"I found it!" Just seven or eight minutes after they started searching, when Liang En was about to suggest directing everyone's attention to the large banyan tree, he unexpectedly heard Jeanne cheer and signal with her hand.
"What did you find?" Upon hearing Jeanne, Liang En immediately walked over and inquired. He genuinely didn't know what valuable things could be found here apart from the potential treasure.
"A—a gold-plated cufflink, I think," Jeanne said with uncertainty, gently brushing off the dirt and extending her hand.
In Jeanne's slightly rough hand lay a golden object. Picking it up with two fingers and holding it up to his eyes, Liang En recognized it as a cufflink.
After careful inspection, he confirmed that it wasn't a local Indian product but a European one, belonging to the first wave of luxury goods targeted at the middle class rather than the wealthy nobility.
In the early days, luxury goods were primarily for royalty and the wealthy. However, with the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the so-called middle class, these newly affluent individuals also began to demand luxury goods.
Manufacturers of luxury goods seized this opportunity and produced a range of specially crafted luxury items aimed at this emerging market.
Compared to traditional luxury goods, these were cheaper and simpler in design, but still meticulously crafted, and they quickly became popular with the middle class upon release.
Thus, finding a cufflink here was indeed unusual, especially since this cufflink was produced around the same time the criminals plundered the temple ruins, highlighting previous issues.
Thanks to its gold plating, this originally brass cufflink was well-preserved and provided sufficient clues.
For instance, from the abbreviation on the back of the cufflink, they could deduce that it came from a London manufacturer, which was rare in India at that time.
"This might be something left by the treasure hider," Jeanne said seriously as she watched Liang En examine the cufflink.
"This cufflink was found in a crack in the rock. It's a place where clothes could easily snag, and if one were unlucky, they might leave such an item behind."
"That makes sense. You're right," Liang En nodded, recalling Mr. Carter's hasty actions in his memory.
After all, Mr. Carter was risking his life at the time, so it was understandable that he might have accidentally left something behind in his haste.
"And I guess the item is near this banyan tree," Jeanne said excitedly, pointing at the umbrella-like tree after gaining Liang En's approval.
"Reading the diary, we know that the hider wanted to retrieve the items later for personal use, so he must have followed some rules when hiding them.
"For example, the hiding place shouldn't be too common, or it would be hard to find later."
"Exactly," Liang En nodded in agreement. "If you throw something into the sea or a ravine, it will be well hidden, but the chances of retrieving it are almost zero."
"But if you want to prevent others from finding it, the place shouldn't have obvious marks, or others might find it before you do," Jeanne continued.
"So, the best place to hide something is near a naturally formed landmark, satisfying both requirements," Liang En added.
"This banyan tree is perfect. It's a natural landmark and, as a naturally grown tree, wouldn't arouse much suspicion."
"Excellent reasoning," said Fan Meng, who had been filming with a small camera. "If there's treasure, it should be here."
Ever since being advised to film for publicity, Fan Meng had taken on the task of filming during Liang En's excavations, hoping to find something noteworthy.
Their excavation work in India was a perfect subject for filming. According to Fan Meng, editing the footage could make a good video.
Naturally, searching for treasure was more captivating than mundane excavations. Realizing they might make a significant discovery, Fan Meng eagerly began filming.
Liang En once asked Fan Meng what to do if they found nothing during a treasure hunt. Fan Meng replied that it would make Liang En's character seem more real, and the overall publicity effect wouldn't be worse than finding treasure.
So, under the camera's gaze, Liang En and Jeanne began searching around the banyan tree with a metal detector. When Liang En tilted the detector close to the tree trunk, it emitted a signal.
From the beeping, Liang En confirmed that there was gold in the treasure. Unfortunately, he only saw a box in his memory and didn't know its contents.
With the location confirmed, the next steps were easier. Liang En and his team quickly took out tools and began digging at the tree trunk. In just ten minutes, they had dug a large hole.
They discovered that the trunk wasn't solid as it appeared but contained a significant hollow.
It seemed the tree had natural hollows that had been filled in over time as the tree grew, making them appear solid.
After opening a hole about half a meter in diameter, Liang En used a trekking pole to poke through the accumulated humus inside and indeed found something glittering at the bottom.
After twenty minutes of clearing, they retrieved two items: a man's necklace with a large pink gemstone and an exquisite golden box.
The necklace, encased in the golden box and surrounded by fully carbonized fabric, had traces of a carbonized wooden box on its exterior.
"It looks like we've found something very valuable," Liang En mused as he examined the necklace.
Although he wasn't an expert on diamonds, the over 50-carat pink diamond on the necklace, along with the finely crafted base, likely had historical significance, making it easy to trace its origins.
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