Liang En was unaware of the ripples his paper had caused in distant Paris. After completing his thesis, all he wanted was to rest at home for a while, planning to resume work after the Christmas holidays.
However, things often don't unfold as one imagines. For instance, Liang En had struggled to find a suitable job before, so he ended up completing his paper tirelessly. Just as he was ready to rest now that his paper was done, he received an unexpected invitation related to treasure hunting.
This invitation came from across the Atlantic in New York, USA. The inviter was a prominent businessman named Mr. Bruce, who was involved in real estate in New York.
In truth, Liang En didn't know this businessman previously. So, when he initially received the call mentioning a treasure hunting assignment, he almost thought it was a scam call and nearly hung up.
It was only when the caller accurately mentioned the name of Dr. David Caldwell, the head of the Scottish Underground Treasure Department, who had communicated well with Liang En during the Iron Age gold collar submission, that Liang En realized the caller wasn't a fraudster.
It turned out that this American millionaire had a very good relationship with Dr. Caldwell. So, when he wanted to search for something, he naturally thought of his friend, and Dr. Caldwell recommended Liang En.
"Are you saying that you want me to help you find Butch Cassidy's treasure?" Liang En asked as he typed the person's name on his computer, attempting to confirm.
"Yes, recently I obtained a set of notes left behind by Butch Cassidy, and it mentioned something about treasure. That's why I need someone to help me locate this treasure," said the middle-aged man on the other end of the line.
"More precisely, I hope you can help me find a diamond brooch stolen when he robbed the Union Pacific Railroad train in 1899. That brooch belonged to my ancestor and is a crucial item in our family history."
"So, in this treasure hunt, if you find this brooch, everything except the brooch will be yours. If you don't find the brooch but find other treasures, you'll get half of the loot. If you find nothing, I'll cover the expenses."
"Alright, I understand the general situation." After Mr. Bruce explained the overall situation, Liang En said into the microphone, "Please give me half an hour. I will call you back with my decision after that time."
After hanging up the phone, Liang En looked at the computer screen in front of him. Unlike treasure seekers from decades ago, today's treasure seekers had the advantage of utilizing the internet to research unfamiliar information.
The target this time was Butch Cassidy, the prototype of the famous American movie "Tiger and Leopard Little Overlord." His original name was Robert Leroy Parker, born into a Mormon family in 1866. He was the eldest of thirteen children.
In 1879, at the age of 13, he committed his first crime by stealing a pair of pants from a store, an incident that fueled his dissatisfaction with society.
Subsequently, Butch Cassidy worked at a meat market and a farm, and he learned horse training and shooting from an elderly man who had been a cattle rustler.
When he turned 18, he left his hometown of Utah and wandered for several years across the western states like Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana—regions that were vast, sparsely populated, and chaotic back then.
It wasn't until 1889 that Cassidy committed his first robbery. He and a few companions successfully escaped with over $20,000 from the San Miguel Valley Bank in Telluride. In today's terms, that sum would be equivalent to around $600,000.
In 1894, after serving nearly two years for horse theft, he emerged and proceeded to rob a bank in Montpelier, Idaho, making off with cash, gold, and silver coins potentially worth up to $16,500.
The following year, he teamed up with his partners to rob a coal company in Castle Gate, Utah, stealing over $9,000. Subsequently, this group of outlaws robbed trains multiple times, amassing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the train safes.
According to modern records, the gang accumulated wealth amounting to over $3 million in today's terms through multiple robberies, and the brooch the client was seeking was part of this wealth.
The reason the client believed the brooch still existed was simple: during the eight years from robbing trains to Cassidy's death in a firefight with Bolivian troops, he spent far less than what he acquired.
Considering the significant cash they obtained during their robberies, there was a high probability that items like gold and silver coins and jewelry, which were easy to store and retain value over time, were stashed away for future use.
Especially considering that Cassidy and his gang ultimately perished in clashes with the Bolivian military, there have always been rumors that a portion of their loot had become a treasure hidden at a place where they once operated.
"So, it's about a famous outlaw's hidden treasure. If that's the case, it might be worth a look." After reviewing the information on the computer screen, Liang En quickly made his decision and proceeded to dial Mr. Bruce's phone number.
Two days later, Liang En bid farewell to his parents and boarded a plane from Dublin to New York, carrying a suitcase. The transatlantic flight lasted a daunting six hours, but thanks to his first-class ticket, the journey was bearable.
When he arrived at the New York airport, it was already 7:30 PM. Therefore, Liang En didn't immediately seek out the wealthy client; instead, he found a hotel near the airport to check in.
The next morning at 8:30 AM, Liang En took the hotel's vehicle to Mr. Bruce's office, which was located near Fifth Avenue in the Upper East Side of New York.
Luckily, Mr. Bruce wasn't occupied today. After confirming his appointment with the receptionist, a staff member promptly escorted him to Mr. Bruce's office on the 17th floor of the building.
"I believe you know why you're here, Mr. Liang." After a few courteous exchanges upon entering the room, Mr. Bruce, sitting in his spacious and luxurious office, inquired.
"Of course." Liang En smiled and nodded. "However, to locate the item, I'd need to examine the notebook you currently possess. Relying solely on legends won't provide a definitive treasure location."
"Naturally." Bruce reached into a small iron box on the desk, retrieved a notebook with a black cover and yellowed pages, and handed it to Liang En.
"This was found by my hired private investigator in Bolivia. An expert in note analysis whom I brought in confirmed that the contents of this notebook are indeed related to my target, Butch Cassidy."
Taking the notebook, Liang En immediately flipped it open, revealing a list of robberies committed by the notebook's owner in South America. Besides the robbery list, there were several drawings at the end of the notebook.
These drawings bore the signature of an intuitive artist, and after studying them for quite some time, Liang En realized that these images likely represented topographical maps of the vicinity of the treasure location.
However, apart from the red marks on the last map specifically indicating the treasure's spot, the rest of the seemingly childish drawings made it challenging to pinpoint the treasure's location.