Chapter 827 - 370: The Secret on the Reverse Side of the Gold Coin! (2)

Chapter 827: Chapter 370: The Secret on the Reverse Side of the Gold Coin! (2)

"Lin, even though you hold a United States green card, in the eyes of OFAC examiners, this is still considered an illegal tourist activity!"

Mike, being a seasoned old captain, immediately pointed out the most fatal flaw in their plan.

The atmosphere, which had just become relaxed, once again fell into deadlock due to this insurmountable legal obstacle.

Yet, unexpectedly to Mike, the triumphant smile on Riven’s face did not waver in the slightest.

She even seemed to have anticipated Mike’s question, taking a leisurely sip of beer.

"Dad," she looked at her meticulous father, smiling, "Did you really think my ’Plan B’ only had the ’family visit’ card?"

Mike was stunned: "Is there more?"

"Of course." Riven turned her gaze to Lin Yu’an.

"Lin never planned on entering Cuba as a tourist or a family visit companion from the start."

She didn’t keep them in suspense any longer, revealing the answer: "Lin is now someone with an international media work permit. He’s also the producer and host of his documentary, ’My Sailing Logbook’."

"He’s already obtained OFAC’s general license authorization for ’news activities’ and can legally travel to Cuba to collect material."

"And you and I," she added proudly, "apart from being ’family visitors,’ now have another identity—the ’signed maritime consultants’ of this documentary."

"My God..." Mike muttered to himself, finally shaking his head helplessly, "Alright... I’m old. You young people play way beyond my imagination."

"Now that all issues are resolved," Mike completely relaxed, rubbing his hands in excitement.

He laid out the paper nautical chart covering the northern Caribbean Sea on the table, picking up professional parallel rulers and dividers.

"From Nassau to Havana..." He measured distances on the chart with dividers, his eyes filled with light, "That area is one I’ve only visited in dreams!"

"Perhaps... we really have the chance to see it with our own eyes this time." Riven’s voice also brimmed with anticipation.

She once again took out the weighty Royal Gold Coin, playing with it at her fingertips as if drawing courage for the voyage from this relic three hundred years old.

"Strangely enough," she murmured while examining the coin, "the back of this coin seems somewhat unusual."

Lin Yu’an curiously leaned over.

"The front of the coin features the standard Spanish Habsburg Dynasty cross shield emblem."

"But its back, which should showcase equally clear patterns of a cross, castle, and lion, now appears blurred and chaotic."

"It’s covered with many extremely fine scratches, seemingly engraved later."

"What’s wrong?" Mike asked, puzzled, "Old coins, after three hundred years underwater, are expectedly worn."

"No, Dad, it doesn’t seem like wear!" Riven’s eyes sharpened.

"Look closely! These scratches aren’t random! They... they resemble symbols and lines!"

She quickly returned to the captain’s room, fetching the high-magnification lens Mike had used earlier.

When she focused the lens on the back of the coin, an incredible miniature world unfolded before their eyes!

Under the lens, the seemingly random scratches reveal an exquisitely detailed, hand-carved miniature map!

It features outlines of several small islands, cross symbols representing coral reefs, and a winding route marked with dashed lines!

The route ends at a clear "X," and along the map’s edge are several tiny numbers resembling latitude and longitude coordinates!

"My God..." Mike was the first to exclaim in shock, unwilling to believe his eyes, "Is this... is this a condensed treasure map?"

"Three hundred years ago, the Royal Fleet captain engraved a secret treasure map onto a Royal Gold Coin that was already worth a fortune..." Riven murmured, utterly absorbed in the immense shock of the discovery.

Lin Yu’an quickly regained his composure from the initial surprise. He took the lens from Riven and meticulously examined the coin’s every detail, especially its edges and the scratches added later.

"No," he slowly spoke, proposing a different view, "I think the owner of this coin, and the 1715 Fleet itself, may not be directly related."

Both Mike and Riven looked at him curiously.

Lin Yu’an handed the lens to Mike, pointing to the coin’s front—the intact cross shield emblem.

"Look, if this coin lay at the sea bottom for three hundred years, aside from normal wear and a thin patina, there would be virtually no serious scratches or corrosion marks."

"This indicates that for a long time underwater, it was tightly wrapped and protected by something."

He continued analyzing: "If it fell out directly from a dislodged treasure chest during the 1715 hurricane, rolling along the sea floor for three hundred years, its surface could not remain so intact. Sand and reefs would leave numerous scars."

"Therefore," Lin Yu’an concluded, "a more plausible scenario is that after the 1715 Fleet sank, a pirate discovered part of its treasure."

"Then, selecting this precious, easily portable Royal Gold Coin from the trove, he engraved a secret map of another treasure on its back."

"To protect this secret and the coin itself from wear, he likely wrapped it tightly in leather, carrying it as a Protective Talisman."

"Until later, due to some unknown shipwreck or battle, this mysterious ’Map Master,’ along with the closely kept coin, sank to the sea floor."

"The wrapping decayed and vanished under the sea water, finally revealing the coin, leading to our discovery."

This logically meticulous, layered deduction instantly made the story behind the coin vivid and full of legendary appeal!

Riven became utterly enthralled by the story, "A pirate who found legendary treasure then hid his own treasure elsewhere... it’s more thrilling than any movie!"

"Enough! Enough! Don’t worry about who he was!" Mike’s mind was completely off the story by now, suppressing a heart that threatened to leap from his chest.

"Quick! Riven, read out those numbers and letters first; they might be exact latitude and longitude coordinates! Let’s see where this clever bastard hid the treasure!"

Riven leaned closer to the lens, reading aloud word by word: "21°05N... 51°30W..."

Mike immediately picked up dividers and pencil, swiftly locating and cross-referencing on the large map...

His finger traced eastward across the map, eventually pausing over a vast area of ocean south of the Azores Islands in the Central Atlantic.

"Wrong... completely wrong." He shook his head, throwing the pencil onto the chart.

"The central Atlantic?" His face filled with extreme confusion and disappointment.

"Impossible... there’s absolutely nothing here! Plus, it’s too far from all the sailing routes! This must be a fake coordinate, a prank!"

Riven also confirmed the position on the iPad, her excitement instantly giving way to immense letdown and frustration.

"How could this be... could it be... a prank?"

The newly ignited enthusiasm for treasure hunting seemed to be doused with a bucket of cold water. A wrong coordinate meant this treasure map was just a scrap of paper.