When Ves chose to bury his stash of Timpala Steel inside an asteroid, he did not record any precise coordinates or anything. Neither did he plant any beacons or leave any surface clues.
He was too afraid that others might sniff out these clues and unearth his buried treasure ahead of time!
The only details he recorded in his mind was the general orbital map of the Trion Enze System and the appearance of the key asteroid.
By accounting for the passage of time, Ves was roughly able to calculate which slice of the asteroid belt he needed to start his search.
This was a crucial time-saving step! If Ves really didn't have any clue where his desired rock could be found, he would have to order his men to scan the complete ring!
However, since he was able to narrow down the search area, the operation became a lot more manageable. The fleet did not have to disperse too many assets in order to develop a good overview of the asteroids in the current zone.