Chapter 448 I Haven’t Promised to Help You Find This Ship

Friedrich looked at Xiao Peng and knew he was not joking.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect things to turn out like this. I was too subjective." Friedrich apologized to Xiao Peng directly.

Xiao Peng was stunned after hearing this, then smiled. "From what I understand, nobles are very proud and generally won't apologize directly. And since you treated me so earnestly and apologized to me so sincerely, you must have something very important to tell me. So, can we get to the point now?"

Friedrich said, "Of course. In fact, I look forward to it. Um... let me formally introduce myself. You know my name, Wolfgang von Friedrich, now Prince of Hedingen in Germany."

Xiao Peng coughed twice and said, "I have a bodyguard named Khedira. His last name is Hardenberg. According to your German customs, he is also a prince."

Friedrich explained, "Mr. Xiao, I'm truly sorry for misunderstanding you again. You just said you don't like to show off, but in fact, I really didn't say that to show off. You should know that I belong to the Hohenzollern family, and the Hohenzollern family has two branches."

Xiao Peng asked curiously, "Two branches? So you mean you and the current Hohenzollern family patriarch are not from the same branch?"

"No, no, no, we belong to the same branch," Friedrich said. "The other branch is the Sigmaringen line, the line that founded the Hohenzollern dynasty in Romania. One third of the current Hohenzollern Castle belongs to me."

Xiao Peng thought for a moment and said, "Hmm... Mr. Friedrich, you don't mean for me to restore the monarchy and take back the castle, do you?"

Friedrich laughed heartily. "Mr. Xiao, I'll be angry with anyone who tells me you have no sense of humor! Oh my god, why would I want that castle? The inheritance tax is too high!"

"Then why are you looking for me?" Xiao Peng asked puzzledly.

Friedrich said, "It's about the salvaging of a ship. As far as I know, you are the best in this business. You are especially good at salvaging gold."

Xiao Peng said, "I wouldn't admit I'm the best, but I'm pretty lucky. Salvaging gold was also a matter of luck. I couldn't help but salvage a ship with gold, right? But Mr. Friedrich, you should know that I'm a billionaire now. Not every ship is eligible for my salvage, so what I want to know is what ship you asked me to find."

"Can we talk alone?" Friedrich asked.

"sure!"

The two went to Friedrich's study. On the desk in the study was a thick, very old book with a crown on the cover and a shield underneath, which was the family emblem of the Hohenzollern family.

"My ancestor, William I, won the Franco-Prussian War and was crowned emperor in the Palace of Versailles in France and established the German Empire. At that time, the French Third Republic requested an armistice. The two sides finally signed a preliminary agreement in the Palace of Versailles and later signed a formal contract in Frankfurt." Friedrich said as he opened the book.

Xiao Peng nodded. "I know this history. And what does this have to do with the shipwreck?"

"There is always plunder in war, don't you think?" said Friedrich.

Xiao Peng was a little unhappy after hearing this and asked, "Just like what you did to our country before?"

Although the burning of the Old Summer Palace was done by the British and French forces, Germany was among the Eight-Nation Alliance!

Friedrich coughed dryly and said, "Actually, my predecessors took a lot of wealth from Paris after they captured it. However, this was against aristocratic etiquette, so the wealth was not transported back to Germany by land, but by sea. This was also related to the fact that a lot of loot was taken at the time. However, when passing through the Heligoland Bight, the ship encountered a storm and sank. Such an incident was shameful, so neither side mentioned it."

"I can understand that you don't mention this, but why doesn't the French side mention it?" Xiao Peng asked puzzledly.

Friedrich explained, "During the Franco-Prussian War, French Emperor Napoleon III personally led an army of 100,000 to fight Prussia at the Battle of Sedan, but was ultimately defeated and captured. Upon his capture, France wasn't focused on rescuing its emperor. Instead, revolution erupted, and the Parisian bourgeoisie established the Third French Republic. Napoleon III's Second French Republic collapsed. As a result, the Third French Republic engaged in a bloody feud over who would succeed the throne, having long since abandoned their previous emperor. After Napoleon III was released by Germany, he lost his country and had no choice but to flee to London. The period that followed was a chaotic one, and for a long time, the Third French Republic was supported by Germany. They considered this a humiliation, so the incident was swept under the rug."

Xiao Peng frowned and said, "Are you looking for me because you can't find this ship?"

Friedrich flipped open the book and said, "That's true. You can take a look. The information my ancestors left behind isn't very detailed. It just says the ship sank near the Heligoland Bight."

Xiao Peng frowned and said, "Mr. Friedrich, are you kidding me? You want me to find a ship that only has a few words recorded in your family's ancestral book? The famous Battle of Heligoland Bight took place there during World War I. Countless war historians have focused their attention there, so haven't they made any discoveries? Let's take a step back and assume that even if such a shipwreck really exists, even if there really is such treasure, even if no one has discovered it, can I search the vast Heligoland Bight in ten years?"

Friedrich nodded and said, "That's true, but that's why I came to you. You're the best, aren't you?"

Xiao Peng suddenly understood: "I see. I can understand that you have approached others, but no one is willing to take the job, right?"

Friedrich didn't deny it. "I've contacted several ocean exploration companies, but you're the only one I've told about the wealth on this ship."

"Oh? Why is that?" Xiao Peng asked puzzledly.

Friedrich said, "I believe you can find the ship."

"Wait, I haven't agreed to salvage this ship yet!" Xiao Peng frowned and said, "Mr. Friedrich, why do you think that other ocean exploration companies won't take your job, but I will?"

Friedrich laughed and said, "Because I have the leverage to get you to accept this job!"

Xiao Peng frowned even more tightly as he looked at Friedrich.

Instead of answering him directly, Friedrich took something out of the drawer and put it on the table.

Xiao Peng was horrified after seeing this: "Hiss! This is fake, right? How did it get here?"