldn't set foot on that rotten ship of Xie's if you paid me. I wish I could tear his tendons out and eat his flesh."

I was somewhat speechless, thinking that if Xie Yuting truly wanted us dead, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths; he was acting according to his own objectives. Therefore, if he wanted us back now, he wouldn't harm us.

Just as I was about to voice these thoughts to the group, Andrei pushed open the door from the courtyard and entered the main room. Seeing each of us holding a suitcase, he frowned and asked, "You’re leaving?"

Nie Chuan didn't try to hide anything and nodded. "Yes, we need to depart. The * has already visited the ruins island of the Durban Kingdom and found no clues related to Grandfather, so there’s no need for us to go there."

Andrei stood still, stroking his beard, and nodded. "Alright, it’s probably better if I go to the ruins island alone. Since you’re in a hurry, I won’t stop you."

Noticing Andrei seemed somewhat downcast, I suddenly felt a pang of guilt and interjected, "Mr. Andrei, once we settle matters at home, we will certainly return to assist you with the investigation of the ruins. Since you aren't in a rush, going next winter will still be timely enough. I can lead the way then; it will be much safer."

Nie Chuan also looked somewhat embarrassed and said apologetically, "Indeed. You brought us all this way, wanting our assistance with the ruins investigation. I should be doing my utmost to help you, as it pertains to my ancestors after all..."

Andrei let out a dry chuckle, interrupting Nie Chuan, and laughed, "No need to explain so much to an old man like me. This is just a casual hobby for me, utterly insignificant compared to what you are dealing with. When we were kidnapped together and returned to Russia, I only suggested going to the ruins island to help you; it wasn't really a concrete plan."

He paused, then added to Nie Chuan, "On the contrary, I owe you an apology. Regarding your grandfather and the Xie family, there are many things I couldn't tell you, so in the end, I couldn't be of much help."

Nie Chuan shook his head. "Not at all, sir. You’ve taken such good care of us during this time; we are grateful enough. How could we possibly blame you? You have your position, and we can't push too hard. Everything you could tell me, you have, and it has been a great help."

Hearing this, Andrei nodded with relief. "The matter you are currently involving yourselves in is fraught with danger. Be very careful in everything you do."

With that, Andrei seemed to remember something else. "Oh, right. I still have a few bottles of good wine here. Consider it a souvenir."

Saying this, Andrei walked toward the inner room to fetch the wine for us.

Once Andrei was inside, I turned to Nie Chuan and said, "Mr. Andrei knows more about the Xie family than we do. I’ll ask him if we can take Xie Yuting’s boat. Surely you’d be reassured now?"

Nie Chuan remained silent, just knitting his brow.

I knew exactly what he was thinking: the safety of the people traveling with us was his main concern. If Andrei gave his approval, he probably wouldn't object anymore.

So, without waiting for his reply, I walked into the room Andrei had entered.

Inside, I saw Andrei had already placed several tea-colored glass bottles on the table and was wiping the dust off them with a rag. Seeing me enter, Andrei smiled kindly and asked, "Friend of Nie Chuan, did you need something from me?"

I closed the door, returned his polite smile, and asked him directly, "Mr. Andrei, what do you think of the idea of us returning on Xie Yuting’s ship?"

Andrei’s expression immediately turned serious. He put down the rag, stroked his beard, and asked, "His ship? Is it in the harbor? What is he doing here again?"

I shook my head. "No, but the black-clad shaman in the village is closely connected to him; we can surely find him."

Andrei nodded, sighed, and asked me, "Why not take BEY's car? He returned with the village’s wine merchants this time, and they'll be leaving for the nearest big city in a few days. I can have BEY sort out the * issue for you."

I shook my head. "Mr. Andrei, you are also privy to the inside story. You’ve likely sensed that things have reached a critical state. We don't have that much time to waste on the journey."

Andrei looked at me, his eyes holding an indescribable expression. After a long moment, he said with a strange tone, "Why do I feel like the intonation of your voice is so similar to Nie Chuan’s?"

I knew I had exposed a flaw and couldn't think of what to say for a moment, stammering out, "This... perhaps it's because I’ve spent so much time with him..."

Andrei burst out laughing. "Just joking with you. As for the Xie family, they certainly do some things that shun the light, but in my opinion, they have no immediate need to kill Nie Chuan, so taking Xie Yuting’s boat should be relatively safe."

"Thank you!" Realizing I was nearly exposed, I hurried out as if fleeing.

Andrei called out from behind, "Hey! What's the rush? Help me carry the wine."

I stopped, turned back sheepishly, picked up the bottles from the table, and walked out.

Nie Chuan and the others had already packed their luggage and were sitting by the table in the main room waiting for me. Seeing me emerge, he urgently asked, "How was it?"

I glanced at everyone and announced, "Let's go. We’re finding the shaman."

As I said this, I was unconsciously putting myself in Nie Chuan’s place, issuing orders matter-of-factly. However, in that moment, I realized the vast difference in status between Nie Chuan and the * within the group. Because after I spoke, nobody moved; instead, all eyes turned toward Nie Chuan. This made me feel slightly awkward, and I sighed inwardly.

Nie Chuan considered for a moment, then slapped the table and declared, "Let's go. We’ll listen to the * just this once."

Only then did everyone pick up their luggage and follow Nie Chuan out. I shook my head in resignation, following behind with a wry smile.

At that moment, Andrei also emerged from the room and hurried over. Seeing that he seemed to want to tell me something, I stopped.

Indeed, Andrei approached me, handed me something wrapped in oil paper, and said mysteriously, "Your skills are the best. Keep this. You can use it when there's no other choice."

I took the object from his hand, weighed it, and judged by its shape; I immediately recognized it as a handgun. After tucking the gun into my waistband, I didn't know what to say, so I just offered my thanks.