Inheriting a dilapidated ranch in North America, he became a billionaire through animal taming and t

Emma shook her head.

"This iron box requires a special key to open; it contains a jade pendant with the same totem."

"If we force it open, the things inside will be destroyed."

Su Chen frowned.

Put the tin box away and continue cleaning the mud around the carriage.

Luis and Juan also came to help.

Several silver coins and some ornaments were also unearthed around the wreckage of the carriage.

The silver coins are Morgan silver coins, twelve in total, and their condition is better than the ones we dug up last time.

There are five pieces of jewelry, all in the Native American style.

Silver earrings and a bone necklace.

There are also a few polished turquoise stones.

Su Chen carefully put all these things away.

I scanned the excavation site again with the Earth Treasure Scanner.

After confirming that there are no other signals.

Juan then lifted the entire wreckage of the carriage out and loaded it onto a pickup truck.

Back to the main house.

Su Chen put the wreckage of the carriage into the tool shed, and the iron box and ornaments into the treasure chamber.

Emma followed behind, constantly writing and drawing in her notebook.

She was flipping through her notebook.

"These ornaments are at least a hundred years old and belong to the Blackfoot Indian tribe."

"The Blackfoot tribe originally lived in western Montana, but were later driven to Canada by the U.S. government."

"During the migration, they left behind many treasures and ruins."

Su Chen sat on a chair in the treasure chamber, staring at the iron box in his hand.

"How do I open this thing?"

Emma shook her head.

"As I just said, I need a jade pendant with the same totem."

"These things are either in the hands of the tribe's descendants or buried somewhere nearby."

Su Chen stood up and took a few steps when a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

A bald old man.

The old man had worked in the town's pawnshop for decades and was very knowledgeable; he might have seen this kind of iron box before.

"Let's go to town."

Emma paused for a moment.

"Now?"

Su Chen put the tin box and a piece of jewelry into his backpack.

"Yes, before it gets dark."

"Go ask that old man at the pawnshop, he might know something."

The two drove towards Baiyu Town.

By the time we arrived at the pawnshop, it was already dark.

The streetlights shone with a dim yellow light.

Su Chen pushed open the door and went in. The bald old man was sitting behind the counter reading a newspaper.

Upon seeing Su Chen, he looked up and smiled.

"Mr. Su, here to sell gold coins again?"

Su Chen shook his head, took out the metal box from his backpack, and placed it on the counter.

"Sir, have you ever seen this before?"

The bald old man put down his newspaper, picked up the tin box, and examined it from all angles.

The smile on his face slowly disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression.

He stared at the totem on the tin box for a long time before speaking.

"This is the guardian totem of the Blackfoot tribe."

He looked up at Su Chen, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Where did you get this?"

"It was dug out in the northern part of the ranch and buried in an old horse-drawn carriage."

The bald old man nodded and placed the metal box on the counter.

He turned around and pulled out a yellowed old book from the cabinet behind him.

The book cover was torn, the paper was yellowed, and it smelled musty.

He opened the book, found a page, and pushed it in front of Su Chen.

"The Blackfoot Indian tribe lived in the Flathead Valley for a period of time in the mid-19th century."

Their temporary camp was located near what is now Sunset Ranch.

Su Chen leaned closer to take a look.

The book also contains a hand-drawn map showing the location of the campsite.

That location was in the eastern part of his ranch.

The bald old man pointed to a passage in the book.

"Look here, the Blackfoot tribe's legend mentions that they have a 'sacred spring' next to their camp, which they use for sacrifices and drinking."

"The tribe's treasure is buried next to the sacred spring."

Su Chen was startled.

The high-quality mineral spring in the eastern part of the ranch.

Could this be the sacred spring of the Blackfoot tribe?

The bald old man pushed the tin box back to Su Chen.

"I can't open this thing, and I've never seen anyone open it before."

"But I heard that the Blackfoot tribe's guardian totem requires a jade pendant to open."

"That jade pendant is very likely buried near the carriage."

Su Chen put away the iron box.

After paying the old man a consultation fee of one hundred dollars, Emma and I left the pawnshop.

Back in the car, Emma said excitedly.

"Su Chen, what if that well in the East District really is the sacred spring of the Blackfoot Clan?"

"There's likely even more treasure buried next to that sacred spring!"

Su Chen nodded, started the pickup truck, and drove towards the ranch.

He glanced at the system panel.

The progress bar for the Earth Treasure Hunt is almost full; a few more digs and I'll reach Lv.2.

When the detection range is expanded to 500 meters, finding the jade pendant will be much easier.

Outside the car window, night enveloped the Flathead Valley.

The howling of wolves could be heard in the distance.

That's the gray wolf alpha on patrol.

Su Chen stepped on the gas, and the pickup truck sped towards Sunset Ranch.

He already had a plan in mind.

Tomorrow I'll go to the vicinity of the excavation site in the North District to look for that jade pendant.

......

Early the next morning.

Su Chen didn't even have time for breakfast before driving to the pawnshop.

The bald old man had just opened the door and was wiping the counter when he saw Su Chen come in and paused for a moment.

"Mr. Su, so early?"

Su Chen placed the metal box on the counter.

"Grandpa, I checked yesterday, and the location of that well does indeed match the location of the camp shown in the book."

"Could you take another look and tell me what the patterns on this tin box specifically mean?"

"Are there any clues leading to that jade pendant?"

The bald old man put down the rag, put on his reading glasses, and picked up the tin box to examine it carefully.

"The Blackfoot tribe has several types of totems, some representing heaven and earth, some representing ancestors, and some representing guardians."

He traced the patterns on the tin box with his finger.

"This is a 'Guardian Totem,' and it's the highest level one."

"Look at the direction of this pattern; it spirals from the outside in, representing 'bringing external forces into the core.'"

Su Chen listened, but only vaguely understood.

"so what?"

The bald old man put down the iron box, turned around, rummaged through the cabinet, took out the old book, flipped to a page, and pushed it in front of Su Chen.

"When the Blackfoot tribe was forced to migrate in the mid-19th century, many tribe members buried valuables underground, thinking they would come back to retrieve them later."

"But most people never came back, and these treasures have remained buried until now."

Su Chen looked at the words in the book, which recorded the legends of several Blackfoot tribe treasures.

One of the mentions is that the Blackfoot tribe established a temporary camp in the Flathead Valley.

There is a sacred spring next to the camp, and buried next to the spring are the riches accumulated by the tribe over the generations.

"I read about this legend yesterday."

"The key question is, where is that jade pendant?"

Su Chen was curious.

The bald old man thought for a moment and then opened the second half of the book.

"The Blackfoot tribe's guardian jade pendant is usually kept by the tribe chief, and after the chief's death, the jade pendant is buried with him."

"But there is another situation: if the tribe encounters a major crisis, the chief will bury the jade pendant separately, leaving it for future generations to retrieve."

He pointed to a passage in the book.

"Look here. The Blackfoot tribe's legend mentions that a chieftain named 'Running Eagle' hid a jade pendant in a secret location in the camp the night before the tribe was forced to migrate."

"He left a letter with the location of the hidden jade pendant in it."

Su Chen's heart skipped a beat.

"Faith? What faith?"