"Where is the evidence?" Herbert put down the A4 paper in his hand and asked, "I need to know the detailed cracking process. I hope these requirements are also included in the 200,000 euro investigation fee."
"certainly"
Wei Ran happily used the excuse he had thought up before entering the North African battlefield, "Mr. Herbert, you must have heard of the most complex encryption system during World War II, right?"
"Enigma cipher machine" Herbert gave the answer without thinking.
"Yes, the Enigma cipher machine," Wei Ran said as he leaned back in his chair, "but even the most complex encryption system during World War II was successfully cracked in the middle and late stages of the war."
"What on earth do you want to say?" Herbert asked, frowning.
"To put it simply, I asked someone to decipher the secret code on this oil drum using a computer." Wei Ran said deliberately to seduce the other party's appetite.
"So you have no way to prove that your deciphering is correct?"
"Don't worry." Wei Ran pointed to the A4 paper at the other party's hand, "Look at the signature that left this code word. Per Schilling, a reporter for the German Herald, the date is December 9, 1941."
Seeing that Herbert focused his attention on the piece of paper again, Wei Ran continued, "Based on this clue, I went through a lot of files and found some records about this reporter. I also spent a lot of time
At a great cost, we found the codebook used by reporters sent to the front line by the German newspaper Avant-Garde in 1941."
"Where's the codebook?" Herbert asked.
Wei Ran stood up with a smile and went upstairs to retrieve the code book that he got with the oil drum from the bedroom. As for the hand-drawn map included in the code book, he temporarily placed it upstairs.
Slowly going downstairs, he opened the code book and pushed it in front of Herbert. Wei Ran pointed to the signature on it and said, "Per Schilling of the Herald is the same person who left the code message on the oil drum.
In order to find and buy this code book, I spent a lot of effort and cost."
"Where did you find this thing?" Herbert's eyes widened.
Wei Ran pretended to be profound and replied, "Where you found it is my business, but at least it proves that the 200,000 euros were not in vain, right?"
"I need to verify the authenticity." Herbert was extremely cautious. While speaking, he actually took out a pair of white gloves from his pocket and put them on.
"Please," Wei Ran said, picking up a stack of white paper and a signature pen from the workstation next to him and handing them to the other party. He turned around and went into the small kitchen, slowly brewing a pot of coffee.
When he returned to the long table with the coffee pot, Herbert was still struggling to translate the code words on the oil drums, and on the white paper at his hand, he had already crossed out several mistakes in his own translation.
The place.
"At this speed, at Hongqi Forest Farm, I'm afraid I would have to carry a silicone dummy 24 hours a day."
Wei Ran joked secretly and did not rush the other party. He just sat down quietly, poured a cup of coffee for Herbert and himself and waited patiently.
It took more than half an hour for Herbert to carefully close the code book and put it aside. Then he took off his gloves and copied the content he had just translated again.
"Victor, as you translated, the secret message on the oil drum was indeed written in this codebook." Herbert circled the German word "treasure" at the end of the translation with the signature pen in his hand.
, "But I want to know even more, what kind of treasure is this."
"That's the second deal"
Wei Ran pushed the warm coffee to the other party, deliberately revealing the slightest flaw in his words, "The previous 200,000 euros only included the code book and the cracked content. Only after you paid the remaining 100,000 euros
After the final payment is made, we will have the opportunity to talk about the treasure."
"So you have a clue?" Herbert asked.
"The final payment is 100,000 euros." Wei Ran looked at the other party with a smile, "As agreed, you need to pay in cash."
Herbert gritted his teeth, stood up and said, "Please wait a moment, I need to make a phone call."
"Excuse me." Wei Ran handed over his hand again and watched the other party walk out of the studio.
Less than five minutes later, Herbert sat down at the long table again, opened his briefcase and took out a wad of cash and placed it on the table between the two of them, waiting patiently for Wei Ran to use the money counter.
After counting it twice, he asked, "Can you tell me the clues to the treasure now?"
"sure"
Wei Ran put the treasure on the table into a prepared file bag and threw it to the workstation aside. Then he said absently, "But I'm sorry, Mr. Herbert. For the safety of that treasure, I
You need to talk to the person behind you in person."
"I don't have anything behind me..." Herbert burst into laughter mid-sentence and stood up happily, "It seems I have to make a phone call."
"We can talk in Volgograd or any city in Europe," Wei Ran said deliberately before the other party walked out of the studio.
Herbert made an OK gesture and pressed the dial button on his mobile phone at the same time. This time the call was faster, less than two minutes, and Herbert hung up the phone and came back.
"Mr. Victor, if it's convenient, how about we go to England?" Herbert asked standing at the table. "My employer will help you arrange food, accommodation, transportation, and an extra thousand pounds a day.
travel expenses.”
Wei Ran looked at the other party with a smile, "Where in the UK?"
"Scotland, near Loch Ness." Herbert added with a smile, "The Loch Ness where there are rumors of a water monster."
Wei Ran flipped through his phone pretending to be thoughtful, and then gave the answer, "I can leave as soon as tomorrow, but I only have a week at most."
Herbert said quickly, "I will arrange the trip as soon as possible. Do you want me to book a flight for you?"
"Sorry to trouble you," Wei Ran said, picking up the pen on the table, making a copy of his passport information and handing it to the other party.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Putting this piece of paper into the briefcase, Herbert said instead, "Mr. Victor, what follows is my personal request."
"Please speak"
"Can we reach some cooperation on historical mysteries in the future?" Herbert expressed his plan, "Just like this time, I can help you introduce some customers, and you only need to pay a small commission.
"
"It's my honor." Wei Ran stood up and held the hand that the other party extended, "but I'm only good at World War II history and modern history."
"Every historian has his or her own areas of expertise and areas of expertise. This is normal." Herbert shook hands with Wei Ran, then took out a business card from his briefcase and handed it to Wei Ran, "I hope we
There will be more opportunities for cooperation in the future.”
Taking the business card, Wei Ran smiled and said, "I look forward to our next cooperation as much as you do."
"I will inform you as soon as I can arrange the trip," Herbert said, picking up the briefcase and oil drum on the table. "If there is nothing else, I will leave now."
After sending Herbert away politely, Wei Ran looked at the small card thrown on the table and pressed it under the glass plate of the writing desk. As for the cooperation mentioned by the other party, naturally he would wait until there is an opportunity for cooperation.
.
After waiting in the studio for two days, Alili, who came from Inta, took away the 100,000 euros in cash that was still warm.
Of course, Ji Ma didn't borrow so much money from him at the beginning, but the astronomical telescope was definitely not the only thing that needed to be renovated and repaired at the abandoned military base. Therefore, under the advice of his aunt Zhou Shujin, Wei Ran simply gave him more money.
He took this opportunity to make a small investment in Jima's camp. As for whether he could make money, he didn't care. With Hongqi Forest Farm taking care of it, he would not lose his capital.
In the blink of an eye, on the morning of June 15th, Herbert took a taxi and rushed to the studio again and found Wei Ran who was reviewing. Before anyone could enter the studio, he said straight to the point, "Mr. Victor.
, our flight is at noon today. If you are ready, we will rush to the airport now."
Wei Ran, who had received the news two days ago, immediately put away the study materials provided by Hongqi Forestry Farm, glanced at the taxi parked in front of the studio and said, "Take my car there so that he doesn't have to wait."
"Then I'm not welcome." Herbert, who was carrying two suitcases, immediately turned around and waved to the taxi at the door. The latter rolled down the window and spat disdainfully, stepped on the accelerator and drove away.
.
"Russians are so enthusiastic," Herbert joked awkwardly.
"It's really passionate, a passion that even black people can't bear."
Wei Ran made a joke, put on a satellite phone he bought at a high price the day before, pulled the suitcase he had prepared last night, and asked Herbert to get into the exaggerated off-road vehicle parked at the door.
On the way to the airport, Weiran took the opportunity to ask, "Herbert, tell me about your employer?"
"An old guy who always dreamed of finding the family treasure"
Herbert summarized it succinctly, "His name is Charlotte Burton. In addition to running a bar and souvenir shop in Fort Augustus on the south shore of Loch Ness, he also runs a jewelry shop in Edinburgh."
"Charlotte Burton?"
Wei Ran laughed secretly, what kind of fine traditions does the Burton family have? Why are their names related to the protagonists in various famous books?
Herbert nodded and continued, "He invested a lot of money in finding the so-called family treasure. Of course, it also made me a lot of money."
"Tell me what's going on with that so-called family treasure?" Wei Ran continued to ask.
"According to him, his father was a British soldier stationed in North Africa during World War II. After the war, the soldier only brought back one oil drum, which was the oil drum in the suitcase."
Herbert paused and continued, "According to Charlotte, his father died on the expedition shortly after he was born, leaving only him and his mother in the oil drum.
Four Carthaginian gold goddess coins and two rare Lydian amber gold coins.
It was by selling the two Lydian amber gold coins that the family survived the difficult days after the war and lived a decent life today. And most importantly, Mr. Charlotte has always believed that his father
While serving in North Africa, he must have discovered the treasures left by the ancient Libyan civilization."
"Herbert, what are the Lydian amber gold coins you were talking about just now?" Wei Ran asked, slightly lowering his speed.
"One of the earliest metal coins used in the world"
Herbert explained without hesitation, "The biggest feature of this small gold nugget that makes coin collectors crazy is that one side has the pattern of a lion, a lion and a bull's head, or a deer and other animals, and the other side has a
Corresponding stamp."
Aren't these the little gold nuggets that were found at the bottom of the well together with the gold coins?
While Wei Ran was cursing, he couldn't help but be a little confused. The three gold coins he was given were embedded in the metal book on the three oil drums. So where did the small gold nugget he was given go?
