From Robinson Crusoe

The total weight of the gold is 675 jin and 4 liang.

The total weight of the silver is 1128 jin and 3 liang.

37 gemstone-inlaid handicrafts, a set of gold masks…

The office on the second floor of the factory was brightly lit, and Chen Zhou stared silently at the total amount of treasure that had been tallied.

Based on modern gold prices, just calculating the weight of this gold alone would make him a billionaire. Logically speaking, he should be happy and excited at this moment, perhaps even as excited as Fan Jin after passing the imperial examination.

But looking at the long list of treasures in his hand, Chen Zhou felt an endless emptiness.

For so long, he has worked hard to promote the development of technology on the island, build the Steelbone, and research firearms and artillery. In addition to wanting to liberate the island's labor force and make his life easier and more comfortable, he ultimately still coveted the Spanish treasure.

When the reward he had been longing for finally arrived, when the gold and silver were laid out before him, Chen Zhou's joy lasted only a few hours—

He recalled the night he read posts on Tieba, and the arguments the Tieba users had about the challenge rewards.

"Is it worth risking your life and spending 28 years to earn 72 yuan?"

At the time, many people felt it wasn't worth it.

For ordinary people, 72 is certainly a considerable fortune, but 28 years is far too long, and the risks involved in the challenge are far too numerous. Even if the time spent during the challenge is less than a second, there are still people who raise objections.

However, if the post had clearly stated from the beginning that the challenge offered the chance to win a fortune worth 270 million or even more, the forum members would likely have been more eager to participate rather than hesitate.

It's no exaggeration to say that in modern society, with a fortune of nearly 300 million, one could not only live the life of their dreams, but even travel to space in a rocket.

A generation's efforts may earn them millions, or even accumulate assets worth several million.

Amounts of hundreds of millions are beyond the reach of ordinary people; they require intelligence, talent, and, most importantly, good fortune.

Even a pig can fly if it stands in the right place at the right time, but such a right place is not so easy to find.

……

Chen Zhou had seen people cause chaos over hundreds of thousands of yuan in compensation after the death of a relative, and he had also seen brothers fight each other to the death over inheritance.

If hundreds of thousands or millions are worth it, then hundreds of millions would probably be enough to risk one's life for.

Holding such a seemingly fantastical fortune in his own hands, the old Chen Zhou would have long been indulging in fantasies of spending money like water.

But now, he only felt bored—

All the ideals and goals of my past life were crushed by chests of gold and silver.

Right now, he doesn't need to think about how to spend the money, but how to get through the remaining twenty years while having already received a huge reward.

To put it more aptly, he felt like a CEO of a listed company who had prematurely retired at the prime of his life. Accustomed to being busy, he felt quite lost and disoriented once he lost his goals.

You can't just pile up all those gold bars in your office and stare at them and laugh all day long.

If that's the case, even 300 million yuan might not be enough to cure his mental illness.

……

"Laifu, how long has it been since we went fishing?"

After putting away the statistics sheet on the table, Chen Zhou asked the golden retriever lying next to the table in a gentle voice.

As Laifu transitioned from adolescence to middle age, he began to show signs of aging, a far cry from his former energetic self.

When it lies on the ground fast asleep, drool always drips from the corner of its mouth, and its snoring gets louder and louder, and its breathing becomes more and more labored.

Living with Laifu day and night, Chen Zhou could clearly feel that it was gradually getting old and that its life was slipping away.

Desperately, even with a fortune of 300 million, Chen Zhou couldn't stop time or slow down Lai Fu's aging.

Hearing its master's words, Laifu lazily raised its eyelids and glanced at Chen Zhou, its tail swaying from side to side.

It means—

I can go fishing with you if you'd like.

Seeing this, Chen Zhou smiled, got up, walked over to Laifu, and patted its head.

Feeling its owner's caresses, Laifu finally perked up, changing its posture from lying down to reclining, resting its heavy head on Chen Zhou's shoes, and licking Chen Zhou's palm with its wet tongue, occasionally opening its mouth to gently bite Chen Zhou's wrist—

This is how it expresses intimacy.

……

In late May 1666, the wicked tribal chief Risobon met his end.

This "warrior chosen by the gods," who claimed to lead the tribe to prosperity and unify the entire island, was forcibly dragged onto the platform in the center of the execution square like a dead dog.

His tall body remained naked, his legs unable to move, limp as if he were a boneless worm.

Even a lamb facing the butcher's blade has more dignity than him before it dies.

The islanders below watched. This time, the execution was carried out using a guillotine instead of a gallows. They all wanted to see how their former leader's head would be chopped off by an axe.

It is said that in order to get a better viewpoint, the islanders have made many private deals. Even though Chen Zhou did not "sell tickets" for this execution, the clever islanders would spontaneously make money in various ways.

Liso, who was always ruthless towards others and killed without blinking an eye, had thought that he would die, but he never expected his death to come so quickly.

Looking back on the day the gunmen landed on the island, and then thinking about the two weeks he had been imprisoned, Risobben felt as if it were all a long yet short dream.

Staggering as the executioner pressed him onto the guillotine, staring at the sun-bleached ground, Lisoben tightly closed his eyes, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Not far away, Sunday, Ruth, Saturday, and a group of people who had lost loved ones, either directly or indirectly, because of Lisoben stood in a row.

Beside Ru Si'er stood a child, who nervously watched the person being led to the guillotine in the distance. His eyes were filled with a variety of emotions, including disbelief, panic, and pity, but none of the schadenfreude his father had shown.

Because he was not mature enough, hatred was not as deeply ingrained in him, which was exactly what Chen Zhou hoped to see.

He hoped that the children on the island would remember the past and the pain inflicted upon them by the brutal rulers and invaders.

But we don't want these people to live in hatred forever, living in the shadow of the past.

People always have to move forward, and the wheels of history always turn forward.

The best way to overcome the past is not to wallow in pain, but to improve oneself and leave those pains far behind. This is especially true for children, whose lives are just beginning and who have a brighter and more promising future ahead.

The triangular blade, suspended high above, had never tasted blood since it was first raised, and Lisoben was fortunate enough to become the first victim of this deadly weapon.

As the blade sliced ​​through the wind and fell downwards, he heard only a faint whistling sound before losing consciousness.

The sky and the earth blurred at that moment, spinning rapidly, and the faint sound of cheering could be heard in my ears, followed by a strange sensation of pain that subsided.

Beyond that lay endless darkness, a darkness like the deepest, most profound ocean in a dream, which swallowed him whole with a single surge...

……

The islanders watched as Lisoben's head fell cleanly to the ground, rolled a few times, and then came to rest on the execution platform, leaving a trail of blood.

The headless body continued to gush blood and twitched slightly. Its body, which had become slightly pale from not seeing sunlight for half a month, twisted a few times before suddenly collapsing to the side and falling still.

The brutal and bloody scene lasted only a few seconds. The guards in charge of the execution went forward to check and gave a signal confirming death before someone went up to collect the body.

Led by some veterans, the islanders cheered in unison.

In fact, they didn't know what they were celebrating. Perhaps it was bidding farewell to the end of an era, or perhaps it was completely shedding the shackles in their hearts.

……

When Rissoben was executed, his "neighbors," the group of Spaniards who had lived next door to him for half a month separated by a concrete wall, were also watching from a distance.

The new guillotine was improved by Louis XVI in the 18th century. This clean and efficient execution machine, which used a triangular blade, shocked the Spanish sailors when it first appeared in the 17th century.

Even Havel, the boldest and most hot-tempered man, felt a sense of dread as he watched the head of the native chief roll on the execution platform.

Don't let his usual fearless and reckless demeanor fool you; the more fearless someone is, the more afraid they are of death.

Javier dared to argue with others because he knew they wouldn't really risk their lives against him. As the saying goes, the stubborn fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear the reckless. Faced with the threat of death, Javier had to keep a low profile.

Besides fear, another emotion in the hearts of the Spanish sailors was worry—

They were imprisoned after arriving on the island.

The prison conditions here are not as bad as they imagined; every meal has both meat and vegetables, and can be considered quite nutritious.

The cells were also cleaned, and the earthenware buckets used for excrement were emptied every two days, so there was no strong odor in the room.

But in terms of psychological torture, this prison far surpasses the Spanish prisons.

Each person has their own room, and apart from half an hour of fresh air time each day, no one is allowed to make loud noises or communicate with the person next door in their room.

Once imprisoned, they were forced to transform into the "stone men" of Hebrew legend.

Legend has it that the stone figure was cast by a Jewish scholar from Prague. It has a small pill on its tongue, and if the pill is removed, the stone figure will be destroyed. Therefore, the stone figure always remains silent.

The Spanish sailors felt like stone men; when they returned to their cells, the entire prison would fall into a depressing silence that made each day feel like an eternity.

Especially the talkative sailors, deprived of the right to communicate with others, were driven almost crazy by their pent-up frustration.

Accompanying this forced silence was the sailors' anxiety about the future.

They are imprisoned here, their lives entirely in the hands of the island's ruler. Although the ruler has not shown any intention to kill them, the emperor's temperament is always unpredictable, and who can guarantee that the ruler's attitude will remain so good?
Moreover, judging by the timeline, Killian should be arriving at the archipelago soon. When this stingy and selfish fellow discovers that his buried treasure has vanished, will he fly into a rage, will he summon his two large ships to attack that strange steel vessel, and perhaps even chase it to the island?

Once this conflict begins, whether the island's rulers or the Kylians win, their fates will not be good.

On a pessimistic note, a victory for the island's rulers might actually be more advantageous for them.

If Killian knew they had betrayed the location of the treasure, even if Killian were willing to let them go, the other sailors waiting to divide the spoils would not agree, since the wealth belonged to all of them.

Considering the strange propulsion of the steel-hulled ship, the incredibly sturdy gray-white buildings on the island, and all the bizarre things they had encountered since landing, the sailors couldn't even predict who would emerge victorious in the conflict.

Being locked up in their cells all day, their minds filled with these chaotic thoughts, it's no wonder that even though they were well-fed and watered, they seemed listless and devoid of spirit.

……

Chen Zhou hadn't yet figured out how to deal with the group of Spanish sailors.

Through interrogation, he basically determined the sailors' position.

Some people were loyal to Captain Killian, and even when threatened with torture, they would deceive him with a mix of truth and lies, trying to hide the whereabouts of some treasure while not revealing the firepower of Killian's fleet, hoping to make him suffer a great loss.

Some people only care about their own lives. In order to save their lives and suffer less, they are willing to tell anyone. It was from such people that Chen Zhou obtained accurate information and was able to bring all the treasure back to the island.

Of these two types of people, the former is certainly loyal, but his loyalty is directed towards the enemy, and he cannot be trusted.

Although the latter appears "obedient and honest," he is a traitor and a fence-sitter. The Chinese hate traitors more than enemies.

Even if Chen Zhou wanted to use them, the thought that they might betray him tomorrow if they betrayed the captain today made him feel nauseous.

Besides these two types of people, there is an even more extreme one – the collaborators.

Juan is a typical example.

He not only betrayed those he had previously served without reservation, but even volunteered to offer his loyalty, leaving Chen Zhou bewildered by his fervent enthusiasm.

Since Juan had guided him to find all the buried treasure on Sunday, Chen Zhou specifically instructed that his treatment be improved and that he be given a more spacious cell.

The cell had larger windows, furniture, and a separate bathroom, which would make Juan more comfortable in prison.

Juan's special treatment was limited to this. Until he could truly prove his loyalty and usefulness, his situation was not much different from that of other Spanish sailors; they were all "reflecting on their mistakes" in prison.

Chen Zhou planned to first give these Spanish sailors a "six-month or one-year prison sentence" and then make other plans after they realized their status.

While the sailors were serving their sentences, he would personally participate in and lead skilled craftsmen to begin the construction of the second warship.

Captain Killian's treasure has been stolen, and when he returns to the archipelago, he will surely seek revenge on those who stole it.

Chen Zhou has decided to leave obvious clues on the archipelago to guide Killian to the big island to find him, otherwise the enraged Killian may vent his anger on the island's natives and start a massacre.

Compared to those unarmed natives, he had powerful ships and cannons, and was fearless.

Besides, even though you have enough money, the more the better.

Chen Zhou was eyeing the remaining treasures Killian had left in South America, and he also hoped that Killian, this powerful captain with connections and influence, could help him open up shipping routes, find Lai Fu a wife, and transport mineral resources to the islands. (End of Chapter)