Chapter 618 - 618: Gold! Coins! A Casino Afloat!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
So it was indeed the case, Luo Feng realized. Before him lay a ship entirely dedicated to gambling, and from the scattered coins, he deduced that it likely dated back to around the year 1900.
During that era, many countries were still embroiled in war and chaos, but gambling—an activity that had persisted through the ages—thrived.
Luo Feng remembered the time when Italians, members of the Black Hand Gang, had flooded into America, seizing control of the local gambling industry. They had invested in a grand ship, exclusively designed for offshore gambling.
He even recalled a particular incident from the 1920s when the SS Monte Carlo, one of the Black Hand Gang’s gambling ships, had encountered a hurricane and sunk in the Coronado Sea. It was later discovered and salvaged, revealing a trove of currency, jewelry, and precious metals like gold and silver.
In China, during the same period, the Green Gang, under the leadership of the gold magnate Huang Jinrong, had dominated the gambling business. However, unlike their foreign counterparts, their operations had not extended to the sea, remaining confined to the mainland. After all, they had powerful backers; wherever they chose to operate, the result was the same.
Of course, at that moment, Luo Feng couldn’t determine the nationality of the ship. But within that time frame, those who could commission such a grand vessel were undoubtedly among the great powers. He could essentially rule out the countries of France and Great Britain. The most likely culprit, then, was America.
As for why an American ship would venture here, Luo Feng speculated that the ship’s owner had invited wealthy individuals from around the world to gamble. Or perhaps the ship served as a cruise liner, traveling across the globe. Of course, on the surface, it appeared as a cruise ship, but once aboard, it surely offered various indulgences.
At that time, global laws and regulations were not as clear-cut, and these gambling ships were notoriously infamous. Yet, eradicating the problem at its root was an impossibility.
Why? Because human greed and the desire for instant wealth made the suppression of these establishments futile. Unless no one came to gamble, the house would always exist. It was a simple fact: without demand, there would be no supply. If no one played, who would bother to run such a business? Even a fool wouldn’t engage in something that couldn’t turn a profit.
Regrettably, although the ship was massive, it had met with misfortune and capsized in this desolate place. So many years had passed, and the paper money had long since decayed. The coins, too, were scarce. Luo Feng felt that the ship’s value was not substantial. At most, it contained gold bars, cut on the spot depending on the bets.
Currency of that era was not standardized, and the exchange rates between different countries were chaotic. Only gold and silver were universally accepted. One might refuse paper money, but these metals were universally recognized.
Luo estimated that the gold here might be worth tens of millions, perhaps even a hundred million. But no more. It didn’t possess significant salvage value. However, he could search for the place where the gambling ship stored its money; there might be some gains to be had.
With that thought, Luo Feng checked his oxygen tank’s pressure. There was still plenty of oxygen left; this time, he had opted for a larger container.
Luo Feng then began to weave through the ship’s cabins, looking here and there, searching for anything of value. Along the way, inside some rooms, he spotted provocative clothing floating in the seawater. Clearly, besides gambling, this ship also provided the service of female companionship.
After searching for about twenty minutes without significant findings, Luo Feng decided it was time to leave.
Upon exiting the cabin and seeing Luo Feng’s silhouette, Lin Yueting breathed a sigh of relief. After all, their submarine could only watch from outside and couldn’t follow him in.
“Yueting, let’s head up!” Luo Feng called into his earpiece, and he began to swim upward. Their submarine also started to ascend.
“Did you find anything, boss?”
“Such a big ship must have lots of treasures, right?”
“At least 10 billion, no less!”
“It looks like a merchant ship, doesn’t it?”
Luo Feng had only live-streamed the discovery of the sunken ship, stopping once he entered. He feared that he might find something valuable and attract the attention of treasure hunters worldwide. But from what Luo Feng saw, there was nothing likely to lure too many greedy seekers.
The audience in the live-streaming room was now filled with anticipation, envisioning hundreds of chests filled with gold, silver, and jewels. But only Luo Feng knew that this was an impossibility.
“Has the precision diving suit arrived yet?” Luo Feng asked as soon as he surfaced, aware that their current suits were suitable only for depths of around 100 meters and not very sophisticated.
“It’s here!”
“Good, let’s all go down. You help me search from the first level of the sunken ship!”
“Boss, what’s down there?”
Luo Feng chuckled, “Of course, a gambling ship!”
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