Chapter 596: Opening the Chest! Silver Ingots!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Is it… Could it truly be silver ingots?” Lin Yueting stammered in disbelief, her voice trembling with awe. This was her first time laying eyes on real treasure. The experience was nothing like watching documentaries at home or the historical dramas on television.
In her understanding, such treasures could only be found in large ancient merchant ships, several meters long at the very least. How could they be in a small fishing boat like this one? The discovery completely upended her perception of treasure.
Quickly, she placed the silver ingot aside, eagerly reaching into the chest to pick up more.
“Could this be from an official ship of the Ming or Qing Dynasties?” she asked, curiosity lacing her voice.
Lin Yueting was no professional historian, but she knew enough to understand that official ingots from ancient times would have been carried by either an official ship or a very prominent merchant.
“It’s not clear yet,” Luo Feng shook his head, his eyes reflecting the mystery of the sunken ships. “Everything needs to be further observed.”
He swiftly picked up the bottom of the silver ingot and began to inspect it, searching for clues to its origin.
“Wan Zai County? Jiaqing era?” he read aloud.
Luo Feng chuckled, confidently declaring, “This is official silver from the Qing
Dynasty!”
“The Qing Dynasty? From the Jiaqing era?” Lin Yueting echoed, excitement in her voice.
Even though the characters were written in traditional script, she recognized many of them.
“The silver is indeed from the Jiaqing era, but the exact time period is still undetermined,” Luo Feng explained. “Though every emperor would mint official silver, the previous dynasty’s ingots weren’t all melted and recast. It would be a waste of resources and unnecessary.”
“Could it have been used for trade with foreign countries at that time?” Lin Yueting ventured.
“It’s possible, but many details don’t add up,” Luo Feng replied, his brow furrowed.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yueting quickly asked, “What doesn’t add up?”
“These ships are too small,” Luo Feng explained. “Qing Dynasty trade ships were generally massive. Small boats like these are not suitable for trade. Moreover, this is Wan Island. During the Qing Dynasty, trade ports were inland. They wouldn’t appear here.”
The location of the discovery presented a puzzle.
“Let’s not dwell on it. Tomorrow we’ll continue the salvage, first bringing up all kinds of items from the ships!” Luo Feng declared, unconcerned about the silver’s origin or era. It was his now.
After packing the silver, he smiled and said, “Let’s go eat!”
“Okay!” Lin Yueting nodded, and the two left the storage area.
Elsewhere, in the offices of Odyssey Company, several executives watched the live broadcast, their frustration growing.
Why hadn’t they opened the chests after hauling them up?
Their anxiety was palpable.
They, too, wanted to know what was inside.
Keeping people in suspense was just too much!
“It probably isn’t treasure! Otherwise, they would have opened it by now!” “No, it must be treasure!”
“I think Little Luo himself might not know if there’s treasure inside. Otherwise, he would have opened it by now!”
The men analyzed and chatted, all feeling that such small fishing boats couldn’t possibly contain treasure.
At Luo Feng’s location, two large cruise ships arrived that night. The people onboard, summoned by Old Luo to assist with the salvage, had vessels filled with salvage tools and many workers. With their help, Old Luo knew the progress would be much faster.
“Move two hundred meters in that direction!”
“Yes, right there!”
Luo Feng didn’t have everyone start work that night; it was more convenient during the day, not only for safety but also to expedite the process. So, the next morning, he instructed the salvage team to begin their work.
“Warm up, and in ten minutes, we’ll dive again!” Luo Feng commanded from the deck.
“Why do we have to dive again?”
“Didn’t we dive several times yesterday?”
“I bet Old Luo opened the chest secretly yesterday, and there was nothing inside. He’s just keeping us in suspense!”
“That’s very likely. If there’s nothing, we’ll continue salvaging. Haha!”
Luo Feng said nothing until the divers had finished warming up. “Come on, let’s go. Dive!”
Minutes later, they were underwater, joined by several wealthy second-generation heirs and Lin Yueting. The salvage team, a separate group, focused on their work, while Luo Feng and the others continued to explore.
“Wow, there are so many sunken ships! Unbelievable!”
“Yeah, incredible!”
“Aren’t there only twelve?” “There are so many here. All of them are sunken ships?”
“This is terrifying!”
When Luo Feng led the salvage team over and discovered more sunken ships,
many were utterly astonished, their voices echoing with wonder and disbelief..
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