Chapter 130: The Value of the Treasure
No one was present to greet the ships at the port. In fact, under Arthur's sudden order, the entire port was placed under a one-day lockdown, forbidding any unauthorized personnel from approaching.
Although people didn't know what was happening at the harbor, they wisely kept their distance.
After all, it was only a single day of restrictions and had little effect on their daily lives.
Led by the escorting warships, two massive transport vessels slowly docked at the port.
There, over a thousand large crates had already been prepared to load all the treasure. These crates, with inconspicuous appearances, would be used to quietly transport the treasure to a secure location for inventory.
Just loading all the treasure into crates took over four hours.
To carry it all, Arthur mobilized more than a hundred carriages and over a thousand Guards soldiers for protection.
Ultimately, the entire hoard was temporarily transferred to Arthur's estate, which had a specially prepared underground warehouse with ample space and sufficient security.
Though the long line of carriages heading toward Arthur's estate drew curiosity from onlookers, not a single fool dared to investigate.
The heavily armed Guards providing escort were more than enough to discourage any ideas—let alone the fact that they were headed to a well-guarded estate.
At the estate, Barty Crouch once again met with Arthur. Arthur, wearing a smile, patted Barty on the shoulder and said cheerfully, "Barty, this mission was executed excellently. This treasure is more than enough to support the royal family and Australia's upcoming plans."
Though the exact value of the treasure remained unknown, it was certainly enough to support two to three years of industrial development in Australia.
"It's all thanks to Your Highness's intelligence. If you hadn't told me that the temple held such a vast fortune, no one would've ever thought to target it," Barty Crouch replied humbly, shaking his head.
This was the power of intelligence. Without prior knowledge of the treasure hidden within the temple, even deploying over a thousand men might not have yielded any success in India.
"Hahaha, even so, your training of the agents and command of the operation were what made this mission such a success. Don't worry, even though—for various reasons—this operation must remain classified, your reward, as well as that of everyone involved, will not be forgotten. I will never let any of Australia's heroes go unrewarded," Arthur said firmly, patting Barty Crouch's shoulder again with an unquestionable tone.
Hearing this, Barty Crouch could only nod.
"Alright, take your men and rest for a few days. There are even more important missions ahead. The Royal Security Intelligence Bureau will be one of my most crucial forces," Arthur continued, noticing the swelling around Barty's eyes. He knew Barty hadn't gotten much sleep during this mission.
It made sense. This was the first mission of the much-anticipated Royal Security Intelligence Bureau. From the treasure raid to the transport logistics, everything had to be executed with extreme caution.
As the operation commander and director of the Bureau, it would've been strange if Barty Crouch had slept soundly during it all.
"Yes, Your Highness!" Barty Crouch didn't refuse. Days of sleep deprivation had left him thoroughly exhausted. He and the agents needed rest more than anything.
After all the treasure was secured in the estate's underground vault, the inventory process was handed over to the Guards soldiers and estate staff.
Due to the allure of the treasure, each person involved in the count was required to be accompanied by at least five strangers.
If a Guards soldier was involved, the companions had to be from entirely different units and unfamiliar with one another.
The unfamiliarity among the teams served as a powerful deterrent against anyone hiding or stealing treasure.
Furthermore, everyone underwent strict searches before and after the counting process to ensure nothing was smuggled out or privately stashed.
Compared to transporting the treasure, the counting process took even more time.
Even with hundreds of participants, including Guards and servants, it still took over six hours.
The process began in the afternoon and continued into the evening, by which time a general total had been calculated and detailed records compiled.
Just how massive was this temple treasure?
The total weight of the gold, silver, and jewels exceeded sixty tons. Over thirty tons were gold coins and ornaments alone, not to mention a mountain of gemstones and other treasures.
Among all the items, silver products were the fewest, totaling under ten tons. This was because many of the lower-value silver items had been intentionally left behind.
Had all the silver been included, the total weight would've reached at least eighty tons—making the transport even more difficult.
The most eye-catching item was a gold Buddha statue, slightly larger than life-sized. Though it appeared only human-sized, its actual weight was much greater and made it the hardest item to move.
It was even heavier than the golden elephant, and undoubtedly the most striking piece of the entire collection.
To be honest, Arthur didn't know much about the treasure within the temple. His knowledge came only from media articles.
But most of those articles were highly embellished, and none of the numbers matched up from one to the next.
The only certainty was that the treasure inside the temple was of immense value—worth hundreds of billions in modern times.
Though values were lower over a hundred years ago due to scarcity and time, the sheer volume made the treasure extremely valuable—certainly enough to meet Arthur's expectations.
As for the gold coins and ornaments, Arthur quickly issued a command to melt them down into gold bars to support a future currency issuance.
Leaving such an enormous amount of gold lying in a vault would be wasteful. Arthur didn't need these objects for show—especially since their origin couldn't be publicly disclosed.
These thirty-plus tons of gold would be a major supplement for a new national currency and would also bolster Australia's currently limited gold reserves.
Of course, the gold belonged to Arthur and the royal family. Even if used to issue new currency in the future, its ownership would remain with the Royal Bank.
Seeing the estimated value listed in the inventory report, Arthur was mildly surprised.
This treasure trove could support not just one or two years of industrial growth in Australia—three to five years wouldn't be a problem at all.
(End of Chapter)
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