Chapter 519

Debra and Marion circled the ancestral hall, but found nothing of value. The hall was as bare as a picked bone. Marion replaced the tablets he’d been inspecting, his voice echoing in the empty room.

“Let’s not waste our energy here anymore,” he said. “If there was something valuable here, Ralph would have snatched it up long ago.”

They had almost turned the place upside down, but found nothing. Debra’s shoulders slumped. “Could it be that the so-called family secret is just a lie?” she asked. If there was truly a treasure in Seamar City, surely someone would have found it by now.

“The treasure isn’t fake,” Marion said, looking at the tablets. “It’s just well hidden by our ancestors. Let’s head back for today. We have the key, so we can come back anytime.”

Debra bit her lip. “I’m just feeling uneasy.”

Marion pulled her close, his voice soothing. “Don’t worry. I’m here, and I won’t let anyone harm you.”

Debra leaned into his embrace, her eyes falling on the red columns behind him. A spark of an idea ignited in her mind. “Do you think there might be something under the column?”

Marion released her, his eyes following her gaze.

Debra continued, “I remember the ancestral hall has always been here, untouched and never renovated. If there’s nothing in the beams, behind the walls, or under the floorboards, could it be hidden under the column?”

The column was the only place they hadn’t searched. Marion crouched beside it, inspecting the base. The building had stood for a century without repairs, but the foundation was solid.

Chapter Sta+25 BONUS

He tapped the ground. “It’s hollow underneath.”

Debra crouched beside him. “If it’s hollow, that means there might be something hidden beneath it. I’ll call someone over.”

“Hold on,” Marion said, his hand on her arm. “The fewer people who know about this, the better. I’ll handle it.”

“Can you manage?” she asked.

“Don’t you trust your man?” he replied.

“It’s not like that,” she said.

Marion rolled up his sleeves and ruffled her hair. “Just stay put. This is a job for men.”

“Alright, I’ll get the tools,” Debra said.

“Good.”

Debra went to the front yard, gathering an assortment of tools. She returned to the ancestral hall, setting the box in front of Marion.

“Are these useful?” she asked.

Marion glanced at the box, filled with hammers, tweezers, and rusty shovels. “You use these?”

“I think so,” Debra replied. “I found them in the attic.” She had seen them there when she was playing hide-and-seek as a child, and they were still there.

Marion examined the tools. “Not bad. They should work.”