By the time Moz and Neal arrived at the Long Island estate, having hurriedly retrieved the metal box containing crucial evidence from beneath the floor of a room in the Empire State Building, they were completely shocked by what Castle had to say: "Rick, are you saying you believe that Benjamin Arthur, currently the third-ranked candidate in the Donkey Party, will rise unexpectedly to win the presidential election?"
Moz, baffled, questioned him: "What makes you think that? Benjamin is only a backup candidate for the Donkey Party, and he's ranked third. Are you really confident that this guy will be the ultimate winner?"
Castle gave a mysterious smile. While he couldn't reveal too much to his two friends, he still had a way to persuade them. "You both know that because Beckett and I worked together to take down William Bracken, who was the Elephant Party's star candidate, the Elephant Party now has no follow-up plan in their fierce competition against the Donkey Party. So, even if I wanted to align with the Elephants, it's not feasible.
"Though I hold shares in Northrop Grumman and am technically a major donor to the Elephant Party, I won't gain any favor from them because of this. On the other hand, things are different with the Donkey Party. Although their previous candidate, Andrew, fell from grace due to our behind-the-scenes manipulation, not many people know about that. So, if I were to cozy up to the Donkey Party now, there's still a good chance they'd accept me."
Neal nodded, acknowledging Castle's reasoning. "You're right, Rick. You do have a chance to form a close partnership with the Donkey Party. But even if you want to collaborate with them, why back someone who's only the third-ranked candidate for president? Do you really believe in him that much?"
Castle burst out laughing. "It's precisely because he's currently underappreciated within the Donkey Party that now is the perfect time to bet on him. You both know I sold off the treasure I got from Vincent through some secret channels. Even after paying off the supercomputer, I still have a considerable amount of money. So, having discovered this opportunity, why not set the stage early?"
In the end, Castle managed to convince his two friends, who agreed with his plan. However, his initial idea of asking Moz to connect with Benjamin had to be postponed, as Moz was busy helping Neal in his scheme against Senator Pratt, Neal's sworn enemy. Castle realized he still didn't have enough people to rely on.
One person who was idly hanging around the estate was Bob Lee Swagger, who had secretly taken out Charles Hahn in Montana and planned to move to New York. However, Bob wasn't the strategic type—he was more of a man of action, always hanging around with his dog, Sam, and couldn't assist Castle with the planning.
Luckily, when Castle shared his predictions about the next U.S. president during a casual conversation at his neighbor Gianna's estate, it caught her full attention. Even though the D'Antonio family was powerful in Rome, they had never been involved in such high-level politics. Once Castle assured her he was at least 80% certain that Benjamin would become the next U.S. president, Gianna immediately expressed her desire to join in.
Of course, Castle didn't turn down her request. In fact, with Gianna involved, Castle could take a step back. So, after secretly discussing with her how to approach the underappreciated Benjamin and positioning themselves as his biggest campaign sponsors, Castle handed the task over to Gianna—pregnant and all. After all, Gianna had plenty of resources, both in terms of people and money. Once they made contact with Benjamin, Castle would step in, confident that the future president wouldn't be able to resist their influence.
Having set everything in motion, Castle slipped back into his usual laid-back mode. He even lost interest in spending time at the 12th Precinct with his girlfriend, Beckett, now that she had become the precinct chief and was increasingly occupied with administrative work rather than investigating cases. She had already proven her capabilities in a series of high-profile cases.
So, after careful consideration, Castle decided to temporarily give up hanging out at the 12th Precinct and, with some free time on his hands, began writing his latest Nikki Heat novel at his estate.
However, he wasn't destined for peace. While deep into his writing, a news report suddenly caught his attention.
"Last night, a man named Ben Gates broke into the National Archives and stole one of America's most important documents—the Declaration of Independence. The FBI is now in full pursuit of the suspect..."
Castle nearly dropped his pen when he saw the report on TV. "What?! National Treasure? Nicolas Cage—no, I mean, Gates has already stolen the Declaration of Independence? Last night? That means they're probably on their way to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia right now! And they haven't even found those special glasses yet? Wait a minute… I suddenly realize that I might know the exact location of the treasure hidden by the Freemasons. Isn't it buried under Trinity Church in Manhattan? Gates still needs time to decode everything, but I don't!"
As a time traveler with a cheat system, Castle was absolutely certain he knew the location of the treasure. Not only that, he even knew of two secret entrances. Plus, his recently emptied 1,000-cubic-meter portable storage space was ready to be filled. Wasn't this a sign he was destined to strike it rich?
This treasure, hidden during the American Revolution, had a history stretching back to the Crusades. Technically, it didn't even belong to the U.S., so how could he not seize this opportunity?
Castle immediately stopped what he was doing and began recalling every detail he could about National Treasure. He was certain the treasure was located under Trinity Church in Manhattan. The easiest way to access it was through a passage behind the tomb of a Freemason named Parkington Lane. After descending a staircase five stories deep, he would find an entire trove of treasure!
Even his 1,000-cubic-meter storage space might not be enough to haul it all away in one go. However, Castle didn't plan to take everything. After all, Gates still needed some treasure to clear his name. If he left Gates with enough to prove the treasure's existence, the Freemasons would likely help clear his name, and Gates would be free from the charge of stealing the Declaration of Independence.
Besides, Gates' discovery also alerted Castle to another treasure: the City of Gold hidden in Mount Rushmore. So, out of both sympathy and gratitude, Castle decided to leave some treasure for Gates. After all, the Freemasons considered the hoard their private property, and Castle figured he could take just enough for himself.
After making up his mind, Castle closed his laptop and immediately called Moz. He knew that if he hinted at having found the Freemasons' lost treasure, Moz and Neal would drop everything, even their plot against Senator Pratt, and rush over.
Sure enough, as soon as Castle gave Moz a cryptic hint about finding the Freemason treasure, the duo arrived at Castle's Long Island estate in record time. By then, Gianna, with her pregnant belly, John, and the ever-present chubby kid who lived on the estate, were already sitting in the living room waiting for them. Even Bob had been called in by Castle, who was eager to help the soldier strike it rich.
Because of the system's influence and Castle's past help, Bob had developed a close bond with him. And since Bob was reliable, Castle didn't hesitate to bring him into the inner circle. After all, tonight's haul could very well make Bob rich enough to never worry about money again.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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