Chapter 103: The Treasure of King Solomon

"The Holy Grail," Sophia marveled. For Westerners, the Holy Grail is a well-known legend, with countless tales depicted in various films and books.

Sophia continued, "So, what is this treasure?"

From the front passenger seat, Langdon glanced at William and said, "Maybe William knows what it is."

Sophia, astonished, looked at William. "William, do you know what the treasure is, don't you?"

Faced with the curious expressions of Langdon and Sophia, William pondered for a moment. He had no clue about the family treasure they were searching for, but thought that Langdon might know something. "The treasure of King Solomon."

"What treasure?" Langdon exclaimed. As a Harvard expert in symbols and history, he had never seen any definitive records about King Solomon's treasure. Langdon always believed it was a myth. "That's impossible. King Solomon's treasure is just a legend. There's no historical record of it."

William shook his head with a strange expression. "It's real. It's in the Holy City, discovered by the Knights Templar during the First Crusade over a thousand years ago. It included 140 tons of gold, countless antiques, parchment manuscripts, coins, gold and silver artifacts, and jewels."

"It's been there all along, always existing. The Devonshire family has been guarding it for a thousand years, until a massacre six hundred years ago. The surviving Templar members hid it. Three hundred years later, the Templars had a traitor, causing a split, and those traitors hid it."

"The most absurd part is that after hiding Solomon's treasure for decades, they eventually lost track of it themselves."

"For three hundred years, the Devonshire family has been searching for it, this legendary treasure of King Solomon. God, it's been the obsession of countless generations. And now, the task has fallen to me. I don't know if it's been divided among people or still buried somewhere in this world."

"Incredible, absolutely incredible," Langdon, the Harvard professor with a photographic memory, immediately zeroed in on the crux of the matter. "Who were these traitorous Templars, William?"

Sitting in the back, Sophia also became tense at this critical point. William, with a smile, looked at Langdon and Sophia. "Do you think I would tell you? This has been a secret protected by the Devonshire family for over a thousand years."

"Oh no, William, I shouldn't have listened to this. Now I'll definitely have sleepless nights. God," Langdon groaned, burying his head in his hands.

Sophia, annoyed, punched William. "Go meet God yourself, William."

William shrugged. "I'm not telling you for your own good. Do you know how many people would kill to know this secret? It wouldn't end well for you. You could be captured and tortured, or if you're lucky, thrown into some dark prison for life. If unlucky, buried in a desert or sunk in a river somewhere."

"Okay, okay, don't tell me. I don't want to know," Langdon said, feeling alarmed. "An ordinary person like me shouldn't dream about treasures sought by such ancient organizations. William, you've scared me. I can guess who those Templar traitors are. As an American, I don't want those guys coming after me."

William, surprised, responded, "You guessed it? Professor, are all Harvard professors this impressive?"

"God, I'm the best professor of history and symbology at Harvard. I'm the best, understand?" Langdon retorted, annoyed.

"Shut up, Langdon. Just tell me what you know," Sophia demanded from the back seat.

Langdon, taken aback, raised his hands. "Okay, lady. William's clues are clear. Over six hundred years ago, after the Templar massacre, Europe was unsafe. To protect the treasure, they could only transport it to another continent. Asia and Africa were out of the question, so it had to be America, which was a wilderness back then."

"And three hundred years later, these traitors couldn't find it. This means the situation must have been extremely dire. The treasure's map must have been made very obscure. The only critical period in America was the American Revolution, when American authorities feared the treasure would fall into British hands. Right, William?" Langdon asked.

William smiled. "Yes, exactly right."

Langdon waved his hand dismissively. "Then it's clear. That treasure is the American national treasure, hidden by America's founding fathers and sought after by the Freemasons for over two hundred years."

"The traitors William mentioned were the Templar members who fled to America and formed the Freemasons. God, I don't want to know anything more about this treasure. Trying to take it from the Freemasons or the Priory of Sion, who have been oppressed in Europe for over six hundred years, is suicidal. Let's talk about something else."

"I've already been turned into a fugitive by the Priory of Sion in Europe. I can't imagine what would happen if I opposed the powerful Freemasons in America."

"Alright, Langdon, you're right. Let's talk about something else," Sophia, also frightened by Langdon's words, agreed.

"The national treasure? Not the one Nicolas Cage was looking for? Damn, that movie never specified where the ship was," William mused, trying to recall details from the film. Damn, his soul had been dormant for eighteen years. He couldn't remember all the details from a movie he watched once. He remembered a clue was hidden on the back of a declaration and the treasure was under some church, but which church?

Unable to remember, William glanced at Langdon, thinking the expert might know something. "It's not as dangerous as you think. I have a clue, but I'm clueless about it. Professor Langdon, perhaps you can help solve the mystery."

Langdon quickly shook his head. "No, William, I don't want to know. It's too dangerous. Even if we find it, we'd be doomed. The treasure is worth at least billions. I'm content with my life now. Once this is over, I'll return to Harvard and be a professor in peace."

"Fine, let's get through this, and then I'll visit you in America for academic discussions. You won't shut me out, right?" William said.

"We'll see," Langdon replied, focusing on the key in his hand. After examining it, he found that the key's head was an antique hundreds of years old, but the handle was modern with laser markings. "Hawks 24. What kind of riddle is this?"

Sophia immediately understood. "Hawks 24 is not a riddle; it's an address. I know where it is. William, drive."

Following Sophia's directions, they arrived at a Swiss bank in bustling Paris. Using the key to unlock the bank's door, they entered. The night manager, pointing the way, allowed Sophia to use the key and a sequence left by Saunière to open a safety deposit box in the vault.

When Sophia opened the box, they found a small wooden box engraved with a fleur-de-lis. Langdon, seeing the fleur-de-lis, exclaimed in surprise, "God, it's hard to believe. The rose, a symbol of the Holy Grail."

Taking the box from Sophia, William noted it was clearly an antique. Before they could open it, the night manager walked in.

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