That afternoon, the four of them reached the northwestern part of Latzburg. As they climbed a hill, they were stunned by the view before them.
In the distance, two enormous lakes stretched out, their clear waters reflecting the blue sky and picturesque mountains like mirrors.
A gentle breeze stirred the water, creating ripples that shimmered in the sunlight. The beauty of the scene was breathtaking.
“It’s so beautiful,” Leo couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Yes,” Bonnie Hale agreed, her face filled with wonder. “It’s hard to find such scenery back home.”
Marshall Malone smiled and said, “The lake on the left is Lake Veridia, and the one on the right is Lake Lorelei. Ripley and I vacationed here before. It’s indeed very beautiful.”
Ripley reminisced, “That was three years ago. It was an unforgettable, wonderful time.”
Suddenly remembering something, he added, “Oh, right. Near Lake Lorelei, there’s an old abandoned salt mine called The Katash Salt Flats. Shall we go take a look?”
“Sure, let’s head down,” Leo called out.
Marshall Malone, familiar with the area, led the way down a steep path.
After more than an hour, they finally reached the lakeside.
Standing on the soft, fine sand, feeling the breeze, and taking in the beautiful scenery up close, everyone was captivated.
Leo said leisurely, “Such a beautiful place. I wish I could live here when I’m old.”
Marshall Malone shrugged and said, “It’s not easy. To protect the environment, building houses here is restricted. Even the few lakeside villas are not for sale.”
Bringing the conversation back to reality, Leo said, “Let’s check out the salt mine before it gets dark.”
They left the lakeside and followed Ripley towards The Katash Salt Flats.
As they approached the salt mine area, they saw overgrown weeds and a desolate landscape.
Amidst the dense grass, an old, dilapidated railway extended forward.
Ripley pointed at the railway and said, “It looks like The Katash Salt Flats is ahead. We just need to follow the tracks to find the mine.”
The four of them followed the tracks, pushing through the wild grass into the valley.
After another half hour, as dusk fell, they finally saw the mine area.
The first thing that caught their eyes was a row of dilapidated factory buildings.
Having been abandoned for so long, only twisted and decayed frames remained.
Apart from that, there was nothing left-not even a single intact pane of glass.
Next was a towering factory sign in front of the plant. Weathered by wind and rain, it had lost its former brightness and grandeur but still bore faintly visible letters.
Ripley examined it closely and said excitedly, “This is The Katash Salt Flats.”
Leo directed, “Let’s spread out and see if we can find out when this place was abandoned.”
The four of them scattered and searched through the overgrown factory area.
Soon, Ripley found a clue and called out loudly, “Come over here! I found something!”
Leo and the others hurried over to see Ripley standing by a large stone tablet hidden in the grass.
“Look at this,” Ripley pointed at the tablet. “It’s a monument left when the mine was closed. It shows that The Katash Salt Flats started operation in 1876 and was abandoned in 1943 during World War II.”
Leo nodded. “That makes this place very suspicious.”
“Yes,” Ripley agreed. “Both the time and location make it a perfect place to hide treasure.”
“Let’s find the entrance to the mine,” Leo instructed.
“No need to look,” Bonnie Hale said with a smile, pointing ahead. “There it is!”
The three turned to see three large mine entrances in the mountainside not far away.
The entrances were connected by tracks but sealed tightly with concrete.
Typically, many mines are sealed when abandoned to prevent people from entering due to complex paths and toxic gases inside.
After exchanging glances, they walked towards the sealed entrances.
After examining them, Marshall Malone said, “It looks like we’ll need to use force to open these.”
Leo stepped forward and said, “You all step back; I’ll open it.”
The three stepped back as Leo moved forward. Just as he was about to place his hand on the concrete, the ground beneath him gave way, and he fell into a hole with a loud crash.
“Leo!” Marshall Malone and the others were stunned before rushing to the hole’s edge to look down.
The hole wasn’t very deep-about three or four meters.
Leo climbed up from the bottom, cursing, “Whoever dug this hole has no sense of public decency! What bad luck!”
Marshall Malone and the others couldn’t help but laugh.
Bonnie Hale asked, “Are you okay, Leo?”
“I’m fine,” Leo replied, then his expression changed. “Wait a minute.”
“What’s wrong?” Marshall Malone and the others were puzzled.
Leo pointed ahead. “This hole seems to extend further. It might have been dug to bypass the sealed entrance and lead directly into the mine.”
Hearing this, Marshall Malone and the others were shocked.
Could someone have already beaten them to the treasure?
Leo continued, “You guys wait up there. I’ll check it out and be right back.”
“Okay, be careful,” Bonnie Hale said.
Leo nodded and proceeded cautiously with his flashlight.
Marshall Malone and the others waited patiently.
A few minutes later, Leo returned covered in dust and cobwebs.
“How is it?” Marshall Malone asked eagerly.
Leo looked up and said, “I was right. This tunnel leads directly into the mine.”
“It looks like it’s been dug for many years. I think it was made by those who searched for The Reich’s Treasure before us. They probably thought this mine was suspicious too.”
“But I don’t think they found The Reich’s Treasure because my divinatory signs indicate that the treasure is still hidden.”
Marshall Malone and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Ripley pondered and said, “Is it possible that there’s no treasure here at all? That’s why they didn’t find anything.”
“That’s possible,” Leo nodded. “But it’s also possible that the treasure is here, and they just weren’t lucky enough to find it. We should still search.”
Marshall Malone agreed. “You’re right. Since we’re here, we should look around.”
Leo instructed, “You guys check near the other two entrances. There should be similar tunnels there.”
Marshall Malone and the others nodded and quickly moved out.