As it was already winter, even with an oceanic climate, the temperature variance wasn't drastic. However, the deeper one ventured into the sea, the colder it inevitably became, easily leading to numbness in the extremities.

Yet, Wang Guan had no such worries. Before entering the water, he downed a mouthful of strong liquor for protection, and before the heat fully dissipated, he dove straight down toward the underwater reefs.

Truthfully, visibility at the seabed wasn't high; it was far from the stunning clarity captured by specialized underwater cameras. Still, one could vaguely make out the general scene: layers upon layers of jagged, strange rock formations lying prone beneath the ocean floor, resembling a massive, eerie beast at first glance, lending a distinct sense of dread.

Wang Guan, being well-traveled in such sights, felt nothing particularly noteworthy. On the contrary, he strongly agreed with Gao Zhuang’s assessment: if this stretch of sea held any treasure, the most likely hiding place was within these submerged reefs.

Upon closer inspection, however, Wang Guan saw that the reefs were indeed quite cluttered. Not only was there assorted debris, but dense clumps of seaweed also obscured many spots. In such conditions, searching for anything would be truly difficult. A slight entanglement by the seaweed could lead to serious trouble.

Considering this, Wang Guan decided against holding back his abilities and immediately activated his special power. In an instant, by focusing his gaze, the seabed panorama lay entirely exposed, surrendering every secret.

Wang Guan had long known that the seabed held many treasures, and the present situation was no exception. The moment he used his ability, countless glints of treasure light emerged. These lights varied in intensity and displayed dazzling colors. The faint glows were naturally things like shells, while the intensely bright beams indicated perfectly round pearls.

Of course, given Wang Guan’s current wealth, these scattered pearls held no interest for him; he simply ignored them. Instead, he focused intently on scouring every single reef, meticulously investigating every surface, every nook, and every cranny.

Hard work paid off. After about ten minutes, Wang Guan finally made a discovery. As he investigated one particular reef formation, a burst of light erupted, dazzling like a retracting firework display.

“Found it.”

A smile instantly curved Wang Guan’s lips. However, his composure was excellent; he showed no outward excitement, choosing instead to observe the phenomenon. At first glance, a note of astonishment entered Wang Guan’s eyes, and his smile deepened.

“I really didn’t expect this!”

After watching for a moment, Wang Guan steadied his mind, glanced around at the surrounding environment, and then swam directly upwards. Moments later, he smoothly surfaced, naturally drawing intense attention from the group.

“Brother, how was it? Are you alright?”

“Brother Wang, any discoveries?”

“Mr. Wang, are you cold? Hurry up and come change!”

Amidst the flurry of chatter, Wang Guan grinned, pulled off his goggles, and immediately waved toward the boat. “Brother Gao, have the ropes ready, and the floatation device. I need you both to come down with me.”

“Ah!”

Gao Zhuang experienced a sudden rush of surprise and joy. “You found something already?”

“Heh, luck was on our side. Plus, the concealment method was rather crude, making it easy to spot the clues,” Wang Guan chuckled. After instructing Gao Zhuang to prepare the gear, he donned his goggles again and sank back into the sea.

As for the salvage operation, it need not be detailed. In any case, after struggling for three or four hours, they finally managed to hoist the object, carefully placing it onto the yacht’s deck.

“It looks like a large rock…” Cai Peng’s tone was uncertain, as the surface of the massive stone was entirely entwined with layers of seaweed. Moreover, it wasn't just simple seaweed, but rope-like bands woven from it.

Layer upon layer of grass ropes densely wrapped the enormous object. Under the subtle currents, it naturally became covered in silt and sand, and after a century or two of transformation, it had indeed become a big stone. However, just as Wang Guan had pointed out, the object’s flaw was quite obvious. After all, if it were just an ordinary boulder, it wouldn't be wrapped in woven cordage.

One had to remember that the fish, shrimp, and crabs in the ocean were not as dexterous as humans; they couldn't utilize seaweed to weave ropes, much less wrap them tightly around an object.

“The thing is heavy.”

Gao Zhuang exclaimed excitedly, “It’s much heavier than a normal rock. It feels like a large iron chest.”

It was understandable why Gao Zhuang made that guess; considering the object’s volume, it did resemble a chest. It was roughly cuboidal, about two or three meters long and one point two or three meters high—it looked like a huge box from any angle.

“No need to guess, let’s just open it and see.”

At this moment, Cai Peng was also intensely curious and was about to start work when Wang Guan stopped him.

“Let’s wait until we get back,” Wang Guan said with a smile. “Too many eyes, and if a patrol boat happens by, it’ll be hard to explain.”

“What are we afraid of…”

Cai Peng certainly wasn't afraid, but Wang Guan preferred to avoid unnecessary complications. Yielding to his insistence, Cai Peng immediately instructed the sailors to turn back, displaying an evident eagerness to return home.

Simultaneously, Gao Zhuang and Tao Li, while delighted, were also somewhat bewildered. They hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly; they had only searched for two days before finding the item.

After a long pause, Gao Zhuang finally composed himself and laughed heartily, “Brother Wang, you truly are a bringer of good fortune.”

“It’s not entirely my credit. Brother Gao, you picked the location first. Even without me, you certainly would have found it eventually,” Wang Guan humbly replied, which was the truth. With a map and a general area, dedicated searching would eventually yield results; he had merely accelerated the process by a few days.

Otherwise, in the vast ocean, even with his special abilities, Wang Guan couldn't possibly scan every inch of the sea. Doing so would surely exhaust him to death.

“Mr. Wang is absolutely right; you all deserve credit,” Tao Li said with a radiant smile. “I was just tagging along.”

“You can’t say that,” Gao Zhuang quickly interjected. “These past two days, you handled all the logistics. You’ve worked hard too.”

“Exactly, the army marches on its stomach. Logistics are crucial…”

As they spoke, Wang Guan laughed. “Alright, no need to defer to each other. Regardless, this treasure hunt was a complete success, the result of our combined efforts. Everyone played a part.”

“That’s right, everyone played a part…”

Amidst cheerful banter, the yacht safely returned. Upon reaching the dock, Wang Guan and the others covered the object with a canvas tarp, arranged for its transport, and then headed to Cai Peng’s villa.

As it happened, Cai Peng’s villa was near Tanshui Town, only a ten-minute drive away, so they arrived in a flash. After having the object unloaded and placed in the courtyard, they settled the bill and sent the crew away.

At this point, without needing any prompting, Wang Guan and the others gathered around the object.

“Unwrap it!”

With that command, everyone set to work, tearing away the tangled grass ropes. Having soaked in seawater for years, the ropes had long since become brittle and soft; now, with just a slight tug, they snapped and disintegrated. With several people working together, they cleared away all the grass ropes in minutes.

“Ah…”

Just then, Cai Peng exclaimed in shock, “This… this looks like a boat.”

“Indeed.”

At the same time, everyone except Wang Guan nodded, their expressions quite peculiar. After the layers of tangled grass ropes were removed, what lay inside was not a large chest at all, but rather a small sailboat.

It was three meters long, one meter wide, slightly pointed at both ends, with a relatively tall mast in the center. Observing closely, one could discern multiple cabin levels within the hull, strongly resembling the shape of a sailboat—or perhaps, it was a model of one.

Seeing this, Gao Zhuang and Tao Li became confused, and naturally, disappointed.

“So what if it’s a boat? You must realize this boat is no ordinary thing,” Wang Guan said, his smile unchanged. He stepped closer, a deep look of admiration in his eyes. “Have you ever seen a sailboat this heavy?”

“That’s right.”

At Wang Guan’s reminder, Gao Zhuang and the others immediately grasped the object’s weight, which they had experienced firsthand. Even with Gao Zhuang’s strength, he could only manage to shift it slightly; lifting it was impossible. Especially during transport, it required block and tackle systems for controlled raising and lowering.

“Cast iron?” Cai Peng speculated, reaching out to touch the hull. Feeling its solid density, coupled with its dull, dark color, he came to that conclusion—truly befitting an unlearned second-generation rich heir.

“Not iron…”

In contrast, Gao Zhuang was far more experienced. After examining the sailboat, his vital energy surged, causing his face to flush deep red with excitement. “It’s gold—gold!”

“What?” Cai Peng was stunned, exclaiming in disbelief, “Isn’t gold supposed to be bright yellow? Why is it so dark…”

“Because it’s coated with a layer of black lacquer,” Wang Guan laughed, rubbing his finger hard against the hull. A patch of the lacquer film immediately peeled away.

In an instant, under the sunlight, a brilliant flash of yellow light emerged, possessing an indescribable allure.

“Is that real…”

Cai Peng’s eyes widened, a hint of disbelief in his expression. He immediately grabbed a rag and began rubbing vigorously. But facts spoke louder than words; with every wipe, flakes of the black paint scattered away.

Moments later, all the paint chips had fallen off the hull, revealing its true form. It was a scale model of a sailboat cast in pure gold, immensely heavy, and its value was beyond question.

“A gold ship.”

At this point, Gao Zhuang and Tao Li’s breathing quickened slightly; they were clearly overcome with excitement. Even Cai Peng, born into wealth, felt a touch of stupefaction.

After all, no matter how rich the Cai family was, Cai Peng might not inherit everything; his monthly allowance was also capped. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to borrow money from Wang Guan in Macau. Seeing such a large quantity of gold now, his heart couldn't help but flutter.

“This weight must be at least a ton,” Cai Peng murmured, looking somewhat lost. “A ton of gold, roughly how much is that worth?”

“A ton equals one thousand kilograms, or one million grams. Based on the current international gold price, each gram is about three hundred Yuan. Three hundred multiplied by one million, how much is that?” Tao Li asked vaguely, not because she couldn’t calculate it, but because she couldn't quite believe it.