122: Treasure Hunt
Hearing the news about the shipwreck, Qin Yun was overjoyed and quickly asked, "What's the situation with the shipwreck?"
"According to the survey company's investigation, this ship is the Tianyuan, an ocean-going freighter. It sank over a month ago. Data shows the freighter met with an accident during transoceanic trade. There are dozens of containers on board, but it's unknown what exactly they were transporting."
"My friend's survey ship is small, and the ocean freighter is too large, making it difficult to survey the entire wreck. They will send a new ship equipped with underwater robots. You should go with that ship to check the situation before making a decision."
After explaining to Qin Yun, Hank notified his friend to have the new ship wait for Qin Yun and Julia.
Hearing it was a large ship, Qin Yun was very tempted.
If the other containers also held such Xia Country antiques, it would be worth salvaging the shipwreck no matter how much money it cost.
"Qin Yun, let's head out quickly."
Julia urged from the side.
She couldn't wait to see what the shipwreck looked like.
Salvaging a shipwreck was much more exciting than storage unit treasure hunting.
It was a shipwreck; as long as they paid to salvage it, everything on board would be theirs.
For transporting a treasure as significant as the yongle encyclopedia, the containers must have been waterproofed, so the treasures inside were likely fine.
These large transoceanic transport ships all have owners and are registered. They had to act fast; otherwise, if someone else got there first, they might miss out on the yongle encyclopedia.
"Alright, let's go now."
Knowing the urgency, Qin Yun drove with Julia to the location Hank had provided.
After a four-hour drive, the two arrived at a port in Maryland.
This was where the survey ship carrying the underwater robots was located.
After contacting the captain, a gangplank was lowered in less than half a minute, and four people warmly disembarked from the ship.
"You must be Mr. Qin. I am Captain Matt, and I'm in charge of this survey. Please feel free to make any requests; our company will do its best to meet them."
A sturdy fat man leading the group said with a smile.
The three tech-geek the young men behind him also patted their chests in guarantee.
With the underwater robots in action, although the shipwreck was three hundred meters deep, they could definitely check its condition.
Facing a benefactor like Qin Yun, everyone on the ship was very enthusiastic.
Surveying and salvaging shipwrecks was a field only wealthy moguls could afford to play in.
Since Qin Yun was so young and preparing to salvage a shipwreck, he must have a significant background.
They were hoping Qin Yun would hire their company again, so they were very polite.
"I'm relieved to have you on the job. Without further ado, let's set off now."
Qin Yun didn't waste time on pleasantries and got straight to the point.
"Good, good, good."
Captain Matt and the others weren't offended and invited Qin Yun and Julia on board.
They opened the throttle, started the engine, and sailed toward the location where the shipwreck was discovered.
After two hours of sailing, they reached the site of the shipwreck.
A small boat about ten meters long was already there, using radar to survey the underwater situation.
"This freighter is estimated to have a displacement of 50,000 tons. Radar shows the hull is quite badly damaged. We'll only know the internal situation once the underwater robots take photos."
"As for the cargo, no one can say for sure. The freighter is very deep, making salvage quite difficult. I suggest you decide whether to salvage after seeing the results."
Seeing the employer arrive, the Person in Charge hurried out to report the status of the shipwreck and the company's plan.
This was Hank's friend; he didn't hide anything and told them everything.
"I see. Let's start taking photos with the underwater robots now."
Qin Yun thought for a moment and decided to follow the professional's advice.
If there really were antiques of the level of the yongle encyclopedia on the seabed, he would salvage them no matter how troublesome it was.
The Staff Member quickly nodded in agreement upon hearing Qin Yun's instructions.
They lowered all three underwater robots into the sea, while the three tech-geek the young men controlled them from the ship.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the screens, wanting to know the condition of the shipwreck.
Ten minutes later, a corner of the shipwreck appeared clearly on the screen.
Seeing the damaged hull, everyone's expressions darkened.
If the damage was this severe, the items the freighter was carrying would also be damaged, meaning there wouldn't be much salvage value.
Subsequently, three camera feeds appeared on the screen.
The tech geeks maneuvered the underwater robots around the shipwreck, but found no trace of containers.
There were only some debris around the shipwreck.
Steel pipes, hull fragments, and scattered pieces of gold, silver, and porcelain.
Seeing this, everyone's heart sank, unsure of the shipwreck's situation.
Matt pointed to a rope on the screen and said, "I'm afraid the containers on this ship have already been salvaged by someone else."
"Look, this rope was likely used to salvage containers. There are also drag marks from containers nearby. We're a step too late."
Matt shook his head, his face full of disappointment.
He had planned to earn a salvage fee from Qin Yun, but now it seemed there was no need to salvage this wreck.
Qin Yun's expression changed, but he quickly calmed down.
His goal for this trip was to find the yongle encyclopedia, not to make money from salvaging the shipwreck.
It didn't matter if someone had salvaged it, as long as he could find the company or person who did.
He could then find a clear lead on the yongle encyclopedia. At most, he'd have to pay a higher price or exchange other treasures for it.
With the Profound Vision Treasure Eye, he wouldn't lack treasures.
As long as he could get back the yongle encyclopedia and valuable Xia Country antiques, it was worth it, provided the cost wasn't too outrageous.
But after all this effort, he was truly unwilling to give up just like this.
He walked to the bow and looked toward the shipwreck using the Profound Vision Treasure Eye.
Amidst a field of green treasure light, there were specks of blue.
A look of surprise and joy appeared on Qin Yun's face; he hadn't expected the Profound Vision Treasure Eye to have such a wonderful use.
It could actually detect whether there were treasures in a shipwreck hundreds of meters deep on the seabed.
In his eyes, this ship only had a tiny bit of valuable treasure left, certainly not worth the high cost of salvage.
Thinking of this, he walked back to the cabin.
"Then let's end the survey here. Don't worry, I'll pay you as agreed."
Qin Yun said calmly.
He had already moved past his disappointment and was thinking about finding clues to the yongle encyclopedia as soon as possible.
Hearing Qin Yun say this, the people from the survey company praised him for his generosity.
"It's been a pleasure working with you. I look forward to the day you hire us again."
"I believe with your strength, you'll definitely find a valuable shipwreck. When that time comes, we will certainly do our best to serve you!"
"We'll contact our colleagues once we're back. If we hear any news, we'll contact you immediately."
"You have good luck; you'll surely find where the containers from the shipwreck went."
...Hearing everyone's praise, Qin Yun nodded slightly.
"I'll take your word for it. I look forward to the day we work together."
Salvaging shipwrecks was an industry even more exciting than storage auctions. Investments could easily reach millions, while returns could be negligible or worth billions.
With the Profound Vision Treasure Eye, judging the value of a shipwreck's treasures would be no problem.
Salvaging shipwrecks was a very suitable career for him.
Back at the port, Qin Yun and Julia began asking local fishermen for news about salvage ships.
Salvage ships were rare in coastal waters, so some fishermen would surely have noticed their presence.