66: Chapter 66 The Three Treasures of the Master of Ceremonies (Part 1)

"Sir, are you really going to Zambales?" Mandeni stepped on the brake and pulled the car over to the side of the road.

"Yeah." Li Xin looked out the window, "Joining a tour group is less hassle."

"Are there tour groups there?"

"Yes. A one-day tour of Mount Pinatubo, leaving in the morning and returning in the evening." Li Xin took out his phone and shook it, "Booked it online."

Mandeni scratched his head, "What does a volcano have to do with treasure?"

"Nothing to do with it." Li Xin smiled, "I'm just going to see the volcano. I'll treat that legend you mentioned as just a story."

"That's good." Mandeni breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought you were actually going to look for treasure."

"What treasure hunt." Li Xin put his phone into his pocket, "If I had that kind of luck, I'd rather buy a lottery ticket."

The car continued driving toward Baguio. Mandeni turned on some music and hummed along. Li Xin leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

The Zambales tour was tomorrow. He would go back to rest for the day today and set off early tomorrow morning.

At four o'clock the next morning, Li Xin arrived at the meeting point in Manila.

A minibus was parked on the side of the road, and it was already more than half full. Most of the passengers were Westerners, carrying hiking backpacks and cameras. The tour guide was a Filipina woman in her thirties with short hair, tanned skin, and a loud voice.

"Get on the bus and check in! One-day tour of Mount Pinatubo!"

Li Xin got on the bus and found a window seat. Beside him was a young man with blonde hair, in his early twenties, carrying a huge hiking backpack.

"Are you alone?" the young man asked in English.

"Yes." Li Xin fastened his seatbelt.

"My name is Tom, from Germany." He extended his hand, "What's your name?"

"Li."

"Li? Chinese?"

"Yes."

"Cool." Tom smiled, "This is my first time in the Philippines, what about you?"

"First time."

The bus started up and drove out of Manila. It wasn't dawn yet, and there were few people on the streets. After driving for about an hour, they left the urban area and got on the highway. The scenery outside the window changed from city to farmland, and from farmland to hills.

The tour guide stood up and picked up the microphone, "Hello everyone, my name is Mary. Today we are going to Mount Pinatubo, and the drive will take three hours. Once we arrive, we will switch to 4WD vehicles, and then hike for one hour to the volcanic lake. We will return at 2:00 PM and arrive in Manila at 6:00 PM."

"Is the volcanic lake beautiful?" Tom asked.

"Very beautiful." Mary smiled, "Blue lake water surrounded by volcanic rock; it's like being on another planet."

Li Xin looked out the window, his fingers tapping lightly on his knee.

Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991 and was one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century. Now, a lake has formed in the crater, making it a famous tourist attraction.

But that was not the purpose of his visit.

He opened the System and performed a background Scan.

Within a radius of nine kilometers, there was no gold.

No rush. Pinatubo was just a cover. His real target was in the deep mountains of Zambales.

The bus drove for three hours and arrived at the foot of the mountain. They transferred to 4WD vehicles and drove up along a gravel road. The road was very bumpy, and the vehicle shook violently. Tom gripped the handrail, his face turning pale.

"This road is terrible!"

Li Xin smiled but didn't say anything.

The 4WD vehicle drove for forty minutes and arrived at the starting point of the hike. The group got off the vehicle and followed the guide upward. The path wasn't hard to walk, but there was a lot of gravel and the slopes were steep.

After walking for an hour, they reached the volcanic lake.

The lake water was blue-green and very clear. It was surrounded by gray volcanic rock, with no vegetation in sight. The sun shone on the water, making it shimmer.

"Beautiful, right?" Mary said with a smile, "Everyone can take pictures here and rest for half an hour."

Tom took out his camera and snapped photos of the lake frantically. Li Xin also took a few shots, then walked to the lakeside.

System Scan.

No gold.

As expected. Pinatubo is a volcano, not a gold mine.

Half an hour later, they returned the way they came. They went down to the foot of the mountain and boarded the minibus.

"Next stop, Anawangin Cove." Mary said, "We'll have lunch there, and you can swim in the afternoon."

Tom turned his head, "Gold Cove? Is there gold?"

Mary laughed, "It's just a name. There used to be a gold mine there, but it's closed now. However, the beach is very beautiful."

Li Xin's fingers tapped lightly on his knee.

Gold mine. Closed.

The car drove for two hours and arrived at Anawangin Cove. It was a small bay with black sand because there used to be a gold mine there, and the sand contained iron.

Li Xin got off the bus, stood on the beach, and looked at the sea.

System Scan.

[Ding... Small gold mine detected. Location: approximately 2.5 kilometers ahead, about 20 meters underground. Reserves: approximately 0.8 tons. Type: Placer gold mine. Fully extractable.]

0.8 tons. Not much, but he wouldn't turn it down.

Li Xin looked around. The tourists were all taking pictures or swimming on the beach; no one was paying attention to him.

He walked along the beach into the distance, went about five hundred meters, and arrived at a deserted corner. He squatted down and placed his hand on the sand.

"System, Extraction."

[Extraction in progress... Extraction complete. Obtained 0.8 tons of gold.]

[Cumulative refined gold: 207.7057 tons.]

He stood up, brushed the dust off his hands, and turned to walk back to the crowd.

Tom climbed out of the sea, soaking wet, "Li, aren't you going into the water?"

"No." Li Xin smiled, "I'm afraid of the cold."

"The water isn't cold!" Tom shook the water from his hair, "It's very comfortable!"

"Next time."

After lunch, Mary announced two hours of free time. Li Xin did not stay on the beach but walked along the coastline toward the mountains.

The System continued to Scan in the background.

[Ding... Gold mine detected. Approximately 3.5 kilometers ahead, below the hillside. Reserves: approximately 2.1 tons. Fully extractable.]

He walked over, squatted down, and performed Extraction.

[Extraction complete. Obtained 2.1 tons of gold. Cumulative: 209.8057 tons.]

He kept walking.

[Ding... Gold mine detected. Approximately 4.2 kilometers ahead, below the riverbed. Reserves: approximately 1.4 tons. Fully extractable.]

He walked over, squatted down, and performed Extraction.

[Extraction complete. Obtained 1.4 tons of gold. Cumulative: 211.2057 tons.]

In two hours, he had collected from four small mines, totaling less than 5 tons. But every little bit adds up.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the minibus started the return journey. Tom fell asleep on the bus and was snoring. Li Xin looked out the window as the sky gradually darkened.

By the time the bus arrived in Manila, it was already seven o'clock in the evening.

Li Xin did not return to the hotel but went straight to the pier.

The real location of the treasure in Zambales was not on the tourist route. He needed to enter by sea.

The pier was very small, with a few outrigger boats docked there. A man in his fifties was standing by a boat smoking, with dark skin and a face full of wrinkles.

"Alo?" Li Xin walked over.

"That's me." The man stubbed out his cigarette, "You must be Li?"

"Yes."

"Get on the boat." Alo jumped onto the boat, "It will take three or four hours to get there."

Li Xin got on the boat. The outrigger boat wasn't big, capable of seating seven or eight people. The hull was narrow, with bamboo poles extending from both sides, looking like crab legs.

Alo started the engine, and the boat sailed out of the pier.

The sea was very calm, and the moonlight spilled onto the water, making it shimmer. Li Xin sat at the bow, the sea breeze blowing on his face, feeling cool.

"What are you going to Zambales for?" Alo asked.

"Hiking." Li Xin said, "I heard there are waterfalls in the mountains there, and I want to go see them."

"There are waterfalls. But the road is not easy to travel." Alo lit a cigarette, "Are you alone?"

"I'll find a guide when I get there."

"I know one." Alo took a crumpled business card from his pocket and handed it over, "Call this number. His name is Aki, and he has been running around in those mountains for twenty years."

"Thank you."

The boat sailed for four hours, and at two o'clock in the morning, they arrived at the Zambales coast.

Alo parked the boat next to a small fishing village, "We're here. There's a hotel here; you should stay first and head into the mountains tomorrow."

Li Xin got off the boat, paid the fare, and gave an extra five hundred pesos as a tip. Alo accepted it and smiled, "Be careful. There are many venomous snakes in the mountains."

"Thank you."

Li Xin found a small hotel by the seaside and checked in. The room wasn't big, with one bed and a fan. He took a shower and lay on the bed.

He opened the system panel.

[Cumulative refined gold: 211.2057 tons.]

Tomorrow, he would head into the mountains.

The core of Yamashitas Gold was right there in the deep mountains of Zambales.

He turned off the light and closed his eyes.