Road to becoming the wealthiest: Starting From Treasure Hunting in the Cabinets
Chapter 134 - 133: Digging Treasure for Someone Else?

Chapter 134: Chapter 133: Digging Treasure for Someone Else?

The offer that Smith made took Sean Knight by surprise.

"We agreed in advance that each gold coin would be a thousand dollars. I counted and appraised them just now, there are a total of two thousand three hundred and seventeen. So, the total comes to two million three hundred and seventeen thousand dollars."

"That’s not a problem." Sean thought to himself that this was the highest offer he had received so far.

"There are a total of one hundred and twenty-six gold and silver items, ninety-six made of gold. I’ve noted most of them from around the time of William III, which are rare to see on the market. So, on average, each is worth about fifty to seventy thousand dollars, totaling about six million dollars."

"There are twenty-four pieces of silverware from roughly the same period, each costs around five thousand dollars, totaling one hundred and twenty thousand dollars."

"There are six pieces made of bronze. These are more expensive than the silverware due to their unique shapes, about ten thousand dollars each."

"So, the total price comes to eight million four hundred and ninety-seven thousand dollars."

Hearing this number, Sean felt a bit disappointed and shook his head.

It hasn’t reached ten million yet!

Seeing him shake his head, Smith grew a bit anxious and said,

"Sean, you know, the price I’m offering is very fair! It’d be hard to find a better price anywhere in New York City..."

Sean smiled and said,

"Yes, I understand. I’m shaking my head because this money is still too little, there’s a bit of a gap from what I imagined."

"Are you in urgent need of money?" Smith asked curiously.

"Yes, I need to raise thirty million in three months."

"That won’t be easy..." Smith thought for a while and said, "If you don’t mind, I can introduce a business opportunity to you. If your luck holds, you might make a big fortune!"

"What kind of business?" Sean asked curiously.

"Treasure Hunting." Smith smiled and said, "I can introduce it, naturally because it’s your specialty."

"Treasure Hunting?" Sean was puzzled, "Do you have any clues?"

"Yes, to be precise, it’s treasure hunting on behalf of someone."

Smith thought for a while before saying,

"The situation is like this. There’s a merchant in New York who is about to go bankrupt. Like you, he also urgently needs a large sum of money.

His ancestors were one of the first groups of people who came to America. They had dealings with Native Americans. According to his ancestor’s record, they once traded a large amount of gold and silver treasures from the Native Americans."

"At that time, due to the war, these treasures were buried somewhere. His ancestor was also assassinated, leaving only a few clues behind."

"This merchant’s ancestor couldn’t figure out the location of the buried treasure. Now out of desperation, he hopes that a treasure hunter can help him find the treasure, and he is willing to give up thirty percent of the treasure as the reward."

"Thirty percent?" Sean felt somewhat disappointed.

"According to him, the value of those treasures is currently over several hundred million dollars, so thirty percent is not a small amount." Smith explained.

"Is it really that much?" Sean was somewhat in disbelief.

"It should be." Smith said while explaining, "I checked the history of the Brown family. One of his ancestors was indeed a notable figure who followed George Washington westward, and killed quite a few Native Americans."

"After he returned from the battlefield, he bought a large manor and tea plantation, only to be assassinated later."

Sean seemed to understand. This merchant, Brown’s ancestor, probably looted the Native American’s treasure, hence the worth of a few hundred million dollars in treasure!

As for whether there really was a treasure, that would require examining the clues.

"Brown is a client of mine," Smith continued, "He disclosed this information to me and asked me to help find a competent professional treasure hunter. I think you fit the criteria..."

Sean nodded, asking:

"There must be more than just me, right?"

"Yes, currently including you there are three teams — the other two teams are professional treasure hunting teams. They have already signed the contract and are ready to set out in two days. If you agree, I will bring you to meet Brown. After signing the contract, he will give you the clues and then you can begin your treasure hunt."

Sean thought about it and said:

"Sure, I think I can take care of this."

Smith breathed a sigh of relief. He honestly saw potential in Sean, or perhaps his incredible luck, enough to find that wealth.

The notion of luck, intangible as it may be, was something quite real in the minds of many.

After receiving the payment, Smith took away the golden coin and antiques, arranging to take Sean to meet Brown in the afternoon.

Sean gave the check to Kathy, asking her to sort it out, then started to pack his things.

Knowing that Sean was about to embark on a treasure hunt, Kathy said, with some concern:

"Are you sure you want to do this? Treasure hunting can be very dangerous. You need to be prepared not only for potential encounters with wild animals but even more so for the various cunning people you might come across. Mr. Jeremy was once injured during a treasure hunt and it took a long time to recover."

"It will be fine," Sean thought. He could just keep a few more guns in his spatial realm, such as the unsold Thompson Submachine Gun which he could place in it.

In case of real danger, he could unexpectedly take them out and be the first to strike. This was his line of thought, and he quickly acted on it - buying more bullets from the gun shop and fully preparing his guns, regardless of whether the law allowed the combination of guns and bullets under normal circumstance.

In the afternoon, he went with Smith to meet Brown.

Assuming that Brown was on the verge of bankruptcy, Sean had expected him to look a bit downtrodden.

However, contrary to his expectations, Brown lived in a luxury villa, and its interior furnishings were even more extravagant than those in Jeremy’s Villa.

Was it about maintaining appearances or simply living beyond his means? Sean had no way of knowing.

"This is Mr. Sean Knight, a spectacular treasure hunter," Smith introduced, "In only a span of three months, he has successively uncovered famous treasure troves such as those of an army officer’s and pirate’s. He is one of the most remarkable professional treasure hunters I have encountered!"

Then he said to Sean:

"This is Mr. Brown."

Brown was a lean middle-aged man named Edward Miller, the most conspicuous feature was his hooked nose, and he stared at people with quite the unfriendly gaze.

After listening to Smith’s introduction, Brown scrutinized Sean and said:

"Isn’t he a bit too young?"

"Treasure hunting is not just about experience, but also about intelligence and physical stamina," Smith analyzed like an expert for Brown, "Mr. Brown, there’s a high probability that your family treasure is buried deep in the mountains. Older people might struggle to endure the conditions there. It’s also worth mentioning that the clues are not obvious, so a flexible mind is needed to imagine and complete the clues. That’s where the young man comes in."

Brown thought about it, his expression softened, and he said:

"That’s true. Since you recommended him, I trust him."

With that, he presented a contract to Sean:

"Sign this."

Sean took a look. It was filled with terms and conditions.

The gist was that Brown would provide clues about the treasure, and form a team to go to Arkansas to search for the ancestral treasure.

Upon setting up base there, Sean was to look for the treasure according to the clues. Once the treasure was found, Sean was to take 30% as his own commission.

Brown could not withhold information. After Sean found the treasure, he was not allowed to start digging. They needed to wait for Brown to arrive before entering together.

There were some other details. Sean read through them and found them generally reasonable.

After signing, Sean received the clues that Brown had provided.