50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 801 Every Indian Girl Has Gold by Her Side
At that moment, he remembered the gold in the temple of the Indians across the sea.

He vaguely remembered that the abandoned temple, which contained tons of gold treasure, was discovered in the 21st century when the Indians were clearing out the abandoned temple's heritage.

Therefore, the treasure should still be obediently staying in that temple at this time.

So he quickly searched his memory for relevant information. And soon, he found information about the temple's gold.

On the south-west coast of India lies the state of Kerala, a region that is long and narrow from north to south, bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats to the east.

The northern coastal area of ​​Kerala is mostly sand dunes, the southern part is almost entirely hilly, and the central part is the Malabar Plain. Forty-four rivers crisscross the state, and tropical forests cover one-third of the state's area.

This area is also one of the most densely populated regions in India, with more than 3.8 million people living on 3300 square kilometers of land.

But compared to the illiterate Indians living along the banks of the Ganges, this is the place least like India.

在这个3000万人口、其中80%为农村人口的900多个乡里，图书馆有5000多个，出版3000多份报纸杂志。

Each village also has its own newspaper, which is distributed to every household. Coming here will shatter your preconceived notions about India.

Kerala is a culturally rich and artistically significant state, and the only place where ancient classics such as Sanskrit, ancient Indian medicine, astronomy, and the Yugha Sutra have been well preserved.

Of course, as the birthplace of Buddhism, this area is also dotted with ancient temples.

On the outskirts of a city in southern Kerala lies a long-abandoned ancient temple: the Padmana Bhaswami Temple.

Built in the 16th century, this temple was the exclusive temple of the Travangor royal family, who ruled the state at the time. It had always been under the control of a trust managed by the descendants of the Travangor royal family.

Perhaps due to the passage of time and the loss of information, the information about the large number of gold artifacts hidden in the eight underground chambers beneath this temple, which have never been opened since they were sealed, has been forgotten.

The temple is now completely abandoned and no one is managing it. Anyone can come and go as they please, making it the perfect time to retrieve the treasure.

India is a rather peculiar country, as gold enjoys an unusually high prevalence there.

"I would rather starve than give up my gold and jewels." This famous Indian saying reflects the Indians' fondness for gold, which can even be described as a kind of "superstitious" worship.

Although India is not the richest country in the world, its demand for gold is exceptionally high.

According to a 2010 World Bank report, one-third of India’s population lives below the international poverty line, and another two-thirds live on less than $2 a day.

What's puzzling is that India is the world's largest consumer of gold and also the world's largest importer of gold. In 2021 alone, India imported a staggering 1050 tons of gold.

In Indian society, gold was considered a woman's "only property" for life.

Because women in India traditionally do not have the right to inherit land and property, many parents would give gold jewelry as a dowry to ensure that their daughters would not be treated unfairly after marriage.

Generally, a dowry of gold for a woman in India needs to be at least 116 grams, which is equivalent to about US$1. For families with better economic conditions, the dowry of gold may be more than ten times that amount.

Don't be fooled by the fact that many Indian women live in poverty; they may not own houses, but they certainly possess a wealth of gold treasures. It is estimated that there are no fewer than 2 tons of gold artifacts and ornaments in the entire Indian community. Some of this gold was part of women's dowries, while much more is stored in countless temples throughout India.

Indians have integrated gold into their lives, and many believers regard it as the most luxurious "offering" to the gods.

In Indian society, gold was no longer a form of wealth that could be circulated, but rather a sacred object that could only be viewed and not used.

After receiving gold offerings from numerous believers, temples in various regions would construct underground palaces to store these offerings.

Over time, more and more underground palaces were built beneath the temple to store gold, which is the origin of the gold in the underground palaces of the Padmana Baswamy Temple.

When Sun Zhiwei thought of the gold in the eight underground palaces of the Padmana Bhaswamy Temple, his frustration at having gained nothing in Sri Lanka vanished, and he became excited.

He asked a hotel staff member to find him a map of southern India and began to study the shortest route from Sri Lanka to Kerala.

The straight-line distance from Colombo to Kochi, the capital of Kerala, is only about 500 kilometers. Kochi is also a port city that can be reached directly by sea.

Of course, while most Indians are unreliable, they are really willing to spend money when it comes to buying weapons and equipment.

Therefore, the waters bordering India and Sri Lanka are monitored by warships and advanced radar, which essentially dashed his hopes of flying there directly by helicopter.

But it doesn't matter, the distance isn't very far anyway, and he doesn't necessarily have to enter illegally. He can take the speedboat in his space to land at Kochi Port, and then travel freely in Kerala as a tourist.

As long as you are not afraid of danger, India does not restrict foreigners from traveling in the country.

Of course, you have to bear the consequences of this kind of self-driving tour, especially female tourists. If you are traveling alone in India, you should be careful not to go there alone and come back as a couple.

After finalizing his itinerary, Sun Zhiwei couldn't stay in Colombo any longer and left the hotel to head straight to the beach.

Having his own boat was so convenient. He found a deserted shore, put the speedboat from his spatial storage on the sea, got on the speedboat, made some preparations, and set off.

With a speedboat traveling at 50 knots, the distance of over 500 kilometers will only take him a little over five hours to reach his destination, Cochin Port.

Sun Zhiwei departed from Colombo at noon and arrived at Cochin Port just before dark. Cochin Port is not only a trading port but also the home port of the Indian Navy's Southern Fleet.

As he passed by the port, he saw all kinds of ships manufactured from various countries around the world, including a rusty battleship, which made Sun Zhiwei a little envious.

If he had a battleship on his Sobi Island, that would be awesome. Even though missiles will dominate the world in the future, what man doesn't dream of owning a battleship?

He drove his speedboat past the naval port and then docked at a civilian berth in Cochin Port.

After paying the berth fee and undergoing a simple passport check, he successfully disembarked at Cochin Port.

(End of this chapter)