Revenge is Best Served… After Reborn

Her special qualities were a mystery to most, but he knew them inside out.

"Sir, should we show some gratitude to Mr. Burke?"

"It's probably best to steer clear of him right now."

Gordon said, "If they're hoping to cash in on our efforts, let's give them what they want and find the treasure's hiding spot for them."

"Won't that just throw Devonport into a bigger mess?"

"Devonport's already in chaos."

Gordon frowned, "I intend to stir the pot a bit more in this uproar."

As night settled in, Sophie and the crew returned to Burke Estate.

Rick greeted them warmly, "Ms. Sophie, Colby."

"Rick, what've you been up to?"

Jenna approached, noticing Rick juggling a bunch of old, dusty scrolls.

Rick chuckled, "Oh, these? They're old maps of the town, from decades ago. The boss said they needed some airing out to lose that musty smell, so I thought I'd lay them out in the sun tomorrow morning." "Maps of the old town?" Angelo perked up, "I'd love to take a look!"

"Seriously, bro? You want to see everything, even if it's covered in dust!"

"Just a peek! These old things can be worth a fortune!"

Seeing Angelo's eagerness, Rick obliged, "Alright, I'll spread them out. Feel free to check them out, but watch out for the dust."

"Awesome, let's see!"

Angelo admired the scrolls like they were hidden gems.

"They say the Aldridge family's got loads of treasures, and now I've finally seen it with my own eyes."

Angelo rubbed his hands, excited.

As Rick laid out the scrolls, they showed the town from decades past.

Devonport was already developing back then, but nothing like it is now.

The old town, aside from the central area, was a patchwork of wastelands and rice fields.

"Wow, this is ancient."

Angelo remarked, "Was Devonport really this underdeveloped back then?"

"What are you going on about?” Adler gave Angelo a playful smack, "Devonport's economic boom is recent. I can't believe it was this rough back then. Rick, you sure you didn't grab the wrong map?"

"This shows the old town before development. There were mountains behind and the sea in front, with

loads of small fishing villages by the coast." NôvelDrama.Org © 2024.

Rick pointed to the map, "Back then, the Aldridge family had a massive project to move mountains." "Move mountains?"

Sophie raised an eyebrow, "You're saying these mountains were dug out?"

"Exactly."

Rick explained, "A century ago, the old town's infrastructure was poor, and the surrounding mountains made transport difficult. So, they funded a project to remove the mountains. The Aldridge family owned them, and moving them paved the way for the business empire they have today."

Sophie pointed at some numbers on the map, "What do these numbers mean?" "They're coordinates."

Rick replied, "Devonport's geographical coordinates."

"Latitude 31° North, Longitude 121o East."

Sophie murmured, as if piecing together a puzzle.

Jenna noticed Sophie's puzzlement, "Sophie, what's up?"

Adler also asked, a bit baffled, "Yeah, it's just coordinates. Did you stumble onto something?"