Chapter 561 - 63: Inca Treasure (Part 2)
In fact, the archipelago is slightly off the normal route, and one can only reach the island by slightly altering direction at sea.
The Spanish Merchant Ship was driven off course by a storm, and it was purely by accident that they discovered the island; otherwise, their leader "Captain Kilian" would have likely chosen another island as the treasure location.
However, that island was different from the archipelago; though completely deserted, even birds didn’t poop there, it wasn’t far from the route.
If they frequently docked near the island, it would eventually arouse suspicion and lead others to find the treasure, something all sailors wished to avoid.
Because the archipelago is remote, weaponry isn’t of pressing importance.
Moreover, there are no large predators on the island; even the birds and beasts that could be hunted for fun are scarce, so the matchlock gun usually hangs on the wall.
The sailors would rather drink a few more cups of rum or indulge themselves with native women in their rooms than carry guns around the island, let alone patrol the coastline.
Captain Kilian was concerned about the treasure, and spent considerably to keep this restless bunch obediently on the island.
Barrels of rum, bottles of sweet wine, punch cocktails, and even sweet wines mixed with herbs and syrup were sent in batches to the island to comfort the sailors’ longing for the sea and their homeland.
Besides that, the island was amply supplied with various living essentials and small furniture.
These ensured that every sailor could enjoy the island, at least better than drifting at sea.
Yet, despite this, the sailors still yearned for the continent, missed the ports and their hometowns; though not many were as rebellious as Havier, each sailor held similar thoughts deep down—
They just wanted to finish this job quickly and go home to live as noble lords.
During the interrogation, Chen Zhou specifically inquired about the amount of fabric and clothing on the island, and the answer was that there was enough for about 80 to 100 people to wear.
Currently, the Big Island was most lacking fabric and clothing, so upon receiving this answer, Chen Zhou immediately told Sunday to mark this information prominently.
If necessary, tomorrow he could have the Steel Bone head to the archipelago and bring all that clothing, drinks, spices, and furniture back.
After asking about the firepower configuration of the island’s gathering places, Chen Zhou was already clear that the Spaniards left on the island indeed had their forces wiped out, all captured alive one by one by Sunday.
In other words, starting today, the largest island in the archipelago had fallen under his control, and the natives still living there would become the reserve population for the Big Island.
As he thought of this, Chen Zhou reminded Sunday.
"The next time you go to the archipelago, investigate the relationships among the island’s various tribes.
The Great Tribe was basically disbanded after our attack, and based on the information I got from you, there are quite a few small and medium tribes on the island that have grudges against the Great Tribe. After learning of its disbandment, they might seize the opportunity to take revenge and massacre its members.
The natives on the island are your future companions, so try not to let them kill each other.
If necessary, you can continue carrying out decapitation operations to kill or control the other tribes’ leaders.
There’s a saying ’Hold the emperor to command the vassals,’ you might not understand the meaning.
After the interrogation concludes, ask Saturday about it, it’s basically what I mean."
Seeing Sunday nod seriously, Chen Zhou raised his hand to signal the continuation of the interrogation.
...
The previous questions were just appetizers; what Chen Zhou was most interested in is money, the treasure of the Inca Empire that he longed for day and night and for which he expended countless efforts, where exactly is it hidden.
When it came to treasure, every Spanish sailor interrogated exhibited varying degrees of hesitation; only a shorter sailor, who appeared somewhat weak, was exceptionally cooperative, almost holding nothing back.
Taking his information as a reference, Chen Zhou quickly figured out which sailor was lying, who was deliberately concealing, and who was being vague.
According to the sailor named Juan, what they plundered was not just ordinary towns of the Inca Empire, but the secret passage by which Inca people transported treasures to the Andes Mountains.
Although they failed to block the passage in time and consume all the treasures, this fortune suddenly granted them unimaginable wealth, ensuring none of the sailors needed to worry about their future.
Captain Kilian could use this fortune to transcend the class between ordinary people and nobles, securing a prestigious title as a regular guest at noble banquets.
Even if he was an upstart without background, looked down upon by old nobles, he had money.
In an era where everyone sharpened their minds, conned and cheated to climb higher, even gambling their lives to venture to the distant New Continent for a chance, money represented everything; with money, tackiness becomes elegance, and lowliness becomes nobility.
This treasure comes from the Inca Empire’s royal family and the Sun God Cult, including pure gold cups, vases, and cutlery, pure gold metal sentinel sculptures, gold eagles, gold snakes, goldfish, and pure gold male and female statues weighing 65 pounds.
Without seeing it in person, just listening to Saturday’s translation, Chen Zhou could imagine that golden glow, his eyes couldn’t help but lose focus—
It’s said that gold is vulgar, but probably no one in the world dislikes this color, this color symbolizing wealth.
If the conspicuous color of gold is further marked with the word "gold," few could resist its power.
Of course, the "vulgar" pure gold items were just the tip of the iceberg of the Inca Empire’s treasure.
The Spanish sailors also grabbed golden masks embedded with various jewels—
Juan said the craftsmanship of that golden mask was extremely high, decorated with red, blue, and green gemstones.
Captain Kilian fancied that piece, so did not place the golden mask on the island or ship it to Spain, but rather privately owned it, hanging it on the wall of the captain’s cabin, ensuring every "high-class person" visiting him could see that luxurious golden mask.
Besides the golden mask, there were golden necklaces, earrings, and bracelets worn by Inca Empire’s nobles, all embedded with jewels.
As for golden flowers, gold bricks, and jewelry, they were even more plentiful.
Of course, apart from pure gold items, the Inca Empire also had a large amount of silver.
Juan said because the silver was so abundant, Kilian had them bury some of it directly by the seaside when transporting; it was rushed and unmarked, they forgot the location when they returned.
However, the wealth plundered was so easily obtained, this group of bandits wasn’t bothered by slight losses.
They only wandered along the shore for an hour or two, dug a few shallow pits randomly, and when they found nothing, they boarded their ship and left, without searching further.
...
Chen Zhou had long heard that South America was rich in gold, silver, and other rare metals, that Brazil and Colombia’s gold mines were world-renowned, Peru was called "the silver country," and he knew that during the Age of Discovery, Spaniards made a fortune from the Inca Empire, but didn’t expect that the wealth obtained by just one small Spanish plundering ship could be exaggerated to such an extent.
Thinking of the exaggerated gold prices in modern society, then converting the weight of gold bricks and gold statues mentioned by Spanish sailors, he suddenly felt light-headed, with a sensation of fainting from happiness.
Not counting other things, just that statue weighing 65 pounds, converts to nearly 30,000 grams.
Chen Zhou remembered browsing challenge posts when gold prices were soaring, reaching nearly 800 yuan per gram; he originally wanted to buy his mother a gold bracelet but refrained due to these crazy prices.
Taking hold of this statue, without considering its collectible value, just melting and selling the gold could fetch 24 million.
And this was only the tip of the iceberg; if the treasures plundered from the Inca Empire could be fully obtained, as long as he avoided gambling or starting a business, living off interest, not just this life, but even in the next and the one after he wouldn’t need to worry about money, perhaps only how to spend it.