“So that’s what happened.” Su Jing furrowed his brow in contemplation as he heard this. The discovery of a hidden treasure beneath the sea raises not only questions about whether it could be the remains of the lost city of Atlantis but also concerns about its ownership.
The issue of who has a claim to underwater treasures have long been a contentious topic on the international stage. The complexities of cross-border disputes over the salvage of seabed cultural artifacts and the associated legal issues make it a particularly thorny issue.
In most cases, whoever finds the treasure first is considered to be the rightful owner of the said treasure.
This means that even if the treasure in question is determined to be an ancient Chinese shipwreck, it would be incredibly difficult to reclaim it if it had been salvaged by another country, such as Japan.
This is further complicated by the fact that the treasure might not even be of Chinese origin.
“In addition to Japan, it will only be a matter of time before other countries hear the news and rush over there. We won’t get anything if we are too late.” Zhou Xixian said.
Generally speaking, the sunken ship on the high seas will not be discovered by two or even multinational teams at the same time. After all, it’s not so coincidental as multinational teams tend to look for them at different locations and the sea is vast. But this time is different.
Many countries went out to sea to search for the ruins of Atlantis, and they happened to gather there, and they were all inquiring about each other and were actively looking for any signs.
This makes it very likely that other countries will also soon learn of the sunken ship discovery and they may even attempt to lay claim to the treasure.
“Given the circumstances, it may be more prudent for the government to avoid direct involvement, and instead, you should reach out to a private organization to fund the salvage operation. However, it’s important to note that by doing so, the majority of the profits would likely go to the group rather than the government.” Su Jing suggested an alternative approach when he heard Zhou Xixian’s words.
“Of course, we don’t care about it. There are a few groups who are interested, but they are afraid of losing money, and they want to check it out first to determine the value. We don’t have the time for them to worry about this. If they drag it on like this, then the treasure would already be gone by the time they make a decision. That’s right, Mr. Su, why don’t you invest in this project, don’t tell me you’re not interested in sunken ships?” Zhou Xixian spoke before he suggested that Su Jing invest in the salvage operation.
He acknowledged that deep sea salvage is an expensive undertaking, but he believed that it would not be a financial burden for Su Jing, given his wealth and successful business ventures.
According to him, Su Jing’s wealth exceeded 100 Million Yuan and his total net worth has exceeded 10 Billion Yuan and his investment in this venture would be a profitable one.
“I have other priorities at the moment and my funds are limited, so I am unable to invest in the salvage operation,” Su Jing said.
“Okay then, I’ll go find someone else.” Zhou Xixian was disappointed but accepted his decision and decided to look for other investors.
He had believed that Su Jing would be interested in the potential discovery of the ruins of Atlantis, or the treasure of Shen Bao. However, Su Jing’s lack of interest caught him off guard.
What Zhou Xixian was unaware of was that Su Jing had other plans in mind.
After hanging up the phone, Su Jing thought to himself, “It’s better for me to handle this myself instead of relying on the government or private groups. Zhou and Old Ye can’t be trusted with this.” Su Jing had other motives for this venture and was determined to not let others control the outcome.
Su Jing refused to invest in the salvage operation because he believed that the process of organizing a salvage team was too slow.
Based on his past experiences, he knew that salvage technology was limited and it would be difficult to compete with other countries such as Japan for the treasure. He believed that by the time the salvage team was assembled, most of the treasure would have been claimed by other countries.
Su Jing believed that it would be more efficient and profitable to handle the salvage operation himself, using his powerful underwater creatures like the Monster Beast Octopus, King Cuttlefish, Killer Whale, and Green-Eyed Fish, as well as storage bags, he was sure he could outmatch any salvage team.
However, Su Jing felt guilty for tricking Zhou Xixian and Ye Bo into going out to sea with a fake map before, as it was a dishonest act.
Now that they were lucky enough to find the sunken ship and were able to salvage it themselves, he couldn’t help but wonder if they were being excessively fraudulent.
Su Jing rationalized that if he didn’t take action then the treasure might be taken by the Japanese and would not stay in their own country.
He believed that it would be better for him to take it, as he could at least compensate them in the future which other countries won’t. With this thought in mind, he quickly prepared and rode his Golden Eagle to the sea area where the treasure was located.
Meanwhile, Zhou Xixian and Ye Bo were still in contact with the consortium. Many people were tempted by the possibility that the sunken ship could be related to the ruins of Atlantis, but most businessmen would only consider the profit.
The question of whether it was the ruins of Atlantis and how much it was worth remained uncertain. This caution is understandable, but in the current situation, it may not be the best approach.
“It seems strange that Mr. Su is not interested in contributing to the salvage effort, I thought he would be the first one to do so,” Ye Bo said, sounding concerned.
“I’m not sure if he’s short on funds or if he’s already obtained a statue from Atlantis and is satisfied,” Zhou Xixian said with a sigh.
“If the shipwreck truly has a connection to the ruins of Atlantis, then it’s likely not just a statue,” Ye Bo pointed out.
“But what can we do if Su Jing won’t listen?” Zhou Xixian said in frustration.
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