Chapter 835 - 372: Cracking the Treasure Site Code! (8K Combined - )

Chapter 835: Chapter 372: Cracking the Treasure Site Code! (8K Combined Chapter)

As night fell, the Polaris moved slowly southeast on the mirror-calm sea. Inside the cabin, the three of them gathered once again around the massive teak chart table.

In the center of the table, the haunting weather map was replaced with an enlarged map of the intricate coastline of Los Haitises National Park.

And that Spanish Royal Gold Coin, glistening warmly under the lamplight.

"Honestly, Lin," Riven said wistfully as she played with the coin, "what do you think... we will actually find?"

"I mean, it’s a Royal Gold Coin! Whoever buried this treasure was definitely not an ordinary pirate."

This question, like a stone thrown into the calm surface of a lake, instantly stirred ripples of imagination among them.

Mike swirled his glass leisurely: "A Spanish Royal Gold Coin from 1712, specifically minted for King Felipe V, an ’Eight Escudos’, in such perfect condition."

"The thing itself is invaluable, and if it’s used as a key, the hidden treasure must be beyond imagination."

"In 1715, the Spanish treasure fleet encountered a hurricane off the coast of Florida, and eleven galleons sank, with wealth worth billions of US Dollars submerged at sea."

"Our treasure hider, who was active after 1715 and managed to acquire such a Royal Gold Coin,"

"he is very likely... one of many pirates who looted a fortune from those sunken ships during that time."

"Among these people, there were infamous figures like ’Blackbeard’ Edward Teach, as well as many more nameless yet ruthless characters in history."

Riven’s breath quickened: "So... what we’re searching for might not be a chest of coins, but... an entire ship’s treasure? Treasure from the 1715 Fleet?"

"Entirely possible!" Mike slapped his thigh, "He might not have had the ability to transport the entire wealth of the sunken ship."

"But even if it’s just the best part of it, chests of coins, silver bars, precious jewels, and religious artifacts... that would be enough to cause a war!"

Lin Yu’an listened quietly; he wasn’t as optimistic and offered his perspective from a logical angle: "I think it might not be loose coins or silver bars."

"Oh?" The father and daughter both looked at him curiously.

"Because of the hiding place," Lin Yu’an explained, "Los Haitises National Park is a karst cave system."

"It’s damp and hot there, crawling with all sorts of creatures. If it were just ordinary wooden chests, they’d have rotted to mush over the centuries."

"The gold and silver inside might still be there, but locating and extracting them would be extremely difficult."

"Then what would it be?" Riven pressed on.

Lin Yu’an’s eyes gleamed with thought: "For a pirate to use such a precious coin as a token, and to choose such a defensible hiding place,"

"it must be something with very high value density, easy to preserve and transport, and extremely hard to divide. But specifics, I cannot think of."

"Perhaps a pure gold Statue of the Virgin Mary a few meters tall? Or an Inca Gold Mask encrusted with top-grade emeralds? Or maybe a diplomatic gift from the Spanish Royal Family at that time?"

These guesses caused Mike and Riven to gasp.

Compared to several cumbersome chests of coins, the objects Lin Yu’an described had more legendary allure and better matched the ’Royal’ identity hinted at by the Royal Gold Coin.

A unique item, its historical and artistic value far exceeded that of mere gold weight.

"Oh my god..." Riven murmured, "If we really found something like that..."

"That’s precisely the trickiest part," Captain Mike’s expression turned serious, "Finding the treasure is just the first step; figuring out how to make it safely and legally ours is the most dangerous part of this journey."

"What should we do then?" Riven’s voice had a hint of anxiety, "Are we supposed to hand it over to someone else after all our efforts? I can’t accept that!"

"That would actually be the best scenario." Mike’s voice grew even graver.

"If we handle it poorly, we might even be prosecuted as artifact looters! Dominica is not the United States; their laws and prisons are something I absolutely don’t want to experience."

The atmosphere in the salon turned solemn again due to this nearly unsolvable legal dilemma. The massive wealth lay before them like a hot potato, making them hesitate on what to do next.

"Let’s not think that far yet."

It was Lin Yu’an, who had been silently listening to their discussion, who finally spoke up.

"Mike is right; the legal issues are challenging. But that’s a problem we face after we find the treasure."

He glanced at the other two, "We don’t even know what it is yet, so there’s no point worrying about dividing the bear we haven’t caught yet, that’s not what a Hunter does."

He pushed the dazzling Royal Gold Coin to the center of the table.

"What we need to do now is solve the riddle it left us."

"Find it first, and as for what to do after we find it... I believe we’ll eventually find a... reasonable solution."

These words, filled with the strong confidence of "blocking when soldiers come, covering when water flows," instantly pulled Mike and Riven back from their future anxieties to the present reality.

"Right, find it first!" Mike rekindled his fighting spirit, "Whatever! We’ll deal with any damn trouble after the treasure is dug up! Let’s get to work!"