Falsifying history is good business

Chapter 4: The Treasure Map of Treasure Island That Should Not Have Appeared
"I found this treasure map in a Muggle's home in Spain. It was said that his great-grandfather's great-grandfather brought it back from America."

Mundungus's eager tone was very similar to that of the insurance salesman Lin You had met in his previous life;
"That poor old man almost forgot that he had such a treasure map at home. I had to work hard to make him remember the origin of this map."

Lin You interrupted with a smile: "If the original owner has forgotten that there is such a picture, how did you get it?"

"Ah... Actually, the whole process was very accidental." Mundungus' eyes became erratic. "How should I put it? There are always some things in the world that are particularly coincidental. You know, I am a person who likes to make friends very much. Coincidentally, I became friends with that old man..."

"You are so well connected that you even went to Spain to make friends."

"Of course. You see, your father and I are friends. Who would have thought that a distinguished Earl would be friends with a nobody like me?"

Lin You sneered; after a year of investigation, he had figured out the relationship between his "cheap father" and the Order of the Phoenix. With the character and behavior of the "dignified Earl", he could probably become friends with anyone in the Order of the Phoenix, except this sneaky thief.

Even in the entire Order of the Phoenix, no one would consider this thief as a friend.

"You became friends with that old man, and then what?"

"Then of course he invited his friends to his home; and by chance, I saw the treasure map in his house."

"You mean it's all just a coincidence?"

"Yes, it's just a coincidence."

"So, will these coincidences eventually lead the Aurors to my house?"

"Absolutely not, I can assure you; old Fletch always does things cleanly and efficiently..." Mundungus patted his chest and assured, but he suddenly reacted halfway through his words and almost bit his tongue due to a stutter.

"Clean and tidy, leaving no trace." Lin You continued with a smile, "That's what you want to say, right?"

Mundungus was speechless and his heart was pounding.

The kid's age was too confusing. He relaxed his guard without realizing it and blurted out everything he should and shouldn't have said.

What kind of things need to be described as “clean and neat, with no mess left behind”?
"Of course, if you are really worried and have no interest in this picture, actually..." Old Fletch began to back down.

"On the contrary, I'm quite interested in this picture; I'm not so interested in the coincidences you encountered. Can you continue to talk about it, such as how this picture got from America to Spain?" Lin You's attitude seemed to have suddenly changed, which made Mr. Fletch overjoyed.

"Oh, of course, you asked that. This picture has a history." Mundungus shook his head, as if trying to add some appeal with his body language.

"You know, two centuries ago, America was a Spanish territory; my friend's ancestors were officials in the colony..."

Lin You listened patiently for a long time, ignoring the appalling historical and geographical errors in the conversation, and finally understood the origin of the treasure map.

This map first appeared in Central America in the mid-eighteenth century, probably in the area around present-day Guatemala or Panama. At that time, a great pirate named Flint buried his loot on an island on the west coast while on the run and drew a map.

As a result, Flint died on the run and never had the chance to get his treasure back.

For the next half century, the map was passed around among Flint's pirate subordinates and local treasure hunters, but no one was able to find the treasure.

In the early 19th century, this map fell into the hands of an official in the colonial governor's office; but before the official could embark on the treasure hunt, he encountered the vigorous Latin American independence movement and had to flee back to mainland Spain, and the treasure hunt was aborted.

Afterwards, this picture was passed down among the officials' descendants, and today, it was brought to Britain by a lousy wizard who loves to make friends.

"What a tortuous and bizarre story." Lin You commented.

"Who says it's not? It's been more than two hundred years. If I hadn't found it, this thing might have been thrown into the fireplace as firewood one day." Mundungus also pretended to be emotional, emphasizing how hard it was to come by the thing.

"Well, that's the end of the story; Mr. Fletch wants to sell this thing to me?"

"Well... of course, if you're interested." Mundungus flattered cautiously, "You see, I'll definitely remember you first when there's something good; after all, your father took good care of me when he was alive..."

Lin You was too lazy to listen to his nonsense and asked directly: "How much do you want to sell it for?"

"Well, this is a huge treasure. I heard that the Muggles in Spain used to ship gold to Europe in batches, and Flint made a fortune by guarding that gold route..."

Lin You sneered: "According to what you said, Flint's activities were on the west coast of America. He mainly robbed the sailing trade route between Latin America and the Philippines. The route for transporting gold to Spain was in the Atlantic Ocean. Muggles don't know magic, so they can't drive the ship across the land."

Things like "West Coast of America", "Philippines", "Sailing Trade Route" and so on were like incomprehensible things to Mr. Fletch. How could a thief who cheated and deceived others, and a wizard, know these things?
The only thing he understood was that his reason for raising the price was exposed. "Well, it's hard to understand the Muggle mess." Mundungus smiled awkwardly, "Look, I think fifty Galleons is a reasonable price..."

"Five Galleons." Lin You didn't give the other party a chance to finish his words.

Mundungus almost jumped up: "What, this is too... too... If the journey to America wasn't too far, I would have gone to find it myself, but I wouldn't..."

"Please be patient, Mr. Fletch." Lin You calmly comforted the other party, with a calm and indifferent look, as if the bargaining offer of "ankle cut" was a matter of course.

"Answer me three questions first." Lin You raised a finger. "First, can you guarantee that this treasure map is real? Let's not talk about whether Flint's story is true or not. Since this map has been in the hands of Muggles for half a century, why didn't they find anything?"

Mundungus' voice suddenly dropped a few notches: "Who can guarantee something like treasure hunting?"

"Okay, let's take a step back." Lin You raised his second finger. "Flint's treasure is real, and this picture is also real. More than two hundred years have passed. Is it possible that the treasure has been taken away by someone a long time ago?"

"How is that possible? My friend said that when the treasure map came into the hands of his ancestors, no one had found the treasure yet." Mundungus hurriedly defended.

"How can you guarantee that?"

"Uh..." Mundungus was suddenly speechless.

"There is a third question." Lin You raised his third finger, "How many copies of this picture have you made? How many companies do you plan to sell it to?"

"What? How is that possible? Old Fletch is a reputable businessman." Mundungus looked aggrieved, his eyes wide open as he spoke nonsense that he himself did not believe.

Lin You didn't believe it even more.

An ordinary parchment map drawn by a Muggle, without any magical protection; with a cloning spell, you can have as many copies as you want.

"Considering that it's not easy for you to find the map, five Galleons can be regarded as a down payment. I have two compensation plans." Lin You calmed the other party down with just one sentence;

"The first option is, when I find the treasure, no matter how much it is, I will give you 5 percent. Of course, if the treasure is not much, or has been emptied long ago, you will get nothing."

"Five percent. That's too little," muttered Mundungus.

Lin You ignored him and pretended he didn't hear him. He continued, "The second option also requires me to wait until I find the treasure. As long as the treasure map is real, even if the treasure has been emptied, I will give you 45 Galleons."

Mundungus was immediately troubled.

"Hurry up and choose. You don't have to worry about me refusing to pay you later. The Forrest Family still has some credibility." Lin You took out five Galleons and exchanged the treasure map from Mundungus. He didn't care that the other party was still hesitating and opened the parchment to take a look at it first.

"Cocos Island... why does this name sound familiar?" Lin You repeated it silently twice in his mind, and suddenly frowned.

Cocos Island; Flint the Great Pirate; treasure map.

"Treasure Island?!"

Lin You blurted out what was heard by Mundungus. "What did you say?"

"Nothing." Lin You said with a serious face, "Mr. Fletch, I am very satisfied with this transaction. I hope we can have a chance to cooperate next time. In addition, when you decide which compensation plan to choose, you can notify me by owl at any time. Mr. Butler, can you help me send Mr. Fletch off?"

"Of course." The old butler suddenly responded from somewhere.

"Well, of course, I am also satisfied; next time, I mean, I will choose the second option, the second one." Mundungus was "sent" out of the manor by the old butler in a daze.

Lin You turned a deaf ear to him, stood silently looking at the treasure map for a long time, then turned around and ran to the library.

He had to find someone to find out whether the treasure map in his hand was the treasure map in the story of "Treasure Island", and he didn't want to waste even a moment.

As the first person to deal with logical contradictions in world views and ensure the smooth integration of different story worlds, Lin You clearly remembers that the Treasure Island story has not yet been integrated into the big world!
There shouldn't be a treasure map of Treasure Island in this world now.

　Second update.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)