"Boss, this is Vinayak's house."
Two red-painted motorcycles were parked in front of the house, and Benjamin and his two companions got off.
The dark-skinned young man pointed to the dilapidated house, and a simple structure built of wood and black stone.
Benjamin glanced at the run-down house.
Vinayak, the protagonist, had spent all his gold coins on leisure and hadn't bought or built any new houses.
"Vinayak, Boss Raghaf is here to see you."
The yellow-braided henchman politely pushed open the door with his left hand and called out, because his right hand wrapped in a plaster cast.
Benjamin waited quietly at the door.
He was a man of principle.
"Raghaf, what brings you here? Didn't you say you didn't have any more rupees for the time being?"
Vinayak Rao, dressed in a black suit with a brown shirt, sporting a thick mustache, stood out starkly against his neighbor's patchwork clothes.
He was somewhat curious.
He had rejected Raghaf's offer to partner in business yesterday, so why was Raghaf here again today?
The account was irrelevant to him, and only having gold in his hands could give him peace of mind.
"I'm out of rupees, but the foreign officers are. They're changing garrisons tomorrow and are willing to pay 20% more in rupees to exchange for a large amount of gold."
Benjamin spoke as he walked directly into the house.
Hearing this, Vinayak quickly followed and sat down on a stool.
"How much gold do they want?"
Vinayak's expression was somewhat eager.
An exchange rate that was 20% higher—this was a great opportunity to make a fortune, but he didn't have many gold coins left.
"How much do you have?"
"I have about 2.8 pounds of gold coins."
"Vinayak, that's far from enough. Gino alone requires at least three pounds. I'll come see you tomorrow morning. I hope you seize this opportunity."
Benjamin patted Vinayak on the shoulder, turned, and walked towards the door.
The two henchmen guarding the door quickly followed.
"Boss, why are we leaving? Aren't we looking for treasure?"
The man with the yellow braid was puzzled.
"What's the rush? Vinayak will take us there soon."
Benjamin pulled a screen resembling a smartphone from his pocket. A yellow dot was constantly flashing on the screen.
"Boss, what's this?"
The dark-skinned middle-aged man asked curiously.
"This yellow dot is Vinayak."
Benjamin watched the yellow dot on the screen flicker slightly and casually explained.
"Oh."
The man with the yellow braid and the dark-faced man seemed to understand, but not quite.
About 20 minutes passed. "Hey, it moved! The yellow dot… no, Vinayak is moving to the left!"
The man with the yellow braid and bandaged right hand pointed at the screen and shouted excitedly.
"Let's go."
The three of them got on their motorcycles and followed Vinayak.
Halfway there, a light drizzle suddenly started to fall.
After riding westward for 30 minutes, the yellow dot on the screen finally stopped.
Before them stood a temple wall, ten meters high and a hundred meters long, built entirely of square black stone blocks.
In the center of the wall was an arched doorway topped with a dilapidated double wooden door.
This is the temple built by the villagers of Tumbbad for Hastar, the eldest son of the Goddess of Prosperity, and it is now in a state of ruin.
Benjamin saw a motorcycle parked next to the door, and it may have been Vinayak who had ridden over.
"Lock your motorcycle to his, and bring the rope."
"Got it, boss. That way, Vinayak won't be able to escape."
The dark-skinned middle-aged man gave a habitual, sinister grin.
Entering the temple, they found a three-story stone pavilion resembling a courtyard house.
The walls were painted with rows of images of women in red hooded robes, their faces painted black, their lifeless eyes seemingly fixed on the three.
Benjamin, carrying the tracking device, bypassed the pavilion and arrived at a square stone platform of about 50 square meters in the backyard.
In the center of the platform was an ancient, dilapidated black well, a rope tied to its edge, the other end leading directly to the bottom.
"Vinayak must be looking for gold down there! So, the treasure of Tumbbad is here!"
The dark-skinned middle-aged man exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the rope.
"Give me the rope."
Benjamin tied one end of the rope to a stone pillar and the other end to the waist of the man with the yellow braid.
"Boss, this…"
The man with the yellow braid was a little confused.
"It's OK, I know your hand is injured. Hakob will lower you down first, then he will. Don't worry."
Benjamin checked that the rope was secure and then gestured to the dark-skinned middle-aged man, Hakob Pal.
"After you go down, find Vinayak and tie him up. I'll follow."
The man with the yellow braid excitedly went to the well. He would be the first to access the treasure.
The dark-skinned middle-aged man, Hakob, understood and began to pull the rope in and out.
"Good brother, hurry up! Who knows how many gold coins Vinayak has already retrieved down there?"
The man with the yellow braid, despite his injured hand, actually started urging him on.
"I know, what are you worried about? Now he is helping us retrieve gold coins, and he can't possibly escape."
The dark-skinned middle-aged man, barely suppressing his excitement, mimicked Benjamin's tone and expression.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the well.
Vinayak was frantically climbing upwards along the crimson tunnel formed of flesh and blood.
Below the rope was a skinless monster, like a blood-soaked corpse.
It wore a golden crown on its head, and its crimson arms and legs were adorned with golden ornaments.
Its mouth full of fangs hissed incessantly, chasing after Vinayak as it climbed along the well wall.
The monster's eyes were filled with intense hunger, and this was the god of greed, 'Hastar'.
Just as the monster was about to grab his ankle, Vinayak's muscles bulged, and with a powerful pull, he leaped out of the Well of God.
He slammed the heavy metal manhole cover shut with a clang, then sat on it, his face filled with terror.
A resentful roar echoed from beneath the cover, then faded away.
He took out more than a dozen gold coins from his bosom, contentedly weighed them in the palm of his hand, and the panic on his face was gradually replaced by a greedy smile.
A harsh, tearing sound came from the shaft. Vinayak's smile vanished, and he quickly looked up at the rope above.
It turned out that next to the rope he was beside, another rope appeared. A middle-aged man with a yellow braid slowly descended, revealing his feet.
Vinayak's expression darkened. He quickly ducked behind the Well of God, his eyes scanning the surroundings, and picked up a stone.
"Vinayak, I heard something! Don't hide!"
" Hakob, come down right now! The rope is in our hands. Vinayak, you can't escape!"
The man with the yellow braid landed on his feet, looking around the well as he shouted.
He hadn't expected such a large space at the bottom of the well.
But it was practically an underground safe room, though incredibly dirty and covered in cobwebs, giving it a sinister and terrifying feel.
"Damn it, Shahu! Raghaf sent you to track me! Where is he?"
Vinayak, hearing this, angrily stepped forward and demanded.
He knew the space at the bottom of the well was limited, and there were people guarding the ropes above, and there was no escape.
So, he threw away the stones, grabbed a handful of dirt, stuffed it into his pocket, and then stepped forward.
"The boss is up there, of course. Vinayak, surrender."
The voice came from the passageway, and the dark-skinned middle-aged man, Hakob, also descended the rope.
After he landed, the two ropes in the well were slowly pulled upwards simultaneously.
The three men at the bottom could no longer climb up.
"The gold coins are piled up in here, you can take as many as you want. You want gold coins, right? Let Raghaf come down too, I'm willing to share the treasure with you."
Vinayak reached out and patted the metal manhole cover beside him. He was anxious because the rope was gone, and this meant their escape route was cut off.
"Ah, the rope… Boss!"
The yellow-haired man cried out softly.
The dark-skinned middle-aged man looked at the yellow-haired man with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot, then said to Vinayak,
"The boss just said up there, you stay where you are and let me tie you up obediently before he lowers the rope. Otherwise, the three of us will wait at the bottom of the well while he goes to find more brothers to help."
As he spoke, the dark-skinned middle-aged man picked up the rope that was diagonally looped over his shoulder and walked towards Vinayak.
Vinayak deflated like a punctured tire, his body slumping.
He stood motionless, his body bound tightly by the yellow-braided man like a rice dumpling, leaving only his head exposed.
"Boss, the man's tied up."
The dark-skinned middle-aged man shouted towards the passage, and the two ropes were lowered again.
Benjamin stood outside the well, testing the firmness of the well wall.
Confirming he could climb up using his own body weight even without the ropes, he slid down the rope.