Ajie quickly ran to the cabin, and soon returned with several thick waterproof storage bags, and started busying himself with Old Black and Tata.

Qi Yun didn't mention asking the crew for help, so Jeff didn't take the initiative either. After all, these items were quite valuable, and who knew if the crew might get any funny ideas.

The silver coins were just packed, and the winch machine lifted up another metal net basket. This time, it not only contained silver coins but also quite a number of gold coins and gold bars!

The purity of these gold items was also not high, only about 80%. From the well-preserved surfaces of some gold coins, one could see the imprint of a head, likely that of a king at the time.

Speaking of the silver coins earlier, the crew on the ship remained relatively calm.

But when this pile of gold appeared, the air on the deck seemed to freeze instantly.

Several crew members stared intently at the gold, excited expressions hiding their greed.

Captain Jeff noticed this, veins bulging on his forehead. He shouted, "What the hell are you looking at! Do your own work now!"

Even he probably didn't realize that there was a hint of tremor in his voice...

In the corner, Chen Wei calmly watched all this, his expression stern, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces one by one.

The rumble of the winch machine continued, with hooks constantly being lowered and raised.

When a dark brown wooden box appeared on the deck, Qi Yun's attention was instantly drawn to it.

The box wasn't large, roughly the size of an adult's palm, with green fuzz and barnacles covering its surface.

What intrigued him was that this wooden box had been soaked on the seabed for over three hundred years, yet showed no signs of damage.

He took a hose from the first mate nearby and sprayed the box, and after cleaning off the green fuzz, the true appearance of the box was revealed.

The wood grain on the surface looked delicate, and the front seemed to be carved with a flower-like pattern, though it wasn't clear at the moment.

The lid of the box had a delicate latch, whose keyhole was blocked by microorganisms from the ocean.

Qi Yun vaguely felt that the contents of this box might be unusual, and planned to study it carefully once back in the cabin.

The salvage operation continued until late at night when Ajie handed a tally sheet to Qi Yun, listing all the findings from this salvage.

Silver coins: 8,320 pieces.

Gold coins: 1,963 pieces.

Gold bars: 120 bars.

Gems: 68 pieces.

There was also a large pile of porcelain, but unfortunately, all reduced to fragments.

Although Qi Yun appeared calm on the surface, he was actually thrilled inside.

He didn't know how much other items were worth, but just melting and selling those gold coins and bars would fetch at least a few million!

Just then, Ah Jiao also came to the deck from the cockpit and whispered to Qi Yun, "The exploration is complete; there's nothing else in the sunken ship."

Qi Yun nodded at her and instructed a few people to move all the items to the resting room in the cabin.

He then said to Jeff, "Captain Jeff, let's return as soon as possible."

"Everyone worked hard this trip. Once we return, I'll give everyone a $10,000 hard work fee."

At these words, the surrounding crew cheered, their exhausted faces instantly breaking into smiles; their monthly salary was less than three thousand US dollars, and 10,000 would be more than three months' pay.

Jeff's face also radiated joy, and he quickly nodded, "Alright, Mr. Qi, I'll arrange the return immediately."

He then leaned in closer, whispering, "Regarding tonight's matter, I'll ensure the crew doesn't spread it."

Qi Yun chuckled and patted his arm, turning to leave without further comment.

Actually, the money wasn't meant as hush money because he knew well that it was hard to keep this a secret.

The real purpose was to share some benefits with the crew, keeping them balanced and preventing them from doing anything irrational.

However, he also knew human greed might not be satisfied with just ten thousand US dollars; as long as he remained true to himself, if anyone sought trouble, Chen Wei would teach them a lesson.

Back in the resting cabin, Qi Yun found Old Black on the bed next to his, prompting him to ask, "Where's Brother Wei?"

Old Black scratched his head and explained, "He switched with me to guard the items next door while I protect you here."

Hearing this, Qi Yun nodded slightly, knowing Chen Wei was undoubtedly concerned the items might cause trouble, so he deliberately switched to the next room to avoid endangering Qi Yun's safety.

Qi Yun trusted Chen Wei's skills and didn't think much of it. He sat by the bed, laid the wooden box on the table, and started examining it closely.

Under the strong flashlight, Qi Yun finally saw the pattern on the box more clearly; it resembled an iris flower.

Once seen in history books, this iris was a symbol of the Bourbon Dynasty. Later, as descendants of the Bourbons, the Spanish Royal Family also inherited the iris emblem.

The items in this box must belong to a Spanish Royal Family member from over three hundred years ago...

Qi Yun's gaze fell, inspecting the rusted lock once more; the keyhole was blocked, and he needed to find a locksmith to open it.

Thinking of this, he lifted his head and asked Old Black, "Can you pick locks?"

Old Black nodded, "Yes!"

Joy flickered in Qi Yun's heart; he didn't expect the large man to have such a skill. So, he handed over the wooden box immediately, "Help me open this lock."

Old Black examined the box, then took hold of the lock body with his calloused hand, twisting the lock head with his thumb and forefinger.

With a "pop" sound, the rusty lock head was forcibly pulled out by him.

He handed the box to Qi Yun with a big grin, saying, "Alright, boss."

Qi Yun clicked his tongue and asked, "Is that how you pick locks?"

Old Black, embarrassed, scratched his head, "Sometimes I use a hammer or other tools; this lock was simple."

Qi Yun shook his head with a smile, opened the lid, releasing a musty scent mingled with seawater.

Inside, the box was lined with a piece of blackened velvet, and a yellowed scroll was pinned in the middle with something resembling a silver brooch.

Qi Yun took the scroll, still damp. Whether it was parchment or leather, it hadn't decomposed after so many years in water.

He considered drying it with a towel but worried about damaging what's recorded, so he left it to air dry.

Carefully unfolding the parchment, he saw the edge had a pattern identical to the one on the wooden box, the iris emblem again.

Once the parchment was fully opened, a larger design appeared before his eyes.

This design didn't seem drawn onto the parchment; it seemed more like it was etched on.

It had lines, markings, and some characters, though they seemed to be in Spanish, which he couldn't understand.

Qi Yun stared at the design for a long while, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

He sighed, took a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it up, catching Old Black stealing glances at him curiously, afraid of making Qi Yun unhappy.

Qi Yun handed the parchment to him with a playful grin, "Take a look, what does this design resemble?"

Old Black rubbed his hands, cautiously taking the parchment and squinting up close.

Qi Yun was about to tell him he was holding it upside down when Old Black said, "Boss, these winding lines look like a map..."

A map?

Qi Yun was stunned, got up, and stood beside Old Black, surprised to find that the parchment indeed resembled a map when viewed upside down.

But without any context, he couldn't determine what location the map depicted...

After pondering for a while to no avail.

Sleepiness overtook Qi Yun, so he stuffed the parchment and wooden box into a bag, entrusting it to Old Black's care, and he collapsed into a deep slumber on the bed.

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